Lucky Camera Fanatic Scores a ‘Like New’ Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art II on Amazon for $99.99
Metal musician, camera enthusiast, and YouTuber Sam James made waves on Reddit’s r/Cameras subreddit this week after James bought a like-new used Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II lens for just $99.99.
“I guess someone forgot to add a ‘9’ at the end of that price on Amazon,” James wrote on Reddit. It’s a reasonable guess, as the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II lens, which was announced in May 2024, is around $1,000 to $1,200 when purchased used.
“I was testing my friend, D, about tech and lenses. We were talking about which lens he should buy (he has a Sony a6700). I told him I was saving up for an ‘all around’ zoom lens because frankly, I’m just sick of primes and constantly changing lenses on the job,” James tells PetaPixel. “I was telling him I had my eye on the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II lens, which is over $3,000. I told him I loved G Master lenses — I have a 24mm f/1.4 GM — but the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art II looked enticing as well for $1,300.”
James then went to Amazon to grab a link to share with his buddy and noticed that the used price was over 90% off in “mind condition.”
“I sent the link to a few people to confirm that it wasn’t some sort of glitch that only I was seeing on my end,” James recounts. “I also noticed that there was an SD card pictured with the lens. However, it couldn’t be a mixup because a 64GB V30 SanDisk SD card couldn’t possibly be worth a hundred bucks.”
After James thought about it for a few minutes, he pulled the trigger, thinking that it was likely too good to be true.
“I decided at the very worst, I would end up having to do a charge-back and return through Amazon, so, I ordered it.”
The very next day, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II arrived in “mint condition” with all the proper paperwork, warranty information, and accessories.
In a case like this, which has all the markings of a pricing error, companies typically cancel orders and never ship products. There are protections in place for companies to do that. However, in this case, James actually received a like-new Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II lens for just $99.99.
“I read today that Amazon profits $1.1 million per minute,” James says. “I think [Jeff] Bezos can afford my capitalizing on a small mistake.”
James has already taken the lens out since he received it on October 5, and the only evidence he could find that the lens has ever been used is that there were some smudges on the front element, but no chips, scratches, or other issues with any aspect of the lens.
“I really lucked out with this thing and am really impressed by the quality so far,” James says.
The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II is a fantastic lens. In PetaPixel‘s Review, Chris Niccolls described the lens as offering G Master quality for about half the price.
“This lens is impressive. Sigma has made an optic that competes well directly against the best-in-class option and does so while asking for half the investment. It is an outstanding showing from Sigma,” Niccolls concluded in 2024.
Even at around $1,300, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art II is a fantastic value. At $100? It’s a downright steal.
Unfortunately, it appears to have been a one-time occurrence. As soon as James purchased the $99.99 used Sigma lens on Amazon, the next used listing to appear was over $1,100, which is in line with the market.
James says he plans to review the lens on his YouTube channel, where he makes videos about technology and cameras.
“It’s actually my first proper full-frame zoom lens, so I’m pretty excited to take it out more,” James says, although he admits he’s not “much of a photographer.”
“I’m more of a video and editing kind of guy,” he says.
James is also a longtime metal musician, songwriter, producer, editor, Muay Thai enthusiast, and all-around camera and technology “nerd.”
“About four years ago, I bought my first camera, a Canon EOS M50 and a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary,” James says. “I used it to start my business doing weddings and car videos, and I started my YouTube channel to do reviews and practice shooting and editing. And the rest is history.”
James sure has one heck of a lens in his arsenal now, and scored a legendary deal in the process.
Image credits: Sam James (YouTube, Instagram, and Soundcloud)
