Why did Sigma put it's OS switch backwards on the 70-200 f2.8?

This drove me nuts after I got mine a couple of months ago. The "Off" position is to the front, and not closest to the camera like others. I also have Sigma's 150-600c and 17-50 f/2.8, both having the off position to the rear, or closest to the camera. Does Sigma do this with other models? I don't have any others, so I wonder is Sigma totally alone on this, or does Canon and Nikon have the "off" position the same as the Sigma 70-200?

IMHO, this seems to be a design flaw. Perhaps the engineer had too much to drink?

Perhaps an adapter to mount the lens backwards is the way to go?

Maybe the switch is the right way round and it's the lens that's backwards.

I had a look at the only IS-equipped lens I have nearby here, there Canon EF 70-200 mm f/4L IS USM. There for sure the OFF position for the IS is towards the camera. All four switches on that lens has their most normal position forwards.

my 120-300sport has the off position toward the camera...i would never notice which direction each lens goes though, as i rarely turn it off

I have a few very old pieces of machinery that were made back when "on off" switches for electrics were reversed from what they are today. ie: UP is OFF.

Sigma is Japanese, and many Japanese products have controls which are the opposite of everything else...My wife's Toyota

• turns Off its windshield wiper by moving the control stalk UP, down is On and Fastest
  
• the door locks when you turn the top of the key AWAY from the door sill (like throwing closed a deadbolt by twisting the top of the knob AWAY from your home's doorjamb).
  

Wilt wrote in post #18166736
Sigma is Japanese, and many Japanese products have controls which are the opposite of everything else...My wife's Toyota

• turns Off its windshield wiper by moving the control stalk UP, down is On and Fastest
  
• the door locks when you turn the top of the key AWAY from the door sill (like throwing closed a deadbolt by twisting the top of the knob AWAY from your home's doorjamb).
  

And unlike other Japanese lens makers, Sigma seems to NOT have consistency between lenses with regard to zoom direction or Infinity direction. Someone on POTN noticed that the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 changed from Nikon wise in the original version to Canon wise in the latest HSM OS version. Older EX series go Nikon direction,Sigma 28-300 DG is Canon direction.

I think that was me, in that I was looking for a 50-150, and had a look at a couple, and they do indeed change. I also have the 28-300 which goes the same way as my 18-55 for zoom, and the opposite for focus, I think I might have got that wrong last time, I don't really use the 18-55 very much. My older 20-40 f/2.8 goes the opposite way to Canon for both, and my 150-600 goes the same way for both. The two shorter focal length lenses have a virtually identical MF/AF switch to the 18-55. The big lens has switches more akin the those on the big whites in size and layout. In every case, there are four switches on the lens, and all three are three position the off/minimum position is nearest the camera body. The top switch being the MF/MO/AF (The MO is equivalent to Canon's FTM, although it seems to offer FTM in AF mode too), while the second switch is the focus limiter.2.8-10m/10m-Infinity/Full. Then there is the OS switch with Off/Mode 1/Mode 2. The last switch is the custom settings switch, which allows you to effectively have three lens setups by using the default switches, and then two custom settings set from the dock.

When it comes to the on/off position for switches it is actually far more common throughout the world to find up for off and down for on. Back when I was radar tech in the RAF we had some Tektronix oscilloscopes which were easier to set up and use than the HP ones we had, they had a larger diameter tube. The only problem was that the Tektronix scopes were US spec, and all the switches worked backwards for us Brits. The HP scopes were UK spec and the switches were the right way round. Oh and add to the annoyance, for some reason now that we have moved from wire fuses to breakers in our fuseboxes they have adopted backwards switches, probably thanks to the EU that one.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #18167392
When it comes to the on/off position for switches it is actually far more common throughout the world to find up for off and down for on. Back when I was radar tech in the RAF we had some Tektronix oscilloscopes which were easier to set up and use than the HP ones we had, they had a larger diameter tube. The only problem was that the Tektronix scopes were US spec, and all the switches worked backwards for us Brits. The HP scopes were UK spec and the switches were the right way round. Oh and add to the annoyance, for some reason now that we have moved from wire fuses to breakers in our fuseboxes they have adopted backwards switches, probably thanks to the EU that one.

Alan

Thread wander, a bit...this photo is taken from a German website, and it shows light switches with the red indicator that can be seen in the dark so you can turn on the lights more easily
http://sc02.alicdn.com …ght-flush.jpg_220x220.jpg
http://www.fireflycn.d​e/5electric/2-1b.jpg
...push in the upper portion to turn on light.

And the US convention for typical switches installed for decades http://media.gettyimag​es.com …ure-id172143121?s=170667a
and even typical rocker style (like the German example) in more modern homes today https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com …I/41Tuy6CWFqL._​SY300_.jpg

...push UP or push in the UPPER part of the switch to turn on the light.