Best Buys: Lenses

Top 25 Best Buys

Closer Encounter: Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro EX DG

Who? Avid travelers of the tiny world. What? Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro EX DG. Why? If you really want to take great close-ups, nothing beats a dedicated macro lens. Not only are they optimized for close focusing, they do it without extra paraphernalia. The Sigma Macro EX DG, designed for digital SLRs, focuses down to 1:1 (life-size). With an equivalent focal length of 75mm, 80mm, or 85mm, depending on your camera model, the lens also puts extra working room between you and your subject (which may be a skittery little creature). It's based on the older full-frame Macro EX (which proved exceptionally sharp in Pop Photo Lab tests), but has special lens coatings to suppress ghosting from digital sensors. Now!$270, street, in mounts for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony DSLRs.