Sigma Lens Serial Number Check

In the initial service announcement, Sigma noted that it believed that the issue was specific to Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lenses for both L-mount and Sony E mount with serial numbers prior to 55488834. The company is sticking with that assessment after looking into the issue and offering to collect and replace any lenses that have made it into the wild that fit that description.

Sigma originally said that the number of lenses that were affected by this issue could not be particularly high, as the optic had only shipped in a few select locations globally. The United States, for example, had not yet begun fulfilling pre-orders at the time of the initial service announcement. At the time of publication, the lens was still not in inventory at Adorama.

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To check the serial number of a Sigma lens, customers can either find it printed on the side of the box the lens was sold in or etched above the Sigma logo on the side of the lens as shown in the graphic below.

Now that we have our 10-copy testing done we can generate consistency numbers and variation graphs for the Sigma lens. These are really quite good, comparing very favorably to what we saw from Canon and Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 zooms.

I am curious if the loaner was an early production unit (low serial number). If you happen to have pics of the lens from when you had the loaner, check the serial number and check it against your batch of 10.

Sigmas made in Japan from 1970 through 1979 used a paper label to identify the model and serial number of the instrument. The model and serial numbers were usually stamped on in ink, but some are known to have been hand-penned. This is especially true of unusual, special (sample/prototype models) and/or low production number models (e.g.: DT-30.)

Under the best of circumstances, Sigma serial numbers can only provide an indicator of the year when a particular model was built. This may be due to them being built in several Japanese factories at the same time with no coordination or tracking in the numbering system.[citation needed]However, while some models lasted the entire run from 1970 through 1983, others did not and were only offered for a limited number of years. Other physical indicators or attributes, such as finish, trim, tuners, etc., can help determine the approximate construction date of a particular example, but almost never exactly.[3]

Sigma-Martin USA guitars built in 1981 and 1982 only had specifically assigned serial numbers ranging from 900,001 to 902,908 (2,908 in total.) These serial numbers are documented by C.F. Martin & Co. and to this day remain the only Sigma-related serial numbers that are publicly available. These "N" instruments, of which only two models were ever produced, the DR-28N and DR-35N, were partially assembled in Japan and imported to Nazareth ("N") and the Martin guitar factory as kits. Martin completed and finished them alongside the regular Martin production line. Bridges and tuners may have been installed, as well final sanding and finishing before strings were installed and a final set-up was done. Because more than 30% of the work was completed within the borders of the United States, Martin was legally allowed to designate them as Made in U.S.A.[5]

Serial numbers for Sigma guitars built in South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia are perhaps even more meaningless, though again some seem to indicate the year of manufacture (e.g. loop81XXXXXX.) Since we know these instruments were manufactured from 1984 through 2007 in these three countries, it is safe to assume that a serial number beginning with 81XXXXXX (which I have personally seen) were not produced in 1981 and that these serial number 'indicators' are not to be trusted.

In 1978-'79 the paper labels were discontinued and the inner back brace was "branded." Later Korean production show a resurgence in the paper label system for model and serial number, sometimes along with the brand. These had an even fancier border.[citation needed] High end models such as the D-10 Anniversary model have the "Second Generation" logo inlaid in the headstock using mother of pearl, as do many of the later Korean produced instruments.

Some guitars made later in Taiwan and Indonesia have a different headstock shape and decal: The shape is more squared off at the top corners, while the decal states, "Sigma Guitars" on top with a miniature version of the "C.F. Martin & Co." logo underneath. Some of these guitars also had the "Est 1970" instead of the C.F. Martin & Co.," using a slightly different block font that is both fatter & wider than the original 2nd series instruments. The paper labels for model/serial number identification had also changed again, this time with a fancy border and the word "Sigma" or "Sigma Guitars" printed in gold ink.

In the years of 1981 and 1982, Martin imported partially assembled Sigma guitars from Japan and the assembly was completed in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. There were only two models, labeled "Sigma Martin USA DR-28N" and "DR-35N", 'N' for "Nazareth". A Martin factory sales brochure shows the DR-28N retailed at $600.00 and the DR-35N retailed at $650.00. The DR-35N had a three-piece laminate rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top. The DR-28N had a two-piece back. The DR-35N had additional detail on the fretboard. The original factory brochure also states components were processed and finished on the same production line as regular Martins. The peghead logo reads "Sigma Martin USA" and inside the sound box is on the neck block "made in USA" with Martin address etc. Some consider the DR-35N to be a prototype of the inexpensive laminate Martin Shenandoah line of guitars,[18] later to become their current HPL (High Pressure Laminate) line of laminated bodied guitars. Since these models had serial numbers ranging from 900,001 to 902,908,[5] it appears only 2907 of these "Sigma Martin USA" guitars were ever produced in total, though there may have been others that did not make final inspection and hence were not serialed and are the only Sigma-related serial numbers publicly available from Martin at this time.

Always be sure to check your sticker and lens while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

The serial number of the lens is indicated on its front side, to the right of the focusing distance scale (when viewed from the mount side). It is written in small print, I suspect that over time this inscription will be erased. Usually, serial numbers are placed on the front side only for the most expensive and TOP lenses, so that large firms and service centers can quickly identify this or that instance.

I tried the Jeffrey's EXIF viewer with three images taken with the same camera (a Canon 50D) and three different lenses. The 'Internal Serial Number' value returned by Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer was the same value for all three images taken with the same camera and three different lenses. Each image was taken with, respectively, a Tamron SP AP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II, an EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II, and an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. The two Canon lenses were correctly identified in the "Lens Model" field (The Tamron was identified as a "Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L or Sigma or Tamron Lens" because many Tamron and Sigma lenses are known to spoof the lens ID for the older EF 28-70mm f/2.8L). This leads me to believe the "Internal Serial Number" value is a reference to the camera body, not the lens (at least on older Canon bodies that do not differentiate between two different copies of the same lens model for various purposes such as AFMA). Even though the the lens ID immediately precedes the "Internal Serial Number" value, it may not accurately reflect the serial number of the lens used to create the image. Images taken with my 7D using two different lenses shared the same "Internal Serial Number" with each other, a different number than the three images taken with three lenses using the 50D shared. Images taken with my 5D mark II have a blank "Internal Serial Number" value when using Jeffrey's EXIF Viewer.

Many Canon camera bodies have a separate internal serial number that doesn't match the one stamped on the exterior of the camera, at least not when the number in the EXIF is translated using a standard hex to decimal converter. This may also be the case regarding lens ID numbers with bodies that can differentiate between two different copies of the same model lens.

The value for 'Camera Serial Number' in the EXIF maker notes of images taken with my Canon 50D is 5AA411141. Using a standard converter yields a decimal value of 24331227457. Yet the Serial number stamped on the camera body is 1520708485. This number is correctly reported by Digital Photo Professional as the camera's serial number. Irfanview reports the serial number as "1520708485 (5AA411141)". Hmmm. The HEX number that correlates to the stamped serial number 1520708485 is "5AA42B85". The first four digits match, but the rest doesn't? This is very interesting, though, because (HEX) 2B85 = (Decimal) 11141! Thus it seems the internal number in the EXIF information is a combination of hex and decimal digits! A four digit hex number (in my case "5AA4") followed by the decimal equivalent of the rest of the hex form of the entire serial number (in my case 11141 which is the decimal equivalent of 2B85)!

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