Sigma APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Available July 27 | News | Forum

Pricing and availability are now official for the new Sigma APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens.  It will be available on July 27 for $1699 for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts.  It's currently available for pre-order at B&H Photo.

More info on the new lens in the latest press release below.

Sigma Corporation of America announces pricing and availability for 180mm F2.8 macro lens

World’s first 1:1 180mm F2.8 macro lens arrives in the US in July for street price of $1,699 

RONKONKOMA, NY July 13, 2012 – Sigma Corporation, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, has announced that the Sigma APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM will be available in the United States on July 27 for the street price of $1,699.

The new APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens boasts Sigma’s proprietary Optical Stabilizer (OS) technology and a wide F2.8 aperture to allow faster shutter speeds for narrow depth of field. With the OS feature, the lens offers the use of shutter speeds approximately four stops slower than would otherwise be possible, enabling handheld, close-up photography. Three “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, which have a performance equal to fluorite glass, are included to provide excellent correction for color aberrations, and an inner focusing system enables this lens to photograph objects precisely throughout the entire focusing range. Overall length does not change during focusing.

“Macro photography is becoming quite popular and we’ve been growing our lineup of macro lenses as a result,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “We’re filling a gap in the industry by introducing the world’s first 1:1 180mm F2.8 lens to the market. The Optical Stabilizer technology and the larger focusing distance also provide photographers with more control for…