Originally posted by goldenarrow How much did it cost
The calibration service is free as long as the lens is still under warranty. Sigma's EX lenses have a 4-year warranty in the US, and non-EX lenses get three years.
From my conversations with Sigma over the phone, it sounds like they don't worry about whether you're the original owner, as long as you have a copy of the original receipt. I bought my Sigma 30mm f1.4 second-hand, but it's only a couple years old and the seller gave me a copy of the receipt, so Sigma calibrated it free of charge, even though the receipt is in someone else's name.
You pay the shipping to send your gear to them, but if the lenses are still under warranty then they will take care of the return shipping. If at least one of the lenses is out of warranty, then you should expect to be charged for the return shipping. They ship FedEx, and both times it only took a couple days for the package to go from New York back to Indiana.
Originally posted by goldenarrow turnaround time to send off to Sigma and calibrate lenses and camera?
They told me that whenever somebody sends a camera body to have lenses calibrated, they prioritize it and try their best to complete the work within 24 hours. When I sent my Pentax K-x and a couple lenses to them last year, they completed the work and shipped it out the same day they received. This time with my K-30 and four lenses it took a little bit longer since one of my lenses needed repair. But even so, it only took two or three days.
Originally posted by goldenarrow What is the service called and is it listed on their web site?
On their support page they refer to the service as "AF Data Adjustment", and they describe it as follows:
AF Data Adjustment
Due to extreme sensitivity of the digital camera mirror box, more than 5 times as sensitive as that of a film camera, it may be necessary to adjust the AF data in your Sigma lens. At Sigma, we adjust all of our lenses to a neutral focus point during manufacturing. It may be necessary to have your Sigma lens adjusted to your own personal camera. This is a known problem with digital cameras and many companies have included Micro Focus Adjustment capabilities on their high end cameras to address this problem with their lenses. If you are able to do this with your camera and lens combination, there’s no need to send your equipment in for adjustment.
As far as the process, you can call Sigma Support ahead of time at 1-800-896-6858, but they will probably just tell you to go to their support website at
SigmaPhoto.com - Service & Support and complete the "Online Repair Form". The form will ask for the model and serial number of the lens, the purchase date and place of purchase, and a description of the problem or service needing performed. You will be given a service order number, and you are then supposed to print the completed form off and include a copy in the box.
For warranty service or free calibration, you must include a copy of the purchase receipt in the box. If you no longer have the receipt and can't get another copy from your dealer, then it may be possible for Sigma to look the lens up using the serial number. They were able to do this with my 100-300mm f4, and saw that it was purchased more than five years ago.
My 30mm f1.4 and 50-150mm f2.8 were both under warranty and I included receipts, so they were calibrated for free. My 100-300mm f4 was out of warranty, and I had no receipt, so it was not free. It also needed repair, and the total was $240, which covered the repair, the calibration, and the return shipping for everything. My sigma 10-20mm was purchased on eBay and I did not have a receipt, but the tech went ahead and calibrated it for free since I was already dropping some cash on the 100-300mm.
I believe that the calibration service is either $50 or $100 per lens if not covered under warranty, but it would be best to call and check before-hand. If you do call, please let us know here how much they charge.