sigma lens owners... lens material...

hey guys,

ive owned a sigma 17-70 since this summer, i cant recall exactly, but i have about a good 3-4 months with this lens. it produces great pictures and ive been really happy with it.

however, the finish on the lens really bothers me. i dont know if its just the 17-70, but the lens material scratches VERY easily. i can put the lens in my bag, and if it touches the velcro, it will scratch. even though the scratches rub off with a finger, its still bothersome to deal with this.

another thing that bothers me is that the rubber focus ring is starting to get this random white stuff growing on it. dont know what this is either, but it also rubs off with my finger.

is anybody else experiencing the same thing? does this happen across all sigma lenses? i planned on trading my tokina 12-24 for a sigma 10-20, but i dont know if i still want to after looking at my 17-70.

eric

I think I get what you are trying to say, but do you have any pictures? I have had my Sigma 70-200 for about a month and haven't had anything like that happen, but it also hasn't come in contact with velcro because I just picked up my backpack a couple of days ago. I just sold a Sigma 28-300 which I had for about 4-5 months and never had any scratches or "white stuff" growing on it.

Sigma 28-70 and 70-200 both several years old with no marks.

Are you sure they're scratches or just dust scuffs? Try rubbing the mark with your fingertip for a second or two. I own four sigma lenses and have never had that problem.

I had this with the Sigma 80-400 all the time. Almost the same thing with the 350D body.
Wipe the lens with a very lightly damp cloth. Everything will go away and the lens will be looking as good as new.

Of course, handling the lens after that will bring these marks again, but at least they are not permanent. Odd surface finish on these Sigma lenses...

Pics may help. I have 5 sigma's...3 for canon and 2 for minolta.

My 70-200 EX DG is about 18 months old, used it an awful lot, and not one mark on it. I don't wrap my lenses in cotton wool, but do try and look after them though. does your 17-70 have the 'EX' finish to it?

Not sure about the 'random white stuff' on your focusing ring tho'

My Sigma 70-200 looks like it's been through a war.

The type of finish they use is not conducive to long term appearance but it's great for preventing slippage from sweaty hands.

I doubt if I've lost any print sales because of the lens appearance, so I really don't worry about it.

yeah i believe the 17-70 has the "EX" finish to it, but like most of you guys said, its not really a big deal, its just something that bothers me. the scratches arent permanent, as they easily rub off.

i would post pics of the white stuff, but i just cleaned the lens prior to making this post

My two lenses fro them see constant use. No scratches.