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Sigma Docking Station
Apr 10, 2019 16:52:08   #
eagle80 Loc: Kutztown, PA
 
Has anyone used the Sigma docking station? If you have do you like it?

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Apr 10, 2019 16:58:54   #
PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago
 
eagle80 wrote:
Has anyone used the Sigma docking station? If you have do you like it?


Tried it, did not see any difference. Eventually sold the sigma sport 150-600 with the dock.

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Apr 10, 2019 21:18:31   #
mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey
 
eagle80 wrote:
Has anyone used the Sigma docking station? If you have do you like it?


I assume you mean the Sigma USB Dock which is not the same thing as a docking station. It works fine if you are willing to take the very significant amount of time and effort necessary to adjust your lens. For prime lenses there are four separate settings, and for zoom lenses, sixteen separate settings.

And that adjusts the lens to one specific body. To use with a different body, including a different copy of the same body, you must undo the settings and start over. Both Sigma's USB Dock and Tamron's version, the Tap-in Console, provide you with very little useful help setting up your lenses. The price is certainly low enough but you must have lots of patience and significant attention to detail.

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Apr 11, 2019 06:07:47   #
gmw12 Loc: Indianapolis & Windsor/UK & Montreux/Switzerl
 
Usefull if you have a focussing problem on a Sigma lens and cheaper than sending the lens to Sigma (Your local Sigma branch sends it further to Sigma Japan - at no additional costs - but it takes a while to get it back). Easy to use. But once you have done your adjustments, you better sell it. So did I.

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Apr 11, 2019 06:57:02   #
ggab Loc: ?
 
eagle80 wrote:
Has anyone used the Sigma docking station? If you have do you like it?


I use it simply for:
1- firmware updates
2- adjusting the OS settings

I use in camera micro focus adjustments.

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Apr 11, 2019 08:15:30   #
abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
 
Mwsilvers is right that using it to adjust the microfocus takes a lot of time and patience. Too much for me. The problem is not the dock but interpreting your test shots. That is typical of most focus adjustment methods and why I prefer the Reikan FoCal tool. The dock is valuable for updating the firmware or customizing the features. Unless you want it for microfocus, I think you can wait for when it is bundled free with a lens or buy it used.

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Apr 11, 2019 08:45:17   #
RKL349 Loc: Connecticut
 
If anyone is interested in purchasing one, I have one that you can purchase for $25 plus shipping. Never used, sold Sigma lens some time ago. PM me. I will probably list in Classified section once I return from vacation.

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Apr 11, 2019 10:11:16   #
Machinedoc Loc: Yorktown Heights, NY
 
I use the USB dock with the Sigma contemporary 150-600 on my D7200. A must to set up OS settings, but as someone else wrote, I use the D7200 in-camera system for focus tweaking.

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Apr 11, 2019 11:31:22   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
I own three (3) Sigma lenses and one dock. If used for nothing else, the dock is well worth its price just for firmware upgrades and I sincerely wish Nikon would follow suit. Best of luck.

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Apr 11, 2019 11:57:17   #
mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey
 
gmw12 wrote:
Usefull if you have a focussing problem on a Sigma lens and cheaper than sending the lens to Sigma (Your local Sigma branch sends it further to Sigma Japan - at no additional costs - but it takes a while to get it back). Easy to use. But once you have done your adjustments, you better sell it. So did I.


What does "Easy to use. But once you have done your adjustments, you better sell it." even mean? First adjusting a lens properly with a Sigma USB Dock is not easy at all for a novice, and very time consuming even for someone with experience. I have a couple of Sigma Art lenses adjusted to provide sharper focus on my body and they are probably the sharpest lenses I currently own. However, it took hours to tune my lenses properly. And Sigma does not normally send their lenses to Japan for adjustment. That's done at their location in Commack, New York. Why in the world would anyone sell their Sigma lens after achieving better focus with the dock?

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Apr 11, 2019 13:00:06   #
dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia
 
eagle80 wrote:
Has anyone used the Sigma docking station? If you have do you like it?


I used it with my 18-35 to adjust focus and with the 150-600 to set focus limits for birds in flight. I have also updated firmware. Do I think it is worth it? Yeah. Less focus hunting using the customization for birds and more refined micro adjustments than available in body. Given the cost of the Global lenses, I would recommend it. What Global series lens(es) do you have?

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