Prime lens Professionals: Would you buy new Sigma over used Canon/Nikon?

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Batman

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Topic # 146997 5-Jun-2014 11:18

Say you have a chance to buy a professional grade Canon/Nikon lens (sold via canon/nikon Australia), but used, no warranty.
Or you can buy a brand new Sigma, 1 yr warranty.

Which one would you buy? (say the picture quality is actually 100% equal)
[I had a 5 year old Sigma zoom and it freaked me out because the aperture stopped working!]

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Reply # 1059701 5-Jun-2014 11:19

say the price is very similar, (sigma slightly cheaper, but considering the amount of money you've dumped elsewhere, really isn't that significant)

timmmay

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Reply # 1059705 5-Jun-2014 11:26

Sigma lenses have given me nothing but focus problems. OEM all the way, though I would probably not buy the used one with no warranty, I'd buy new as it's usually not much more expensive.

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Reply # 1059708 5-Jun-2014 11:39

do you know if canon nz/ canon australia treat parallel imported repairs differently from out of warranty local products?

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Reply # 1059710 5-Jun-2014 11:40

the used Aussie lens is around half the price of NZ new, but a new parallel import is much cheaper (L lens)

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Reply # 1059761 5-Jun-2014 13:00

Hi - Over the years I've used mainly Canon lenses (primes & zooms), plus a Sigma zoom. I've only had 2 mechanical failures in many years use - one Canon zoom & one Sigma zoom (altho' to be fair the Canon had probably done more work than the Sigma).
I've heard very good things about the newer model Sigma prime lenses and would feel confident using them for work... but as with any gear I'd always try and have a back-up piece of equipment with me. Sh!t can happen at any time with any manufacturers gear... you pay your money, you take your chances.

Cheers,
Mike

Photographer/Videographer clickmedia.nz

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Reply # 1059763 5-Jun-2014 13:03

yeah i just cannot understand why dealers in NZ decide that warranty is always 1 year where for example in canada sigma gives 10 year warranty!

i've had a sigma prime that i sold because it won't focus properly at distance (to be fair it's a portrait lens but!), and it autofocus was sooo slow that with my kids moving slowly i miss 80% of the shots waiting for it to focus. having said that, it was indoors but during the evening (wayy before sunset)

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Reply # 1059814 5-Jun-2014 13:49

I'm not a professional but have been using a Sigma along with various Cannon lenses for years. Because of this neither have been hammered in the way a pro would. With that said I have had no issues with my Sigma lens. I'm not a pixel peeper so have never really cared too much about image quality in the corners at 100% crop and all that jazz so could not comment on that sort of thing.

I went through a similar thing before purchasing mine and the only lens I have had to take back in that time was a Canon L series lens! I think it's hard to get good info like this from the internet - you'll always be worried about buying the wrong thing! Go with your gut!

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Reply # 1059819 5-Jun-2014 14:00

joker97: do you know if canon nz/ canon australia treat parallel imported repairs differently from out of warranty local products?

Canon NZ are pretty strict, but I think lenses have international warranties - bodies have local warranties. Don't ask them to calibrate a lens though, they spent a lot of time trying for me when I was CPS member (Canon Professional Services) and didn't manage it. So I switched to Nikon, best photographic equipment choice I ever made.

The Sigma Art lenses have a good reputation, but I wouldn't touch them personally.

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Reply # 1059821 5-Jun-2014 14:04

just out of interest, (sidetracking here) - when you couldn't nail focus, presumably on all lenses, on your 7D - you shot spot AF or standard manual select AF?

i know that standard canon autofocus region is very large - so if there is ANYTHING in front of that you want to focus on, it will focus on the thing which is closer (for example targetting the eye it will focus on the cheek usually, sometimes the nose, occasionally the eye)

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Reply # 1059875 5-Jun-2014 15:33

I'd been through everything over and over. 40D, 7D, L lenses, every focus mode, every AF point type, most lenses. Strangely the 70-200 F2.8 L IS worked well in low light but not so well in good light. The 1D3 worked a bit better with some lenses, 24-70 say, a bit worse with others like the 70-200. People on photography forums told me it was my technique, I got a lot of abuse to be honest. I understand focus systems better than most people, engineering background plus lots of research. Switched to Nikon, 99% in focus, problems solved. Canon was the problem in my case.

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Reply # 1059878 5-Jun-2014 15:39

i'm glad nikon worked for you!
the more I shoot with my mate the more I am envious of the 800E ... oh well too late now :D

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Reply # 1059893 5-Jun-2014 16:18

Did someone say 7D?

If you have a 7D already, and experiencing focus issues. It could well be the body. The great untalked about back-focus issue (registering focus when it was infact a few ft back or inches when talking zoom)

Required firmware update and full battery AND backup battery removal to reset the lens profiles and then recalibrate each one individually

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Reply # 1059899 5-Jun-2014 16:31

Oblivian: Did someone say 7D?

If you have a 7D already, and experiencing focus issues. It could well be the body. The great untalked about back-focus issue (registering focus when it was infact a few ft back or inches when talking zoom)

Required firmware update and full battery AND backup battery removal to reset the lens profiles and then recalibrate each one individually

I had one of the first 7D's in the country, now long sold. I got it because of the much advertised "new focus system with a dedicated chip for focusing". It went back to Canon at least three times, no improvement.

No matter, Nikon works great :)

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Reply # 1059971 5-Jun-2014 18:34

better having the worst house on the best street, than the best house on the worst street...

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Reply # 1060040 5-Jun-2014 20:22

for property yes. for electronics, no. you want to buy an ipad 1 and an iphone 3?

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