What is the real quality build of Sigma products?

G

giellaleafapmu

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I am asking this because I am a bit confused and I'd like to know better since they seem to be introducing new tempting pieces of equipment more and more often. More or less every mount I am tempted by the DP3 Merrill which for a few hundred bucks seems to promise the image quality of a D800 or even a middle format digital back with top notch lens, flash synchronization at any speed all in a pocket package. Recently they have released a f1.8 constant aperture normal zoom for all the popular mounts and the possibility to access the lens firmware easily and effectively at a very low price. However, when reading reviews of any of their products there are always more than a couple of customers who report severe quality control problems saying they got a bad copy of this or that product which cannot do something properly when coupled with a certain camera. Also, it is not really clear how their cameras stand to heavy usage. Some reviewers describe their camera as "cheap plastic". I can imagine that probably reviewers of known brands costing huge amount of money are reluctant to admit that a cheaper product might have been just as good, so, for example, the fact that a D4 cannot be used with D3 batteries is hardly mentioned by anyone and in my opinion is really a severe flaw in a camera costing as much as the D4 costs. i can also imagine that, similarly, it is easy to point some problem with any product and part of Sigma allure to me is the fact that their products are not incredibly expensive despite being still made in Japan, which clearly must mean that some cut must exist somewhere and that a direct comparison with products costing three or four times more should nor really be made. Still, all this doesn't give ma a clear idea of the reliability of Sigma products. What is your experience with quality, reliability and quality control of recent products at Sigma (particularly with DP1/2/3 cameras)?

GLF
 
giellaleafapmu said:
I am asking this because I am a bit confused and I'd like to know better since they seem to be introducing new tempting pieces of equipment more and more often. More or less every mount I am tempted by the DP3 Merrill which for a few hundred bucks seems to promise the image quality of a D800 or even a middle format digital back with top notch lens, flash synchronization at any speed all in a pocket package. Recently they have released a f1.8 constant aperture normal zoom for all the popular mounts and the possibility to access the lens firmware easily and effectively at a very low price. However, when reading reviews of any of their products there are always more than a couple of customers who report severe quality control problems saying they got a bad copy of this or that product which cannot do something properly when coupled with a certain camera. Also, it is not really clear how their cameras stand to heavy usage. Some reviewers describe their camera as "cheap plastic". I can imagine that probably reviewers of known brands costing huge amount of money are reluctant to admit that a cheaper product might have been just as good, so, for example, the fact that a D4 cannot be used with D3 batteries is hardly mentioned by anyone and in my opinion is really a severe flaw in a camera costing as much as the D4 costs. i can also imagine that, similarly, it is easy to point some problem with any product and part of Sigma allure to me is the fact that their products are not incredibly expensive despite being still made in Japan, which clearly must mean that some cut must exist somewhere and that a direct comparison with products costing three or four times more should nor really be made. Still, all this doesn't give ma a clear idea of the reliability of Sigma products. What is your experience with quality, reliability and quality control of recent products at Sigma (particularly with DP1/2/3 cameras)?

GLF
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My only experience of Sigma is the DP-1, it's made of metal, unlike most compacts. I found it 100% reliable, well built, easy to use. My brother had an SD-14 and an SD-15, build quality seemed pretty much the same as my D7000 to me.
 
I have read that as well.. I think I saw someplace that in the last couple of years they have started to review their QA practices and issues associated w/ manufacturing tolerences and/ quality control are being fixed as they are being introduced into their new products.

If u look at their products of the past, starting from I guess the 80's, they were basicaly the cheap zoom lens maker and price drove the decision more then QA standards and best optical design. Now fast forward to the last couple of years, they have improved a lot. I was so impressed w/ the 30 and the dp2m, I bought the 30f2.8 for my Olympus omd.

If u go look at the write up that lens rental did on the new and old version of the 30f1.4, u will find that the center performance was about the same, but the edge performance improved...

I think if u buy stuff they have released in the last 2-3 years, I don't think u can go wrong IMHO. I have the dp1m, dp2m and the sd1m.

If u are interested in the dp3m, I don't think u will go wrong. Keith and Jon should be able to chip in here since they have the dp3m.

The built in flash on the sd1m is not anything to write home about. The one on the xe1 and Nikon consumer grade cameras are much better. Don't know anything about their external flashes.

Gary
 
I have a 30mm f1.4 in Canon mount, and it is excellent in most every way. It is a bit soft wide open but already extremely sharp at f2, and the AF is very fast and accurate ( I use it on a 7D). It is also one of their EX lenses, so the build quality is very good and I like the texture of the materials.

In the past I had a non-EX zoom and I found the build quality terrible, the materials felt cheap and attracted loads of dust, and the AF was slow. The OS on it was not bad.

I think that between the consumer grade zooms and the EX line there is a huge difference in quality, and this probably filters through to their new lines. So I say if possible try before you buy.

They also have this new feature to tune focus by computer with USB. No idea if that is working out for them though.

Cheers,
Rob
 
I can't speak for their lenses but my two DPMs have really impressed me ... they are very solid little cameras.

I can forgive Sigma for the reports of earlier quality control issues because they are a family owned company operating out of one plant and have only really found their feet in the last few years IMO. They do things differently and I like that and it makes me want to use their products ... I'll probably buy a lens of them in the future for my D700. They make a 24-70 f2.8 zoom which costs half as much as the equivalent Nikon and is very close in performance ... and I'm not a pixel peeper!

Have a look at this video and tell me this company doesn't deserve our respect ... and our money! :D
 
All I know is the next DSLR lens I am going to buy will be the Sigma 50-150. Their newest fast wide angle zoom 18-35/1.8 looks very promising as well.
 
I had a pair of standard grade zooms and neither lasted particularly long, I had the 12-24 EX zoom and got excellent pictures and never had a problem. Ya get whatcha pay for. S
 
Fwiw. I have the following lenses for the sd1m
- 50f1.4 - very good
- 70f2.8 macro - very good
- 10-20f3.5 zoom - very good
- 17-70f2.8-4 zoom - very good
- 18-200f3.5-6.3 zoom - average

I am eventually going to get the 30f1.4 and maybe a long field tele.

Gary
 
I meant to add ... the real quality of Sigma for me is a company that doesn't think like Nikon or Canon!
 
I used to have their 35mm 1.4 in Nikon mount, the new one that came out this past year. It worked great on my D600. Super sharp even wide open and autofocus with the hypersonic motor was quick and precise. Made of metal and felt solid, with a good heft to it. Honestly I had no complaints. I only sold it because it didn't have an aperture ring so couldn't work with my F2 after I sold the D600.
 
My only experience with Sigma is my 18-50/2.8-4 DC OS HSM.

Originally, I bought this lens because my entry into the world of interchangeable lens cameras, a Nikon D80, was purchased used, body-only, and I needed a lens to get out and start taking pictures. At the time, I was strapped for cash, and was really just looking for the best i could get at a minimum expenditure, and this lens appeared to be a slight upgrade, speed-wise, over the Nikon "kit lens".

Functionally, this lens has been great. It has a few quirks, some good (the lens does not change dimensions at all, not even when zooming) and not so good (the AF ring is always coupled, so tapping the shutter for AF rotates the ring, which can be awkward if you happen to have your hand resting on it). AF is fast and quiet, even compared to Nikon's AF-S, and the OS is functional, though maybe not as dramatically game-altering as Nikon's VR.

The lens has, so far, seemed to be economically, but solidly built, with a metal mount, but otherwise, mostly plastic (though just about the entire outer surface is conveniently rubberized).

Performance-wise, honestly, I don't really feel right saying one way or another. It's been great for me, but I haven't (extensively) used any other mid-range zooms to make an accurate comparison, and comparing based on sample images online is a rough idea at best. I have no complaints, and really, other than being slightly prone to flare, there's not much more I could ask from a variable aperture mid-range zoom.

All this being said, I plan to order the Sigma 18-35/1.8 after Christmas.

This is far more a thumbs up for Sigma that I'm sticking with them than a thumbs down at my current lens. Obviously, I'll likely sell it, but it's completely because I'm upgrading, and not at all a criticism of my user experience.
 
I've had SDs, DPs, and the Sigma lenses, all very good, even the cheap kit lens were pretty decent, and no worse than Nikon/Canon/Pentax/Whatever.

The SDs in particular have a nice solid feel to them, not 'hollow' at all, and a nice thunk of the shutter/mirror, well dampened, much better than any other SLR I've used, my Nikon FM3a sounded cheap and tinny by comparison.

I'm using a DP2M at the moment, it's not as soiid as the SD series, but it's decent, nothing wrong with it.
 
The guys at Lens Rentals probably send more lenses in for repair each week, or DIY then we will ever own. Therefore their opinion, with no brand axe to grind, is probably more representative than the "one or two lenses I have had" reports above.
Simple conclusion: they were poor/bad now they are a lot better.

I admire the way they think about the user, they make the lenses desirable not just on price. They have quality, certainly in recent releases, they have owner tweakable software, they now offer exchangeable mounts. A lot to like.
I really would like the new 35mm f1.4 but, another 35mm :eek:

Read about the software and other comments here:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/06/sigma-optimization-pro-and-usb-dock#more-14084

No connection, i don't even live in the USA.
 
It's good to hear that Sigma are getting back to their original standards of quality control. I always liked their manual focus lenses, some of which were amazing value.

Unfortunately, I owned a 17~35 and then a 10~20, neither of which were up to the standards I expected from Sigma. The 17~35 started out OK but after a few years, the lens ceased to focus evenly across the film plane. The 10~20 simply wasn't sharp anywhere, from the time I received it. I felt rather aggrieved until I learnt from other forum users that this was par for the course with their superwide zooms.
 
Sigma is getting more and more ambitious. Read somewhere rumor they might have constant f2 24-70 in works. New Art line lenses are also very good value for money. Am using AF & zoom lenses from Sigma only, earlier on Nikon and Canon bodies, currently Sigma's own SD15.

One of my lens sucked little dust in bit too easily, other than that, don't have any complaints or plans to change.
 
Various Sigmas

Various Sigmas

I own a DP1, a DP2, a 12-24mm for Nikon and a 135-400mm also for Nikon as well as a couple of hundred thousand batteries for the DP cameras ;)

Hoping I am not committing hybris here I have never had any problems whatsoever.

Even with a kit zoom I once owned I had no problems.

I would not hesitate to buy Sigma products and when funds permit will look into the Merrill series.

Good luck choosing
Xpanded
 
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