Stiff Focus Ring / AF not working

**Aussie Matt** · 09-19-2020, 05:38 AM

I picked up a pentax bundle in an Ebay auction a while back: The main item of interest was the lens in question:
170-500mm 5-6.3 APO (not DG)
This is the one: Sigma 170-500mm F5-6.3 APO Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

TLDR: Head to last paragraph for questions.

Opening the bundle, I found everything was immaculate (as in next to no wear or scuff marks) so that was great! The 170-500 was filthy on the front lens, so I waited for a cleaning kit to arrive, but I could see a spot of fungus on what appears to be the second element behind the front glass. Am I worried about the fungus? Yes and no, it's not ideal, but it's not a lot and research shows it often wont make noticeable different for a casual (ie: me) photographer.

But what was exciting, was mine didn't appear to suffer the zoom creep that everyone complains of.

--At first--

After extending the zoom back and forth a few times, it become evident that this gear has been sitting idle for a very long time (it was bundled with a Z1-P 35mm, which is immaculate, might give it a spin some day), and then yes, zoom creep is definitely there. I'm not upset, that was to be expected.

But the focus ring is stiff, noticeably more at either end, and worst at infinity. I didn't think much of it.

Put it on my *IST DL2 (that's the only pentax DSLR I have) and went to line up my first pic..... and the focus ring doesn't move... Drat.

So slip it into MF, go max zoom down the hill towards the air port, manually adjust to the best of my ability, and take a few quick snaps: The IQ is ok, I tested just in auto, with a (now clearly evident) too frail of a tripod, and un-image stabilized body: I'm sure with a stable tripod, and a faster shutter, on a bright day it will be fine for me. [EDIT: Added these questions] I believe this is a full frame lens, so that makes it 500m * 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom? I wonder if this is partly why so many complain of it being soft?

So, the question is: What do I do about this focus ring? Zoom creep is evident, but the zoom isn't super smooth either, the aperture ring is sweet, free as a bird. Any suggestions welcomed: Do I operate it manually for a while, see if it frees up? Leave it in the sun, see if heat can 'release' some lubrication? Is there some secret opening under the rubber band I can drop a lubricant on? Or am I simply out of luck, and need to look at stripping it, and cleaning the fungus while I'm at it?

PS: I set up a dry box.... but here in Adelaide, so far, even without any desicant, the humidity hasn't risen past 55 in the box, so I doubt fungus will be a problem for me (in typical use).

Last edited by Aussie Matt; 09-19-2020 at 05:41 AM. Reason: Added extra questions.

Aaron28 · 09-19-2020, 06:20 AM

keep working it out....prolly nice in gummy from sittin a while.......believe that it is a screw drive which could be 'clogged up'.....maybe a small driver and work it

kypfer · 09-19-2020, 09:26 AM

I don't have this lens, but I do have another early Sigma zoom, and it is very much an a/f OR m/f lens, with the a/f-m/f switch on the lens needing to be in the same position as the camera switch for reliable operation.
Lens in m/f, camera in a/f … sluggish as hell (took me months to figure this out!)

Quote:

so that makes it 500m * 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom?

Don't go down this rabbit-hole. A 500mm lens is a 500mm lens whatever you fit it to. It's simply a case of the APS-C sensor only covering the central part of the image circle

**Des** · 09-19-2020, 02:51 PM - **1 Like**

Hi Matt. I used to have this lens (see my review). I can't answer your questions about the stiff focus ring and unresponsive AF, although I would guess that it might free up a bit with use (yes and maybe a little warmth). Aaron's suggestion sounds sensible too.

Originally posted by Aussie Matt

The IQ is ok, I tested just in auto, with a (now clearly evident) too frail of a tripod, and un-image stabilized body: I'm sure with a stable tripod, and a faster shutter, on a bright day it will be fine for me. [EDIT: Added these questions] I believe this is a full frame lens, so that makes it 500m * 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom? I wonder if this is partly why so many complain of it being soft?

@kypfer is right - don't go down the equivalence rabbit hole. The point is just that 500mm gives a very narrow field of view on an APS-C body.

If you just regard it as a fun exercise to shoot with the *ist DL2, that's fine. But if you develop ambitions of getting images like those in the long lenses thread (300mm plus Lens Club: discuss your long lenses - PentaxForums.com) you would need to re-think it.

Remember that you are using a 15 year old camera body with a 6mp sensor. When I went from a 6mp K100D Super to a 16mp K-30 it was a revelation, especially for cropping telephoto images. If you come across an affordable K-5 (or anything newer) the results will be better. (A K-30 or K-50 would be good too, as they use the same sensor, but each of those is subject to the risk of aperture block failure.) TBH, even cropping from a DA 55-300mm f4-5.8 zoom on a 16mp body will probably give better results than a 170-500 on a 6mp body.

The other thing is that, as I said in my review, images from this lens benefit a lot from shooting RAW and processing. My current post-processing program doesn't support old sensors - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited.

kypfer · 09-19-2020, 11:42 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Des

… - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited.

If this is the case, the "Digital Camera Utility" supplied with the later cameras is VERY backward compatible and may give all the options needed (even "re-developing" old jpg files, from Pentax cameras!)

The latest version of the program is readily available for download, but does require a little bit of "fiddling" to install if you don't have an original DCU5 cd.

**Aussie Matt** · 09-21-2020, 03:23 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Aaron28

keep working it out....prolly nice in gummy from sittin a while.......believe that it is a screw drive which could be 'clogged up'.....maybe a small driver and work it

Thanks, this was almost certainly, going to be my first 'solution'.

Originally posted by kypfer

with the a/f-m/f switch on the lens needing to be in the same position as the camera switch for reliable operation.

Thanks, but this is just a boring old school, screw drive focus, no focus switches on the lens.

Originally posted by Des

I can't answer your questions about the stiff focus ring and unresponsive AF, although I would guess that it might free up a bit with use (yes and maybe a little warmth).

Thanks, I think we're pretty well all on the same page here.

Originally posted by Des

But if you develop ambitions of getting images like those in the long lenses thread

Ah, yep. No, I'm fully aware that my camera is a decade old, early DSLR tech, and the sigma lens is far from top end equipment. Believe me, I'll find MY limits before I can start blaming my equipment :/

Originally posted by Des

The other thing is that, as I said in my review, images from this lens benefit a lot from shooting RAW and processing. My current post-processing program doesn't support old sensors - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited.

Thanks, good point: I have been shooting RAW. The interesting thing is I'm a linux guy, and I had to install a plug in, but then all (well, what I've tried)my image programs could read my RAW files, with no hassle.

Originally posted by kypfer

If this is the case, the "Digital Camera Utility" supplied with the later cameras is VERY backward compatible and may give all the options needed (even "re-developing" old jpg files, from Pentax cameras!)The latest version of the program is readily available for download, but does require a little bit of "fiddling" to install if you don't have an original DCU5 cd.

Thanks, maybe I should set up a copy on the wifes PC in any case.

kypfer · 09-21-2020, 08:01 AM

Originally posted by Aussie Matt

Thanks, but this is just a boring old school, screw drive focus, ...

So's my old 70-200mm f/2.8 … Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 APO EX Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database … push the focus ring in it's entirety forward for a/f, click it back again for m/f

Originally posted by Aussie Matt

Thanks, maybe I should set up a copy on the wife's PC in any case.

Worth the effort for a piece of "free" software. It's a bit quirky, mostly icon-driven, with no mouse-over hints, so you need the help file open for reference, but there's a lot of advanced functionality there. This Japanese web-site Google Translate translates quite well and gives some in-depth insight into using the program, which they admit themselves isn't well documented

Fenwoodian · 09-21-2020, 08:12 AM

.
I just bought a 1966 Leica lens. It has about a dozen fungus dots the size of a large pencil lead on an element in the center of the lens.

The design of this lens makes it extremely difficult for me to reach this element to clean it. So, I just put this lens out in the mid-day sun for a few days and "fried" the living fungus. While it didn't go away, I expect the the UV killed the fungus.

Shot a bunch of test photos, and the fungus does not show up in the photos I took with wide apertures. I expect that if I shot at f/8 or smaller, I might see a degradation of the image, but with this lens, I usually shoot it at wider apertures.

**Aussie Matt** · 09-27-2020, 06:32 AM

Originally posted by kypfer

So's my old 70-200mm f/2.8 … Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 APO EX Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database … push the focus ring in it's entirety forward for a/f, click it back again for m/f

Interesting, but I had a good look at mine, I just don't think that applies to this model.

Originally posted by kypfer

Worth the effort for a piece of "free" software. It's a bit quirky, mostly icon-driven, with no mouse-over hints, so you need the help file open for reference, but there's a lot of advanced functionality there. This Japanese web-site Google Translate translates quite well and gives some in-depth insight into using the program, which they admit themselves isn't well documented

Good point. I'll chase it up some time.... as for the lack of documentation.... why??? The IT world can drive me crazy with this sort of behaviour. It took me forever to connect a scanner to my server, because HP doesn't really give any info other than 'it can connect to a file share'... doesn't list specifications or limits.

Anyways, I've played with this lens for > 1 hour: Sometimes driving it with a screw driver via the drive, and the rest of the time, manually turning the focus ring: It's better, mostly on the near focus, but near infinity, damn it gets sticky. I think I'm handing it over to a shop to check out.... After I leave it in the sun to see if heat helps it as a last resort.

reh321 · 09-29-2020, 04:48 AM

I have two elderly 50mm Pentax K- mount lenses - a Pentax-M that was kitted with a “ME/SE” in 1979 and a Pentax-A that was kitted with a “Super Program” in 1983. In the past few years, the Pentax-A has not gone the last few degrees to infinity focus. Since I have something like five manual focus 50mm lenses, and since DOF does cover infinity in the range I most often use {f/8-f/11}, I have chosen not to worry about it, but I have expected this is a result of lubrication’s drying out { it is nearly forty years old, after all}. If this is important to you, I suppose it could be taken apart and relubricated. This is one of the risks that comes from using old things.

**Aussie Matt** · 06-14-2021, 04:50 AM

Well, quick update: I took it into my local camera shop, owner holds the lens and says 'It's an APO, that's a nice lens'.... not what I was expecting, but I'll take it. I show him the stiff focus, 'oh yeah, poor little camera motor's not going to like that'... I got it back last week.

WOW. He stripped and cleaned the focus ring/sun gear from what I understand, that was gunked up.

So now that more time has passed... a few more bodies have shown up in my office... A K100d, a K10d, a K20d, all used, and I lashed out on a new K70 as well...

Now I just gotta get out there and use it.

kypfer · 06-14-2021, 09:23 AM

Originally posted by Aussie Matt

Well, quick update: I took it into my local camera shop, owner holds the lens and says 'It's an APO, that's a nice lens'.... not what I was expecting, but I'll take it. I show him the stiff focus, 'oh yeah, poor little camera motor's not going to like that'... I got it back last week.

WOW. He stripped and cleaned the focus ring/sun gear from what I understand, that was gunked up.

So now that more time has passed... a few more bodies have shown up in my office... A K100d, a K10d, a K20d, all used, and I lashed out on a new K70 as well...

Now I just gotta get out there and use it.

Always good to hear a positive update

Enjoy your re-vitalised Sigma and your K-70, I'm sure they'll be an excellent combination

**Aussie Matt** · 06-14-2021, 06:53 PM

Originally posted by kypfer

Enjoy your re-vitalised Sigma and your K-70, I'm sure they'll be an excellent combination

Hope so. I've also got a m4/3 olympus, that would enable crazy astro shots with an adaptor....
Not sure why I need such a long lens, I'll have to get to an air show etc to give it a real run.

09-19-2020, 05:38 AM	#1
Aussie Matt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Adelaide, South Australia: Don't tell anyone how good it is, please. Photos: Albums Posts: 103	Stiff Focus Ring / AF not working I picked up a pentax bundle in an Ebay auction a while back: The main item of interest was the lens in question: 170-500mm 5-6.3 APO (not DG) This is the one: Sigma 170-500mm F5-6.3 APO Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database TLDR: Head to last paragraph for questions. Opening the bundle, I found everything was immaculate (as in next to no wear or scuff marks) so that was great! The 170-500 was filthy on the front lens, so I waited for a cleaning kit to arrive, but I could see a spot of fungus on what appears to be the second element behind the front glass. Am I worried about the fungus? Yes and no, it's not ideal, but it's not a lot and research shows it often wont make noticeable different for a casual (ie: me) photographer. But what was exciting, was mine didn't appear to suffer the zoom creep that everyone complains of. --At first-- After extending the zoom back and forth a few times, it become evident that this gear has been sitting idle for a very long time (it was bundled with a Z1-P 35mm, which is immaculate, might give it a spin some day), and then yes, zoom creep is definitely there. I'm not upset, that was to be expected. But the focus ring is stiff, noticeably more at either end, and worst at infinity. I didn't think much of it. Put it on my IST DL2 (that's the only pentax DSLR I have) and went to line up my first pic..... and the focus ring doesn't move... Drat. So slip it into MF, go max zoom down the hill towards the air port, manually adjust to the best of my ability, and take a few quick snaps: The IQ is ok, I tested just in auto, with a (now clearly evident) too frail of a tripod, and un-image stabilized body: I'm sure with a stable tripod, and a faster shutter, on a bright day it will be fine for me. [EDIT: Added these questions] I believe this is a full frame lens, so that makes it 500m 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom? I wonder if this is partly why so many complain of it being soft? So, the question is: What do I do about this focus ring? Zoom creep is evident, but the zoom isn't super smooth either, the aperture ring is sweet, free as a bird. Any suggestions welcomed: Do I operate it manually for a while, see if it frees up? Leave it in the sun, see if heat can 'release' some lubrication? Is there some secret opening under the rubber band I can drop a lubricant on? Or am I simply out of luck, and need to look at stripping it, and cleaning the fungus while I'm at it? PS: I set up a dry box.... but here in Adelaide, so far, even without any desicant, the humidity hasn't risen past 55 in the box, so I doubt fungus will be a problem for me (in typical use). Last edited by Aussie Matt; 09-19-2020 at 05:41 AM. Reason: Added extra questions.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Stiff focus ring on 18-135mm WR	cothyhu77	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	2	09-18-2019 10:21 PM
Pentax K SMC-M 35mm f2.8 focus ring stiff	Wbl24cam	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	8	06-10-2019 06:31 AM
Stiff focus ring on a Chinar 135mm 2.8	awscreo	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	4	12-09-2018 05:13 PM
SMC Pentax-M Stiff, Very STIFF Aperture Ring	rcolman	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	11-26-2018 01:32 PM
Stiff Focus Ring	geauxpez	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	6	04-12-2010 09:34 AM

09-19-2020, 06:20 AM	#2
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	keep working it out....prolly nice in gummy from sittin a while.......believe that it is a screw drive which could be 'clogged up'.....maybe a small driver and work it

09-19-2020, 09:26 AM	#3
kypfer Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Jersey C.I. Posts: 3,593	I don't have this lens, but I do have another early Sigma zoom, and it is very much an a/f OR m/f lens, with the a/f-m/f switch on the lens needing to be in the same position as the camera switch for reliable operation. Lens in m/f, camera in a/f … sluggish as hell (took me months to figure this out!) Quote: so that makes it 500m * 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom? Don't go down this rabbit-hole. A 500mm lens is a 500mm lens whatever you fit it to. It's simply a case of the APS-C sensor only covering the central part of the image circle

09-19-2020, 02:51 PM - 1 Like	#4
Des Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Victoria Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 6,423	Hi Matt. I used to have this lens (see my review). I can't answer your questions about the stiff focus ring and unresponsive AF, although I would guess that it might free up a bit with use (yes and maybe a little warmth). Aaron's suggestion sounds sensible too. Originally posted by Aussie Matt The IQ is ok, I tested just in auto, with a (now clearly evident) too frail of a tripod, and un-image stabilized body: I'm sure with a stable tripod, and a faster shutter, on a bright day it will be fine for me. [EDIT: Added these questions] I believe this is a full frame lens, so that makes it 500m * 1.53 =765mm equivilent at full zoom? I wonder if this is partly why so many complain of it being soft? @kypfer is right - don't go down the equivalence rabbit hole. The point is just that 500mm gives a very narrow field of view on an APS-C body. If you just regard it as a fun exercise to shoot with the *ist DL2, that's fine. But if you develop ambitions of getting images like those in the long lenses thread (300mm plus Lens Club: discuss your long lenses - PentaxForums.com) you would need to re-think it. Remember that you are using a 15 year old camera body with a 6mp sensor. When I went from a 6mp K100D Super to a 16mp K-30 it was a revelation, especially for cropping telephoto images. If you come across an affordable K-5 (or anything newer) the results will be better. (A K-30 or K-50 would be good too, as they use the same sensor, but each of those is subject to the risk of aperture block failure.) TBH, even cropping from a DA 55-300mm f4-5.8 zoom on a 16mp body will probably give better results than a 170-500 on a 6mp body. The other thing is that, as I said in my review, images from this lens benefit a lot from shooting RAW and processing. My current post-processing program doesn't support old sensors - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited.

09-19-2020, 11:42 PM - 1 Like	#5
kypfer Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Jersey C.I. Posts: 3,593	Originally posted by Des … - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited. If this is the case, the "Digital Camera Utility" supplied with the later cameras is VERY backward compatible and may give all the options needed (even "re-developing" old jpg files, from Pentax cameras!) The latest version of the program is readily available for download, but does require a little bit of "fiddling" to install if you don't have an original DCU5 cd.

09-21-2020, 03:23 AM - 1 Like	#6
Aussie Matt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Adelaide, South Australia: Don't tell anyone how good it is, please. Photos: Albums Posts: 103 Original Poster	Originally posted by Aaron28 keep working it out....prolly nice in gummy from sittin a while.......believe that it is a screw drive which could be 'clogged up'.....maybe a small driver and work it Thanks, this was almost certainly, going to be my first 'solution'. Originally posted by kypfer with the a/f-m/f switch on the lens needing to be in the same position as the camera switch for reliable operation. Thanks, but this is just a boring old school, screw drive focus, no focus switches on the lens. Originally posted by Des I can't answer your questions about the stiff focus ring and unresponsive AF, although I would guess that it might free up a bit with use (yes and maybe a little warmth). Thanks, I think we're pretty well all on the same page here. Originally posted by Des But if you develop ambitions of getting images like those in the long lenses thread Ah, yep. No, I'm fully aware that my camera is a decade old, early DSLR tech, and the sigma lens is far from top end equipment. Believe me, I'll find MY limits before I can start blaming my equipment :/ Originally posted by Des The other thing is that, as I said in my review, images from this lens benefit a lot from shooting RAW and processing. My current post-processing program doesn't support old sensors - your processing options for the 6mp camera might be a bit limited. Thanks, good point: I have been shooting RAW. The interesting thing is I'm a linux guy, and I had to install a plug in, but then all (well, what I've tried)my image programs could read my RAW files, with no hassle. Originally posted by kypfer If this is the case, the "Digital Camera Utility" supplied with the later cameras is VERY backward compatible and may give all the options needed (even "re-developing" old jpg files, from Pentax cameras!)The latest version of the program is readily available for download, but does require a little bit of "fiddling" to install if you don't have an original DCU5 cd. Thanks, maybe I should set up a copy on the wifes PC in any case.

09-21-2020, 08:01 AM	#7
kypfer Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Jersey C.I. Posts: 3,593	Originally posted by Aussie Matt Thanks, but this is just a boring old school, screw drive focus, ... So's my old 70-200mm f/2.8 … Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 APO EX Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database … push the focus ring in it's entirety forward for a/f, click it back again for m/f Originally posted by Aussie Matt Thanks, maybe I should set up a copy on the wife's PC in any case. Worth the effort for a piece of "free" software. It's a bit quirky, mostly icon-driven, with no mouse-over hints, so you need the help file open for reference, but there's a lot of advanced functionality there. This Japanese web-site Google Translate translates quite well and gives some in-depth insight into using the program, which they admit themselves isn't well documented

09-21-2020, 08:12 AM	#8
Fenwoodian Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,874	. I just bought a 1966 Leica lens. It has about a dozen fungus dots the size of a large pencil lead on an element in the center of the lens. The design of this lens makes it extremely difficult for me to reach this element to clean it. So, I just put this lens out in the mid-day sun for a few days and "fried" the living fungus. While it didn't go away, I expect the the UV killed the fungus. Shot a bunch of test photos, and the fungus does not show up in the photos I took with wide apertures. I expect that if I shot at f/8 or smaller, I might see a degradation of the image, but with this lens, I usually shoot it at wider apertures.

09-27-2020, 06:32 AM	#9
Aussie Matt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Adelaide, South Australia: Don't tell anyone how good it is, please. Photos: Albums Posts: 103 Original Poster	Originally posted by kypfer So's my old 70-200mm f/2.8 … Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 APO EX Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database … push the focus ring in it's entirety forward for a/f, click it back again for m/f Interesting, but I had a good look at mine, I just don't think that applies to this model. Originally posted by kypfer Worth the effort for a piece of "free" software. It's a bit quirky, mostly icon-driven, with no mouse-over hints, so you need the help file open for reference, but there's a lot of advanced functionality there. This Japanese web-site Google Translate translates quite well and gives some in-depth insight into using the program, which they admit themselves isn't well documented Good point. I'll chase it up some time.... as for the lack of documentation.... why??? The IT world can drive me crazy with this sort of behaviour. It took me forever to connect a scanner to my server, because HP doesn't really give any info other than 'it can connect to a file share'... doesn't list specifications or limits. Anyways, I've played with this lens for > 1 hour: Sometimes driving it with a screw driver via the drive, and the rest of the time, manually turning the focus ring: It's better, mostly on the near focus, but near infinity, damn it gets sticky. I think I'm handing it over to a shop to check out.... After I leave it in the sun to see if heat helps it as a last resort.

09-29-2020, 04:48 AM	#10
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	I have two elderly 50mm Pentax K- mount lenses - a Pentax-M that was kitted with a “ME/SE” in 1979 and a Pentax-A that was kitted with a “Super Program” in 1983. In the past few years, the Pentax-A has not gone the last few degrees to infinity focus. Since I have something like five manual focus 50mm lenses, and since DOF does cover infinity in the range I most often use {f/8-f/11}, I have chosen not to worry about it, but I have expected this is a result of lubrication’s drying out { it is nearly forty years old, after all}. If this is important to you, I suppose it could be taken apart and relubricated. This is one of the risks that comes from using old things.

06-14-2021, 04:50 AM	#11
Aussie Matt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Adelaide, South Australia: Don't tell anyone how good it is, please. Photos: Albums Posts: 103 Original Poster	Well, quick update: I took it into my local camera shop, owner holds the lens and says 'It's an APO, that's a nice lens'.... not what I was expecting, but I'll take it. I show him the stiff focus, 'oh yeah, poor little camera motor's not going to like that'... I got it back last week. WOW. He stripped and cleaned the focus ring/sun gear from what I understand, that was gunked up. So now that more time has passed... a few more bodies have shown up in my office... A K100d, a K10d, a K20d, all used, and I lashed out on a new K70 as well... Now I just gotta get out there and use it.

06-14-2021, 09:23 AM	#12
kypfer Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Jersey C.I. Posts: 3,593	Originally posted by Aussie Matt Well, quick update: I took it into my local camera shop, owner holds the lens and says 'It's an APO, that's a nice lens'.... not what I was expecting, but I'll take it. I show him the stiff focus, 'oh yeah, poor little camera motor's not going to like that'... I got it back last week. WOW. He stripped and cleaned the focus ring/sun gear from what I understand, that was gunked up. So now that more time has passed... a few more bodies have shown up in my office... A K100d, a K10d, a K20d, all used, and I lashed out on a new K70 as well... Now I just gotta get out there and use it. Always good to hear a positive update Enjoy your re-vitalised Sigma and your K-70, I'm sure they'll be an excellent combination

06-14-2021, 06:53 PM	#13
Aussie Matt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Adelaide, South Australia: Don't tell anyone how good it is, please. Photos: Albums Posts: 103 Original Poster	Originally posted by kypfer Enjoy your re-vitalised Sigma and your K-70, I'm sure they'll be an excellent combination Hope so. I've also got a m4/3 olympus, that would enable crazy astro shots with an adaptor.... Not sure why I need such a long lens, I'll have to get to an air show etc to give it a real run.