Sigma 17-70 "Contemporary": compatibility problems with Shake Reduction

**rayallen** · 01-28-2015, 07:01 PM

I went out today and did some test shots after the firmware update. All images taken at ISO 100, handheld, SR ON with K-3. No processing; just resizing RAW DNG files to JPG using ACDSee Pro 8. All EXIF intact.

At 17mm:

At 28mm:

At 53mm. It was difficult to get it exactly on 50mm. I was getting either 48mm or 53mm.:

At 70mm:

Are these images helpful?

Nitrogliserin · 01-29-2015, 01:10 AM

Originally posted by stevebrot

Be prepared for a very involved procedure. The calibration must be done for each combination of distance and focal length. Good luck.

Steve

meaning don't mess it up

Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration?

Oldbayrunner · 01-29-2015, 05:54 AM

Originally posted by Nitrogliserin

meaning don't mess it up

Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration?

Yes there is.

**ak_kiwi** · 01-29-2015, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by Nitrogliserin

Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration?

No need to hit the reset button, and reset all the focal adjustments, if you make a mistake. (Here is the help file)
Just click to highlight the particular setting/s you wish to change and alter with the left/right buttons or slider which will make the "Rewriting" button available -

Attached Images

Manituwa · 01-29-2015, 01:39 PM

Just finished updating the firmware for the 17-70 (v1.01), and calibrating the focus. It's not that hard.

This is how I did the auto-focus adjustment. You don't have to take a single picture during this process. Using a tripod, aim your camera perpendicular to a flat surface with contrasty edges for each of the 4 distances. Use live view to focus at 17mm. Switch to contrast and watch where the lens moves to focus. If it doesn't - yippie! If it's short (near) then you'll have to add a positive number for calibration. If the lens goes long you'll have to put in a negative number for that zone. Write it down. Do this for all sixteen combinations of zoom and distance, then dock up your lens and put in the offsets. It won't take you long to figure out if a 2 is too much or too little, and you'll get a sense of how to adjust them all.

If you're only using one camera, it would make sense to me to put the AF Fine Adjust to zero before you start.

Nitrogliserin · 01-29-2015, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by ak_kiwi

No need to hit the reset button, and reset all the focal adjustments, if you make a mistake. (Here is the help file)
Just click to highlight the particular setting/s you wish to change and alter with the left/right buttons or slider which will make the "Rewriting" button available -

Thanks.

My lens is now in Sigma technical service. They will update the firmware. After new firmware installation is it necessary to calibrate the lens via dock? Will be there a problem if they just update the lens and send back to me?

**ak_kiwi** · 01-29-2015, 05:55 PM

Originally posted by Nitrogliserin

After new firmware installation is it necessary to calibrate the lens via dock? Will be there a problem if they just update the lens and send back to me?

As with any lens you have to check where it is focusing but the in-body Pentax micro adjustment may be enough of a correction. The lens will still work fine after the firmware update. (actually a lot better if you are into slow shutter speeds under 20mm or so focal length

)

I am working through my other bodies at the moment to see if the Sigma focus corrections applied to the 17-70 will be consistent across different bodies. Hopefully I will get a standard deviation across all the 16 Sigma focus points for each body which will allow for an easy Pentax micro adjustment.

Nitrogliserin · 01-30-2015, 02:15 AM

Originally posted by ak_kiwi

As with any lens you have to check where it is focusing but the in-body Pentax micro adjustment may be enough of a correction. The lens will still work fine after the firmware update. (actually a lot better if you are into slow shutter speeds under 20mm or so focal length

)

I am working through my other bodies at the moment to see if the Sigma focus corrections applied to the 17-70 will be consistent across different bodies. Hopefully I will get a standard deviation across all the 16 Sigma focus points for each body which will allow for an easy Pentax micro adjustment.

I think all new lenses are uncalibrated. Infinity stop is far from the infinity mark on my lens.

cbope · 01-30-2015, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by Nitrogliserin

I think all new lenses are uncalibrated. Infinity stop is far from the infinity mark on my lens.

Calibration will not affect infinity stop, because practically all modern lenses focus past infinity. You cannot rely on infinity stop.

Nitrogliserin · 01-30-2015, 11:00 AM

^unless it's a carl zeiss lens hard stop infinity is not possible.

Today I received my lens from the service. They updated the firmware and I did a quick test and results showed that problem has gone!

Racerdew · 01-31-2015, 08:39 PM

Hello,
I just got a copy of the Sigma 17-70MM Contemporary lens with a USB doc. I took some pictures in poor lighting with the SR on and off. And I did one out of the box on and off. I did the firmware update and it made a big difference. If you want to see the pictures, here is the link to the thread I posted: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/287487-sigm...-firmware.html

Doundounba · 02-02-2015, 11:49 AM

So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue?

I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed?

**ak_kiwi** · 02-03-2015, 12:42 AM

Originally posted by Doundounba

So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue?

I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed?

Yes it is certainly possible.
It is also a possibility that some of the lenses reported to be soft at the wide end may have needed focus adjustment using the Sigma lens dock and software.
For a close focusing zoom, of this range, this lense is quite sharp IMHO.

sTi · 02-03-2015, 03:19 AM

Originally posted by Doundounba

So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue?

I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed?

I think the issue (reported e.g. by the Lenstip and dpreview reviews) was more to do with corner softness, not general softness at the wide end. It was also reported for other mounts, not specifically for Pentax. That said, I found my copy to be very sharp throughout the range, even wide open, including the wide end. Yes, the corners are not perfect at the wide end, but I found them more than "good enough". This Sigma Contemporary was definitely one of the sharpest zoom lenses I've ever handled and I would never have worried that it would be lacking sharpness in any situation I could imagine.

Doundounba · 02-03-2015, 04:26 PM

ak_kiwi and sTI, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I'm fairly happy with my 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5, but your comments are encouraging me to upgrade.

Let's hope PF include a head to head between this lens (with updated firmware) and the new Pentax 16-85mm when they do their review of the new Pentax zoom...

01-28-2015, 07:01 PM	#121
rayallen Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Forresters Beach, NSW, Australia. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,014	Tests after Firmware Update I went out today and did some test shots after the firmware update. All images taken at ISO 100, handheld, SR ON with K-3. No processing; just resizing RAW DNG files to JPG using ACDSee Pro 8. All EXIF intact. At 17mm: At 28mm: At 53mm. It was difficult to get it exactly on 50mm. I was getting either 48mm or 53mm.: At 70mm: Are these images helpful?

01-29-2015, 01:39 PM	#125
Manituwa New Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Northern Michigan Posts: 7	Calibrating with the Sigma Dock Just finished updating the firmware for the 17-70 (v1.01), and calibrating the focus. It's not that hard. This is how I did the auto-focus adjustment. You don't have to take a single picture during this process. Using a tripod, aim your camera perpendicular to a flat surface with contrasty edges for each of the 4 distances. Use live view to focus at 17mm. Switch to contrast and watch where the lens moves to focus. If it doesn't - yippie! If it's short (near) then you'll have to add a positive number for calibration. If the lens goes long you'll have to put in a negative number for that zone. Write it down. Do this for all sixteen combinations of zoom and distance, then dock up your lens and put in the offsets. It won't take you long to figure out if a 2 is too much or too little, and you'll get a sense of how to adjust them all. If you're only using one camera, it would make sense to me to put the AF Fine Adjust to zero before you start.

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01-29-2015, 01:10 AM	#122
Nitrogliserin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Turkey Posts: 246	Originally posted by stevebrot Be prepared for a very involved procedure. The calibration must be done for each combination of distance and focal length. Good luck. Steve meaning don't mess it up Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration?

01-29-2015, 05:54 AM	#123
Oldbayrunner Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 1,665	Originally posted by Nitrogliserin meaning don't mess it up Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration? Yes there is.

01-29-2015, 01:21 PM	#124
ak_kiwi Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Auckland, New Zealand. Posts: 328	Originally posted by Nitrogliserin Is there a reset button if you messed up calibration? No need to hit the reset button, and reset all the focal adjustments, if you make a mistake. (Here is the help file) Just click to highlight the particular setting/s you wish to change and alter with the left/right buttons or slider which will make the "Rewriting" button available - Attached Images

01-29-2015, 02:44 PM	#126
Nitrogliserin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Turkey Posts: 246	Originally posted by ak_kiwi No need to hit the reset button, and reset all the focal adjustments, if you make a mistake. (Here is the help file) Just click to highlight the particular setting/s you wish to change and alter with the left/right buttons or slider which will make the "Rewriting" button available - Thanks. My lens is now in Sigma technical service. They will update the firmware. After new firmware installation is it necessary to calibrate the lens via dock? Will be there a problem if they just update the lens and send back to me?

01-29-2015, 05:55 PM	#127
ak_kiwi Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Auckland, New Zealand. Posts: 328	Originally posted by Nitrogliserin After new firmware installation is it necessary to calibrate the lens via dock? Will be there a problem if they just update the lens and send back to me? As with any lens you have to check where it is focusing but the in-body Pentax micro adjustment may be enough of a correction. The lens will still work fine after the firmware update. (actually a lot better if you are into slow shutter speeds under 20mm or so focal length ) I am working through my other bodies at the moment to see if the Sigma focus corrections applied to the 17-70 will be consistent across different bodies. Hopefully I will get a standard deviation across all the 16 Sigma focus points for each body which will allow for an easy Pentax micro adjustment.

01-30-2015, 02:15 AM	#128
Nitrogliserin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Turkey Posts: 246	Originally posted by ak_kiwi As with any lens you have to check where it is focusing but the in-body Pentax micro adjustment may be enough of a correction. The lens will still work fine after the firmware update. (actually a lot better if you are into slow shutter speeds under 20mm or so focal length ) I am working through my other bodies at the moment to see if the Sigma focus corrections applied to the 17-70 will be consistent across different bodies. Hopefully I will get a standard deviation across all the 16 Sigma focus points for each body which will allow for an easy Pentax micro adjustment. I think all new lenses are uncalibrated. Infinity stop is far from the infinity mark on my lens.

01-30-2015, 03:00 AM	#129
cbope Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Helsinki Posts: 664	Originally posted by Nitrogliserin I think all new lenses are uncalibrated. Infinity stop is far from the infinity mark on my lens. Calibration will not affect infinity stop, because practically all modern lenses focus past infinity. You cannot rely on infinity stop.

01-30-2015, 11:00 AM	#130
Nitrogliserin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Turkey Posts: 246	^unless it's a carl zeiss lens hard stop infinity is not possible. Today I received my lens from the service. They updated the firmware and I did a quick test and results showed that problem has gone!

01-31-2015, 08:39 PM	#131
Racerdew Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 285	Hello, I just got a copy of the Sigma 17-70MM Contemporary lens with a USB doc. I took some pictures in poor lighting with the SR on and off. And I did one out of the box on and off. I did the firmware update and it made a big difference. If you want to see the pictures, here is the link to the thread I posted: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/287487-sigm...-firmware.html

02-02-2015, 11:49 AM	#132
Doundounba Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Montréal QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,351	So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue? I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed?

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02-03-2015, 12:42 AM	#133
ak_kiwi Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Auckland, New Zealand. Posts: 328	Originally posted by Doundounba So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue? I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed? Yes it is certainly possible. It is also a possibility that some of the lenses reported to be soft at the wide end may have needed focus adjustment using the Sigma lens dock and software. For a close focusing zoom, of this range, this lense is quite sharp IMHO.

02-03-2015, 03:19 AM	#134
sTi Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 98 Original Poster	Originally posted by Doundounba So, a quick question for those who have this lens in Pentax mount... Do you think it's possible that at least part of the critiques leveled at this lens for being soft at the wide end were due to this issue? I'm asking because I have the much older 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5 version, and would be interested in upgrading for the silent focus and faster aperture at the long end. But the wide end is actually where this lens spends most of its time when it's actually on my camera. So I wouldn't want to "upgrade" to a lens that is noticeably less sharp at the wide end... Any thoughts on sharpness at the wide end, now that this firmware issue is fixed? I think the issue (reported e.g. by the Lenstip and dpreview reviews) was more to do with corner softness, not general softness at the wide end. It was also reported for other mounts, not specifically for Pentax. That said, I found my copy to be very sharp throughout the range, even wide open, including the wide end. Yes, the corners are not perfect at the wide end, but I found them more than "good enough". This Sigma Contemporary was definitely one of the sharpest zoom lenses I've ever handled and I would never have worried that it would be lacking sharpness in any situation I could imagine.

02-03-2015, 04:26 PM	#135
Doundounba Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Montréal QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,351	ak_kiwi and sTI, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I'm fairly happy with my 17-70mm F/2.8-4.5, but your comments are encouraging me to upgrade. Let's hope PF include a head to head between this lens (with updated firmware) and the new Pentax 16-85mm when they do their review of the new Pentax zoom...