Does anyone have any positive/negative experiences getting their Sigma lenses serviced within warranty at JTPhotoWorld?

A friend of mine bought a 24-70/2.8 EX DG Macro in April, and just recently we discovered a backfocus problem with it, a huge problem since he plans to use it as his main lens for events coverage.

I have looked around and read about a horror story from one user, whose 24-70/2.8 is still under repair since March, and he and JTPhotoWorld have gone back and forth on the issue, with JTPhotoWorld insisting that the lens is ok and the user contending with photos that it still has backfocus. So I hope that is an isolated case. In any case we're trying our luck this week and going to the Makati showroom to get his unit looked at.

I'll also be coming along because the 'crinkle' finish on my Sigma 18-50/2.8 EX DC has started to wear. There are a couple of small spots on the zoom ring that are peeling off, and before it gets worse I am thinking of having them look at it to see if they will fix it within warranty (it's an international warranty).

Let me know your experiences. I plan to post ours here.

So far I've got a couple of lenses from JT and I dont have any problem with their after sales service, specially the warranty unless they have to send it back to have it repaired or replaced it will take time because of shipping and handling (thats my experience anyways)

JT Photoworld is very reliable. They have been very fair in my dealings with them with regards to Sigma lenses. The problem is more likely with Sigma which is known to have some quality control issues. It seems one has to carefully scrutinize the unit they purchase. One unit might be working fine but another unit of the same model might have some weakness or defect.

From personal experience, I have encountered 3 brand new sigma lenses that had defects.
1st, I once bought a Sigma lens which would make my camera freeze up. Exchanged it with another unit, and it was ok.
2nd, I purchased a 105mm macro last year but returned it when I discovered that there were severe lens flares whenever the background was white. How severe? If you photograph a black lens cap against a white background, there will be a huge orange glow right smack in the center. No matter where one would position the light, no matter how much you fill the frame with the subject, as long as the background is white, it would flare.
3rd. Got a different lens model, seemed fine, until I noticed that during studio shoots wherein my exposure would be based on a flash meter, all the shots with it were underexposed. I tried replacing it with a canon lens and the exposures were fine. Further tests revealed that the Sigma unit I had was underexposing by 1 and a half stops.

Maybe its just that I was unlucky, but 3 out of my 5 experiences with Sigma revealed major defects. Strange because I would read a lot of excellent reviews about the same sigma lenses.

JT Photoworld is very reliable. They have been very fair in my dealings with them with regards to Sigma lenses. The problem is more likely with Sigma which is known to have some quality control issues. It seems one has to carefully scrutinize the unit they purchase. One unit might be working fine but another unit of the same model might have some weakness or defect.

...

Maybe its just that I was unlucky, but 3 out of my 5 experiences with Sigma revealed major defects. Strange because I would read a lot of excellent reviews about the same sigma lenses.

Optically my Sigma 18-50/2.8 has worked perfectly, abut I have seen some bad reviews of this lens probably from people who got a bad copy, so I know what you're saying about sample variation. When they're good, they're good! I was lucky having ordered my Sigma online and getting a good copy, but knowing more about the sample variation now, I won't be ordering Sigma lenses online anymore, it might be more trouble.

Mr. Louie, how was your experience with JTPhotoWorld having the lenses replaced or returned? Did you discover the issues right away? Did they replace it outright after you showed the issues? I worry that it won't be easy for my friend to have it replaced since a few weeks have already gone since he bought his unit.

Well, we went to JT PhotoWorld's tiny Sigma showroom in Chino Roces and had my buddy's 24-70/2.8 checked in, so it's a waiting game for my friend for the assessment and estimate. It took a while since Joy, who seemed to be the front person on the floor, was trying to process a sale with a Japanese businessman (OT: he was getting a 10-20 and they were having trouble with his credit card, but I don't know if it registered with the guy that we were there to complain about a couple of Sigma lenses). We asked Joy if we could talk to somebody that Mayer had referred us to who was working in thir technical department, but were told that he ("Jack") was no longer under their employ. After a check on the OR from Mayer she asked us to fill up a form. We asked if they calibrated lenses for repair locally and she said that they did, and they had a machine to do it here. She did not tell us what the turnaround time would be for the lens repair but said that we would get the estimate by tomorrow.

I took the chance to ask about repair on my Sigma 18-50/2.8, which I only recently found was peeling in a couple of spots on the zoom ring. I was told that it would not be covered by the warranty. I seriously doubt that the premium EX crinkle finish peeling off not a year after I bought my lens can be considered signs of "normal wear and tear", considering that I always keep the lens hood on or reversed, and when reversed the spot where the peeling is happening is protected by the hood. In any case it seems I won't be able to get that problem fixed within warranty here, as Joy explained that Sigma Corporation of Japan will not authorize them to do any cosmetic repairs within warranty. She even went so far as to say that I might have better luck having it fixed within warranty with Sigma Corp. USA instead (since I bought the unit in the US). Rather than push the issue I just asked for an estimate for repair if I did have it fixed with them (in case it gets more serious).

They did have a 24-70/2.8 for the Nikon mount on display, so we took the chance to shoot with both it and my buddy's backfocusing lens, and sure enough the lens on display was a good copy, and his lens was showing backfocus when shot at the very same target. http://www.pinoyphotography.org/pinoyphotographer/forumSMF/Smileys/default/sad.gif Of course, JT PhotoWorld needs to do their own evaluation, which I guess is only fair, and we'll have to wait and see. For Nikon mount lenses they apparently use a D200 body to test the lens. I don't know if this is a recent development. In any case it ought to outresolve my buddy's D70 body and backfocus ought to be even more apparent there, I guess.

We'll see.

Hi Gerry,

I read you post that said you purchased your lens on-line. Now I do not know what Sigma's polcy is but I know that if you purchased a Canon from Hong Kong and tried to get it serviced here through Canon Philippines, the warranty would not be honored. Is JT Photoworld obligated to warranty every Sigma lens that is defective even if it wasn't purchased from them? I would hate to think so. Maybe that is why there is such a long wait for replacement lenses since it really does have to go back to Japan first for assessment, and then replacement. Should they be responsible for fixing the peeling on your zoom ring when you bought it from the US?

This is all a very touchy issue and each company has their own policies on this. I do not know what the Sigma policy is. You may want to write to Japan to find out. As for my take in all of this (and this is strictly an opinion) is that if you don't buy it here, don't ever expect to get the same service from the distributor. They don't profit from the sale but they have to deal with all the after sales service.

Hi Gerry,

....

I would hate to think so. Maybe that is why there is such a long wait for replacement lenses since it really does have to go back to Japan first for assessment, and then replacement. Should they be responsible for fixing the peeling on your zoom ring when you bought it from the US?

This is all a very touchy issue and each company has their own policies on this. I do not know what the Sigma policy is. You may want to write to Japan to find out. As for my take in all of this (and this is strictly an opinion) is that if you don't buy it here, don't ever expect to get the same service from the distributor. They don't profit from the sale but they have to deal with all the after sales service.

It is not unheard of for electronics equipment to have a global warranty. I know and I am honestly surprised that Canon and Nikon do not have a global 1-year warranty on their equipment, when laptop manufacturers such as Asus can provide one for their equipment. In this aspect I believe camera and lens manufacturers are lagging behind, to the detriment of professional photographers here. Maybe we are being too kind on our suppliers.

I believe Sigma does have in place an international 1-year global warranty on their equipment. In any case, Joy of JT Photoworld did not say I could not have any other problems on my Sigma lens serviced under warranty through them, only that Sigma Corporation of Japan did not authorize them for the "cosmetic "issues. I believe as a distributor it's part of JT Photoworld's job to handle support for buyers of Sigma lenses. And remember that the bill for repairs under warranty are at the cost of Sigma Corporation, not JT Photoworld, and anything out of warranty is billed to the owner, so what is the cost for JT Photoworld to service my lens? The time Joy needs to take to talk to me and the shipping fees to send the unit over to Japan, which I would probably be billed for.

Ok, off the soapbox I go ....

I may have to correct myself on the below. I am told that most Nikon gear do have an international 1 year warranty. I am not sure, though, if Columbia photo, the distributor for Nikon here, handles processing for under-warranty repairs.

Still, from what I have heard from Canon users, Canon Philippines does not honor the international warranty. They will not even process shipping for you to the country that you bought it from.

I know and I am honestly surprised that Canon and Nikon do not have a global 1-year warranty on their equipment, when laptop manufacturers such as Asus can provide one for their equipment.

Gerry,

This is an interesting topic for me simply because I come from a sports distributor and retailer background. Nothing irritated me more than a dealer taking advantage of my support. For instance, we would consign our products to some of our better retailers since that is what they insisted. However, we would often learn that these dealers would parallel import the same product behind our back and sell it to their customers at a lower price. When we inventory at the end of the month, they report very little sales because they would sell their grey market products. We would also advertise heavily to promote our products so they would even take advantage of our promotions. Furthermore, their customers would try to return warranty items to us since they bought it from a dealer that we had authorized. So how did we protect our interests? We only serviced products purchased through us. This had to be backed with a receipt and also the serial code of the product. This irritated many people but it was the only thing we could do to protect our business.

I actually am glad that Canon does not honor warranty for products not purchased here. I'm not trying to start a war here but just wanted to show the other side of the coin.

Cheers.

Well, so far it looks like JT Photoworld has taken some positive steps on both my buddy's case and mine. I think they may have gotten a push from Sigma International Support, though. :Grin:

After we both went with our lenses to the showroom in Makati, and I was told I would not have any luck getting the "cosmetic" issue fixed within warranty, I decided to do as suggested by Joy and try my luck with Sigma Corporation USA since my 18-50 was from the US. I tried to email the listed support address at info@sigmaphoto.com, but my email bounced. :Mad: Not one to be deterred, I decided to email all of the country support email addresses (support@apds.com.sg, info@sigma.com.hk, parts@sigma-photo.co.jp) with my complaint. That got their attention. A support agent in Singapore escalated it to international support (intl@sigma-photo.co.jp), who responded that, in consideration of my being inconvenienced, they would instruct JT Photoworld to receive my lens for repair free of charge. :D They also said that there was one other case where the EX finish on one of their lenses peeled off on its own, and this was because it was stored with naphthalene balls. :o No way I would have done that with my lens, so I still have no idea how the finish started to peel off. But at the least Sigma will repair my lens under warranty. I am now waiting for JT Photoworld to submit their evaluation of the lens and order the necessary parts before I hand over the lens for repair.

While this was happening, my friend got feedback to the effect that JT Photoworld had no reason to suspect that the lens itself was defective, and that her boss, Jerome Tan, had given specific instructions to ask my buddy to return to JT Photoworld in person with his camera body, both to explain what they think is the problem and to check his camera body for "camera settings" that might resolve his problem. My buddy was not happy with this feedback, since 1) he had two Nikon lenses and one Sigma lens (a 70-200/2.8) that worked fine with his camera body and 2) he tested the store demo lens with his own camera body and his lens in the same conditions and at the same target to confirm that there was a focus error with his lens but not with his demo copy. He wanted to know why the camera body still might factor in the problem so he asked to talk to Jerome Tan directly for the explanation, but Joy said Jerome Tan was busy with clients who went out of their way to meet him. Even when he just wanted to get a short explanation on the problem, Joy said that, as per specific instructions, he had to go to JT Photoworld for the explanation. Understandably my friend was very frustrated at this point and expressed the same to Joy, but resigned himself and said he would call back as to when he would be able to come by, since he would not be able to just drop his appointments to deal with it. Joy's tone seemed to change when my friend called back. I don't know if this was before or after Jerome Tan got copied on the email about my case. ;) She said her boss would forward the complaint to Sigma Japan for further action. Meantime my friend sent them the pictures from the tests we did at the showroom (the side by side tests between the store demo copy and my friend's copy) to show the camera body definitely had a focusing problem with his lens but not with the demo lens. Finally today, my friend got an email from Jerome Tan that it did indeed look like a focusing issue with the lens, and it was technically frontfocus instead of backfocus, so recalibration had to be done via rechipping. Sigma Japan will send a new chip to correct the issue with my friend's lens. Meanwhile they planned to lend my buddy a lens while his was in repair.

I guess what helped to push this along was getting inputs from Sigma support directly. So is the moral of this story:
"Bark at everything until you get the right tree"? It may take a while for the parts to arrive and for our lenses to get fixed, but I'll update on this thread when that happens.

I actually am glad that Canon does not honor warranty for products not purchased here. I'm not trying to start a war here but just wanted to show the other side of the coin.


Nick, thanks for showing us "the other side of the coin". I'm not here to start a war either, just trying to gather the experiences that people have had with support from Sigma as a third party manufacturer, good or bad. An international warranty may be an important buying decision factor for some, such as myself, and it would be important for them to know how well the international warranty works in practice.

Honestly I am hoping for a completely satisfactory result from my friend's case and mine, otherwise I know I would think twice about buying or suggesting others to buy a Sigma lens.

Wow Thanks for the info regarding sigma lenses now I am wondering about service for Tamron and Tokina lenses as I am planning to buy one in Hong Kong this weekend. Hope you can give me inputs.

I have a Tokina 19-35mm and so far it has brought joy to my heart. My work (using it) has been featured at the CCP for EDSA 1 & 2 anniversary. Tokina is good for it's price.

just sharing my experience... i bought a 28-300 dg macro just last year... a couple of months later i started having problems with it... as i would take shots my view would grow darker... it turns out that the blades would close and wouldnt open anymore... i went to Jt photo world where i bought it... and since it was under warranty they repaired it... it took roughly one week to do so... they're explanation was that the ribbon on the newer models were brittle and thats why the lens would not respond to the cameras command... hmmm makes u wonder... if sigma knew that their ribbons were prone to easily wear and tear... why did they choose to have them installed in the first place knowing that they will have to have them replaced... anyway a few months later im having the same problem... im not sure if my lens is under warranty... im sure if it is the jt photo world would accomodate me... with respect to Jt Photoworld they gave me a good deal on the lens and their after sales support was fine... but by using the sigma lens i found that it spends more time being benched and repaired then actually being used... i'm very happy with the L lens of canon... indeed in some cases you get what you pay for...

I own a Sigma 105 2.8 Macro lens and performance is excellent

so hearing these horror stories from you guys I have finally decided that the better option for me is to save my money so as to have enough to get my dream lens the 70-200vr by nikon.

ive owned a number of sigma lenses in the past... 18-50, 24-70, 70-300 and 105. all have performed pretty well except for my 70-300 - it seems to be a tad soft even at f/8 or f/11.

ive sold everything except for my 105 f/2.8 macro - this one is insanely sharp. a bit noisy and slow in focusing. but has served me very well (published portrait and food shots). for a third of the price of its Nikon/Canon counterpart - this is definitely a steal!!!:Grin:

btw, i bought my 70-300 from B&H new york and asked JTPhoto if they would be covering the warranty.... they told me YES as long as i present the warranty card and the receipt.

Guys, I'm just checking in with the final update.

My buddy and I got both of our lenses from JT Photoworld on Monday. They were already available on Thursday, so it took a little under a month to get the parts from Japan for the repairs (the parts for both lenses arrived on the same shipment) and then replaced here. After testing at the store and in the past two days we're happy with the results. My buddy's 24-70/2.8 Macro is now finally useable at 2.8, showing no signs of frontfocus. A board/chip was replaced which I suppose is part of the focusing, the optics were not touched. As for my 18-50/2.8, the zoom ring was replaced and looks good as new, and no signs of any problems introduced by the repair (no frontfocus/backfocus, whew!). I wouldn't have known that anything was replaced had they not shown me the old part with the peeling EX finish. JT Photoworld did these services free of charge to us and under international warranty.

I'd encourage anyone with a problematic Sigma to take it over to JT Photoworld if their lenses are still under warranty. Remember, Sigma lenses come with an international warranty, and they are obliged to service the lens as the official distributor.

If you're buying a 24-70/2.8 Macro, or any other lens, Sigma or not, please please test for frontfocus/backfocus at the store. It will save you a month of anxiety.

Good thread, I'm planning to get that exact same Sigma lens.

Quick question though, when you say front/back focus, does it mean the lens focuses on something in front of or behind the object you're supposed to be focusing on? I'm still new at photography. Thanks.

Good thread, I'm planning to get that exact same Sigma lens.

Quick question though, when you say front/back focus, does it mean the lens focuses on something in front of or behind the object you're supposed to be focusing on? I'm still new at photography. Thanks.

You can easily see this if you shoot at the widest aperture (f/2.8) and longest focal length (50mm or 70mm), and shoot a page or flat surface diagonally (at 45 degrees) with something like a row of text or a repeating pattern. The shallow DOF should make frontfocusing or backfocusing obvious in this situation. As you say, the sharpest point will not be the point that you focused on, but to the left or to the right of it (or top or bottom, depending on how you've shot your diagonal subject). Good luck with your lens purchase!

Havent had a problem with my Sigma 50mm EX DG macro lens which i bought at JT Photo, Pedro Gil.

My friend also had a "chip" replaced on an old Sigma 50mm macro lens for it to work on a Canon 20d. So far the lens worked fine after the "chip" replacement.

had my 24-60mm repaired at sigma. they replaced the fpc (?) cable that operates the aperture (it was locking down everytime i minimized the opening). prior to that i had the lens for general cleaning because it would not focus at 60mm. in both cases jt finishe the job within one week with no hassle or problems after

my 28 - 200 sigma's for repair more than a month now still no feedback...

JT Photo replaced my 12-24's stepping motor and fpc cable a few weeks ago. Since parts were readily available, it took less than 10 days for it. And they didn't even charge for labor for an out of warranty lens. Great service.

Took it out last night and works perfectly well now. The Auto-focus now works and it doesn't over-expose anymore.

Had my Sigma 14mm cleaned since I was seeing some spots (looked liked water marks) but didn't suffer from degradation of quality also a faint noise in HSM.

After a month and P2,800 poorer, I got it. All my complaints are ok now. Yet there is a new mark on the front element (outer corner) that wasn't there before so I had it returned today.

Hope all is well afterwards.

So far, happy w/ JT but you really have to call them for follow ups.

You can easily see this if you shoot at the widest aperture (f/2.8) and longest focal length (50mm or 70mm), and shoot a page or flat surface diagonally (at 45 degrees) with something like a row of text or a repeating pattern. The shallow DOF should make frontfocusing or backfocusing obvious in this situation. As you say, the sharpest point will not be the point that you focused on, but to the left or to the right of it (or top or bottom, depending on how you've shot your diagonal subject). Good luck with your lens purchase!
i have the same lens, but i'd like to find out if it has this problem.

how do i know if it has either the back or frontfocusing problem? when i focus on a piece of paper at the angle you indicated, what should i actually be looking for?

my understanding of what you've stated above is that if the text to the left or right (or top or bottom) is the one in focus and not at the point your AF-point blinked on, my lens has a problem? or have i got it mixed around?

sorry for the noobie Q:Angry:

mark,

check out this url:

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html

good luck hocus focusing!!!

dan

i have the same lens, but i'd like to find out if it has this problem.

how do i know if it has either the back or frontfocusing problem? when i focus on a piece of paper at the angle you indicated, what should i actually be looking for?

my understanding of what you've stated above is that if the text to the left or right (or top or bottom) is the one in focus and not at the point your AF-point blinked on, my lens has a problem? or have i got it mixed around?

sorry for the noobie Q:Angry:

mark,

check out this url:

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html

good luck hocus focusing!!!

dan

got it! thanks for the link. now i see that there is still an acceptable "margin for error" in this case.

now my only problem is testing my 70-200 lens. i'd have to set it pretty far (compared to my kit or 24-70) for me to perform the test, eh.

Got to talk w/ Joy of JT yesterday and I was told that the mark on the front element was "probably" caused by the cleaning process used in Japan when it was sent there. Their technician will try to remove the mark.

I hope everything will be ok, if not, I will insist that it be sent back to Japan plus I'll email Sigma Japan regarding this.

So far, still ok w/ them.

now my only problem is testing my 70-200 lens. i'd have to set it pretty far (compared to my kit or 24-70) for me to perform the test, eh.

It is likely that you'll be limited to the height of your tripod.

Suggestions:

Option 1. Mount your camera on a tripod at the bottom of the stairs. Then, point it up 45 deg to the to of the stair. At some elevation, let the rulled paper hang and perform the test.

Make adjustments to the stairs as needed (eh?):BlackEye:

Option 2. Mount camera on tripod in the yard. Aim camera such that it makes 45 deg angle with your window. Go pin the ruled paper on the window. Do your test.

Adjust your window up, down, left, right, as needed (eh? eh?):RedEye:


Jokes are embeded there, but I hopeyou get the drift. hehe...

It is likely that you'll be limited to the height of your tripod.

Suggestions:

Option 1. Mount your camera on a tripod at the bottom of the stairs. Then, point it up 45 deg to the to of the stair. At some elevation, let the rulled paper hang and perform the test.

Make adjustments to the stairs as needed (eh?):BlackEye:

Option 2. Mount camera on tripod in the yard. Aim camera such that it makes 45 deg angle with your window. Go pin the ruled paper on the window. Do your test.

Adjust your window up, down, left, right, as needed (eh? eh?):RedEye:


Jokes are embeded there, but I hopeyou get the drift. hehe...
got it! (eh? eh?) :RedEye::Grin:

Are the manila and makati shops that busy on a saturday? I wanted to get a lens but wanted to do some "test chart" tests first before taking it home. Is it alright to do that inside the shop?

Rom - Only the Makati shop has the lenses. Yes, busy w/ many customers on Sat.

Rom - Only the Makati shop has the lenses. Yes, busy w/ many customers on Sat.

Yikes! It would be embarrassing to shoot lines and pixel peep then. :Scared:

Yikes! It would be embarrassing to shoot lines and pixel peep then. :Scared:

why would it be embarrassing? you are perfectly entitled to to your tests before purchasing the unit, who know, maybe the others will learn a thing or two from it

yeah don't be shy, i'd do the same :) in fact i'd probably list down the serial numbers, take the shots and go home to choose which copy i'd prefer

yeah don't be shy, i'd do the same :) in fact i'd probably list down the serial numbers, take the shots and go home to choose which copy i'd prefer

This what I have in mind. :)

Got to talk w/ Joy of JT yesterday and I was told that the mark on the front element was "probably" caused by the cleaning process used in Japan when it was sent there. Their technician will try to remove the mark.

I hope everything will be ok, if not, I will insist that it be sent back to Japan plus I'll email Sigma Japan regarding this.

So far, still ok w/ them.

I was told this morning that I will have my lens ready by Wed. :Grin:

Everything should be ok by then

Got my lens today (but it was available since yesterday). The front lens is great! Looks new and very very clean lenses. I love it!

JT's tech support is great! They handled my small complaint well.

I'll be a repeat customer.

Time to save up for a 18-50 2.8!!!

Asking for advise too...

Just bought an 18-200 OS from Infomaxx the other day at greenhills. Tested the lens for about an hour, taking sample shots and zooming in my LCD. Everything was fine. Brought it home inside my very clean lowepro. The following day, I tested extensively the lens. all i can say is that I got a very very good copy. Very very sharp, no front/back focus issues at all. It is pinpoint accurate. That afternoon, i realized that there were dust particles on the focusing screen of my 3 day old canon 40D. to my dismay, i cleaned it with a blower and the particles went away. i am really pissed why dust has settled inside my camera in just a matter of 2 days and i have always believed in the one body one lens policy, so that means i never removed/replace the lens during that period.

that evening, i made more tests just to check if there were dusts in the sensor. after bumping to f22-f40, i found specs of dust!!! a 3 day old camera and a 1 day old lens showed dust in my shots.

upon careful scrutinizing i realized that it was the lens that has a lot of dust in it. first i suspected that the built in sensor cleaner of the 40d is not functioning well (compared to my olympus camera), but that was not the case.

so i called up infomaxx and informed them about my issue. luckily, my replacement lens is arriving tomorrow for pickup.

now my dillema, should i replace it with the new lens? the dust particles dont show from f3.5 to f16, but from f22 to f40, there it is. simply by looking at the viewfinder you can see the particles. i am afraid that if i exchange this lens, i might get a bad copy beleaguered by back and front focus issues.

so what do you guys think?

dust will always find a way in :) there are websites that tested these dust removal mechanisms of canon, pentax and (i can't remember) and it said that canon's is pretty much useless "daw". can't say for myself.

i use a blower to clean my sensor/mirror every week or before & after a shoot. it's easy.

oh and store your camera face down. that'll prevent dust settling on the mirror/sensor.

Is the office of JT in Pedro Gil or Pasong Tamo open during sundays?

Is the office of JT in Pedro Gil or Pasong Tamo open during sundays?

i don't know but have you tried calling them up? they also have a website at multiply, google it out

Is the office of JT in Pedro Gil or Pasong Tamo open during sundays?

I tried going there one Sunday (about a month ago), it was about 2 in the afternoon and they were closed... :|

hi guys, just want to share my experience, I bought an 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC for Sony Mount from JT Photoworld, when I found out that there is a backfocus problem, I sent this back tho JT Photoworld, its been 2 weeks already and whenever I try to check the status, and unfortunately they say only one thing to me "it hasn't left the table of our boss yet"... tsk tsk... hmmmm wish I can do something about this... :(

yeah? talk to joy about it, she's always been very helpful about it. if not, get in touch with their superiors by asking them for the contact information

Roy - Ask Joy, she's very accomodating that's why she's on the phone most of the time hehehe...

They have a LOT of lenses for service there (mostly cleaning) and majority of them are grey units.

I bought my 70-300 apo dg macro last September 7, 2007. It was working perfectly until all of a sudden the AF made a grinding noise and it won’t make pass the 1.5 mark. So, I called up ms joy and she told me "dalhin mo na lang dito, sir, under warranty naman yan." so, confident that I’ll have my lens back after a few days, I delivered my lens to JT last January 21, 2008, Monday and like any other customers, I asked Ms. Joy how long will it take for them to repair my lens because I have a scheduled shoot that coming Saturday, January 26, 2008. She (Ms. Joy) said that she has to wait for the technician to check my lens and told me to call her back the next day. I called Ms. Joy the day after (January 22, 2008, Tuesday) but she said “I haven’t talked with the technician yet”. Considering that she’s busy I told her to call me back anytime that afternoon instead so, it’ll be more convenient for her. I waited, but I didn’t receive any call or text message that afternoon.

Wednesday, worried about my lens, I called them up again. Ms. Joy told me that she’s going to call me around noon. And finally she did. Although, I got disappointed with the scenario, I just let the thing pass because I’m more concerned with the photo coverage I’m about to do that coming Saturday. Ms. Joy told me that a small part or gear inside responsible for the AUTOFOCUS broke and the part isn’t available here and they have to order the part from Japan. So I said’ “ok, have you ordered the part already?” and she said “yes, BUT the delivery came in early this month (January) because of the Photoworld”. The part needed for my lens didn’t make the batch of their delivery that month. Ms. Joy told me that we have to wait until the next delivery which was on the 3rd week of February for the part needed for my lens. I got disappointed but can’t do anything. For me, the situation was acceptable. So, I just marked my calendar for the follow up and didn’t hear anything from me re: that matter.

February 22,2008, I went to JT photoworld to buy my 2nd lens which I’ll be using for a coverage scheduled next month (March 2008) and it was time for me to make my follow up on the status of my 70-300 apo dg macro as well. But I was surprised when Ms. Joy told me that I have to wait AGAIN for their delivery on the 3rd or 4th week of March Because of the exact same reason with the Photoworld thing. I said “Ms Joy, sabi mo sakin, February?” and she said, “ay hindi,sir. sa March na po”. I got confused for a while but I know I heard her right and I even confirmed the date again from her when she called me that afternoon of January 22, 2008. She said 3rd week of February. I asked her if she can do anything about it because I’ll need the lens on March. She said “wala po,sir. sama naman pong magpa deliver tayo ng maaga para lang po sa isang part na yun.”

I got really disappointed but I just kept it to myself and because she was busy with other things I didn’t bother asking her about it again.

I guess I need to inform their superiors about this. I need my lens back ASAP. My lens is only 4 months old for it break just like that. I take good care of my precious gear. Do I really have to wait for the March delivery? My unit is still under warranty and I think they should do something about it and have the part needed be delivered right away even if it’s just a small piece. I even tried asking for a replacement but Ms. Joy told me that they don’t do unit replacements.

Yesterday afternoon I sent a text message to JT asking for Mr. Jerome Tan’s contact info but they didn’t replied. Today @ 3:25 pm, I sent the same text message again but as of this time, 5:10 pm I have not yet received any reply from them yet. If anyone can help me with their superior’s contact info or if you know anyone who I can I address my problem to, please send me a pm.

Thank you very much!

That's very unfortunate, my only advice is to stay calm and be professional about it. They have a multiply account and ym account also, maybe you can get in touch with them about it there to get Mr. Tan's info.

Dindo.. dont worry ... i got the 70-200..if your lens wont make it to our coverage...i got you covered. Cool lang bro...you'll get your lens din.. just keep on following up..

That's very unfortunate, my only advice is to stay calm and be professional about it. They have a multiply account and ym account also, maybe you can get in touch with them about it there to get Mr. Tan's info.

thanks,diego. with the schedule i have its just disappointing that i have to go through all the waiting. considering that my lens is still under warranty.

Dindo.. dont worry ... i got the 70-200..if your lens wont make it to our coverage...i got you covered. Cool lang bro...you'll get your lens din.. just keep on following up..

thanks,bro! i just didn't like it when she told me that "sama naman pong magpadeliver tayo ng maaga para lang po sa isang part na yun."

the lens being under warranty and it has been with me for only 4 months, why do i have to wait for their delivery? when they can make a separate and earlier delivery for the part needed for my lens just like what they did for the photoworld.

i posted my jtphoto experience in the other forum. the same excuses and the same situation which took 2 months to repair the AF of my lens.

the scenario i believe is this: JTphoto has no stocks of spare parts. they only have 1 technician and the big boss also wears the tester's hat.

before ordering parts, they have to make sure that there is indeed an issue thereby time is spent just to confirm such.

there is nothing much we can do. As consumers we can either help them out by buying more products thereby gaining critical mass that triggers better service - in theory :D. but really.... only very very very mature companies focus on after sales service. JTPhoto isn't there yet.

i posted my jtphoto experience in the other forum. the same excuses and the same situation which took 2 months to repair the AF of my lens.

the scenario i believe is this: JTphoto has no stocks of spare parts. they only have 1 technician and the big boss also wears the tester's hat.

before ordering parts, they have to make sure that there is indeed an issue thereby time is spent just to confirm such.

there is nothing much we can do. As consumers we can either help them out by buying more products thereby gaining critical mass that triggers better service - in theory :D. but really.... only very very very mature companies focus on after sales service. JTPhoto isn't there yet.

sigh! i wasnt really expecting that kind of after sales service from JT because i also read some good stories about them. its just unfortunate mine ended up on the other side of the coin.

i guess, warranty isnt much of an advantage with JT. in my case why should i suffer for the unavailabilty of the part needed?

I bought my 70-300 apo dg macro last September 7, 2007. It was working perfectly until all of a sudden the AF made a grinding noise and it won’t make pass the 1.5 mark. So, I called up ms joy and she told me "dalhin mo na lang dito, sir, under warranty naman yan." so, confident that I’ll have my lens back after a few days, I delivered my lens to JT last January 21, 2008, Monday and like any other customers, I asked Ms. Joy how long will it take for them to repair my lens because I have a scheduled shoot that coming Saturday, January 26, 2008. She (Ms. Joy) said that she has to wait for the technician to check my lens and told me to call her back the next day. I called Ms. Joy the day after (January 22, 2008, Tuesday) but she said “I haven’t talked with the technician yet”. Considering that she’s busy I told her to call me back anytime that afternoon instead so, it’ll be more convenient for her. I waited, but I didn’t receive any call or text message that afternoon.

Wednesday, worried about my lens, I called them up again. Ms. Joy told me that she’s going to call me around noon. And finally she did. Although, I got disappointed with the scenario, I just let the thing pass because I’m more concerned with the photo coverage I’m about to do that coming Saturday. Ms. Joy told me that a small part or gear inside responsible for the AUTOFOCUS broke and the part isn’t available here and they have to order the part from Japan. So I said’ “ok, have you ordered the part already?” and she said “yes, BUT the delivery came in early this month (January) because of the Photoworld”. The part needed for my lens didn’t make the batch of their delivery that month. Ms. Joy told me that we have to wait until the next delivery which was on the 3rd week of February for the part needed for my lens. I got disappointed but can’t do anything. For me, the situation was acceptable. So, I just marked my calendar for the follow up and didn’t hear anything from me re: that matter.

February 22,2008, I went to JT photoworld to buy my 2nd lens which I’ll be using for a coverage scheduled next month (March 2008) and it was time for me to make my follow up on the status of my 70-300 apo dg macro as well. But I was surprised when Ms. Joy told me that I have to wait AGAIN for their delivery on the 3rd or 4th week of March Because of the exact same reason with the Photoworld thing. I said “Ms Joy, sabi mo sakin, February?” and she said, “ay hindi,sir. sa March na po”. I got confused for a while but I know I heard her right and I even confirmed the date again from her when she called me that afternoon of January 22, 2008. She said 3rd week of February. I asked her if she can do anything about it because I’ll need the lens on March. She said “wala po,sir. sama naman pong magpa deliver tayo ng maaga para lang po sa isang part na yun.”

I got really disappointed but I just kept it to myself and because she was busy with other things I didn’t bother asking her about it again.

I guess I need to inform their superiors about this. I need my lens back ASAP. My lens is only 4 months old for it break just like that. I take good care of my precious gear. Do I really have to wait for the March delivery? My unit is still under warranty and I think they should do something about it and have the part needed be delivered right away even if it’s just a small piece. I even tried asking for a replacement but Ms. Joy told me that they don’t do unit replacements.

Yesterday afternoon I sent a text message to JT asking for Mr. Jerome Tan’s contact info but they didn’t replied. Today @ 3:25 pm, I sent the same text message again but as of this time, 5:10 pm I have not yet received any reply from them yet. If anyone can help me with their superior’s contact info or if you know anyone who I can I address my problem to, please send me a pm.

Thank you very much!

dindo,
send emails to sigma customer service adds from diff countries with sigma offices. inform them of the situation just like what jerry did (read the first few posts of this thread http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=79). Sigma Officers can push JTPhoto to do things faster...

dindo,
send emails to sigma customer service adds from diff countries with sigma offices. inform them of the situation just like what jerry did (read the first few posts of this thread http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=79). Sigma Officers can push JTPhoto to do things faster...

thanks,chep!

i already did. i e-mailed japan and hong kong this afternoon. i hope to receive a reply from them really soon.

I know that Sigma (JT) has one technician here and their boss does the lens calibration.

I am happy w/ their after-sales even if you need to call them frequently. I only talk to Joy. If I order stuff I talk to Cherry at P. Gil (office is near there).

I suggest you go personally and talk to Joy's boss. They even once asked me to go there and talk to him but had no time.

UPDATE:

I received an e-mail from Sigma Japan's International Division Managing Director the day after i e-mailed them my concern. He said that he already informed Mr. Jerome Tan of JT Photoworld asking for a quick solution on the matter. A few hours later Ms Joy called me up and said that they'll be checking the "tracking" if the part needed for my lens will make the batch of deliveries for February.

Today, i received an e-mail from Mr. Jerome Tan informing me that the part needed for my lens has arrived and that i just have to wait for Ms. Joy to contact me after the repair.

the power of E-mail!
way to go, same thing i did with a week old CPU costing $500 when one of the pins fell off, the supplier didn't want to replace it unless i gave them the pin that was missing, i e-mailed the CPU company & voila! replaced within the week.

I hope that doing the same thing could also speed-up JT in acquiring stocks for some lenses, i.e. the 10-20mm ultrawide, which as of writing, is still not available.

Also, I'm counting that they would prioritize customers on the waiting list and make a follow-up text message/or email, whenever their stocks arrive.

[quote=dindo panganiban;345036]UPDATE:

I received an e-mail from Sigma Japan's International Division Managing Director the day after i e-mailed them my concern. He said that he already informed Mr. Jerome Tan of JT Photoworld asking for a quick solution on the matter. A few hours later Ms Joy called me up and said that they'll be checking the "tracking" if the part needed for my lens will make the batch of deliveries for February.


Dindo - Can you post the e-mail address of the person or department you sent your concern? For future reference if you don't mind. Thanks.

Nice to hear that Sigma Phils (JT) listens to big brother in Japan. :Grin:

thanks,chep!

i already did. i e-mailed japan and hong kong this afternoon. i hope to receive a reply from them really soon.

well done dindo! works everytime! (at least for sigma hahah)

UPDATE:

Yesterday, Feb 28, JT Photoworld texted me that the lens will be ready for pick up today, Feb 29,2008.

So, im going there this afternoon to check it out. hopefully, it will be perfect.


Ryan >> the e-mail address is printed on the manual. anyway, here it is intl@sigma-photo.co.jp.

Chep >> thanks!

Dindo - Better get their early before the rally starts. Thanks for the info. Never got to open my manual hehehe

I just tested my sigma 70-200mm non-macro lens with Jeffrey Friedl's focus test ( http://regex.info/blog/photo-tech/focus-chart/ )--who tweaked further the Tim Jackson focus test for Nikon D70 found here http://www.focustestchart.com/chart.html --and confirmed my suspicions I had backfocus problems with my copy. Problem is, does anybody know if JT Photoworld fixes lenses bought from Hidalgo instead of them? If not, would anybody recommend other local service centers that calibrate sigma units? I'm still pinning my hopes on JT though...any help would be greatly appreciated...:)

yes they do!
I' not sure though if they will charge you even if its within warranty since it's a non-jtphoto unit. but they will fix it.

whew! thanks sir chep! sad talaga when you find out you can't focus your shots lalo na when you think you can't have it fixed locally, but then what a relief to know pwede pala :Grin: thank you again!

MY FINAL UPDATE:

just got my lens back. the AF motor is working perfectly now.

Great news Dindo! That's why I always buy items that have a distributor here. At least I have someone to run to or to talk to in case anything happens. I'd prefer peace of mind over cheap price. :)

Dindo - I remember that they charged someone P2,500 for a broken AF ring gear before plus labor. So atleast your warranty worked for you this time.

Emmanuel >> same here. i dont mind paying extra for warranty.

Ryan >> for repair charges,yes, warranty did work for me.

hey that's great news :) good move

Sigma Japan replies quick. I once sent them an email and I immediately got a response. :)

how long does it usually take them to clean lenses that have fungus?

Mark - If I remember right around 5-7 days since it is extensive

+2 for JT, had my 70-200 calibrated and it took 3 days! Got my 18-50 calibrated also and it took 3 days also!!! Thank Joy!

There are a lot of new items in JT. If you don't want to spend then don't bring your card and atm.

Jt was full today! Everyone is buying stuff for the long vacation. Oh btw, Arch. Aaron Pelayre - nice meeting you bro!

Mark - If I remember right around 5-7 days since it is extensive

+2 for JT, had my 70-200 calibrated and it took 3 days! Got my 18-50 calibrated also and it took 3 days also!!! Thank Joy!

There are a lot of new items in JT. If you don't want to spend then don't bring your card and atm.

Hi Ryan, if you don't mind me asking, when JT calibrates your lens, exactly which functions will be affected? The AF function only? So for example, if your lens develops a little front focusing problem, recalibrating will fix that?

Oh and would you happen to know how much that'll cost if the lens is no longer covered by warranty?

Thanks!

dale - lens calibration will fix issues like front and rear focusing. Don't know how much for calibration only. My lenses are still under warranty and not yet a concern hehehe. Try to call JT and look for Joy

dale - lens calibration will fix issues like front and rear focusing. Don't know how much for calibration only. My lenses are still under warranty and not yet a concern hehehe. Try to call JT and look for Joy

Thanks for the reply, Ryan! :Grin:
I'll just go ahead and call JT for the price :)

Dale, what lens is this (that needs focus adjustments?)

if it's under warrantee, no cost.

The procedure takes only a few minutes to do - really.

- JTphoto would use their standard D200 unit to validate and measure FF / BF.
- Adjust the lens ( details are secret).
- retest using the same camera.

viola!

had 2 of my lenses calibrated. i thought they were a bit soft wide open at f/2.8

but now my goodness they're really sharp wide open!

i read on dpreview and nikonians that most of the conceptions that sigma's aren't very sharp wide open are mostly because of front/backfocusing. checked mine and they were right.

Well i guess there will always be issues with sigma lenses ... some people are fortunate they know how to check ... but for others who are just new in photography and invest their hard earned money in sigma lenses knowing they got quality product ... Its not like china made cheapo products wherein chances are you know the product you buy is not perfect ... but we're talking about 10k and up value item ... It should be 100% issues-free when you buy it ...

i'm very happy with sigma, i'd rather have sharp lens with a bit of front focus than a lens that's just plain soft. it's correctable.

of course we'd like to have 100% issue-free products but even cars which cost more than a million pesos can have problems. i do wish sigma had higher quality control but i'm very happy with my choice to go with sigma. excellent support here in my experience, which is why i chose to go with JT.

edit: btw, correcting/calibrating a lens at JT can take just minutes when Jerome is there (who calibrates the lenses himself)

do they open up the lens body to do this re-calibration stuff?

doubt it, the calibration itself is a few mins lang if jerome is there. what i know is they plug it in some calibration machine or something like that

do they open up the lens body to do this re-calibration stuff?

Dale, what lens is this (that needs focus adjustments?)

if it's under warrantee, no cost.

The procedure takes only a few minutes to do - really.

- JTphoto would use their standard D200 unit to validate and measure FF / BF.
- Adjust the lens ( details are secret).
- retest using the same camera.

viola!

I think my 70-200 is doing a little front focusing... I'd do the 45 degree angle test thingy and the spot a few cm below the area i focused on is more clear. it's barely noticeable naman but if it's still covered by warranty, I might as well have it calibrated :Grin:

prob is the lens was bought outside the country. hope JT will still calibrate it for free.

thanks Marty!

2 specks of dust particles are inside the front element of my 18-50 f/2.8. Joy inspected it and told me that the lens will be opened up. She said they will send it to Japan because opening it here (or in their lab if they have one) might just introduce more dust.

My friends are advising not to get it opened since it doesn't ruin the images. They said opening it will open a number of issues down the line. However, it is still under warranty that's why I'm still considering having it serviced... what do you think?

2 specks of dust particles are inside the front element of my 18-50 f/2.8. Joy inspected it and told me that the lens will be opened up. She said they will send it to Japan because opening it here (or in their lab if they have one) might just introduce more dust.

My friends are advising not to get it opened since it doesn't ruin the images. They said opening it will open a number of issues down the line. However, it is still under warranty that's why I'm still considering having it serviced... what do you think?

How big are the specks? It's quite normal for lenses to have dust specks eventually... If they are not that big, I say leave it alone bro. Having that lens serviced with that negligible flaw might just make things worse... More important is that the lens performs as it should. :)

doubt it, the calibration itself is a few mins lang if jerome is there. what i know is they plug it in some calibration machine or something like that


yep. something like chip re-programming.

had 2 of my lenses calibrated. i thought they were a bit soft wide open at f/2.8

but now my goodness they're really sharp wide open!

i read on dpreview and nikonians that most of the conceptions that sigma's aren't very sharp wide open are mostly because of front/backfocusing. checked mine and they were right.


how much did it cost you? was it under warranty?

had 2 of my lenses calibrated. i thought they were a bit soft wide open at f/2.8

but now my goodness they're really sharp wide open!

i read on dpreview and nikonians that most of the conceptions that sigma's aren't very sharp wide open are mostly because of front/backfocusing. checked mine and they were right.

May i ask how do you know if you have a soft lens? Im planning to buy an 18-200 sigma and im not sure if i have a good one or not.

Right now i have an 18-135 nikkor lens and feel like its kinda soft than my previous 18-55 kit lens. Im not sure if it has to do with the setting of my d80 now or is my previous d40x more sharper?

hi alain, well basically you can compare 2 or 3 lenses and then put them in the exact same settings and shoot the same scenes and compare their photos. keep in mind that the biggest aperture settings will usually be a bit softer than the optimal aperture/sweet spot of the usual f8 or f11.

about your 18-135 and 18-55: the D80 supposedly makes "smoother" photos than the D40 if i remember correctly. i think i read it somewhere online. about the lens though, the 18-135 is supposed to be one really sharp lens. i had one and boy was it sharp. i really liked that lens.

it may be a bit soft because of camera shake or motion blur too, especially at the long end of the zoom/focal length :)

How much is a recalibration cost at JT?

hmmmm... some scary stories... I'm planning to buy a Sigma lens pa naman...

either of the three sana...

55-200mmF4-5.6DC
70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO (http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/lens/telezoom/70_300_4_56_macro.htm)
APO 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO (http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/lens/telezoom/70_300_4_56_apo.htm)

can i go to their makati showroom and purchase na?

tsaka di ako ganun kasanay sa Makati area, can i show the address to the cab driver to take me there?

calibration is free. don't be scared especially if you're going to JT, they'll take care of you.

yes you can go there and purchase. yes you can show the address, it's in chino roces and cab drivers know their way there, tell them near PDI (philippine daily inquirer). past it you'll see a sign on the left saying "SIGMA"

The 70-300mm APO is the better lense I've tested, together with the 10-20mm. My dilemma with Sigma was the 17-50mm.

Test shots of the models I mentioned on my website.

guys just wanted to ask how much does JTP charge for cleaning sigma lens? I have a 70-200mm lens with fungus starting to grow inside and about how long will it take them to have it cleaned?

hmm i dunno, but they're only a phone call or email away :)

tnx diego I called them up today and was told that cleaning services depends on the technician's assessment of the lens. I just hope its not too expensive because I still have to ship the lens.

Hi Brevard, mighty good time for you to read on this thread:

http://digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=11707&highlight=boxes

Some look at it as expense, some investment... Sorry to hear about your fungus problem but you really have to keep all those lenses dry. There are DIY projects in there as well.

Brevard - I was charged P2,500 for fungus but got a P500 discount after getting the lens. Im sure if its just dust then it would be cheaper.

My 12-24 met an unfortunate accident more than a week ago when it hit a door of the van just as I was about to go out to the beach. The lens which was attached to my 20D broke off from its mount and landed on the sand. Good thing the sand cushioned the fall, and upon closer inspection nothing was really damaged from the lens except for a small ribbon cable that broke that was attached to the rear mount.

It was really built like a tank but I just could not understand why the rear mount on the barrel was screwed in the first place. No wonder it was wiggling slightly when I mounted it on the camera earlier.

Now just got word from JT that the FPC cable and stepping motor needs to be replaced. Funny thing was, these were also the same parts that were replaced previously from a different issue altogether which were overexposure and autofocus problems among others.

Anyway, am expecting the lens this week. And am glad that parts were readily available. Overall enjoyed a very good after sales service from JT Photo.

tnx bernie for the link...i went for a vacation for a couple of weeks and forgot to put my one and only tele lens inside the drybox. lessons learned.
Ryan Im sending my lens bukas to JT and hope that everything is going to be fine. sana din I could get it before the 31st I have an event to cover.

brevard - forgot, 2 weeks is the service time for fungus but try to ask if they can shorten it due to your reason.

i brought my sigma 24-70 there to calibrate last week unfortunately my lens is older version i think and it will only calibrated in japan.. they will be needing also my camera just to calibrate it for 1 month. why need my camera just to calibrate it dba.. tsk tsk tsk.. bebenta ko na lang cguro tong lens.

allan - I think sometimes the camera itself has problems in front/back focuses hence the capability of the D300 to tune its focus w/ diff. lenses

allan - I think sometimes the camera itself has problems in front/back focuses hence the capability of the D300 to tune its focus w/ diff. lenses

im using 40D. now i have second thought buying this brand again.:RedEye:

im using 40D. now i have second thought buying this brand again.:RedEye:
Why not try a different Body? D80/D300? eh? hehehe

Why not try a different Body? D80/D300? eh? hehehe

just like the others saying.. its not the Pana.. its the Arrow... you must have sharp arrow even different brand..

kaso yung pang hasa nasa japan and JT says that they need the Pana to sharpen the Arrow. hahaha:D

Guys question lang, i dont know if its already off topic or not but here it goes...

what's the difference between these two? (aside from the red lining of the APO version)

70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO (http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/lens/telezoom/70_300_4_56_macro.htm)
APO 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO (http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/lens/telezoom/70_300_4_56_apo.htm)

thanks much!

APO lenses are designed for lower chromatic aberration (CA) and uses a special low dispersion glass.

ah ok... do you think the tamron 70-300 is better than the sigma 70-300 APO?

got my apo 70-300mm last saturday and was sent back to them the same day. So sad aduy aduy

hi! i got a 70-300 sigma lens that's been sitting idle for almost a year now. I can't use it because when I take shots, I only get overexposed..as in totally white images. I was advised by a friend to clean the contacts using a rubber eraser but it still had the same problem. I want to have this looked at JTphoto but does anyone have an idea what might be the problem and how much would it cost? Too bad, I let it be like this and it's certainly more than a year, it's no longer covered by the warranty :(

Any info will be greatly appreciated!

Ive been using 18-200os of sigma, also bought from JT. No issues whatsoever. It's cheap so what more can I expect. I just get what I paid for.

Cheers!

is there an issue that JT cant calibrate lens, i went to JT yesterday to calibrate my lens and still very soft in 24mm-70mm f2.8 after the calibration.

is there an issue that JT cant calibrate lens, i went to JT yesterday to calibrate my lens and still very soft in 24mm-70mm f2.8 after the calibration.

Maybe its not soft....maybe UR lens is exhibiting a front focus or a back focus problem

is there an issue that JT cant calibrate lens, i went to JT yesterday to calibrate my lens and still very soft in 24mm-70mm f2.8 after the calibration.

Did they use your camera body as a reference when they calibrated your lens?

Maybe its not soft....maybe UR lens is exhibiting a front focus or a back focus problem
JT already calibrated my lens w/ my camera and still not sharp. do you think its FF and BF again?

JT already calibrated my lens w/ my camera and still not sharp. do you think its FF and BF again?
that is usually the case on all the majority of Sigma lenses. My 30 mm F1.4 was like that. Bring UR camera. Its better that JT calibrate it with UR camera. BTW.... at the widest aperture usually it is soft. Try to stop it down 1-2 stops. HTH:)

that is usually the case on all the majority of Sigma lenses. My 30 mm F1.4 was like that. Bring UR camera. Its better that JT calibrate it with UR camera. BTW.... at the widest aperture usually it is soft. Try to stop it down 1-2 stops. HTH:)

Agree. Zoom lenses are soft at the widest aperture (2.8) and at the end of the zoom range (due to diffraction.) Zoom lenses are usually sharpest at f8-f11, at 2.8 my 18-50 is soft. I have to stop down to 3.2 for better sharpness. :)

check my picture with my sigma 24-70 f2.8
1/2500 F2.8
the red rectangle is my focus point
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y285/jerrickngo/testing/_DSC0137.jpg

jerrick - looks like the cement base is sharper.

What I did before was use a focus chart and wrote how many mm my lens was front focusing. After that, my 70-200 got sharper so I also did it to my 18-50.

Try to have it calibrated w/ the technician/owner being there.

Here's a shot I took using my Sigma 70-200 at an angle of around 45 degress, F2.8 at 200mm. I focused on the number 5.

http://img291.rockyou.com/imagehost/12/12533/12533116/12533116_7eb880cf1218573241_m.jpg

This is already a clear indication of front focusing, correct?
If you were in my shoes, would you consider this as a severe case of front focusing already?

Reason I'm asking is because my lens is not covered by warranty anymore. It wasn't bought in JT and it's also more than a year old already. I called and asked JT how much to have the lens calibrated and it's Php1,200! (Before calling, I thought I was going to spend around Php500 only. hehe)

I'm not filthy rich so spending 1,200 for lens calibration needs some thinking... do you think it's worth it? Do I have other options?

I practiced adusting to the lens... I'd auto focus first then after I hear the beep, I'd very slightly move the focusing ring to account for the front focus issue. After shooting a lot of pictures and reviewing them, I found that using that technique would only give me a 50-50 chance of getting well-focused pictures (darn).

Weird. I asked Joy about the recalibration after the 1 year warranty expires and she told that it's free.

Jerome (the person who calibrates) told me some things about focusing and calibrating lenses.

-Lower end cameras have less focusing tolerance (?). It means they have a tendency to misfocus more often.

-Lenses are also calibrated for cameras that might differ from yours. So if you change cameras, you might have to recalibrate it again.

-If you are experiencing a lot of focus problems with your lenses, it might be that the camera body itself that needs calibrating.

Pictures taken with JT's test chart

Top (pre-calibration); Bottom (post-calibration) 150mm@2.8
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2767094497_34b2c31006.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2767094501_62903eacc7.jpg

Larger pics:
Pre: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2767094497_4a81ba2e7f_o.jpg
Post: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2767094501_b337d57bd5_o.jpg

if u want your lens to be calibrated do you need to leave it at their shops for days, or can you wait for it and get it the same day?

jolo - you can wait for it if the person calibrating (the owner himself) is in the store. If not, 3 working days max.

coming from my experience, my lens AF is a little noob. it is really slow.

but besides that i think everything is fine.

got my apo 70-300mm last saturday and was sent back to them the same day. So sad aduy aduy

why? what's the problem with it? o.o

guys, anyone here with the 70-300 APO DG macro? any problems/ negative comments whatsoever?

There was a problem on the focus and decided just to get the 10-20 that time.

Weird. I asked Joy about the recalibration after the 1 year warranty expires and she told that it's free.

Jerome (the person who calibrates) told me some things about focusing and calibrating lenses.

-Lower end cameras have less focusing tolerance (?). It means they have a tendency to misfocus more often.

-Lenses are also calibrated for cameras that might differ from yours. So if you change cameras, you might have to recalibrate it again.

-If you are experiencing a lot of focus problems with your lenses, it might be that the camera body itself that needs calibrating.

Thanks for the answers! Well, my lens was bought abroad and Ate Joy said that they would only calibrate for free for lenses bought from their shop. Too bad for me.

Hmmm... I never considered my camera body as the culprit rather than the lens. I actually own a d40 and d70s. i just use the 70-200 more often with the d70s. I'll try to extensively compare the performance of the lens with the d40 and with the d70s.

Oh and I only own 2 lenses (the other is a Sigma 17-70), and the other lens seems to work well without focusing issues for both camera bodies.

Hi guys! I got a second-hand 18-200 OS still under warranty at JT. Is it really hard to manual focus the lens with a D40? Autofocus works just fine and quick most of the time, compared to Nikkor VR.

I would like to state on how happy I am w/ JT's after sales support. Bought an item from them and some portion of the finish came off (very small portion ala an eye of a needle size) after a day or two of use and told them about it. They emailed me and told me that they'll replace the item when the new stocks arrive (end of the month).

I just love it. Thanks Ms. Joy and Jan Tan.

I would like to state on how happy I am w/ JT's after sales support. Bought an item from them and some portion of the finish came off (very small portion ala an eye of a needle size) after a day or two of use and told them about it. They emailed me and told me that they'll replace the item when the new stocks arrive (end of the month).

I just love it. Thanks Ms. Joy and Jan Tan.

I appreciate their service as well. Got my 18-50 macro from them and I noticed some front focussing on three copies I tested. Jerome was in the Makati store at the time and he calibrated one to my D80 right in the store. Took just 10-15 minutes and I had a perfectly working new lens.:Grin:

I appreciate their service as well. Got my 18-50 macro from them and I noticed some front focussing on three copies I tested. Jerome was in the Makati store at the time and he calibrated one to my D80 right in the store. Took just 10-15 minutes and I had a perfectly working new lens.:Grin:

Newbie question: how would you know if a lens is front-focussing or back-focussing?

Newbie question: how would you know if a lens is front-focussing or back-focussing?

Quick answer:
Say, equally spaced in a single row in front of you are 3 bottles,
(Bottle#1 - nearest you; Bottle#2 -in the middle; Bottle#3 - farthest)
If you happen to lock focus on Bottle#2 but reviewing the image shows the focus 'shifted' to Bottle#1, that is a symptom of a lens with front focusing issues. Back focus is when resulting focus in the image 'shifted' to Bottle#3.

That wasn't a quick answer after all. Anyway, hope that helps! :)

Cheers!

Quick answer:
Say, equally spaced in a single row in front of you are 3 bottles,
(Bottle#1 - nearest you; Bottle#2 -in the middle; Bottle#3 - farthest)
If you happen to lock focus on Bottle#2 but reviewing the image shows the focus 'shifted' to Bottle#1, that is a symptom of a lens with front focusing issues. Back focus is when resulting focus in the image 'shifted' to Bottle#3.

That wasn't a quick answer after all. Anyway, hope that helps! :)

Cheers!

Got it. Thanks! :)

jojo - try this, i bring this paper whenever buying lenses

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html

jojo - try this, i bring this paper whenever buying lenses

http://focustestchart.com/chart.html


Thanks for the info Ryan. :)

im planning to buy 2 sigma lenses the 24-700 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 ver 2 but upon reading this thread, im having second thoughts.... i really scared now for the reason that im here in laoag (10 hrs drivr to manila) and im also a noob with regards to photography...the kitlens that came with the camera (40D 18-55 IS) is the only thing i got that's why im planning to add some gears...my dilemma now is: should i take the risk to buy the 2 sigma lenses or buy an 1 OEM 70-200 2.8 IS (used) for the same price? (the OEM is far more expensive than the other 2):Angry:

im planning to buy 2 sigma lenses the 24-700 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 ver 2 but upon reading this thread, im having second thoughts.... i really scared now for the reason that im here in laoag (10 hrs drivr to manila) and im also a noob with regards to photography...the kitlens that came with the camera (40D 18-55 IS) is the only thing i got that's why im planning to add some gears...my dilemma now is: should i take the risk to buy the 2 sigma lenses or buy an 1 OEM 70-200 2.8 IS (used) for the same price? (the OEM is far more expensive than the other 2):Angry:

I've been using my Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro and Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM II for over a year now... and so far no problem. Both were bought from JT in Makati. There was a little minor problem with the 24-70mm one time, which they fixed right away. For me, theyr'e good lenses for their prices even if they are not as good as their Nikon counterparts... but they do the job.

Hi quick question, I know I should have tried contacting them directly but I was hoping you could answer if I could can a replacement lens hood from jtphoto world. I bought a second hand 10-20mm sigma lens but had no lens hood.

Francis - Saw some orig. sigma lens hoods at JT a couple of weeks back

Francis - Saw some orig. sigma lens hoods at JT a couple of weeks back

Thanks a lot Ryan..

I got a sigma from another source that focus hunted really really bad with low light. JT's technicians couldn't find anything wrong with it so they're sending the unit to Sigma Japan. I'm impressed with JT's customer service and aftersales, they really go the extra mile.


downside is, I have to wait a month or two for the lens. Oh well... :(

I got a sigma from another source that focus hunted really really bad with low light. JT's technicians couldn't find anything wrong with it so they're sending the unit to Sigma Japan. I'm impressed with JT's customer service and aftersales, they really go the extra mile.


downside is, I have to wait a month or two for the lens. Oh well... :(

good to hear about the great customer support from JT Photo... But thats quite a long wait for the lenses... thank for sharing :)

Any lens whether canon or sigma may encounter some problems. Although I will admit that you will find more problems with sigma lenses, that is why I always try out the lens and make sure that I am getting a sharp copy with no AF issues. Then again, I can vouch for the service that JT provides, although we have to remember that any product if it has to go back to its country of manufacture will really take time. One of my canon camera's took more than a month to fix, my canon printer took also more than a month to fix. The world is not perfect but at least there are people who believe in customer service and honor that belief.

I got a sigma from another source that focus hunted really really bad with low light. JT's technicians couldn't find anything wrong with it so they're sending the unit to Sigma Japan. I'm impressed with JT's customer service and aftersales, they really go the extra mile.


downside is, I have to wait a month or two for the lens. Oh well... :(

just an update:

2 months already and no lens yet. :(

hi...can anyone tell me the reason why my Sigma 70-300mm DG macro lens AF function doesnt work when my cam settings are on AF mode but if the Nikkor lens is attached, its AF mode is working. When i first bought the lens from JT its AF was working perfectly. Now I am using it only on Manual mode just to focus the subject. Can anyone help me on this or should I return it to them for checking? I bought the lens from them last July 2010.

Hope for a favorable reply.

hi...can anyone tell me the reason why my Sigma 70-300mm DG macro lens AF function doesnt work when my cam settings are on AF mode but if the Nikkor lens is attached, its AF mode is working. When i first bought the lens from JT its AF was working perfectly. Now I am using it only on Manual mode just to focus the subject. Can anyone help me on this or should I return it to them for checking? I bought the lens from them last July 2010.

Hope for a favorable reply.

Just bring it to them for checking.

My sigma 18-250mm dc os hsm lens displays err 01..Communication between Camera & Lens is Faulty Clean the Len Contacts.

is this a serious problem?

My sigma 18-250mm dc os hsm lens displays err 01..Communication between Camera & Lens is Faulty Clean the Len Contacts.

is this a serious problem?


contact points might be dirty. Bring the lens to JT's to check futher.

Recalibration for a new camera model is my only gripe with Sigma lenses. Price and service at JT Photo is topnotch. :)

just an update:

2 months already and no lens yet. :(

just an update, They told me at JT the lens will be shipped MAY, guess what, MAY na wala pa din, and to make things worse, I haven't got any word from JT as what, when, why or how since the last time I called, that was a month ago.

June and still no lens yet.

Joy was kind enough to lend me a 17-70. Not as fast as mine but better than none. Still hoping my lens gets home.

Thanks Joy!