Sigma 18-250 - should it be doing this?

[cutty]

Hello,

I bought a Sigma 18-250 Macro HSM lens with my Nikon D5300 for Christmas.

I take a lot of shots at car shows so take one then walk onto the next car etc. When I do and I let the camera 'hang' the lens tends to extend itself to maximum range. There is a lock on it to keep at at 18, but that's a bit of a pain when you want to quickly move onto the next shot.

So my question, should the zoom be this 'loose' on the lens?

Cheers,

Iain

[arthurking83]

Yep .. a common issue, even on the best of lenses that can zoom.

While some may not do it when new, it's rare for older or heavily used zoom lenses not to do so.

Some zoom lenses don't extend when zooming as a matter of design(they are completely internal everything) so of course they don't do this.

The phenomenon you notice is called zoom creep.

On the whole .. normal.

[cutty]

Cool thanks for that.

Does it doing this have any detrimental effect on the lens (i.e. should I make sure I lock it between shots?)

[ricktas]

Cool thanks for that.

Does it doing this have any detrimental effect on the lens (i.e. should I make sure I lock it between shots?)

Not at all. The only real detriment is if it does it in a really dusty environment, it can suck dust into the lens if the lens is not very well weather sealed. But all new lenses are generally well sealed.

It is just annoying, nothing more, that you get zoom creep.

[arthurking83]

nope no effect short or long term.
Only annoyances if you think of it in this way.

The way I'd look at it .. is that you paid about half to 1/3rd of what a Nikon lens of similar specs would have cost you .. and you would have had the same issue.

One thing I've noted about zoom lenses and zoom creep too .. the shorter the zoom range, the less likely the lens is to eventually doing this.
My Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 is now about 9 years old and my most heavily used lens in this time.
It doesn't do this zoom creep, even if I forcefully flick the lens in a downward manner to get it to do so.
But the amount of extension is very small. that is from fully closed up to fully extended, the difference is only about 10mm .. you barely notice it.

[John Humpo]

I have this lens also & it does exactly the same thing, a bit creepy, but it is not an issue to be concerned with, IMHO the 18-250 is a good travel lens.