Endlessly Curious

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG MACRO Art

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Specifications

BrandSigma
CategoryMacro, Telephoto
Prime or ZoomPrime
Focus TypeAuto
Focal length (mm)70
Aperture (max)2.8
Angle of View34°
Filter Size (mm)49
Weight (g)605
Length (mm)130
Diameter (mm)70.8
Weather Sealed✔
Image Stabilization✘
Min. focus distance (m)0.258
Max. magnification1
Release Year2018
Release Price (USD)629
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Description and Reviews

Key Take-Aways:

The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG MACRO Art is a discontinued full-frame 1:1 macro prime, which Photography Blog’s Mark Goldstein calls the first 1:1 dedicated macro lens in Sigma’s Art range. Sigma’s page lists the L-Mount version at 605 g and 70.8 mm across, with a length of 129.8 mm, a 49 mm filter thread, a 34.3 degree angle of view (entered as 34), a 25.8 cm minimum focus distance and 1:1 maximum magnification, and says the lens mount carries rubber sealing against dust and water drops. Sigma America’s own US store page shows a regular price of $629 for the L-Mount selection. As of Oct 2026, six written reviews and fourteen videos are linked. ePHOTOzine’s John Riley, testing on a 50-megapixel Canon EOS 5DS R, found very impressive image quality, excellent sharpness and well controlled chromatic aberration, but slightly slower than average autofocus and no weather resistance. Goldstein found outstanding image quality, tack sharp in the centre almost throughout the aperture range, but no built-in stabilisation and no professional level of weather-proofing. Nature TTL’s Max Thompson found it pin-sharp from f/2.8 and one of the sharpest macro lenses he has used, with only average autofocus that hunts close to 1:1. SLR Lounge’s Wendell Weithers praised its sharpness, bokeh and chromatic aberration control, but said the extending barrel, slow focusing and lack of stabilisation make it more of a studio lens. Dustin Abbott judged its optical performance as good as he has seen from a macro lens, but found the focus motor slow and the focus-by-wire not ideal for macro work. Digital Camera World’s Matthew Richards called it fabulous optically, with a tight 6 cm working distance at 1:1 because of the extending inner barrel. In his video description Gary Jahman calls it truly amazing, and Karol Kizlo calls it one of the most underrated macro lenses for full-frame cameras.

From Sigma:

In recent years, macro lenses in the standard range have tended to employ inner focusing with the goal of maximizing autofocus speed. In contrast, the new Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | Art lens is designed to prioritize optical performance, fulfilling the demanding image quality requirements that define the Art line. In the standard to mid-telephoto range, it delivers stunning resolution and incredible clarity that greatly exceed expectations for a macro lens. The coreless DC motor further enhances image quality, while an optimized algorithm helps offer extremely smooth autofocus performance for a weightier, high-performance lens. Photography enthusiasts will recall a certain legendary, razor-sharp macro lens—the Sigma MACRO 70mm F2.8 EX DG—and be glad to learn it is available in a new form, updated with outstanding Art line quality.

In order to realize top-level performance at every shooting distance, the lens features an extending, floating, two-group focus mechanism. This configuration minimizes aberration to produce optimal results at any focus distance. To minimize axial chromatic aberration, the optical system incorporates two FLD glass elements, two SLD glass elements, and one element with a high rate of anomalous partial dispersion and a high index of refraction. In addition, two aspherical lens elements help increase resolution at close shooting distances. This optical system makes possible a razor-sharp in-focus area contrasted with a bokeh area free of color streaking.

The lens mount incorporates rubber sealing to protect the mount from dust and water drops.

Official Website

Sigma has discontinued this lens. Specifications are the L-Mount figures from Sigma’s English page (angle of view 34.3 degrees entered as 34, maximum magnification 1:1 entered as 1.0, minimum focus distance 25.8 cm entered as 0.258, length 129.8 mm entered as 130). The weather sealing flag follows Sigma’s statement that the lens mount carries rubber sealing against dust and water drops. The price is the regular price of the L-Mount selection on Sigma America’s live product page (sigmaphoto.com/70mm-f2-8-dg-macro-a), which still lists the discontinued lens as out of stock; the other mounts are listed at $569 there, and Sigma America’s archived copy of 26 Jun 2022 (web.archive.org/web/20220626012718/https://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/70mm-f2-8-dg-macro-a) showed $569 for the L-Mount selection. Several videos cover the Sony E or Canon EF mount of the same lens.

Reviews:

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