Sigma quality control?

I had read some things on here and other websites indicating sigma has some issues with quality control. Given the reviews of the lens I'm interested in (sigma 120-400) and the posts I've been reading here in the matter are all around a year or older, has the issue been fixed by now? If i were to buy new, am I more likely to get a good sharp copy than a soft one? I may be able to get one used through craigslist in just a month or two, and honestly the used price is about as much as my husband would let me spend lol. Would saving longer and buying new be better than buying through my local Craigslist where I could try out the lens myself a little bit prior to purchase?

I don't know why people classify the company as a whole when it comes to focus issues. Only one lens is infamous for this and that's the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Also even if its used, ask if there's any warranty left. There's nothing wrong with buying used, just check for any focus issues (this rule applies to ANY brand lens)

Oh and for the record, all my lenses are Sigma. None have issues, sold and bought some here and there. Only 2 of my lenses were bought used with 9 year warranty left. One without any since it was
purchased in the U.S by the previous owner

U.S - 1 year warranty
Canada - 5 year warranty for standard line lenses, 10 years for the EX line

I bought a Sigma 120-400 OS in april and I've had no problems with it whatsoever. It's sharp, fast and it's accurate. The OS system is fantastic as well, I shoot with it handheld all the time and get consistently good results. I've had the 150-500 OS since january and that is just as good, no problems with either.

I have been unlucky with sigma as well. I had a 12-24 version 1 that I had to send back. It had uneven focus from left to right. I bought a 120-300 os that couldn't focus to save its life. I tried ma'ing it and was at + or - 20 (can't remember which end) but it still wasn't enough to get it sharp. Returned it for another one and it was much better. 300 was off while the 120 side was good and this was even with stopping it down. Couldn't ma that one. If they had turn around times like canon I would have just sent it in, but I don't want to buy a lens that I can't use for a month. Now I will say I bought a 150-500 os a long time ago and it was good, sold because I wanted something faster. Just my experience.

SkyBaby wrote in post #14780134
I had read some things on here and other websites indicating sigma has some issues with quality control. Given the reviews of the lens I'm interested in (sigma 120-400) and the posts I've been reading here in the matter are all around a year or older, has the issue been fixed by now? If i were to buy new, am I more likely to get a good sharp copy than a soft one? I may be able to get one used through craigslist in just a month or two, and honestly the used price is about as much as my husband would let me spend lol. Would saving longer and buying new be better than buying through my local Craigslist where I could try out the lens myself a little bit prior to purchase?

This will give you a chance to read a message about Sigma lenses that work properly.

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I have two Sigma 50f2.8 macro lenses. The first one was purchased back in the 1980s for use on my Minolta SLR film camera. It arrived so out of wack that you couldn't get useful photos. It overexposed so much that the film was white and had no images. Sigma fixed it promptly.
I got another digital version of the 50f2.8 macro a couple of years ago for my Rebel, and it is fine. The AF is accurate, if not fast, and the lens is sharp. This one did not require any adjustment at all.
The color rendition of the older Sigma on film tended to be on the yellowish side. It was OK, just too cold and hard for my taste. The new model has good color, sharpness and contrast, but it is different than Canon color. You will have to decide if the hit rate for good lenses (50% in my case) is high enough. I would not buy a lens without a warranty. This goes double for a Sigma, but applies to any manufacturer.
I wouln't get one used, but that is my opinion. You might need to get the lens adjusted.

I went through 2 10-20's that were de-centered before I got a great copy. It's really not a big deal in my opinion, just buy from someone with a great return policy like Amazon. I went through 3 lenses but thanks to Amazon it only took about a week!

had the 18-55 f2.8 had focus issue( got 2 diff. copies ), and then i bought the sigma 50 f1.4 had some back focus but sent it in and got it calibrated. works fine now, but i guess this is the last time i get a sigma lense.

They are great lenses when they work as they should, but im gonna stick to canon from now on.

i haven't heard of many problems with the 120-400OS...although like someone else mentioned if you're buying used ask about the receipt and warranty...the lens should come with a 4 year warranty, so it's not uncommon for a lens to still have a bit of time left on it

give it a shot...if buying used, and you don't like it, you can usually sell for the same amount paid

I'm fairly sure that almost every manufacturer out there that does mass quantities of any product does batch sampling at best- most none at all- they let the consumer sort it out. Sigma, Tamron, Canon, Nikon, etc - I don't think any are better in this respect. You get good copies of lenses from all- and bad copies from all of the manufacturers. It's not just cameras- it's almost the same with all electronics, like TV's, bluray players, phones, etc. Some models- have few issues- and other models- have occasional issues, and some are plagued with issues. It gets worse here on POTN- because if a member here feels like he/she got shafted by getting a bad copy/bad customer service/whatever- they will post till kingdom comes about how bad this one brand is... One instance for some- and that's it. Then there are the posters that have never had the lens from that maker- but feels that its his duty to pass on what they read- on the internet- about how bad one brand or another is. And then there are those that try to justify their purchases - sometimes by bashing other brands in general.. And then there are those that don't know how to use their equipment- and bash the name- because it didn't satisfy their expectations. Sorry! And that is just the user/owner side of the equation.
Most real issues are actually caused by tolerances- where the body's tolerance is slightly off, and the lens is as well-in one direction or another- and together they both can add up to a usable combination- where the amount of out of tolerance- cancels each other - or otherwise- it makes the problem so bad -that the lens is unusable with that body. Send it in for calibration- or swap it out. Try another.. whatever.

With the way that a number of retailers are out there- I am not surprised that issues don't crop up more often- like retailers that receive a piece of equipment back- and put it on the shelf and ship it back out to the first person ordering one.. Someone had an issue with it- but the retailers often re-box it back up- and ship it off to see if that person "accepts" it as is. And then their is shipping. Some vendors are horrific in how they ship an expensive piece of machinery. Some are better. And then we have the shippers themselves- who have employees that are OK with dropping boxes down stairs, throwing them over fences, drop kicking them onto porches, etc. I tell you, it's a miracle that most stuff gets to the destination as unscathed as it does.

In the end, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not a particular lens will work well with your camera. If your body has MFA- you are a little better off. It all depends upon how much out of tolerance your body is - with your lens. trying out a used lens on your body before sale - is one way to see if it's sharp- but reality- you probably need to review the images on a laptop- not on the LCD on the camera. Personally, I prefer to buy new- and deal with the off-chance that I get a not so decent of a copy. If I had to guess, I would estimate that your chances of getting a bad copy is probably- less than 1 in 100. Been fortunate so far.

I've had a couple of Sigmas, would I buy another one hell, yes!

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I really didn't know how much was an issue with Sigma and was an issue with people not knowing how to use their stuff or problems with the bodies. This clarified things for me. Used is in my budget at this point and I think used it will have to be. The cheaper price that comes with buying used makes it much easier to convince my husband lol.