Sigma from HK?

andyjayh

andyjayh

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I have had a couple of bad experiances with Sigma lenses and their quality control, 10-20 & 135-400 both being soft :'(

I bought the 10-20 in the UK to ensure I wouldn't have any problems returning it if it turned out to be soft as they had a reputation of this. Sure enough it was and back it went.

I am now after a 120-300 2.8 and after doing a lot of reading I haven't come across many bad reports for this one. So do I risk Sigma's quality control and save myself a fair bit of cash by buying from HK supplier or stick to the UK? From what I have seen so far UK prices around £1600 and HK around £1200 :thinking:
 
I would stick with a UK supplier or a HK supplier with a UK office like Digitalrev.

Seem to be hearing more and more bad reports about Sigma. I always used to be a fan of their equipment. When it's good it's very good and so far I have been lucky. But for now, I have bought my last Sigma lens and will be sticking with Nikon from now on.

Though, it does seem most of the reports of soft lenses are on Canon bodies.
 
andyjayh I recently bought a Sigma lens from DigitalRev in Hong Kong (with a seven year guarantee), it turned out to have a faulty iris control, I sent it back to Sigma in the UK rather than DR and since I paid duty on it they are happily fixing it for me. I saved £200 on Jessops price, paid £20 to send it to Sigma and I know I'll get a good copy back from them.
 
are there problems with most sigma lens,as i'm looking to buy their 105 F2.8 EX DG macro lens....would i be better off getting the tamron 90 F2.8 DI macro lens?

i've read the reviews on it,and it fairs very well aparently...
 
stan the man said:
are there problems with most sigma lens,as i'm looking to buy their 105 F2.8 EX DG macro lens....would i be better off getting the tamron 90 F2.8 DI macro lens?

i've read the reviews on it,and it fairs very well aparently...
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The Sigma 105 is one that I have and it is fantastically sharp.
 
stan the man this is my fourth lens and the only one to have any problems, as said before Sigmas quality control can be poor but Sigma UK are very good so it's not a big problem.
 
stan the man said:
cheers snake man,thats what i was hoping someone would say :lol:.having said that...would it be worth spending the extra for the 150?
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The 150 is quite a bit bigger and heavier so handheld shots maybe more difficult.
 
Steep said:
stan the man this is my fourth lens and the only one to have any problems, as said before Sigmas quality control can be poor but Sigma UK are very good so it's not a big problem.
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i've not had any dealings with them at all...and being a novice,i don't know a great deal on stuff,but it sounds like sigma need to pull their pants up..:shrug::thinking:
 
Answering the first question, FWIW i haven't read anything about Sigma's QC on the 120-300mm. It does seem like a good bunch of lenses and £400 is quite a lot of money to be saving.
I would STRONGLY suggest looking into getting one from here. Everyone is strongly recommending them. At AVforums most of the members there buy from either them or kerso on ebay, but since kerso is only doing Canon stuff, One Stop Digital is your best choice.

The auction pointed out by Les McLean seems good actually, but for the same money you get a brand new with Sigma's international guarantee (don't think you pay taxes with OSD though)
 
Doesn't Kerso also sell Sigma lenses?
 
stylgeo said:
Answering the first question, FWIW i haven't read anything about Sigma's QC on the 120-300mm. It does seem like a good bunch of lenses and £400 is quite a lot of money to be saving.
I would STRONGLY suggest looking into getting one from here. Everyone is strongly recommending them. At AVforums most of the members there buy from either them or kerso on ebay, but since kerso is only doing Canon stuff, One Stop Digital is your best choice.

The auction pointed out by Les McLean seems good actually, but for the same money you get a brand new with Sigma's international guarantee (don't think you pay taxes with OSD though)
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Thanks for that link, prices look good, + Sigma warranty+ 2% discount if you pay by direct bank transfer+free shipping+ no vat or import duties :) :) :)
 
Steep said:
Doesn't Kerso also sell Sigma lenses?
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I emailed Kerso tonight to ask if he did Sigma's or not. Await an answer.
 
andyjayh said:
I emailed Kerso tonight to ask if he did Sigma's or not. Await an answer.
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Let me know if he quotes you a price on the 120-300 f2.8, I could be interested.
 
Will do Les :thumbs:
 
Ian just replied, blimey hat was quick!! Doesn't stock that lens :'(

Take a gamble on Onestop-digital, gaybay, or Park Cameras???? :thinking:
 
andyjayh said:
Ian just replied, blimey hat was quick!! Doesn't stock that lens :'(

Take a gamble on Onestop-digital, gaybay, or Park Cameras???? :thinking:
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Que sera-onestop digital looks good, need to sell my 100-400 then I could be looking at them :)
 
Go for OSD, not much of a gamble really in this case. Never heard of a 120-300 which needed to be taken back (except from some cases with compatibility with 1D bodies) and OSD is great.
 
I too am in exactly the same boat looking for a 120-300 - unsure of whether to go for HK, or pay the extra and get a uk lens. I also e-mailed Kerso and he replied very quickly, but doesn't stock this lens (maybe he should with multiple enquiries in a week??). :)

Looking at OSD, they appear to guarantee that if you get charged VAT they will reimburse you (which is good).

I phoned Sigma uk about importing a lens from HK, and they said that they would accept and repair it under a 1 year international warranty ONLY if you can provide proof of payment of VAT and import duty.

I guess the issue is that if you do get hit for VAT and duty, you end up with a "legitimate" lens, whereas if it's not been charged and refunded by OSD, any problem with the lens will mean returning it to Hong Kong for OSD to sort out.

Still not sure which way to go...... :thinking:
 
Just to confirm Sigma will ask to see proof of payment of vat and duty, I reckon digitalrev who supplied my last lens undervalued it on the import form. I paid £60 total which seems low to me, however Sigma were happy that I could supply that proof and accepted it for repair.
 
Interesting info guys, thanks. However that now leaves me unsure again :bang:

Had a play with one today in a shop, boy it is heavy! Made my L glass seem lightweight :lol:

More thinking to do :thinking:
 
Well, I eventually decided to go the HK route, and ordered the 120-300 from DigitalRev via e-bay listing with guaranteed refund for any VAT charged. I couldn't justify the extra £550 for buying a UK one. Some of their e-bay listings guarantee VAT refund, some don't. They do not appear to do VAT refunds if bought directly from their website.

After a couple of days delay in them identifying the payment due to issues with their bank account apparently, they dispatched the lens, along with a 3 year extended Mack warranty (not sure how effective this is, but it starts after the 1 year international warranty ends and cost £15).

Lens arrived in perfect condition - tracking info very good. I was charged around £55 VAT etc... which on e-mailing DigitalRev with a scanned copy of the receipt, was quickly refunded to me. So I'm very happy with the lens which from first tests appears to work perfectly, believe that any issues in the first year I could probably take it to Sigma UK, and have saved over £500. :)

Now just have to go out and take some decent pics with it!
 
Congrates on your new toy :D Good feeling saving that much money :thumbs: I eventually got one second hand from a fellow TP'er so got a good deal after all without having to worry about the HK route. I think if I was still going to buy new then I would do it a very similar way to yourself and save the money.
 
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