I would hate to discard the lens or place on my mantelpiece!
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Sigma 400mm Apo Lens
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Sigma 400mm Apo Lens
I have a very old 400mm Apochromatic (prime) Sigma lens that I used with my EOS 5 (film) camera. It is, by no means, compatible with a DSLR neither can it be retrofitted by the Sigma service facility. I thought that it could be used on a DSLR on manual mode and on the MF mode of the lens. If it could I could use it or give it away to other people to be used on manual all the way. However, it did not work on my EOS 5D MKII and I got a message "Error 1" which means no communication between camera and lens. I was surprised to see that, as I know that by reversing a lens, in which case no electrical communication exists between camera and lens, you can make macro photos. This implies that communication is not necessary in an "all manual" mode. Is there an explanation?
I would hate to discard the lens or place on my mantelpiece!EOS 5D MK IV, EF 50/f1.4, EF 100/f2.8 Macro, EF20/f2.8, EF24-105/f4L IS, EF 100-400/f4.5-5.6 L IS, TS-E24/f3.5L, EF 75-300/f4-5.6, Canon Extender EF 2X II, Sigma 12-24mm/f4.4-5.6.Tags: None
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Re: Sigma 400mm Apo Lens
With a lens reversed there is normally no contact between the cameras electronics and those of the lens so there is no possibility of any communication between the two. The situation then is the same as using a manual focus lens with an adapter - the camera reverts to stopdown mode and will allow shooting in manual and Av modes.
Mounted normally the lens and the camera will try to communicate but if, as in your case, the difference in age and therefore communication protocols, is too great the camera will error out. Sigma do not licence the mount from Canon but reverse engineer it to work with the the communication standards current at the time of the lens' manufacture. What this means is that if Canon subsequently change something in the communication set-up of the EF mount there is a high possibility of communication failure between the lens and cameras with the newer communication standard.
In your case it appears that the communication failure is total as your camera is quite modern. I have a copy of the same lens, plus a number of other Sigmas of similar vintage. Mounted on my fairly old 20D and 40D bodies these lenses can in fact take pictures provided I don't use any aperture other than fully open or use the DoF preview function in which case they error out immediately. Even then both need to be reset after each shot but clearly these two cameras are not totally incompatible - just mostly.
There is one digital body that probably would work with your lens and that's the old D30 (not the 30D). I have one of these and it works perfectly with my 400 APO and all the other old Sigmas I own. One odd thing though is that I also own an EOS30 film camera and that does not work with these lenses despite being a film camera - go figure...
Unless you can track down a D30 or are prepared dig out the old 5 and find some film I'm afraid you now have a large paperweight cum doorstop - sorry...Nigel
You may know me from Another Place....
The new ElSid Photogallery...
Equipment: Far too much to list - including lots of Nikon...
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Re: Sigma 400mm Apo Lens
Thank you for your elaborate comments, Nigel. I am aware of the theory regarding "compatible" third party lenses and for that reason I no longer purchase any such. My 12-24mm (only) Sigma, that I purchased in lieu of a similar range Canon lens, works with my 5D MK II, but I am not sure it will work with the MK IV I am currently saving to buy. I had hoped that the 400 Apo would work as totally manual lens in the same fashion a reversed lens would (same status of body-lens communication); I am still not clear why not...
Perhaps I should just give it away to some EOS5 film camera owner; there are still a few film fans around...
Thanks again for your time.
VasilisEOS 5D MK IV, EF 50/f1.4, EF 100/f2.8 Macro, EF20/f2.8, EF24-105/f4L IS, EF 100-400/f4.5-5.6 L IS, TS-E24/f3.5L, EF 75-300/f4-5.6, Canon Extender EF 2X II, Sigma 12-24mm/f4.4-5.6.
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Re: Sigma 400mm Apo Lens
Originally posted by Epicuros View PostMy 12-24mm (only) Sigma, that I purchased in lieu of a similar range Canon lens, works with my 5D MK II, but I am not sure it will work with the MK IV I am currently saving to buy.
Originally posted by Epicuros View PostI had hoped that the 400 Apo would work as totally manual lens in the same fashion a reversed lens would (same status of body-lens communication); I am still not clear why not...
Vasilis
You could try taping over the contacts on the lens. In theory if all the contacts are covered there should be no electrical connection and the camera should act as if you are using an old manual lens. The only problem is that the lens would have to be used at maximum aperture since there is no way of manually closing the aperture...Nigel
You may know me from Another Place....
The new ElSid Photogallery...
Equipment: Far too much to list - including lots of Nikon...
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