Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon & Nikon mounts measurements and review

The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro is available for many mounts: Nikon,Canon, Sony, Minolta, Pentax, FourThirds. So, we will first have a closer look at the Nikon and Canon versions:

Sigma for Canon vs Sigma for Nikon

If you look at the detailed measurements, you will see how similar these 2 versions of the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro (Nikon and Canon) feature:

An equal overall DxOMark score: good from f/2.8 to f/5.6 but deteriorating at f/8 to become really bad from f/11 to f/36
Almost identical resolution metrics: 58 lp/mm for the Canon version and 57 lp/mm for the Nikon one
The Distortion, Vignetting and Chromatic Aberration are the same and pretty good
This give identical Use case scores : 4 stars for portrait and 3 stars for Sport

So, we can conclude that these 2 versions of the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro are good lenses on the f/2.8 to f/5.6 range, especially for portrait and sport photography.

Sigma vs Canon

We compared the Canon version of the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro with 2 of its main competitors: the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM and the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

In term of resolution, even if the L series lens of Canon is slightly better, the difference is almost invisible above F/4. And, the Sigma lens resolution is also a bit more homogenous across the field.
The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro has less vignetting even at F/2.8 and the Chromatic Aberration is better controlled.
In term of distortion, both less are very good.
Overall, the Sigma lens scores a bit lower than the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, it is better than the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

To conclude, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro is a good lens which comes close to the high end Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM for a price closer to the mid-range Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

Sigma vs Nikon

The key difference between these two lenses is their sharpness. The Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED offers a much better resolution with 65 lp/mm where the Sigma only reaches 57 lp/mm.
For both the distortion can be neglected.
The vignetting and chromatic aberration are both in favor of the Sigma.
Overall, the Use Case scores of these lenses are excellent in Portrait (4 stars) and the Sigma has a slight advantage in Sport photography (3 stars vs 2.5 stars)

So, even compared with the excellent Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro still offers a good alternative by compensating its limited sharpness with pretty limited vignetting, distortion et chromatic aberration.