This 50mm lens by Sigma does exactly what it says. I have taken many close up shots with it and the image quality is outstanding.

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The optical construction is made of 10 elements in 9 groups without any special elements. The aperture mechanism has 7 aperture blades. Typical for most true macro lenses the lens features a floating system which corrects aberrations down to the max. magnification of 1:1 at a min.

I purchased this lens based on reviews I had seen on other web sites and I do not regret it. The lens focuses quickly in AF mode and in manual focus, it focuses as smooth as an AF lens I've used does.

The picture quality, especially the macro is simply AWESOME! See for yourself :-) https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/108728270996253120217/albums/posts/6098445883769623970?

I also own the Sigma 150 Macro (which is excellent). Image quality wise, this one is as good, if not a tiny bit sharper. It is small and light, so I always have it in my bag, even if I dont plan to do macro. I bought it also a as a walk around prime that can do macro if needed.

Light weight; Optics: sharpness, contrast, bokeh , color are top notch; AF accurate , price

slow AF (but I knew it wasn't HSM when I bought it...

Sigma's 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro is a third-party lens available in five different fits – Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax. The construction of the Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro features 10 glass elements in 9 groups and when coupled to a D-SLR with a 1.5x crop factor, it has a film-equivalent...

This Sigma Macro 50mm F2.8 EX DG is a standard macro lens that is ideal for shooting the "small world' around us that exists virtually unseen. A macro lens is one which will focus on a subject close enough to render it "life-size" on the image plane in your camera.

The DG moniker indicates that this is a full-frame compatible lens, while EX indicates that it is one of Sigma's top marque lenses. The lens has an impressive maximum aperture of f/2.8, dropping to f/45 minimum (f/32 on Nikon or Pentax cameras).

Well priced and sturdy enough lens; full-frame imaging circle

Image quality is not as good as some others

The optical construction is made of 10 elements in 9 groups without any special elements. The aperture mechanism has 7 aperture blades. Typical for most true macro lenses the lens features a floating system which corrects aberrations down to the max. magnification of 1:1 at a min.