Seek Advice Please - Macro/Portrait Lens

Hello to all
I am on a tight budget and are looking to purchase a new prime lens suitable for macro and/or portrait photography. This will be the first lens I have owned with macro capabilities. The lens will be used on my K7.

I have been looking at and considering:-
1. Pentax D-FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro . Currently £339.00 at SRS.
2. Sigma 70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro. Currently £249.99 at SRS

I am leaning towards the Sigma, it is around 90 quid cheaper, has been rated highly in reviews and, has apparently good Brokeh capabilities. The Pentax on the other hand has also been rated quite highly and has the advantage of being WR.

Grateful for any advice. Seasonal Greetings To All

What do you want to use the macro for? If its something alive them 100mm gives you more space

I have had the Sigma 70mm and currently have the Pentax WR macro. To be honest there is no such thing as a bad macro lens so it comes down to preference really. The Sigma is very very sharp and focuses slightly closer than 1:1, it's an excellent lens and is suited more towards flowers and stationary objects due to the shorter focal length. The Pentax lens is more suited towards insects and suchlike due to the longer focal length (more distance between you and the subject so less chance of scaring it away), again it's very sharp (maybe not quite as much as the Sigma) but has the advantage of being WR.

As I said, very much down to personal choice, the main reason I sold my Sigma was because you can't store the hood on it reversed ... silly I know but it really annoyed me.

I'd throw the Tamron SP 90mm f2.8 into the mix. Very highly thought of 1:1 macro.

Phil

Some mentioned, some not...

I would avoid the FA50 macro. While optically it is one of Pentax's better lenses, and it also has the very clear benefit of being a full frame lens... The lens sometimes has to hunt for focusing. Not that it should effect most macro subject, but do not try it at portraiture, one will typically miss a lot while the lens fully racks focusing; from infinity, then all the way to the closest focus setting, and then all the way back again

Thanks all - very helpful - I will digest. I had particularly not appreciated the choice of focal length in relation to shooting say flowers opposed to moving subjects. I will give the Tamron SP 90mm a view.

Brian

If you want to use the lens for both macro and portrait, it has to be the Sigma 105mm DG EX Macro. It's great for macro images, but utterly superb for portraits, it has a beautiful natural colour rendering and lovely soft bokeh. Forget the Pentax for portraits, it doesn't work well in this mode.

Regards
David

Great reviews - but very difficult to find in Pentax Fit

Thanks: Brian