Troubleshooting

GENERAL LENS PROBLEMS

I have a Sigma lens on my Nikon body and ‘FEE’ is displayed on the cameras’ LCD.
Simply turn the lens’ aperture ring to the minimum aperture (eg. f/22) where it will lock into position. This is usually indicated by an orange dot.

I have just purchased a new Sigma optically stabalised lens and notice that the lens makes a slight noise when I half press the shutter button. Is that normal?
OS lenses do make a soft noise upon start up. This noise emits whilst the OS system is setting into position. Once the OS is set, generally after one or two seconds, the noise will stop. This is completely normal for OS lenses.

I have just purchased your 18-125mm OS lens which I am very happy with however there is a buzzing noise which occurs even when the OS is switched off. This also remains for about 1 minute after the camera is switched off. Is the lens faulty?
It is normal for this lens to make a slight buzzing noise. Please refer to the lens' instruction leaflet for further details.

I have just purchased a Sigma lens for my Nikon camera, however the aperture will not close. Is the lens faulty?
No, simply set the aperture ring to F22, marked in red, and lock the aperture ring. Then use the camera to change the aperture instead of the lens.

My EX tele-converter won’t fit on my Sigma lens.
EX converters are matched tele-converters designed to give optimum quality. This does limit the lenses they can be used with. Please refer to the table here for a list of compatible lenses.

When attaching my old Sigma lens to my new Canon digital camera, an Error99 message appears.
This could either be due to the lens’ iris or the lens’ circuit which may need upgrading. Please contact us for further details. To speed up you enquiry, please have to hand the exact model number and serial number of your lens.

I have an old Sigma 70-300mm lens which I gather needs ‘re-chipping’ to work on my new Canon digital SLR. Can this be done?
The majority of lenses we can rechip. However there are a few older lenses which we are unable to re-chip due to parts no longer being available. In order to answer your question, we need to determine which 70-300mm lens you have. If you look at the lens, is the Macro switch held on by two screws? Or does it state 'Super' on the unit?

My lens makes a loud, grinding noise when I manual focus.
Ensure that the camera / lens is in MF mode when manual focusing otherwise this could cause damage to the gearing system.

The zoom action of my lens keeps slipping when I point the lens down.
Many lenses have large and heavy front optics which cause zoom creep. We suggest pointing your lens up or down 45 degrees to the horizontal. If your lens doesn’t creep, we are unable to tighten it. If however it still does, please send the lens into us – details here.

I have several specs of dust in my lens. Will this affect my pictures
No. This will make no difference to image quality as the dust is too far away from the sensor. If you do have dust specs on your pictures, this will be due to dust particles on you image sensor.

My front element is chipped.
Small chips are unlikely to make any difference to picture quality and therefore is generally not worth any further action. Larger chips may cause flair under certain lighting conditions. If you feel this may be the case please contact us.

I appear to be getting a thin red outline around high contrast areas in some of my pictures such as tree branches against a light sky.
This is more than likely due to a phenomenon called ‘bleeding’ on your image sensor. This is where light from one pixel bleeds over to an adjacent pixel which is designed to detect a different colour. This is a disadvantage to Bayer type sensors and the result is a thin red outline around dark areas on a bright background.

There is slight movement between my lens and camera when connected.
Very slight ‘play’ between lens and camera is quite common. If all the functions are working correctly, ie. the aperture information is being passed from the lens to the camera, you will not need to take any further action.
If the functions are not working correctly, please send the lens into us - details here.

I am getting vignetting in the corners of my images.
Ensure you are not using a DC lens on a full frame or 35mm film camera.
If your lens uses a petal type lens hood, ensure this is correctly fitted otherwise the hood outline will appear in the corners of the picture. If your lens uses a front cap adaptor ring to hold the lens cap in place, such as a fisheye or 12-24mm, ensure this adapter ring is removed.

I am getting a dark area at the bottom of my pictures when using my camera’s built-in flash.
This is due to the lens hood blocking part of the light from the flashgun. Either remove the hood from the lens or purchase an external flashgun such as the EF-530 DG ST.

My Sigma tele-converter won’t fit to my new 50-500mm lens.
Zoom the lens out to 100mm or further and lock the ‘CONV’ switch into place. This will allow your converter to fit without damaging the rear element of your lens. See your instruction leaflet for further details.

FOCUSING PROBLEMS

The whole image is soft.
Avoid using the lens’ smallest aperture as this will cause diffraction and make your images look slightly soft.
If the problem persists, the lens will have to be returned to us for inspection. Details here.

I am focusing on a persons eyes but am finding in the image their ears are the sharpest point in the picture. Is my lens faulty.
This is a phenomenon with digital SLRs. If the image sensor is fractionally out of alignment, even by microns, the point of focus will not fall exactly on the sensor. The first thing to do is get the focus flange distance and AF sensitivity of your camera checked by the camera manufacturer. Getting this flange distance corrected normally solves the problem however if the problem persists, we will need your camera and lens sent in so we can set the lens to your camera. If your camera is not reset first we may be setting your lens to a camera that is not to specification, which would mean your lens will not focus accurately with any other camera. Depending on the focal length and maximum aperture of the lens, the focus problem issues can be more apparent with some lenses than others.

I can’t get my lens to autofocus.
If you have a DF (Dual Focus) lens, you will need to pull the clutch/focusing ring to activate the AF. See you lens’ instructions for further details.
If using a Nikon camera, the AF/MF switch is located on the camera body as opposed to on the lens, ensure you turn this switch to the AF position.

FLASH PROBLEMS

As I zoom my lens, my flash’s zoom head does not work.
Ensure the 17mm Wide Panel is not down and covering the flash head as this will stop the zoom mechanism from working.

My flashgun does not charge up.
Check the batteries have sufficient power in them.
Check the contacts are clean and the batteries have not leaked.
If the problem persists, please return your flashgun for inspection. Details here.

The exposures from my flashgun seem to be erratic.
Ensure you are using the correct fitting flashgun, ie. a Canon fit gun on a Canon camera.
Ensure the flash / camera is not on Manual mode.
Ensure the 17mm Wide Panel is not covering the flash head.
If using a digital camera, ensure the model is compatible See our compatibility chart for details.
We suggest using spot metering for more accurate results.
If the problem persists, please contact us for further information.

I own a Sigma EM140 Macro flash and have just bought the Nikon D200, however the flash does not fire with this camera - the rear display remains lit and flashes on and off. It works ok on my other Nikon cameras. What should I do?
Your flash requires an upgrade to fully function with the D200, we can carry out this modification. If your flash is under warranty we will carry out the service free of charge, if not, the cost will be either one of the following;
If you bought the flash from new and you can provide proof of purchase, the charge is just £5 to cover return postage and packaging. If the flash was bought second hand or you have no proof of purchase, the charge is £33.99 which covers parts, labour, VAT and return postage and packaging. For details on returning the flashgun, click here.

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