Dropped my Lens: Dropped my Sigma 50mm 1,4 ART lens on the concrete recently. Shattered the UV filter and dented the filter mount. Took if for a test drive today and appears to be...

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Dropped my Sigma 50mm 1,4 ART lens on the concrete recently. Shattered the UV filter and dented the filter mount.
Took if for a test drive today and appears to be still in working order (still AFs and appears to be centered.)
Question: How do you test/calibrate for DOF at 1.4 ? ...other than sending back to Sigma for checkup?
Here is a pic. 1/250, F1.4, iso100 with LR edits (sharpen etc)

(Download)

jayd Loc: Central Florida, East coast

If can get another filter to thread i wouldnt worry. Put a UV on and shoot.
If you dont use filters other than the UV i wouldnt worry and continue shooting. Try using a lens hood to protect the lens.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

jayd wrote:

If can get another filter to thread i wouldnt worry. Put a UV on and shoot.
If you dont use filters other than the UV i wouldnt worry and continue shooting. Try using a lens hood to protect the lens.

The filter ring on the lens is dented. I cant remove the old filter ring. They are dented together....cannot roatate the filter ring.
Luckliy, the glass shattered cleanly and there are no shards on the ring at all.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Lens hoods and UV filters protect the lenses. Actually the glass of the lens is harder than the UV filter glass. You don't want a scrape on the lens glass though. The UV filter is stage One protection. A lens hood protects too. Especially, if you camera is on a flimsy tripod, and it takes a nose dive forward, for whatever reason, on concrete. You're lucky you didn't have severe damage. Also, the UV filter sometimes gets jammed upon impact, and is sometimes difficult to remove. Sigma's Art Lenses, as good as they are, need to be carefully handled. B&H sells filter removal wrenches. They are not expensive. Good luck.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If the suggestion is the flimsy plastic wrenches, I suggest ignoring this advice, they're a waste of time, effort and money and certainly not up to this task. You'll probably have a need for a filter with an f/1.4 lens in the future ... You should start preparing (mentally at least) for the repair ... In the meantime, find and use the hood.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

In this case, I wonder if a Dremel tool could saw the old filter off?

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Another perfect illustration of why I use a Filter 101.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

crazydaddio wrote:

The filter ring on the lens is dented. I cant remove the old filter ring. They are dented together....cannot roatate the filter ring.
Luckliy, the glass shattered cleanly and there are no shards on the ring at all.

If you want to remove what's left of the filter, carefully make a couple of cuts into the filter ring with a hack saw. That will release the tension and make removal easier. When you see what the lens looks like, you can think about getting it repaired.

I'm not sure what you mean by testing for DoF.

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm

lamontcranston

DWU2 wrote:

In this case, I wonder if a Dremel tool could saw the old filter off?

That was my thought too. Use the Dremel very carefully to cut the rim of the old filter in two. Then bend the rim off the camera mount and remove it. That's probably how Sigma would remove it. Just be careful you don't cut into the lens mount.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

If you can live with a lens that has a damaged filter thread then just keep using it. If not, send it in to Sigma and get a quote on having it fixed. It seems to still work fine according to the picture you uploaded.

crazydaddio wrote:

Dropped my Sigma 50mm 1,4 ART lens on the concrete recently. Shattered the UV filter and dented the filter mount.
Took if for a test drive today and appears to be still in working order (still AFs and appears to be centered.)
Question: How do you test/calibrate for DOF at 1.4 ? ...other than sending back to Sigma for checkup?
Here is a pic. 1/250, F1.4, iso100 with LR edits (sharpen etc)

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

When I saw this post title I thought here comes another 'heart in throat' tale. Good that your experience is not that extreme. About the only camera thingy I can drop without the terror thing is the camera body dusting cloth.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

crazydaddio wrote:

Dropped my Sigma 50mm 1,4 ART lens on the concrete recently. Shattered the UV filter and dented the filter mount.
Took if for a test drive today and appears to be still in working order (still AFs and appears to be centered.)
Question: How do you test/calibrate for DOF at 1.4 ? ...other than sending back to Sigma for checkup?
Here is a pic. 1/250, F1.4, iso100 with LR edits (sharpen etc)

Good suggestions on cutting the filter off. include needle nose pliars to carefully pry the ring off.
Glad you had the filter as it took the brunt of the blow and the glass was not damaged.
The filter ring should not be too hard to replace by any competent shop or the manufacturer.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

Another perfect illustration of why I use a Filter 101.

A perfect illustration of why I use a lens hood. I have dropped my camera a couple times. One time the lens hood had to be replaced. Absolutely no damage to the lens filter thread area, the filter or to the lens. The hood provides better protection for both the lens and the filter in my experience.

Grimmster Loc: New Jersey

If using the hack/jewelers saw method, make sure its 20-24 teeth per inch TPI. put some painters tape on the lens, then use a blower for the fine metal particle removal.
if you have never used a dremel, I wouldn't practice on your nifty 50.
Dent will probably prevent from using a shade but maybe just maybe with a little finess with some jewelers pliers you can.
hope this helps, good luck

WorldTraveler Loc: San Antonio, TX, now in Greenfield IN

Using a hack saw or dremel tool, try making a small slot/cut across from each other without going too deep and cutting into lens. Then, using a 6 inch piece of metal stock (possilbly a puddy knife) use as if it were a giant screwdriver, turn it off.

I removed a stuck filter this way. Hope it helps