Sigma 150-600 Sport Auto Focus Fine Tuning Update

Well after hours of searching I haven't been able to find any Canon shooters that have worked out the ratio (if there is one) between Sigma and Canon AF adjustment scales.

I spoke to Sigma support nice chap by the name of Daniel he explained the following with regard to the AF fine tuning with regard to the above set of figures I found, the x20, x40 x60 x80 etc figures are used by Sigma for testing and setup, however he explained that the distances used via the usb dock are indeed the ones to use for fine tuning the AF system.

Using the distances in the software will give a better AF performance across the entire focal range than using the x20, x40 method.

He also said to start at the 2.6m end of the scale and work up toward infinity at the various focal lengths, again stating that this will give a better result across the entire focal range.

So that is good enough for me straight from the horses mouth so to speak, that is what I will endeavour to do !!

Auto Focus Micro Adjustment and the Sigma 150-600 Sport

Well this seems like a daunting task ! but probably one that will make the auto focus accuracy extremely good right across the focal length range so its worth persevering with I think.
The Sigma has the ability to be programmed at 16 yep 16 points across its focal range, unlike a Canon zoom lens which can only be micro adjusted at its shortest and longest focal lengths, the Sigma can be adjusted 150, 250, 400 and 600mm.
Not satisfied with that Sigma have gone one step further and allow you to adjust the auto focus accuracy at 4 distances to subject at each of the four focal lengths.
However in order to make any custom adjustments you first need to purchase the Sigma USB Dock (£40) my first thoughts were, this really in my opinion should come with the lens and not be sold as an accessory ! upon reflection I would assume that not everyone will use it.
You also need to download the software Sigma Optimisation Pro from the  Sigma Website

Once installed you then have the ability to customise the lens parameters, update firmware as and when updates are available all in all its a pretty nifty bit of kit, as always improvements could be made.
The first improvement I would like to see is the ability to save a customised profile to disc for later use, this would then allow you to create profiles for each camera body you use the lens with, as it stands if you adjust AFMA for the main camera body that the lens will be used with when you come to switch it to another camera body all the AF settings you have programmed in will not be accurate as no two camera bodies are alike.
This issue must be an easy fix as the first thing that happens when you connect the USB Dock to the lens and PC is it checks for the firmware version of both dock and lens and then reads the current  configuration from the lens, which creates a temp .bin file on disc, that's as far as I have looked, someone with a bit more coding knowledge may well be able to knock up a routine that can save this .bin file and give it a meaningful name for later use, if that would work I don't know.

So how to go about adjusting AFMA, as far as I see it there are two options

1. you either take the test shot analyse it, remove the lens connect it to the dock and pc make the adjustment via the software put the lens back on the camera and take another shot and repeat above for each adjustment for all 16 points !
2. Use the camera bodies AF adjustment write down all the settings and apply them all in one go. 

Both of these methods have issues, the first you will be forever taking the lens off and back on of the camera this seems to me like a lot of messing about and a very long drawn out process !
The second does the Canon AF adjustment scale directly match the Sigma AF adjustment scale, both have the same range of plus or minus 20 ?

 Main Menu View

 Auto Focus Adjustment View

If it does happy days  I will email Sigma support to see if they know the answer to that one.

Well that's answered that one the man from Sigma he say "no"

"It does not relate to the Canon scale in any way.  If needed please input small values to see the difference and adjust accordingly."

Oh well at least that has cleared that one up !!

So today I thought I would have a little bash at seeing how good the focus is out the box, I have only tested @ 3m  distance to subject and f6.3 or wide open for this lens :
@ 600mm I found the focus to be pretty much smack on

 600mm

Using my home made focus chart it is clear that the red text is pin sharp and the 2 and 4 are pretty equal as you move away from the centre line, no adjustment required here.

@400mm it looks to me like there is a slight back focus  the red text is still sharp but as you look at the scale above and below the centre line 2,4, 6 above look a little sharper then 2,4,6 below

 400mm

@250mm again this is clearly back focusing the red text is still pretty sharp but looking at the scales the above scale is way sharper then the scale below

250mm

 Finally @150mm this one looks a bit soft all over (but that is probably my fault) but still seems to be exhibiting some back focus

150mm

So what I will do next just for the sake of it is repeat this test and adjust using the Canon adjustment and then again using the Sigma adjustment to see if there is any comparison.
I have read up on this in some forums and it appears that for Nikon cameras the ratio is 2 to 1, 2 steps on the Sigma scale equate to 1 step on the Nikon scale.
I havent found this information online for Canon yet.

But that's a job for tomorrow !!

 

1st Time Out In The Field With Sigma 150-600 Sport

The first decent day since the new lens arrived so I took myself off to Bossenden Woods, I have not made any AFMA adjustments to the Sigma as I wanted to see how it performed straight out of the box.
Compared to my Canon EF 500mm L IS the Sigma is a light weight, having said that it is very well built, I have changed the tripod mount from the one supplied with the sigma to funnily enough the one I had on my 500mm, Sunway Foto LF-C1 fits perfectly.
I changed it for two reasons:

1. The one supplied does not give sufficient clearance between the foot and lens barrel to carry the lens comfortably, there simply isn't enough clearance to get my dainty little mits in there without gloves on, with gloves no chance.
2.  The new foot is an Arca Swiss compatible so fits straight onto my Gimbal Head.

The Clearance between foot and barrel on the original mount is 15mm with the new foot it is 40mm which is more than enough and makes it easy to carry by the foot, (Sigma take note!!).

 First impressions go along way, the results I have from this Sigma lens on its first outing to me easily match my old Canon EF 500mm L IS output and as I said I have yet to set the AFMA so it can only improve a little !
The background bokeh doesn't look quite as nice as the Canon 500 but that is a small price to pay when saving £5000 or there abouts and there was a 2 stop difference in the pictures below so again the bokeh could improve when the same stop is used.

Canon 5D MK4 Canon EF500mm F4 L IS +1.4x (700mm)

f9 1/800th ISO1600

Canon 5D MK4 Sigma 150-600 Sport @600mm

f11 1/100th ISO800

One might ask is it fair to compare a prime lens to a zoom lens, well in this case I think so as the zoom lens was purchased to replace the prime lens.

Next job is to check the AF accuracy but that will be another post.

Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS ii

With the money I got for my Canon EF500mm f4 L IS not only did I order the Sigma 150-600 Sport I also ordered the  Canon EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS ii as well and still have a little left over.

This arrived to day ordered last Thursday from the good people at Portus Digital always great prices and excellent service I have no problems recommending them.
OK so it is what is called a "Grey Import" but to be honest it comes with 3 years warranty from Portus Digital and the savings are massive, I paid £1319 for this lens including delivery, cheapest UK stock £1799, thats £480 saved.
Portus Digital have been around for a long time, the guys there are only too happy to help so whats not to like.

I tried this lens in the garden during a brief sunny spell on my 7dmk2 straight out of the box

I am more than happy with the resulting image, so it looks like good times ahead for that combination !

Grey Imports Should You Shouldnt You ?

What Are Grey Imports?

A grey import is equipment that has been supplied by a manufacturer in a different part of the world, for example supplied by Canon Hong Kong to a shop in Hong Kong, and ends up being sold on to you in the UK.
This equipment may be purchased by you directly from a shop in Hong Kong (meaning you are importing it yourself into the UK), or it could be imported into the UK by another company and then sold on to you.
The key point is that the manufacturer has sold it into a different (not UK or EU) geographic market, and someone else is then importing it into the UK.
Grey imports are normally a lot cheaper, but there are also some downsides that you should be aware of and take into consideration.

If You Get A Good Deal Should You Care?

If you buy a grey import, it doesnt neccessarily come with a valid UK manufacturer warranty.
This means the UK branch of the manufacturer would not offer free warranty repairs in the unlikely event of something going wrong within the warranty period (typically one year).
You would therefore have to rely on the shop to provide warranty repairs instead.

There may be other issues such as the manuals being in the wrong language, (from Portus Digital this has never been the case in my experience) or the item not having a UK plug. These are pretty minor.
Depending on how you purchase the grey import, you may be liable to pay import duty and UK VAT in addition to what you are paying the shop,( again from Portus Digital the price you see is the price you pay) and this can make the price considerably less attractive.
Personally I would never buy from a shop based outside the UK.

Why Are Grey Imports Cheaper?

Grey imports may be significantly cheaper than UK stock products.
Another factor is that the manufacturer may believe that consumers in Europe are simply prepared to pay more for things, so they make the prices higher than in, for example, Hong Kong.

Import Duty And VAT

If you buy a product from a shop based in Hong Kong, and they send it to you from there, then you may be liable to pay import duty and VAT.
See this page on the HMRC site for details: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

Having to pay VAT on top of the price you have paid the shop, plus import duty and/or handling fees, can make the price of a grey import far less attractive – it is therefore vital to know whether you are importing the product into the UK or not, which means you need to know where it is being sent from.

There are some UK based shops ( Portus Digital is one of these) that import the products themselves from outside the EU, and then sell them to you in the UK. In this case the products should be sent to you from within the UK, and you should not be liable for import duty – and will pay UK VAT on your purchase as normal. As mentioned above, these products can still be cheaper than UK stock, due to the way the manufacturers vary pricing for different parts of the world.
I would highly recommend either of the below retailers:

HDEW Cameras

Portus Digital

I have used both of these retailers, their service and support are  exemplary

How do You Know Its A Grey Import

Whether or not you choose to buy a grey import is a personal choice for you.
The main point for me is that you should have the information to enable you to make an informed choice – knowing the product is a grey import, and whether you will be liable for VAT and import duties in addition.
The problem with many of the grey import shops is that they try very hard to hide from you the fact that they are selling you a grey import. You will normally have to examine their terms and conditions in order to find out about possible VAT and import duty charges, and this is often the only way to work out if they are selling grey imports. Apart from looking for conditions that state you are responsible for import taxes and VAT, also look out for comments saying the products are not eligible for cash back promotions. I’m also cautious when a shop is offering longer warranties than normal – this often is a tactic to hide the fact that you will not get a UK warranty.
In the end though, if the price seems too good to be true compared to the UK prices listed on Camera Price Buster, for instance, then you can assume it is a grey import.

Is It Worth Buying A Grey Import

I am afraid I am a serial offender, it can save so much of your hard earned cash that it would be rude not too !!
But its a personal choice that you must make, weigh up the price saving (taking into account VAT and import duties) against not having a UK warranty. 
And factor in the chance of having to use the warranty based on the type of product. You might feel that you want the reassurance of the UK manufacturer warranty on a £1500 lens, but not on a £50 lens filter which has no moving parts to go wrong.
Just make sure you know what you are getting and where it is being sent from, if it is sent from within the UK then in my opinion its a no brainer.

Camera Price Buster is a great site to find the best prices – but do your own research too.

Sigma 150-600 DG HSM Sport

Well it finally arrived, I collected it got it home took 6 pictures and the Auto Focus packed up !!
So not a good start
Back in the box heading off back from where it came for a replacement.
Probably wont see the replacement until  the 26th or there abouts.
Watch this space !
Well this is turning into a Saga Currys/PCWorld (CPW) tell me they are running 4 to 5 days behind with their returns, so this equates to me not seeing a lens until week commencing 29th Jan, and to be honest I am not holding my breath !!
Whats more With all the photographic stuff I have had delivered over the years it has always been delivered in it original manufacturers box plus a further stout box and packing for shipping, CPW nope sent in a plastic bag !
I contacted Sigma re shipping their response was as follows:

"All our lenses are shipped in a Sigma presentation box with most lenses also being protected by a padded case.  We will then put these in another strong box with sufficient packaging in."

To me that is saying the CPW are not shipping the lens with enough protection for courier handling as we all know how well courier's handle packages.

I shall contact CPW to see what they have to say about it, Sigma wouldn't commit to saying that this could be the cause of the AF failure without looking at the lens.

In the end I decided to cancel the order with CPW mainly due to the fact that I could not get a definitive answer as to when I would see a replacement lens.
To that end I have vowed never to use CPW again as a supplier !!

I ordered with Amazon same price as CPW, delivered next day for £6 extra even though it was a Saturday, delivered in a strong box with padding as you would expect not just in a plastic bag like CPW.

 

Replacement for my Canon EF 500mm f4 L IS

With my old 500 no gone forever it was time for a replacement !
The Canon EF 500mm F4 L IS ii comes in at anything between 6 and 8k, I just cannot warrant paying that much for a lens, I paid 3k for my mk1 and that was pushing it.
So I set about looking for an alternative, I came across the Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 DG sport and started reading reviews and when I say reviews I mean loads of them, about bothe the sports version and the Contemporary version.
The Sports version (Sv) is twice the price of the Contemporary version (Cv) but has a better build quality, so seeing as it may well get wet and dusty I decided that I would try it for the price its a punt but looking at results online pictures look tack sharp.

I also decided to get a Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS ii to go with my new Canon 7dmk2.
So I have ended up with two new zoom lenses for the price of my old 500 prime, whats not to like !

The Sigma comes with 3 year Sigma warranty too boot.

I purchased it from Currys PC World best deal I could find £1192 got it home today unfortunately to late to get it out in the garden to try a few shots.

One innovative thing from Sigma is the Sigma USB Dock this give you the ability to programe the lens with various parameters one of which is AF Micro Adjustment, but here Sigma have taken this to the next level by giving you the ability to MA the focus at four yep four focal lengths 150, 250, 400 and 600mm.
Not only that but they then give you the ability to MA at four distances at each focal length, giving a total of 16 points of focus throught out the focal range which if its as good as it looks will be a big step in the right direction.
Compared to Canon's zoom lens MA setting which would be for this lens at 150mm and 600mm the rest it will guess at.

However its not a perfect solution and I believe Sigma have missed the point, if I MA the Sigma  for my Canon 5dmk4 and write that configuration to the lens if I then want to pop that lens onto my Canon 7dmk2 the mk4 profile is no good as it was made for the mk4 1

Why there is no option to write a profile to disc is beyond me, you could then create profiles for each body and write it too the lens before going out, having said that you can set up for the mk4 then put the sigma on the 7dmk2 and MA that using the Canon MA on the camera giving the most flexible solution available.