brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks Harvey...

brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks AuntieM...

gnd Loc: DownUnder

Bruce have you used any macro lens other than the Sigma? I've had some limited trials of Canon's 60 & 100mm and Tamron's 60 & 90mm macros and find it hard to choose between them! Problem is renting a lens in Australia is pretty expensive and using the lens in the shop isan't the best test either. I love the bokeh the Tamron's produce...Any comments ? Thanks :)

brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Hi gnd... I have only tested the Canon 100mm macro and the Sigma 105mm macro and they were almost identical twins when it came to image quality and image/optical stabilization. At the time of my purchase of a macro lens the Sigma was on sale for about $250-$300 less then the Canon... although my urge was to buy the Canon lens the quality/price ratio greatly favored the Sigma lens in my opinion. I purchased the Sigma and I have had no regrets. If you are satisfied with the Tamron lens and it's quality/price ratio then go for it... I would advise that the lens have an optical/image stabilization system especially for handheld situations. If your camera has a built-in stabilization system, then you won't need a lens with built-in image stabilization.

brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks again to everyone that has commented on my Small Flower photo...

brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks Harvey...

gnd Loc: DownUnder

Thanks Bruce. The camera store I go to said if I buy a macro lens from them they'll be happy to exchange it for another within 14 days if I'm not satisfied. That's a fair offer so I'm going to finally bite the bullet and make a final decision. I guess the fact that I'm finding it hard to decide between them shows how good these lenses are so any final choice will be good!
Enjoy the cheesecake! It looks so tempting :-D

brucew29 Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Thanks gnd... I always enjoy good/great cheesecake...

I hope that you get your lens soon.... but just as a reminder, if you haven't had a macro lens before there is a slight learning curve. Close-up depth-of-field can be very shadow and it will be easy to be out of focus to one degree or another. If you use a tripod and have a relatively motionless object then critical focusing is much easier. I rarely use a tripod and I know that my handheld focus suffers a little but I am willing to make that sacrifice for increased mobility and creativity by not using a tripod. I hope that you have good luck in getting your macro lens.