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03-19-2017, 11:25 AM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by thazooo Quote
Have you shined a light down thru the lens and looked for any fogging, debris, damage ?
Using a lens hood ?
No filter I assume.

IMHO, the lens has problems. Should not be that foggy.
I did not shine a light through the lens, but thank you for the suggestion. No hood and no filter was used. The hood might improve contrast but I doubt it will improve the sharpness.

---------- Post added 03-19-17 at 02:28 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
Having bought several lenses here (Market Place) and sold many as well, I would expect some sort of seller's feedback in terms of :
1. The lens does not have the IQ of what was advertised ? (if that is the case)
2. In spite of the fact that the seller said "No Returns" (you might have agreed with that?), one would expect such a lens to perform as advertised.
3. "Due process" discussion via email/P.M. and to try to resolve the matter.
Again, the Sigma 100-300/4 has great reputation and I certainly would encourage you to find a way to come to terms with the seller if it (lens) doesn't match what was originally assessed in the Marketplace ad.

Hoping you will be able to conclude the matter in a satisfying way.

Cheers!
Yes, I did do all of the above to which the seller's response was that he cannot accept the returns as there is nothing wrong with the lens. He also had the nerve to say that he has spoken with Paypal (on the grounds of seller protection) and will not engage in further communication. I have opened a claim with Paypal as well and the matter is under investigation. I am hoping that this is resolved sensibly.

---------- Post added 03-19-17 at 02:36 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by nomadkng Quote
I own/have owned 3 different copies of the Sigma 100-300 f4 for nearly 10 years.

I also own the Sigma 300 f2.8 and Sigma 500 f4.5. I have owned a Sigma 150-500, 50-500, Pentax 55-300 and 150-450 and Tokina 80-200 and 400 f5.6.

I wish I had experience with the DA* so I have 100% clarity, but I feel my experience with long zooms gives me a pretty good feel for what to expect.

In my experience the 100-300 outperforms every lens I have owned save the Sigma 500 f4.5 and Sigma 300 f2.8.

I would expect images from a 100-300 to be similar to the DA* 300.

Here are several other things to consider;

Sigma lenses are notorious for NOT playing well with Pentax CDAF. Any focusing testing should be done via manually focusing. Calibration is also tricky because of this, but it just takes a extra time little time.

The Sigma 100-300 comes in TWO different versions, version 1 has square dimple like grip, version 2 has a vertical ribbed grip. If you have version 1 it is a well documented fact that some copies of this lens have irreconcilable back focusing issues at f4. I owned two copies of version 1 and suffered through this frustration for years before selling and eventually acquiring a version 2.

here is my marketplace ad for my most recent sale (my first version 1 was stolen and replaced with another version 1 before I "knew" better:

Sigma 100-300 F4 - Great Price - As is - Read Description Carefully - PentaxForums.com

note the discussion in the ad as well as a link to another thread as well: Sigma 100-300 autofocus problem - PentaxForums.com

if you have version 1, you may be suffering from this lens idiosyncrasy.

In terms of returns, I can only speak from my perspective: based on lens performance in pictures, I would ask to return the lens. From a seller perspective, I would ensure you have covered all calibration and focusing methods, even walking you through the steps. If in the end, your camera and this lens just do not play well together, you would ship the lens to me at your expense (fully insured) and upon receipt of the lens, I would refund you your purchase price less incurred original shipping.
Thank you, this helps. The lens is indeed Version 1. If it did not perform great at F4, the seller should have mentioned that in his listing, instead of saying "incredibly sharp wide open". I offered him to return the lens and he could deduct his shipping costs, an offer that was turned down outright. If I had known that the lens had focus issues wide open, I definitely would not have purchased this lens.

From the thread you mentioned above: "There are two batches of the 100-300 Sigma. At least some lenses of the older batch are known to have a "focus jump" at f6.3. It means that the lens will show severe backfocus from f4-f5.6. From f6.3 onwards the lens will focus correctly. They fixed that issue in the newer batch of lenses. You can distinguish the two batches by the look of the rubber on the focus- and zoomrings.".This seems to be the issue with this lens as well.

03-19-2017, 11:40 AM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote

Yes, I did do all of the above to which the seller's response was that he cannot accept the returns as there is nothing wrong with the lens. He also had the nerve to say that he has spoken with Paypal (on the grounds of seller protection) and will not engage in further communication. I have opened a claim with Paypal as well and the matter is under investigation. I am hoping that this is resolved sensibly.[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added 03-19-17 at 02:36 PM ----------


Sorry to hear about your problems my friend, hope you find a quick and satisfactory resolution...

Last edited by Stavri; 03-19-2017 at 12:00 PM.
03-19-2017, 11:54 AM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote
Thank you, this helps. The lens is indeed Version 1. If it did not perform great at F4, the seller should have mentioned that in his listing, instead of saying "incredibly sharp wide open". I offered him to return the lens and he could deduct his shipping costs, an offer that was turned down outright. If I had known that the lens had focus issues wide open, I definitely would not have purchased this lens.
To give the seller the benefit of the doubt, not ALL lens/camera combinations encounter this issue. The new owner of my 100-300 from that ad is thrilled with the performance for him at f4, so he apparently has compatible body/lens combination. The lens very well may have worked fine for the seller, thus he may not have been aware of the possible issues.
03-19-2017, 12:22 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by nomadkng Quote
To give the seller the benefit of the doubt, not ALL lens/camera combinations encounter this issue. The new owner of my 100-300 from that ad is thrilled with the performance for him at f4, so he apparently has compatible body/lens combination. The lens very well may have worked fine for the seller, thus he may not have been aware of the possible issues.
I agree, it is quite possible. I have tried it with 5 different bodies ranging from K-1 to the K-01, with the same results so I am not sure what would be a suitable combination. If there is one, I sure don't have it.

03-19-2017, 01:07 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote
I offered him to return the lens and he could deduct his shipping costs, an offer that was turned down outright.
QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote
to say that he has spoken with Paypal (on the grounds of seller protection) and will not engage in further communication.
That is really sad, and definitely NOT the type of interaction we all expect from fellow members here. I hope you can get this resolved with PayPal to your satisfaction. I hope I never have the misfortune to deal with this member.
03-19-2017, 02:31 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote
are the following images representative of its image quality
First image looks soft. For a legendary lens, that is not acceptable. It barely sharpens up by the third image. The 55-300 is the surprise lens here. It is pretty sharp from wide open and gets better as you stopped down. The softness I see in the Sigma, I would expect that from a legacy zoom lens made some 40-50 years ago. I own a few of such lenses. They are worth $50-75 so I do not mind the softness. I am sure you paid a lot more for the Sigma. This forum is honor based I have never encountered someone who violated that trust. We are Pentaxians and we live and die by our word. Talk to the seller. I am sure he will try to accommodate you.
03-19-2017, 05:14 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by nomadkng Quote
if you have version 1, you may be suffering from this lens idiosyncrasy.
I have version 1. I have never noticed any problems with it. I sold it at one point and two months later bought it back with the new user was switching systems. The only complaint I've ever had is it isn't a 500 F4.5

I hope you can figure out the issue with your lens, and find peaceful resolution. Don't let it steal your shooting joy.

03-20-2017, 12:34 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by btnapa Quote
First image looks soft. For a legendary lens, that is not acceptable. It barely sharpens up by the third image. The 55-300 is the surprise lens here. It is pretty sharp from wide open and gets better as you stopped down. The softness I see in the Sigma, I would expect that from a legacy zoom lens made some 40-50 years ago. I own a few of such lenses. They are worth $50-75 so I do not mind the softness. I am sure you paid a lot more for the Sigma. This forum is honor based I have never encountered someone who violated that trust. We are Pentaxians and we live and die by our word. Talk to the seller. I am sure he will try to accommodate you.
I did try talking to the seller but the outcome was not positive, as he is firm in his opinion that there is nothing wrong with the lens. He hasn't responded yet to my request to show a sharp picture taken with the same lens, though. Let's see how it goes, maybe he is a Pentaxian after all and will realize it

---------- Post added 03-20-17 at 03:36 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by wissink Quote
I have version 1. I have never noticed any problems with it. I sold it at one point and two months later bought it back with the new user was switching systems. The only complaint I've ever had is it isn't a 500 F4.5

I hope you can figure out the issue with your lens, and find peaceful resolution. Don't let it steal your shooting joy.
Thank you, for the encouragement.
03-20-2017, 01:02 AM   #24
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Not to be critical, but do you have any flat test chart shots (newspaper, ISO 12233 test target) shot under good light? They are, as a rule, more informative than [cluttered] live scenes for testing lens parameters.
03-20-2017, 10:44 AM   #25
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The lens is clearly seriously defective based on the foggy look and lack of sharpness at all the distances in the scene. It would not be sharp if perfectly calibrated. Even 50 year old no-name zooms commonly available for $15 have better sharpness and contrast unless damaged. It looks to me as though the glue between elements has failed and an element likely moved out of alignment. The only partial defense from the seller would be not knowing of the problem, and perhaps the glue adhesion failing during transport. However, the lack of responsiveness is not acceptable.
03-21-2017, 09:14 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by isb.deep Quote
He hasn't responded yet to my request to show a sharp picture taken with the same lens, though.
If the seller swears the lens was sharp wide-open during his ownership - and you're clearly showing evidence that it is not, perhaps something happened to it during shipping (maybe dropped)? How was it packaged? Any evidence of external damage to the box it came in?
Then again, if the seller cannot provide his own sharp image using the lens at f4, this non-compliance would have to be looked upon with great suspicion.
I know I don't suddenly delete/lose all of my images once I've sold the lens they were taken with.
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