Err 99 w/ Sigma 28-300 Aspherical IF lens

[MHaberman]

Hi Guys,

Well I have had my 10D with this lens since last September with absolutly no problems until about a month ago. Heres the Saga:

Late April my Dad borrowed the camera and took it with him on a trip to Florida. When he went to use the camera he got 3 or 4 shots off before Err99 popped up. I had him try everything I could think of to resolve the problem; ie: remove battery, flash card, lens, clean contacts. None of which worked. After he left Florida he drove to New England and the camera worked fine when he arrived there. After some discussion I kinda concluded that the problem related to the fact that the camera had been inside the AC cooled house and he took it outside where the temps were in the mid 80's with high humidity. He has been back three weeks and I have used the camera several times (150+ exposures) with out any problems.
Now flash forward to tonight. I headed down to the lake to take some pictures of the sailboat races. I took about 20 shots in AI Servo when all of a sudden it hit again. Hitting the shutter button and everything was in slow motion, aperature stops down (I can see this happen it is soo slow), mirror flips up and camera goes beep. ERR 99!!!! I power the camera down, pull the battery and try again. Everything appears fine until I take the next shot and the same thing happens. This happens for the next 3 shots then I just get Err99 upon power-up and nothing works. I pulled the lens, cleaned the contacts and tried the batteries but no go.
Now tonight it was only 68 degrees F with 48% humidity so that throws my previous theory out the window. I am very sure the problems lies with the lens. Anyone have suggestions as to what I should do next?
-Matt

[MHaberman]

So I just finish posting my message and I decide to put the camera away... I pop the same flash card & battery back in and turned the camera on. Guess what, shes working just fine again. Just took 4 batchs of 9 shots filling the buffer each time with NO problems.

Could this have something to do with the aperature the shots were being taken at? Both in Florida and Tonight I had bright sunlight and was using the full 300mm of tele when taking the shot. Now I am in my basement and the only light source is my desk lamp? Could this be related?

-Matt

[Guillermo Freige]

So I just finish posting my message and I decide to put the camera away... I pop the same flash card & battery back in and turned the camera on. Guess what, shes working just fine again. Just took 4 batchs of 9 shots filling the buffer each time with NO problems.

Could this have something to do with the aperature the shots were being taken at? Both in Florida and Tonight I had bright sunlight and was using the full 300mm of tele when taking the shot. Now I am in my basement and the only light source is my desk lamp? Could this be related?

-Matt

Probably. Incompatible Sigma lenses are known to work wideopen. They fail when are stopped down. Not exactly your case as the lens worked fine previously, but some lens problem (a stuck apperture mechanism) can trigger a similar error.

[MHaberman]

Stuck Aperature... Never thought of that, but might that explain why the lens was pretty noisy compared to normal?

Probably. Incompatible Sigma lenses are known to work wideopen. They fail when are stopped down.

Can you explain this better? Now I realize Sigma will argue that ALL their lens are compatible, but is there a unofficial list of Incompatible lens?
Based on your comments of working Wide Open but failing when stopped down I took a look at the shots I took this evening. All of my shots were taken at F5.6 or F6.3 depending on what zoom I was at except for the last three (when I was receiving Err99) These shots were at F7.1, F9.0 & F10.0. Could this be what I am seeing? Failure as the lens stops down, although I didn't think that F10.0 was really that "stopped down" considering that the lens will go down to F22 if I am not mistaken?

I sent my story to Sigma this evening, hopefully I will hear something back from them before the weekend.
I was thinking about going shopping for spare lens soon., looks like it might be sooner then I thought... :(

[Lincoln_Mennuti]

This may all depend on which generation 28-300mm Sigma you have.

I have an old, old version...It has a 72mm filter size (I know it's old because I called Sigma about a problem and they said of the 3 generations of this lens, mine is basically the 1st gen). The newer generations are 68mm filter (as I recall).

Definitely contact Sigma (as you've already done, I'd also follow up with a direct phone call). Some older generations of Sigma lenses ARE incompatible with the 10D and need to be 're-chipped' to work...I know this because the even older Sigma 18-35mm I have worked fine on my D30, but is completely incompatible with my 10D (Err99 all day long)

I've heard Sigma Customer Service is pretty good, so if your lens is within warrantly they'll probably take care of you.

Good luck!

[Guillermo Freige]

Incompatible lenses = old lenses.
Pre 2001 lenses need to be rechipped (firmware update) to work in any recent Canon body in any aperture except wideopen. Very old lenses can´t be rechipped.

[Sector001]

yup, same thing happened to me when i use it with my digital Rebel. i also get this ERR99 and according to the manual, an ERR99 is an unknown error. remove the battery and reinstall was the solution.

i also have the Sigma 28-300mm lens and exhibits the same behavior as u described. it would sometimes work in bright scenes or when i shoot a faraway subject. but it would sometimes over expose a scene when it wakes up. also when i look thru the viewfinder, it is dark real dark. but when it wakes up, it's brite...

i contacted Sigma and they told me to send it in for an upgrade for free...i did just that and it should arrive at their service center tomorrow. they also told me that it'll take about a month since they are backed upped.

there's no need for the warranty, they didn't ask me for the paper work. they do the upgrade free of charge. but u better send it in quickly before they run out of chips.

[Dean LeMaster]

:( I had the exact same problem using the Sigma 28-300mm however, my D10 wouldn't recover even after I put on a Canon EF 50mm. I called Canon service center and the guy had me take a picture without any lens and I still got the same error, so I was told to send it back for a replacement. I'm expecting my new camera this week. I emailed Sigma and told them my lens type and they replied that it was totally compatable with the D10 and wouldn't cause the kind of problem I had. Now I'm not so sure. I'm don't know if I should use the lens or not. The pictures I did take turned out great though. I'm a new D10 owner and am still learning about the camera. This forum really helps, thanks guys!

Dean LeMaster

[Sector001]

i definitely buy a Canon branded lens. i'm going for a 28-200, since they don't have a 28-300 focal length. but it's so expensive...$349 plus a $15 rebate from Canon.

it sux that the Sigma don't work with the Canon...i still haven't gotten my Sigma lens back yet. i'll call them sometime this week.

[SeanDempsey]

I use a Sigma 105mm Macro, and on my 10D I've only had the error99 message twice, and both times quicklying popping the battery in and out fixed it. I've taken hudreds of shots with this macro, and its only happened twice.

[MHaberman]

Well here is an update.
I contacted Sigma and they concluded it was probably an intermittent mechnical problem with the aperature blades.
The lens should be arriving at Sigma today and they said it will probably take 2-4 weeks to fix :( the problem (if there is one)...
That being said, I am enjoying my 50mm F1.8 and the joys of a lightweight prime lens.
When the lens comes back, I will let you know what the diagnosis was..
-Matt

[CyberDyneSystems]

A stuck aperture can result in,. and often does,. an "Error99"

[MHaberman]

CDS,

The aperature was not stuck... at least not in a fixed position that is. The problem would occur when the lens had to stop down more then a few stops... Say wide open it was sitting at f6 and it had to stop down to say ~f13 then it would error out... But it it was at f6 and only had to stop to say f8, then everything would keep working...

Im hoping to hear some feedback from Sigma soon, I will keep you guys posted..
-Matt

[Sector001]

i just got my lens back from Sigma today repaired. seems to work fine...i'll have to do some test shots.

but i'm thinking of trading this lens in for either another Canon Lens or for another digicam, what do u guys think i can get for this lens? if i can get half the $$$, i'd be happy.

[MHaberman]

Hi guys,

Well FedEx tried to deliver my lens today.. I will be going to pick it up.. Took just over two weeks including the 4th of July Holiday. Now well see if it works.

I spoke with Sigma last Friday and they said the lens was out of adjustment, but they had to replace some parts because it could not be adjusted far enough??? Sounds like somthing was whack-o from the get-go...

I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow, but were expecting rain so I doubt Ill get many...
-Matt

[Sector001]

glad to hear u got your lens back.

[rowdy]

Hey Guys, I'm new to the forums here. Just read this whole thread and found it interesting that the Sigma lens is taking the heat. I sent my DREBEL in to Canon over two weeks ago with the same "err99" problem, with the kit lens. I also got the err message a couple of times with my 70-200 L Series lens. I was told that the err99 message was a code for whatever Canon couldn't explain. Go figure. So far, I haven't had a problem with my 10D.

[Dean LeMaster]

I should also mention that after I returned my 10D and got my replacedment, I haven't seen the error 99 once with my sigma lens. My previous problem may or may not have been caused by the sigma lens but it might have just been a lemon 10D. I'm a happycamper now though. :D

[MHaberman]

Well originally I was pleased with the service Sigma provided me, but my opinion quickly changed this afternoon.
It appears that they fixed my Err99 Aperature problem, but when they reassembled the lens it appears that they broke the AF/M switch.

If the switch is in the AF position when you turn the camera on everything works fine, but if you switch it to Manual focus the focus ring does not "unlock". When you try switching back from Manual to AF the switch will not move fully and the camera will no longer focus!

Well I am off to write Sigma a "nice" letter and explain how they broke my lens and I expect it back ASAP since it is their doing...
I'll keep everyone posted...
-Matt