Sigma 70-300 failure (Sony Alpha fit)

Joining in this a bit late but I have a Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro which I use with a Nikon D40. I had a good summer with it in 2009 and was doing quite well this year until the Little Gransden show when the whole shebang locked up and it wouldn’t release the shutter, focus or anything else. I took it back to the dealer in Cambridge who returned it to Sigma and it’s back now , repaired at their cost as it was under guarantee. There was no explanation with it but it does seem to be working quite well but for how long? No airshows to check it at this time of year.

Update!

Just to update all…

I have eventually gotten around to contacting Sigma.

Without getting into too much detail, they say they will repair the lens for £81 with new parts which they say should stop it happening again. Apparently current lenses are always being improved after discovering faults that have happened in the past.

Phil.

Metal replacement??

If this is the case can the plastic internal item be replaced by an improved metal one and does one exist???

Shouldn’t the manufacturer honour your cost if it is a problem with the lens?

Yes, they should, but (you had to know there would be a but) there is a grey area here. The lense was designed to work with the Sony’s known at the time of the lense’ creation. Hence, with the Minolta motors. After the lense was released it appears Sony amended their product. Sigma can´t help that their old equipment does not 100% match the new equipment. That´s always the problem with buying non-OEM equipment. It can even happen with OEM equipment, for instance Canon with their EF vs EF-S fitting.

The real questions are:
1) did Sigma know about the problem
2) did Sigma inform the retailers
3) did the retailer inform the buyer

From a purely legal point of view you’d be better of trying to go for the retailer, but ONLY if you are able to proof they could reasonably have known about it, and only if you can proof that they did not tell you about the problem. Problems like this are a good reason to pay a bit more at a professional photo-store instead of the bargain at Dixons and similar box stores. The people at Dixons are more likely to lack this kind of specific information.

Shouldn’t the manufacturer honour your cost if it is a problem with the lens?
I have a non HSM on my Nikon and that has been good – thus far.

THIS might give you an idea. Tarrif 6 – £93.99 but if you get it fixed It’ll only happen again.

Google the problem and see what comes up.

This is from the Amateur Photographer Forum

Thank you so much for your reply and very useful information. Sorrry for delay in reply, out togginn yesterday and how wierd is this- met a guy who had exactly this problem. Told him my apprehension, he bought Sony A350 2 yrs ago and the then Sigma 50-500 which had no HSM in lens. You are quite correct, the gear strip problem was the lens not the camera as I had thought. He said his lens stopped focusing, sent back to Sigma who did repair the lens saying that the Sony motor was too powerful for the plastic lens gears. They had made their lens for the Minolta technology which Sony then acquired and were not aware that Sony had improved the motor hence the problem. They suggested he tell Sony to reduce the motor power to counteract the problem! It happened again and they did repair again but no full refund so he gave up and uses the lens on his cheaper Minolta and it is OK. He reckons the new HSM in lens has been brought out to solve the problem and that when attached to my Sony A350 the lens will do the work not my camera motor so eliminating the problem. Ho hum here goes, if I get a problem, Sigma will get the thing back with a request for full refund as not ‘Fit for Purpose’, being sold as AF Sony fit so it is expected to work properly. Thanks for all replies and I hope the above helps others.

Brian

Thats the thing Brian, the actual mechanism of the lens seems fine as I held a screwdriver into the adjoining mechanism while moving the focal part of the lens… If it has done some damage to the cogs, is it costly to fix?

Unless the Sigma lens has a HSM (High Speed Motor) the Sony Motor strips the cogs in any Sigma lens. I found that out the hard way with two previous Sigma lens.

I use a Sigma 70-250 lens with HSM and haven’t had a problem. Yet.

Brian