Gvie up on SD1? Pentax K-1/ar7ii? Need advice.

PTemple wrote:

Scottelly wrote:

If I were you, I would get a different lens, and try it with that first. Where are you? Maybe I can send you a lens to try, or you could get this one:

https://www.adorama.com/sg102035sga.html

https://www.adorama.com/sg1770nsgk.html

This second one is a great walk-around lens, from what I hear, and it's got OS, which is nice for handholding shot. Those two lenses would compliment each other.

I really appreciate that Scott, thanks for the input/gesture! I might get one of those if I stick with the camera. They actually tested those two lenses on my camera and both produced blurry images with lots of CA. And they also had a slight magenta/green shift, although less than my 12-24. But.....it VERY well might have just been the copies they used...

It seems to me like the refurbished lenses at Sigma are not merely open box, but truly damaged. The 12-24mm I was issued with the SD1 body not only has the weird uneven focus plane inherent to it's design (see imaging resource), but mine is also usually out of focus more in one corner than it is in the other 3....or it has 1 strangely tack sharp corner out of 4. Makes no sense, especially at f11. I believe it was a lemon or got dropped, was returned to sigma, and put back on the shelf as "refurbished."

Kinda makes me suspicious of all the refurbished lenses from them. Or just the quality control on their non-art lenses in general.

Really hoping they can offer me a price break on a different lens, perhaps a new one. Not refurbished. Surely there must be some sort of compensation for the trouble I've been through with them and the fact that I'm returning the lens it came with. It's been 2 months of emails--many of them ignored for days or weeks, where I had to call in multiple times to get their attention again. And for half of that two months they've had my camera and I've been totally without a cam, having sold my other dslr. It's getting to be ridiculous.

At this point I admire your dedication, and/or curiosity.

In any event, I went from an SD10 (that made some excellent images) to the sdQ, which is a real marvel of a camera, as far as I am concerned. But the SD1M has its issues. If you want an easy to use Merrill you probably want a DPM series, not the SD...But that's just my opinion.

I still think you would be pleased with the sdQ, or the H version, and a 17-70 OS lens.

I think the OS is a necessity for the sd cameras because Sigma/Foveon cameras  like ISO 100 most of all, and so camera/lens movement is a real issue.