B&H review

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I did a review on the B&H website for the Sigma 35 1.4 Art lens and it was removed. I am sure it made it there, I saw it posted, but now it is gone. It was within the last 2 months. Has anyone else experienced something similar?<br>

My review was not good... I guess it doesn't help sell stuff... <br>

Thanks,<br>

Kevin</p>

<p>Hi Kevin, did you write that review under this same name?</p>

<p>I just checked B&H's web site, and there are several very negative reviews (1 out of 5 stars) on that lens, out of almost 100 reviews. That Sigma lens is among the very best lenses I have ever used and is the only non-Nikon F-mount lens I own. Therefore, I am not surprised that most reviews are very favorable; mine certainly is (but not post to B&H): http://www.photo.net/equipment/sigma/35mm-f14/</p>

<p>If you think B&H has been deleting negative reviews, do you have an explanation why several very negative ones remain? For example:</p>

<blockquote>

<p >Horrible experience with this lens</p>

<p >This is the second copied yet it delivered the same result as focus shift, inconsistency in focus.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Shun,<br>

Yes, I did write it under my own name. I am also sure I posted it under the Nikon version as I reviewed it after. Yes, some bad reviews remain, but none are there as of July this year. I distinctly remember one other review with picture of a guy who had the same experience as me, with the lens focusing wildly off the mark. His review was so bad, I hesitated, but then the rest were all 5 stars so I thought the guy was an outlier. My review was equally bad. If the lens focused (30% of the time), the pic was great, but 70% of the time it was off and I could always get a better manual focus with it than auto focus. I tested with objects, flat reference sheet, the works. After I week I brought it back (my go-to store is Lens and Shutter in Vancouver) for a refund. So yes, it was removed, now that I look back, as the other guy's pics and review are gone too. He had pics of his daughter that were way off, on a couch and in London. <br>

I love B&H, I deal with them for all accessories but not lenses and bodies (warranty in Canada is different) so I am surprised...<br>

Kevin</p>

<p>Shun, your review is not from the Nikon section, is it?</p>

<p>In my write-up on photo.net, I refer to guy with the pictures in London and of his daughter that I refer to above. It was removed from BHP ... wow...</p>

<p>I reviewed that lens for photo.net last year. Since it has a very good reputation, our editor here requested a test sample from Sigma, and I was very impressed. In my case, photo.net never pays me for any reviews here.</p>

<p>At the end of last year, Amazon.com had a very brief sale and I bought one for $200 off. So I have used exactly two samples of that lens, and both are excellent.</p>

<p>You can check with B&H about why your review has disappeared. And is there anything that prevents you from posting another one? Personally, I pay very little attention to those reviews. A few years ago I checked the reviews on the SB-400 flash on Amazon's web site, and people praise it to no end. However, as far as I am concerned, that is a flash that is seriously underpowered and has a lot of limitations, e.g. no tilt upward in the vertical orientation. But maybe for its targeted market, it is fine.</p>

<p>Shun, the issue not about posting another review ... it's about it being removed. And why would they admit to it if they did? There is no section to see "My Reviews" on B&H. I was trying to contact their customer service earlier through chat but it was after hours. I'll follow-up for sure. <br>

I may repost another one depending on my chat with them and then take screenshots of it for later review.<br>

Kevin</p>

<p>Kevin, please keep us posted. Meanwhile, I'll send an e-mail to Henry Posner. Maybe B&H has some policy on removing reviews, or maybe there was some software glitch that they lost some reviews ....</p>

<p>sorry to hear about your bad experience with the sigma 35, kevin. my experience has been stellar, i use it with a D3s to photograph flamenco, which is about as tough a challenge for focus accuracy as you can put a lens through. it's done pretty well. here's a shot at 1/160, f/2, ISO 6400, EC +0.7.</p><div></div>

<p>In the past month I bought four lenses for my D800E. Two were Nikon lenses, and two are the Sigma f1.4 ART lenses. They've been working superbly for me, but I don't doubt you had a bad experience. I too would really like to hear an explanation from Henry Posner. It would disturb me to find out that B&H is playing fast and loose with customer reviews.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Yes, I did write it under my own name. I am also sure I posted it under the Nikon version as I reviewed it after. Yes, some bad reviews remain, but none are there as of July this year.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Kevin, if you go to the BHPhoto website you can sort the reviews from lowest to highest. It only took a few seconds to find several very negative reviews dating back to 2013. Most of those negative reviews discuss AF issues, like you apparently had. Quite frankly, you seem to have already concluded there was foul play involved. I just don't see a lot of support for that theory. Like Shun said, it could have been purged by mistake.</p>

<p>If a review is flagged by ANYONE it goes offline until the challenge is reviewed. Every review has a "flag this review link." We also remove reviews with links to sites or images outside B&H Photo because we have no control over the content. As others have noted, there are several negative reviews for the lens in question. I have asked a manager of the review team to let me know the status of the OP's review.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>Thanks Henry,<br>

Much appreciated. That at least explains right away why the other review I mentioned, where the guy had a picture of his kid on the couch and in London is now also no longer visible. It makes total sense to remove posts with external links, all sorts of liability ...<br>

I've been buying from you guys for a number of years, I'm sure there is a good explanation for it all.<br>

Kevin</p>

<p>It would be helpful if B&H can spell out what kind of content is and is not allowed in the reviews; that should eliminate some misunderstanding. I can certainly understand that a link to an external image is not acceptable. For example, B&H has no control that someone replaces an external image with a nude image, and all of a sudden some nude content would appear on B&H's web site, even though it is the review section. That is definitely a no no.</p>

<p>Slightly off topic, but the way this thread is playing out speaks volumes for the great way B&H treats its customers. Many of us already know that BH is the way to go when buying gear (I began with them when they were a tiny little shop on 17th Street) and the quick response by Henry Posner to a potentially negative comment about B&H in a forum goes a long way toward enhancing the store's reputation (which of course is why Henry lurks around on various photo forums looking to set things straight if they pertain to B&H experiences or to just help out with advice on photography gear).<br />I have personally reached out directly to Henry on several occasions for help in resolving issues or to get his advice and he is always available via his store email.<br />Kudos to B&H (and Henry in particular) for actively working to protect its well earned excellent reputation.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Kudos to B&H (and Henry in particular) for actively working to protect its well earned excellent reputation.</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br />Eric -- thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to post them. Much appreciated!</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>Hi Henry,<br>

Any follow-up from your inquest into this?<br>

Thanks,<br />Kevin</p>

<p>It was an inquiry, not an inquest and as I said earlier, reviews containing URLS are prohibited since we cannot control content and prefer to avoid anything that's not PG-rated.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>