I have travelled to lens manufacturers’ head offices multiple times to attend service courses on disassembling, overhauling, and realigning cinema cameras, fluid heads, as well as prime and zoom lenses.  These journeys have taken me to Munich for ARRI & Sachtler, Leicester for Cooke, Saint-Héand for Angénieux, Grenoble for Aaton, Wetzlar for Leica / Leitz, Oberkochen for ZEISS, among other locales and brands around the world.

So when Kazuto Yamaki, CEO of Sigma invited us to Aizu, Japan to visit the headquarters of Sigma, and to also attend a prime and zoom lens servicing and overhauling course, I jumped at the opportunity.  It got even better as Sigma offered to conduct the lens service course at our own facilities in Manila so several lens technicians could be properly trained for RSVP Film Studios as well as for JT Photo, the Sigma dealer in Manila.

Johnny Ryan, Sigma Senior Lens Instructor and International Service & Support Chief sent over 14 prime and zoom lenses two (2) weeks in advance to Manila.  These were service lenses that were meant to be disassembled and reassembled by lens technicians like me over several days.  He also sent disassembly tools, vacuum lens element holders, spanners, jigs, bases, charts, graphs, videos, and powerpoint files in advance.  

Johnny Ryan arrived a day early to inspect the seminar location, seating arrangements, the 12’ 3-gun laser projector screen, 50” monitors, overhead multicamera and lighting set up, lens projector, lens collimator, etc.  He then placed a 50mm T1.5 prime lens, an 18-35mm T2 zoom lens, as well as a bunch of lens tools on each lens technician’s bench, ready to be disassembled, manhandled and manipulated by the lens technicians arriving the next day.

The first day began with a presentation of the full line of Sigma Cine prime and zoom cine lenses.  He discussed the history, philosophy, repair policy, mission and vision of Sigma.  He went over the parts list, diagrams, service instructions and the Certificate of Attendance to be given to qualified lens technicians after the seminar. Next came the careful and orderly disassembly of the Sigma 50mm T1.5 cine prime lens.  I have the silly habit of using an empty ice cube plastic tray during disassembly. This makes reassembly a bit easier by keeping the parts in sequence and in order.  Hopefully, this lessens the chance of missing screws, swapped parts, or having extra screws or parts after full assembly. Yikes! After the lunch break, we proceeded to reassemble the prime lens under the watchful eye of Johnny.  He demonstrated shortcuts and tricks Sigma technicians use during assembly which were generously shared with us. The helical grooves should be returned to the same position so lens markings are correct. After the assembly, we were taught how to check, evaluate and realign newly assembled lenses.  Johnny led us to the lens projector, pointing out what to watch out for, and what alignment settings met Sigma’s minimum requirements and standards.

Day 2 started with the disassembly of the Sigma 18-35mm T2 cine zoom lens.  As expected, zoom lenses are more complex than prime lenses. We had to be gentle with the delicate electronic ribbon needed for lens metadata. It was time to reassemble what seemed like hundreds of random tiny parts, locking rings, optics, screws, etc. Following the reverse path and order per my trusty and low-tech ice cube tray, supported by my scribbled notes, the proper parts and screws were returned to their proper place, with the proper torque.  Johnny Ryan walked around as we assembled the myriad of loose parts to make sure we were doing the right procedure (and not damaging his lenses!) We regularly checked for proper play of the cam rollers and end stops. After full assembly, it was time to check flange focal distance and other fine adjustments using the lens projector.  We fine-tuned the front shims first, then the rear flange focal distance (FFD).  I was elated when the fully assembly and adjustments were finally done. 

Whew! Sigma lens servicing is made more practical by the presence of index marks.  When disassembling other lens brands, I always mark the parts prior to disassembly, so I can put them back the same way and avoid having to realign the glass element on its optical axis.  But with Sigma lenses, index marks and alignment slots are plentiful, making reassembly alignment easier. Sigma lenses are also featuring a rubber seal near the rear FFD shims to prevent dust and reduce moisture entry inside the lens. This is certainly a welcome feature. Based on what I observed on the lens projector, Sigma lenses seem to offer the quality of the usual high end and high-performance lenses, at a more affordable price. 

At the end of the two-day lens service seminar, we were all so grateful to Kazuto Yamaki, Johnny Ryan, Sigma Corp Japan, and Jerome, Jerald & Naty Tan of JT Photo, the Sigma lens dealer in Manila, for bringing the first formal lens service training course to Manila.  At the end of the lens service training course, we now have an even higher level of respect and admiration for Sigma Cine lenses. As luck would have it, a photo show in Manila a week later gave me another honor: to have dinner with Jerome, Jerald & Naty Tan of JT Photo, and Kazuto Yamaki CEO of Sigma.

Written by, and photos by, Oli Laperal Jr & Rafa Laperal of RSVP Film Studios, a full-service filming facility in Manila, Philippines.