Sigma USB docks (required?)

dan_yorkshire

dan_yorkshire

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Hi all, bit of advice if I could.

Purchasing a 18-35 sigma art and realise that the usb dock can sort any focusing issues out you may have.

What I am trying to work out is whether this is really worth it when cameras have micro adjustments within the bodies for this such problem.

Anyone any thoughts or first hand experience?

Thanks,

Dan
 
I have the 150-600 and with the Dock you can micro adjust for all the different focal lengths, but on camera only the one focal length. You can also update the firmware I stead of sending it off and change the AF settings
 
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baz999 said:
I have the 150-600 and with the Dock you can micro adjust for all the different focal lengths, but on camera only the one focal length. You can also update the firmware I stead of sending it off and change the AF settings
Click to expand...

Im hoping with the zoom range of the 18-35 being quite short that in camera adjustment should take care of everything. Shall see when it arrives.

Thanks for your reply
 
I had that lens and was best lens I've ever owned! I didn't ever need the dock! Just me perhaps but .....
 
Mark twiglet said:
I had that lens and was best lens I've ever owned! I didn't ever need the dock! Just me perhaps but .....
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Nice to know. My main use is for bridal prep in tight rooms and also for group shots where you get sharpness right up to the edges (something my 17-55 doesn't give me)

Can I ask why you got rid if you loved it so much?
 
i have the dock and the 150-600, once you dive in the lens you will have a few settings to do, Example is on the 600mm we have 16 settings overall
150mm
250mm
400mm
600mm

each of these then has 4 distances 9.2M/20M/48M/Infinity

one thing you will need howevere is to buy Reikans Focal pro software as doing it Trial and error will take for ever, if you use Reikans software and get a result back, you double it up in the lens so a +5 on Focal pro is +10 in the sigma dock.
Ive started doing this for the 600mm and my first result was a +5 and i can see the sharpness change, my goal is to do all distances and fine tune it and lock it in to one of the custom tabs on my lens..
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Hi all, bit of advice if I could.

Purchasing a 18-35 sigma art and realise that the usb dock can sort any focusing issues out you may have.

What I am trying to work out is whether this is really worth it when cameras have micro adjustments within the bodies for this such problem.

Anyone any thoughts or first hand experience?

Thanks,

Dan
Click to expand...

It's not just micro AF adjustments it's useful for, I bought mine so I could tweak focus speeds and OS settings (150-600c) and activate them via the custom switches on the lens which is very useful. Most lenses won't need any focus adjustment.
 
odd jim said:
It's not just micro AF adjustments it's useful for, I bought mine so I could tweak focus speeds and OS settings (150-600c) and activate them via the custom switches on the lens which is very useful. Most lenses won't need any focus adjustment.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that, I was trying to talk myself out of the £40 price tag but just managed to pick up one in the classifieds section so should arrive similar time to the lens.
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Nice to know. My main use is for bridal prep in tight rooms and also for group shots where you get sharpness right up to the edges (something my 17-55 doesn't give me)

Can I ask why you got rid if you loved it so much?
Click to expand...

Moved to FX but I nearly didn't just because of the sigma lens! I do miss it
 
baz999 said:
I have the 150-600 and with the Dock you can micro adjust for all the different focal lengths, but on camera only the one focal length. You can also update the firmware I stead of sending it off and change the AF settings
Click to expand...

littleted said:
i have the dock and the 150-600, once you dive in the lens you will have a few settings to do, Example is on the 600mm we have 16 settings overall
150mm
250mm
400mm
600mm

each of these then has 4 distances 9.2M/20M/48M/Infinity

one thing you will need howevere is to buy Reikans Focal pro software as doing it Trial and error will take for ever, if you use Reikans software and get a result back, you double it up in the lens so a +5 on Focal pro is +10 in the sigma dock.
Ive started doing this for the 600mm and my first result was a +5 and i can see the sharpness change, my goal is to do all distances and fine tune it and lock it in to one of the custom tabs on my lens..
Click to expand...

Well my 18-35 has arrived and intially wasnt producing the sharpness of images i was expecting of it.

Then I realised it was back focusing. I changed in camera and had to take it to the maximum +20.

Now, wow what stunning images it is producing. Tack sharp and stunning smooth bokeh.

The dock should arrive in the mail tomorrow, I'm assuming the dock will take care of this focus issue and I can set the in camera adjustment back to 0??
 
Yes Dan but 20 seems a lot, focal pro would be where I would be investing as this will actually tell you how far it's really off, plus 10 may be enough. BUT if you set the dock to plus 20 and reset the cam to 0 and then test you should be able to fine tune better.
 
littleted said:
Yes Dan but 20 seems a lot, focal pro would be where I would be investing as this will actually tell you how far it's really off, plus 10 may be enough. BUT if you set the dock to plus 20 and reset the cam to 0 and then test you should be able to fine tune better.
Click to expand...

Will try without the focal software for starters. Compared to your 600mm I'm hoping the procedure for the 18-35 may be less tedious.

Possibly daft question but if you can use +20 in sigma dock you have +40 total at your disposal with the in camera afterwards too.
 
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dan_yorkshire said:
Well my 18-35 has arrived and intially wasnt producing the sharpness of images i was expecting of it.

Then I realised it was back focusing. I changed in camera and had to take it to the maximum +20.

Now, wow what stunning images it is producing. Tack sharp and stunning smooth bokeh.

The dock should arrive in the mail tomorrow, I'm assuming the dock will take care of this focus issue and I can set the in camera adjustment back to 0??
Click to expand...

At +20 I'd send the lens back. No way should you need to adjust that much.
 
The lens is an 'as new' from MPB.

Once the dock comes a firmware upgrade might be required which could make a difference.

I also have another body which I need to test the lens on.
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Will try without the focal software for starters. Compared to your 600mm I'm hoping the procedure for the 18-35 may be less tedious.

Possibly daft question but if you can use +20 in sigma dock you have +40 total at your disposal with the in camera afterwards too.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's why I said it seems a lot, normally there off buy around + or -
5 to 10, just experiment with it, just remember +20 at 35mm will effect the lower numbers using the camera software, once you plug the dock in let me know what the parameters are.

Pity I'm on holiday as from today you could have popped over I'm only Leeds
 
littleted said:
Yeah that's why I said it seems a lot, normally there off buy around + or -
5 to 10, just experiment with it, just remember +20 at 35mm will effect the lower numbers using the camera software, once you plug the dock in let me know what the parameters are.

Pity I'm on holiday as from today you could have popped over I'm only Leeds
Click to expand...

Cheers for your reply again.

I've just tried the lens on my other body and it's just the same.

Tbh I am leaning towards returning the lens. They have another of the same condition so will do a swap. If the other lens is the same then I'll deal with it in software etc.

This is the test I have been doing, hardly scientific but produced clear results

Photos of back of camera so not the best. Rubbish pullback is just for info, second is 0 micro adjustment and third is the sharpness with +20 dialled in
 
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PULLBACK FOR INFO

IMG_1469777460.781667.jpg
 
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NO MICRO ADJUSTMENT

IMG_1469777495.415701.jpg
 
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+20 MICRO ADJUSTMENT

IMG_1469777521.380147.jpg
 
wowser that is off... if you use Mirror Up, whats it look like then still same ? i presume this isn't a D500 with the Auto tune correct ?
 
littleted said:
wowser that is off... if you use Mirror Up, whats it look like then still same ? i presume this isn't a D500 with the Auto tune correct ?
Click to expand...

Nah I have two D7200's.

The images it is producing at +20 has me excited but it's a little too far off for me as a starting point I think
 
yeah agree, if you get the dock crank that up to 20 and slowly increase the camera setting too, you never know +30 may be even sharper, but id prob return it if it was
 
Well MPB are picking the lens up on Monday and swapping
littleted said:
yeah agree, if you get the dock crank that up to 20 and slowly increase the camera setting too, you never know +30 may be even sharper, but id prob return it if it was
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MPB are collecting the lens monday and should have the replacement 'as new' condition on wednesday. See if it is any better.

One question regarding the USB dock. I have two bodies. Assuming I use the dock to get focus correct in one body and then have to tweak the micro adjustment in camera for the other? or can you set two lots of changes?
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Well MPB are picking the lens up on Monday and swapping


MPB are collecting the lens monday and should have the replacement 'as new' condition on wednesday. See if it is any better.

One question regarding the USB dock. I have two bodies. Assuming I use the dock to get focus correct in one body and then have to tweak the micro adjustment in camera for the other? or can you set two lots of changes?
Click to expand...

Hopefully you won't have to MA the new lens at all.
 
i the lens has the custom switch on the side like the 600mm you can save 2 variations, your goal is to get it so neither Body needs altering, however some bodies do back and front focus, using Mirror up kinda negates that check if each is sharper in MUP....
 
T_J_G said:
You should've then just adjusted the lens with the USB dock or left it at +20...
Click to expand...

+20 is the maximum I can adjust to, what happens if I don't have the USB dock and the lens creeps even further?

If the replacement lens is similar then I have a decision to make but hopefully it's better. My other primes don't need MA so know there is nothing wrong with my cameras.

+20 as a starting point isn't great. Single figures either way is more like it.
 
My 50mm needed +20 on my D750 but once I had the dock I sorted it out completely so the camera was at 0. MA is crap compared to what you can do with the dock. The dock is like black magic. You are able to set it not only for different focal lengths but 4 different focal distances at each of those FL's. MA just doesn't have that ability and is a bit pox as whilst it may sort out 35mm it may make 18mm worse or vice versa. My 50mm needs a different adjustment at MFD than it does at infinity. Always budget for the dock.
 
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minnnt said:
My 50mm needed +20 on my D750 but once I had the dock I sorted it out completely so the camera was at 0. MA is crap compared to what you can do with the dock. The dock is like black magic. You are able to set not only different focal lengths but 4 different focal distances. MA just doesn't have that ability and is a bit pox as whilst it may sort out 35mm it may make 18mm worse or vice versa. My 50mm needs a different adjustment at MFD than it does at infinity. Always budget for the dock.
Click to expand...

Good to hear a similar story.

If my replacement comes back with similar results then I'll reluctantly correct using the dock, as I very much liked what I saw once I got it sharp, smooth bokeh another level to anything my Nikons can produce.

Hopefully though it won't need as much [emoji106]
 
dan_yorkshire said:
+20 is the maximum I can adjust to, what happens if I don't have the USB dock and the lens creeps even further?

If the replacement lens is similar then I have a decision to make but hopefully it's better. My other primes don't need MA so know there is nothing wrong with my cameras.

+20 as a starting point isn't great. Single figures either way is more like it.
Click to expand...

Can't remember what my 35 was on, adjusted with the dock and it's spot on. Sharper than a sharp thing!
 
minnnt said:
I've had the 18-35 and it is probably the best lens ever made for DX. Superb lens.

Did you never get the 750 then?
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Not in the end unfortunately.

I almost bought the night before Brexit but then saw the pound strengthen so waited to see if it strengthened any more when we stayed in the EU......

Last week I though sod it and sent my best D7200 to MPB who offered me a good price but they found a small amount of dust and their policy is not to buy regardless of how little.

The reason I was going to upgrade was I'm on my second 17-55 and never been happy with the wide end towards the corners so being a man thought it was an excuse to go full frame.

It looks like the 18-35 could solve my problem. I took a 1.8 photo of a brick wall with it last night and the whole lot was sharp!
 
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I've had both and the 17-55 was a real workhorse for me. Really liked that lens. The 18-35 is far better with regards to IQ but it's not as quick to focus. Both weigh a lot and cost a similar amount. The 1.8 will help you a lot imo Dan.
 
minnnt said:
I've had both and the 17-55 was a real workhorse for me. Really liked that lens. The 18-35 is far better with regards to IQ but it's not as quick to focus. Both weigh a lot and cost a similar amount. The 1.8 will help you a lot imo Dan.
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I'm hoping so.

Don't get me wrong I love the 17-55, built like a tank. However I do weddings and use the 17mm end quite a lot for bridal prep and group photos in tight areas. Some scenarios the lens wasn't just soft at the edges it was oof, it's not faulty its just a known to have a poor focal plane that most folk don't encounter.
 
minnnt said:
I've had the 18-35 and it is probably the best lens ever made for DX. Superb lens.

Did you never get the 750 then?
Click to expand...

I have the lens on a d7200 and using the dock ive barely had to change anything, although ive not checked every FL and every focus distance properly.

Its a cracking lens, other than the sigma 50-100 art its the best ive had by far..
 
I had mine on a d7000 and was pin sharp at +20! Why worry about how much adjustment is required as long as it works..... The d7k was out with nikon tamron and sigma lenses

I blamed the body! Not the lenses
 
Swapped lens has arrived and it looks like it's around a +12 which is required, so an improvement on the last one and more acceptable I think.

Will get it rigged up to the dock tomorrow night.

Anyone any tips for streamlining the procedure of endless tweaking and testing with the dock? I don't have any focal pro software just yet.
 
Cheers for all your help everyone. Its been a slog but finally have a 18-35 which is producing stunning results.

I soon realised that MA in camera wasnt the answer as different focal lengths performed differently.

Therefore I purschased the USB dock.

However probably a mixture of poor technique with a focus chart, and tired eyes after putting the kids to bed I struggled to get consistent results

I purchased Focal software, cheers @littleted for the suggestion. This let me rattle through the tests. I did the tests twice, sometimes thrice with the software as noticed some varying results and took an average.

This meant D7200 x1 was MA=0 in camera and my D7200 was +10 on top of the Sigma dock adjustments as that was the difference between my other Nikon lenses on the two bodies using Focal (-5 vs +5 for most lenses)

Below is the dock settings and a couple of examples of what results I got last night. Both with high ISO as I wandered around my garden for testing subjects.

Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 20.45.51.jpg
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dan_yorkshire said:
Cheers for all your help everyone. Its been a slog but finally have a 18-35 which is producing stunning results.

I soon realised that MA in camera wasnt the answer as different focal lengths performed differently.

Therefore I purschased the USB dock.

However probably a mixture of poor technique with a focus chart, and tired eyes after putting the kids to bed I struggled to get consistent results

I purchased Focal software, cheers @littleted for the suggestion. This let me rattle through the tests. I did the tests twice, sometimes thrice with the software as noticed some varying results and took an average.

This meant D7200 x1 was MA=0 in camera and my D7200 was +10 on top of the Sigma dock adjustments as that was the difference between my other Nikon lenses on the two bodies using Focal (-5 vs +5 for most lenses)

Below is the dock settings and a couple of examples of what results I got last night. Both with high ISO as I wandered around my garden for testing subjects.

View attachment 71097
View attachment 71100
View attachment 71102
View attachment 71104
View attachment 71105
Click to expand...


At least you got there Dan funny enough planning to do my 18-35 with a dock I just got. Did you put the figures you get in Focal straight in to the dock settings e.g +5 in Focal = +5 in the dock settings?
 
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