<Solved> Used Sigma 150-600C cannot get sharp pictures + zoom ring issue >Return or not?<

New is around 1.100€ - It cost me all included 710€ -> First series 2015 - unused for last 5 years
The seller sent it without the original box - He used instead a Sigma 105 card box with makeshift card box cushioning - not much cushioning there.
The parcel I received was slightly crushed on two separate corners. >>> I have 2 days to claim a return.

The guy is nice - I want to be sure it's not in order before returning it.

The Zoom Ring presents an inconsistent resistance in the 250-400mm range.
Sometimes it turns with one finger, same light pressure all range long, others you risk overturning the tripod.

The pictures are not sharp as expected - Maybe a bad hit during transportation?

NEED YOUR HELP

This morning - one pass in PL6

SOOC

Camera lying on a support SOOC

This afternoon... some mosquitos ... SOOC

a picture with the AF-P 70-300 5,6E for reference SOOC

I don't think it's the Z30

Those pictures don't seem very sharp to me, cant tel if its technique or optics. The first one might be a little camera shake? Not sure.

My zoom ring is stiffer in the middle than the ends, especially the short end. I never noticed it using it, but I just noticed it checking it now. My lens is not even a year old, bought new.

Do you have other lenses this long? Are they sharp?

Yes, at both of your affirmations.
That's the reason I posted several pictures, taken in different contexts.
The tree is one shot of ten, the best one. Sure, the camera couldn't move, and the lens has stabilization.

Yes, but the others?... they look too soft for my liking !

The Duck pic .. next to last is from the AF-P 70-300 (450) shot in the same conditions,
and it's sharper than all the others

Makie if you didn't notice there is not much difference.
I have a huge difference in the resistance but it's not consistent!!!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.

I'm afraid I have to return it.
Was asking for an external point of view.
I will do a last test tomorrow, I explain later.

Here from weeks apart the same subject with the two lenses.
The 150-600 was shoot yesterday, I tough it was soft for the dimming light (20:00)

70-300

Last try tomorrow:
I'll put the camera on the tripod.
Then I'll shoot the castle and the lone tree with the same setting and same focal (300>450)

and report back

Thanks for answering

100% certainty.
No doubt.
Return lens.

I have used the Tamron equivalent for many years. Endless arguments have established the Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm lenses have very similar image sharpness.

Your sample photos are so fuzzy, this lens is not just "off" - it needs repair.

I dug through my archives and found a similar image of a Great Egret taken with a 24 megapixel camera (A77II + Tamron 150-600mm G1). I resized this image in Photoshop to match yours. No sharpening applied.

If needed, you are free to use this image of a Great Egret to state your case for the return of your Sigma 150-600mm lens.

Thanks @lehill,

These are the morning confrontation.
It's raining, bad light, cold, 10° - what a day !

Fastone browser confrontation utility - same focus point for both lenses
- same focal used for both 300 - yesterday's photos were at 550-600

4km range

1km range

60mt range

Now I'm more confused than before 😌

Do you think I should try some in the 600mm range ?

The general softness in all of the pictures suggests something to be really off with the lens, I have seen this kinda softness before and I would not hesitate to return it while you still can to save your hard earned cash.

Thanks.

What put me out is that the lens is better at 300 !!

Now I have redone the shots at 600mm same settings as the previous post.

This is how I shoot both directions

Here you can see in the background the Lone Tree and the Cay's Castle

Again the three shots all redone at 600mm using ML07 Bluetooth remote ( best shot out of three )

Focus point on the neck of the bird

Focus point near the foot of the Lone Three

Focus point on the top right corner of the "Velux" glass window on the roof

🤷‍♂️

UPDATE

Started the Damages on Shipping procedure: I asked to return the lens.
I provided them:
the parcel pictures at the PostOffice,
the unboxing video,
some photo specimens,
and mentioned this thread adding the link.

(hopefully that will be enough )
Waiting for the "TuttoSubito" answer

Update:

The clain has been accepted.

The Lens is on the way to the Postal Office, I'll get the full refund.

Side Note:
This Morning I went early to the Residency to bring out my mother for a cup of coffee,
thinking to be back home for signature long before Amazon expected delivery time ( 11:30 - 13:30 )

.
-> 20 minutes in advance at 11:07 Amazon tried to deliver my new 150-600

.
I left my phone 🤦‍♂️ for ten minutes in the car.
Just enough to walk back my mother to her Care Residency.

.... they will try another delivery pass tomorrow 😢

And today there is a fantastic sun, everything shines anew

(- Tomorrow heavy downpours expected )

Just a touch on the history of these Sigma 150-600 C lenses.

I went down on a lot of 2015 DPR threads where mainly Canon and Sony users complained the lens has problems after a few weeks/months of use.
Also a few Nikon users had the same issues.

->>> My lens was first generation 2015.
That first release was sent without a bag ... and all that lenses ended up having these issues.
Lot of them went back for recalibration and did never get back sharp as they should have been.

I kept reading 2016-2017 threads:

From early 2016 or late 2015, Sigma put out quietly a second generation,
shipping them with the complimentary Huge Bag they still have today.

Excluding a few bad specimens,
from then on all the pictures were crisp and all the users fell in love with it, many times preferring the Sigmas to the (better) Nikkor 100-500.

My 2c ?

• the issues may have been generated by some aligning pieces, too feeble to support the normal bumps occurring during transportation and Shipping

If I did get that wrong, please correct me.