Sigma stock on Amazon

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I do not know if anyone can answer this, but I wanted to buy the Sigma 150-600 contemporary lens with 1.4 teleconverter package from Amazon. This is because they offer interest free credit without needing approval, which due to disability will be a problem for me.

I thought I would wait until the end of the month to get it on next months credit card bill, and as I am shielding there was no urgency. Unfortunately it went out of stock completely, not even "more coming soon," and is now only offered by third-party sellers with no credit terms. That was for the Canon mount April, and I have been watching it ever since.

But the other day the Nikon mount version also went out of stock in the same fashion, and so now I am worried they will not longer stock it at all. So I am wondering from people who know about how Amazon work, or maybe Sigma's stock levels, whether that lens package is likely to come back.

Or should I just get the version without the teleconverter, as credit it available for that, while I still can? I accept that the combination will not autofocus on my camera body, but at only £100 extra for something worth £225 more when bought separately it is a bargain. And the extra reach would only be use on a tripod anyway, so the loss of functionality is not a big problem. I so have an older Kenko 1.4x teleconvertor, but I am sure the Sigma one will be better quality, especially as I believe it was originally designed to go with that particular lens.

So any advice on what to expect of either Amazon or Sigma would be welcome.
 
I can’t advise on amazon stock levels but can I ask why the sigma lens won’t autofocus on your camera. Granted with the teleconverter attach it probably won’t auto focus (or it will be quite slow) but the bare lens should autofocus on most cameras that are specified to f5.6 to f8 minimum lens aperture (I seem to think sigma did something for the lens to report as if it was an f5.6 rather f6.3).
 
Purely my perception and a surmise.

I don't think Amazon are 'making' the bundle.....yes they buy a lot of stuff from all suppliers but IMO it is perhaps Sigma who offered Amazon bundles to sell (and possibly other retailers?) =Once sold out, not repeated and planned, by Amazon, in any expected way! NB unless perhaps if they run a flash sale!

It may be best if you spread your buying out across two separate orders as & when you can justify them.
 
rob-nikon, because my camera is a 7D which only supports autofocus to f/5.6. The lens is an f/5–6.3 one so reports as just f/5.6 to the focussing system, but the teleconverter properly reports is presence. So with it attached it will be seen by a camera as an f/8 lens.

It used to be that only the 1D range of Canon cameras could autofocus beyond f/5.6. Then f/8 autofocus was added to the 5DMkIII (via firmware upgrade) and the 7DMkII. As well as the 6DMkII to complete the full-frame models, f/8 focusing is now available in three other APS-C lines starting with the 80D and 800D as well as also being available in the 77D.

Given how much of a mess the current Canon lineup looks in term of features, though, and the lack of investment due to the move to mirrorless bodies, I am happy to stick with my 7D as long as I can. Even my old 30D is still a useful second body.

Box Brownie, yes the bundle is as sold by Sigma. I think they have always sold this option, which has made me wonder if the unavailability on Amazon meant it was being discontinued. Or maybe there is a supply problem, I imagine lens production is not a global priority right now. Otherwise I would have thought Amazon would just say it was currently out of stock but still let you order.

That is why I am not sure whether this is just normal Amazon practice and I should continue to wait. Even as they announced a relaxation, the government said shielding is likely to be extended beyond this month so it would not be used for sometime yet. Or I should get the version without the teleconverter while I can as it too may sell out.

If I did buy the lens on its own I would not bother with the teleconvertor separately, I would not use it enough to justify the cost. Especially as it only works with a limited set of Sigma lenses anyway. But getting it in a bundle is a nice extra. And though I can definitely see situations where I would use it, at worst I could sell it for more than it adds to the price! Which is what makes the decision so confusing.
 
With nothing else to go on, I have decided to continue waiting.

This is based partly on the Nikon version being back in stock in Amazon giving some hope, although it was only absent for a few days rather than over a month. But also if the Welsh government is extended shielding to the middle of August it seems reasonable to think the British one will act similarly for England too. By that time I should have saved enough money by not going anywhere for five months that I could just buy it outright from elsewhere.
 
I have a mint Sigma TC-1401.1.4x Canon mount which I only used a couple of times, soft case and caps but no box, if you are interested I will put it up in classifieds, I also have the Sigma dock which is needed to set up the 150-600 for optimum performance. I was only holding off selling due to lockdown. Let me know.
 
Hey Pinnacle. The difference in price for the lens bundle is £100, so if you want to sell it for less than delivered then I would be interested. Although I think you should be able to get more for it than that, the cheapest new price is £225 so selling for that would be a huge loss. Otherwise I am now resigned to being stuck indoors for sometime yet so can continue to wait.

I never thought about the dock, though they are not that expensive. Although I have a few other Signs lenses, they are from the pre-A/C/S days.
 
Having owned both the sport model and the C model of that lens I would say forget about the t.c especially as your motive seems to be a profit one .. the performance with t.c is abysmal and also limited I.e with focus points ..
the kenko 1.4 HD is a far superior model imho
 
To me it makes sense to buy the one with the TC at an extra £100 because the teleconverter normally fetches around £140 used therefore if you don't like the hit on IQ you will make up the extra outlay plus a bit more should you sell it on.

As for Amazon stock is changing all the time but just be aware they do bring in stuff from other EU countries and should you get one of those Sigma will not give you the 3 year extended warrranty.
 
They look to be back in stock now. Maybe try again. I have the lens and convertor for my Nikon and it's a great lens
 
Don't bother using the Sigma TC, buy it cheap if you think you can sell it for more and don't mind any potential hassle but you won't enjoy the results from using it.
 
There seems to be a consensus, so I will do some research into the teleconverter. The only issue I saw in reviews were related to the autofocus, which I already knew about because of the camera limitations, nothing about the quality.

Although just to clear up, I did want to buy it to use rather than simply to sell otherwise it would not have been worth the hassle. But having the option to sell it without a loss made it a low risk if I did not use it or found it unusable without autofocus. Although it sounds like it may be a risk if the quality is not good enough for people to want to buy it.

I will also look into the Kenko too then, although there I would be worried about compatibility. Kenko only claim compatibility with Canon, Nikon, and (understandably) Tokina lenses. And even then it is not guaranteed for every lens. But I do have their original Pro 300 DG model, which I used with the original Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens and was happy with the results. So if the HD teleconverter is the better option I can sell the older one to make up the difference in purchase price.

Whilst I have had some bad experiences with Amazon, they are not a company I worry about being unable to honour the statutory six year guarantee. So the potential lack of a Sigma extended warranty is not a concern. But still nothing the bundle is not listed in stock for Canon. Instead the one they were listing for Camarthen Cameras (at £70 more than buying it direct from them) now seems to have been sold too.

Thanks all for the advice, I have plenty to go away and research now.
 
Hi Mij,
I bought this package last month from eBay. They had a 5% off offer at the time. Sometimes you will get lucky and get 10% upto a max of £75.

The packages are usually £850 for lens and TC.
(I saved 43 in the end)

If you are willing to wait then you could put in your basket or set up an alert for when in stock and check back periodically for promotions as above)

(My lens was from SRS Microsystems.)
 
After going away and doing the reading, I have no idea what to think! There seems to be opinion both ways about the quality of the Sigma teleconvertor, not enough information about the Kenko to say whether the newer version is even compatible. Apparently the Canon Extender 1.4x II works with the lens but the Mark III does not. But warnings of errors with various body and teleconvertor combinations.

What was useful was learning the difference between the older Kenko DG teleconverters and DGX ones. Which is that the latter fools the AF system into thinking it is not there whilst the DG ones, like mine, are more honest about their presence so report the combined maximum aperture.

I have not been able to find any comparative reviews between the Pro 300 DGX and newer HD DGX, but I am sceptical about the newer one being necessarily better optically. It has 3 elements in 2 groups compared with 5 elements in 4 groups for the Pro 300, and both are sold for almost identical prices.

And seeing all the images the lens can produce makes me wish I already had one and that I was able to go out and use it. As if being stuck indoors was not difficult enough.
 
Thanks for the tip, Moose1, I may as well do that as buying outright elsewhere is seeming the most likely outcome.
 
Well this is turning into quite a day.

As per another thread I just ordered a second-hand Canon lens for £150, so I quickly checked the Amazon page afterwards and the Sigma bundle was back in stock. I am sure I checked this morning and there was nothing then. With so much conflicting information on teleconverters and worries about compatibility, I decided it better not to risk waiting this time and go for this combination so placed the order to take advantage of paying in instalments.

Sadly living in a first floor flat on a city street it will be a while before I get to play with it. The only thing I want now is a suitable back pack for carrying a big lens but also with a suitable-sized compartment for carrying lunch. I have seen some, but they are too big, but the hunt continues.

Thanks to everyone for their advice on this thread.
 
Well this is turning into quite a day.

As per another thread I just ordered a second-hand Canon lens for £150, so I quickly checked the Amazon page afterwards and the Sigma bundle was back in stock. I am sure I checked this morning and there was nothing then. With so much conflicting information on teleconverters and worries about compatibility, I decided it better not to risk waiting this time and go for this combination so placed the order to take advantage of paying in instalments.

Sadly living in a first floor flat on a city street it will be a while before I get to play with it. The only thing I want now is a suitable back pack for carrying a big lens but also with a suitable-sized compartment for carrying lunch. I have seen some, but they are too big, but the hunt continues.

Thanks to everyone for their advice on this thread.

Lowepro flipside 300 worked for me
 
To answer your original question it likely went out of stock due the disruption on global shipping. A lot of airfreight normally goes in passenger flights that are much reduced and the remaining options much more expensive.

Many importers such as my employer are utilising ocean freight instead but this is stretching from 5 weeks from Japan to closer to 8. This is because most shipping lines are cancelling every other voyage (normally weekly) to try and keep vessels as full as possible. Add in most Japanese ocean freight being transhipped between 2 boats at Hong Kong and it soon stacks up into out of stock items for a few weeks here and there.
 
Thanks Mozthecat. I thought I would ask if anyone knew as I was not sure if it was an Amazon issue, a shipping issue, or had been discontinued, so did not know what I should l do. If the page just said more stock coming soon I would have just waited, but as it only had a new and used link the page looked like the same as it does for older discontinued products.

But, as you say, everything is disrupted at the moment and camera lenses are a pretty low priority item right. I had not consider that reason, but it makes sense that items like lenses would be sent with passenger flights. They are not sold in the thousands per week so the cargo size would suit that method of shipping.
 
PINNACLE, I think that is one I looked at but appeared to not have enough non-camera space. Essentially I want something I can transport in a motorcycle top box on long day trips, so have a proper packed lunch and a few other bits and pieces. Normally I use a shoulder bag for camera use, it is because of carrying the rest I want a back pack instead.

Camera wise I would likely only have a walk around lens on the body and the big Sigma lens. Thought if there is room then I would likely take with a 30 or 50mm prime as well. I may also have a travel tripod with me, but maybe just a monopod will be enough. However the tripod will be in its own bag as it will be strapped on the back of the bike, so being able to attach a tripod to a bag would be nice to have but not a necessity.
 
Have a look at normal rucksacks and getting a camera bag insert for your camera gear f stop make expensive ones but should give you an idea of what's available. There are plenty of similar inserts on eBay for not too much money.

Most camera rucksacks are primarily designed to look after your gear first and not extras like lunch, jackets etc unless you buy a really big version
 
I have a domke insert that I use in regular messenger bags, I am not sure how well that method would work in a backpack where things would be stacked though. Well, unless you can get ones which are front opening, as like specialist camera ones.

In the back of the cupboard I have a backpack where the bottom is a detachable cool bag and is not too big. It would b prefect except it feels too flimsy to trust with camera gear.

It might need to be a case of accepting a bigger bag than desired with two compartments, assuming it will fit on my bike, otherwise see if I can rearrange the sections in a camera bag to make my own extra compartment.

Anyway, the lens arrived today, I was expecting it tomorrow. As the warranty situation with Amazon was mentioned above, it is only a "European one year limited warranty." Just a shame I cannot do anything with it, the only thing I can see from my windows is into the homes of neighbours.
 
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