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Sigma DC IS 18-200 lens. (1 Viewer)

devon.birder

Well-known member
I recently bought the above lens on Ebay for use on my 40D and I am beginning to wonder if the IS actually works. I was with a friend of mine a few days ago and he was using a Canon IS lens and I asked him how he could tell. He turned the IS on and I could hear it working which I can't with mine. I wondered therefore if anyone has this lens that could advise me how I can tell if my IS is working. Thanks.
 
If you look through the view finder and then press the shutter bottom half way down, you should be able to see the IS kick in and stabilise the view - especially at 200mm.

Thomas
 
Hi Thomas. I have just taken two photographs of a plastic sack with printing on the back and I can't tell any difference between the one with OS on and the one with OS off. Perhaps I was too close to the sack so will try other shots on Saturday when I am out and about. I couldn't tell any difference when I pressed the shutter button half way down. Thanks. Roger
 
Os

Roger

If you listen to the camera when you switch it on you should be able to hear a quiet whirring sound. Try turning the OS off and looking through the viewfinder (@200mm) at something about 15-20m away that has straight edges, then try the same with the OS on you sould see the difference - smoother view.

All the best,

Mark
 
Roger

If you listen to the camera when you switch it on you should be able to hear a quiet whirring sound. Try turning the OS off and looking through the viewfinder (@200mm) at something about 15-20m away that has straight edges, then try the same with the OS on you sould see the difference - smoother view.

All the best,

Mark

Well Mark I think I may have been sold a lens with OS not working as even though I held the camera up to my ear I could not hear any whirring noise when I turned on OS. That was why I became suspicious in the first place. Having said that photos taken at 200mm seem OK. I took two photos as you suggested but could not tell any difference. Not much I can do now but wait and see what Sigma say how much it would cost to put right. Roger
 
Can it be returned to the seller, was it advertised as working .

It was advertised as "mint" which was I was determined to win the auction. However that was back in February so it is far too late now to complain to the Seller. It is my own fault as when I first turned the OS switch to on it crossed my mind that there was no sound or anything else to indicate that it was working. However I wrongly assumed that it must be working and certainly all the photos I have taken gave me no reason to doubt the lens. Thanks for all the replies. Roger
 
Just to update this thread on my return from holiday I sent the lens back to Sigma for them to check out the OS. Delighted when they told me that the OS was working perfectly and I got the lens back this morning. They said it was possible to hear a low whirring noise when OS was switched on but obviously my hearing isn't what it used to be. Roger
 
I assume you were shooting hand-held, but what shutter speed were you using for your test, and what FL? You should only expect to see improvements from OS when the shutter speed is below 1/FL. So if you were shooting at e.g. 1/500 sec you would not expect to see a difference even at 200mm.
 
Hi It wasn't the quality of the results that made me think OS was not working it was the lack of any audible noise when I switched on OS. I was delighted with the results which was why I did not query the OS when I first bought it. It was only when I heard the noise a Canon lens made when IS was turned on that I began to wonder. I did not know that I would only see a difference at slow speeds though, you learn something new every day even at my age. I always shoot hand held when using OS. Roger
 
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