Originally posted by Wolfeye I should have been a bit more clear - I use all brands, and Pentax has always been my go-to for affordable weather-resistance. I still have a K-S1 and the K-70, and several lenses, and I won't be throwing them away. But when it comes time to replace, it won't be a Pentax. I'd rather get a "disposable" DSLR that sells for under five hundred dollars (like Nikon's D3400) and try and keep it dry or put some sort of camera rain gear on it.
I'm glad you won't be leaving us just yet
When it comes time to replace, for that kind of money you can pick up a great used Pentax body and still use those lenses you already have. But, if you've truly gone off the brand because of the service you've received on this one lens, maybe a different make
would sit better with you; if you enjoy your photography more as a result, then it's a good thing. But, please don't "
throw the baby out with the bath water", so to speak... There are horror stories around all of the brands, as I'm sure you know. The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. I had a dreadful time with Nikon a few years ago when my D40 developed a huge number of stuck pixels overnight, about a fortnight after the warranty expired.
For some balance on the matter, just read the most recent reviews on Nikon support here:
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/cameras/nikon.html
I didn't post that to rain on Nikon's parade, but rather to show that no brand gets it completely right. In addition to Pentax, I shoot Sony - and I've read of some
awful experiences with them. The other brands are no different - there are good and bad experiences in all cases. Ricoh / Pentax is by no means unusual in terms of product reliability (which I'd say is generally very good) nor its customer service imperfections. I'm not defending Ricoh, here... I do think they need to improve their service network significantly. But, I like their cameras and lenses, and that's more important to me than any specific issues I might have with their service.
Originally posted by Wolfeye It might just be that when I send the 55-300 in for service that all goes well, and it gets repaired under warranty fairly quick and efficiently. Still, the fact that an almost unused lens has had a failure doesn't exactly fill me with confidence that it will stay healthy. At least with Sigma there's a 3 year USA warranty - though I'd almost expect them to replace a $200 lens versus repair it.
These things can and do happen with any new lens (any new product, for that matter) from any manufacturer. I mentioned to you the trouble I've had with several Tamrons, but I've gone through the necessary hassle and delays of sending them for service, and now they're fantastic. It was worth the trouble, and even though I doubt the stringency of Tamron's quality control, it hasn't stopped me from enjoying those lenses.
It's perfectly understandable, when something goes wrong with a product you've paid good money for, to get a downer on that product or manufacturer - especially if you don't receive the level of service you expect. I've felt that way too before now... but these days I try to just take it in my stride (it gets easier after a while
). If something's faulty, it'll get fixed one way or another. And if it becomes faulty again, I'll get it fixed again. Frustrating, for sure, but not a big problem in the grand scheme of things. It's very liberating, if you can find it in yourself to take that approach.
Enjoy the Sigma!