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Archive 2013 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?

  
 
michaelbennati
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


My lens hood attached to the 50L got a little numb and suddenly the lens is coming apart with a loose front element. Focus works perfectly but I can't use the lens, of course.

Please take a look:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23466858@N02/8363557741/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23466858@N02/8364623806/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23466858@N02/8363557181/

(you need to copy/paste the link. Clicking doesn't work)

I've heard this is a common phenomenon with this particular lens.

Do you know about the problem and if there is an "easy fix" you can do yourself to avoid the Canon Repair rip-off, (It's out of warranty)



Jan 09, 2013 at 08:07 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


michaelbennati wrote:
My lens hood attached to the 50L got a little numb and suddenly the lens is coming apart with a loose front element....

...I've heard this is a common phenomenon with this particular lens.


I've never heard of this happening. Of course, once one person says something on the internet, then it quickly becomes "common".

My 50L is fine, but if this did happen, I'd quickly send it to Canon for repair - mine's off warranty, too.



Jan 09, 2013 at 08:15 AM
Gunzorro
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Yes, I agree with Jim -- send it in to Canon.


Jan 09, 2013 at 10:21 AM
reno.peterson
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Third gavel for Canon Service...


Jan 09, 2013 at 10:23 AM
jolson72
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Be prepared, however, if sending it to canon. I had a 70 - 200 /2.8 that came a bit loose in the middle of the lens.... They charged me $400 or so to repair it, which i thought was ridiculous, which I told Canon, which they were very indifferent about..... I think Canon does a great job, but their prices have gone up considerably in the last year.

You might try an independent repair facility. I have had great luck with Advanced Camera Repair in Beaverton, Oregon. Nice people and fair prices.



Jan 09, 2013 at 10:43 AM
kevinsullivan
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Sounds like a "simple" (but serious) problem. I myself would consult my local pro camera shop (with experienced technicians) before shipping it off to Canon. If all you need is to have a few screws tightened down, there's no sense in paying CFS $300 to do it. A good pro camera shop will know whether it needs to be sent to Canon or not.


Jan 09, 2013 at 11:22 AM
Gunzorro
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


The guy is in Denmark, not Beaverton! Ha-ha!

What's the closest Canon repair -- Netherlands?



Jan 09, 2013 at 12:42 PM
michaelbennati
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


No, the nearest Canon repair is in Copenhagen where I happen to live. They are damned expensive though. I suspect they charge about half of what the lens is worth for a minor repair. They know that Canon users have little option but to pay.
I handed it in this afternoon. "At least four weeks" was their only comment.
Sigh...



Jan 09, 2013 at 02:03 PM
Nadir-Moscow
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


I had the same issue with new (4 months old) 50L in year 2011. Happened without any visible reason (never bumped or drop it).
Sent it to Canon (Irvine, CA) and they fixed it on guarantee. I sold that copy and bought new one.
Have no problems with it.
Nadir of Moscow



Jan 09, 2013 at 02:18 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Hi Nadir of Moscow,

Welcome to FM.

Cheers, Jim



Jan 09, 2013 at 02:31 PM
RCicala
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Michael, I have good news and maybe bad news.

Good news: the front element is held in by three screws that are easy to reach. You just carefully pop up the plastic makeup ring with a small screwdriver (work it around several locations, but it will come up easily) and you can tighten the 3 screws right back down. Move the focus to near distance to bring the ring up to the front of the barrel.

The bad news: the front element has centering effects so you may find the lens is decentered once tightened down. If you're patient you can recenter it with several trial - error shots, loosening the screws and moving it a tiny amount each time.

But Canon will do it better, albeit more expensively.



Jan 09, 2013 at 05:51 PM
mttran
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


WTH, $1600 lens...how? look like it's just bouncing back from the half way of 2012 fiscal cliff. Like Roger said this can be easily fixed by you.


Jan 10, 2013 at 02:23 AM
Kirivon
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Are you sure your front element is loose? It looks like it's just the front filter assembly/ring is loose. The exact same thing happened to a 50L I had.

http://www.riseofx.com/50Lsep.jpg

There is no quick cheap fix, unless you just gaffe tape it to the focus ring. You'll be able to use the lens without issue so long as you don't need to manual focus.

You can see the problem in my picture and the first of your pictures. The ring has 3 holes along the perimeter of the lens. These holes are what holds the front filter assembly in place. I don't know if they're screws or just protrusions in the barrel of the lens, Roger would be more in the know here, but the issue is you've broken the bottom of the hole out. To demonstrate with MS paint:

http://www.kirivon.com/normalvbroken.jpg

The bad news is because it's a broken part, there is no fix other than replacing the front filter ring either yourself or by sending it to Canon. The good news is that this being broken doesn't affect the operation of your lens. I heard that Canon charges 200-300 to fix it--I ended up trading mine as is for a 100L and taking advantage of the rebates that were going on the time to buy a new one.

It's unfortunate that they make the entire thing out of plastic. I think using the hood increases the likelihood of breaking the dinky bits of plastic that hold the front filter ring in since it serves as a fulcrum. Mine simply let go a day after receiving it (I bought it used) without any abuse or mishandling on my part. As a precaution on my new 50L I don't store it with the hood reversed as I do on my other lenses.



Jan 10, 2013 at 04:39 AM
scalesusa
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


As Roger noted, you can repair it with some trial and error to correct the decentering.

Check on the price of a new front filter ring, and get yourself a JIS screwdriver of the right size, that screw head is not a phillips. Then install the filter ring and adjust the lens element for the least decentering. Canon will probably do a better job, but you will pay for it too.



Jan 13, 2013 at 07:07 PM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


michaelbennati wrote:
I've heard this is a common phenomenon with this particular lens.


Nope, not common at all. Crying about the focusing idiosyncrasies is the only common complaint about this lens. Perhaps your injury is merely common among those whom have suffered a bump or drop. Generally speaking, optics don't not handle bangs and drops well. I have a 2007 EF 50 1.2L and it still performs like champ but I rarely do more than hand spank it. Nevertheless, you are in good company as the 24-70 2.8L filter ring has oft been injured due to assorted whacks 'n drops.

I don't know about Canon Europe but here in the USA you can buy camera and lens parts if you want a go at fixing it yourself. You might save a two or three benjamins. I've not fixed anything major but I managed to replace a scratched LCD cover and broken door hinge.



Jan 13, 2013 at 07:45 PM
borisb
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


world's first 50/1.2 TS-E!

...you should send it in to Canon.



Jan 13, 2013 at 08:01 PM
RCicala
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


Ah! I had assumed we were talking about the front glass element, so disregard my earlier post. This is an easy fix: Pull off the focusing rubber and you'll see the three screw holes for the front makeup ring. You can buy the part from Canon and replace it.

But if two of the three screw holes are still intact, you can remove the screws, put it back and unless you tug on the hood it will be perfectly serviceable. If two holes are stripped though, you'll either need to replace it or do some repair to the screw holes, as Kirivon demonstrated with his nice illustration.

Doesn't affect the optics at all, but it does affect mounting the hood.



Jan 13, 2013 at 08:36 PM
stanj
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


I had the same thing happen to mine. Had to send it in and some $350 later it was ... as good as it ever was, to put it politically correctly.


Jan 14, 2013 at 03:20 AM
Kirivon
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


RCicala wrote:
Ah! I had assumed we were talking about the front glass element, so disregard my earlier post. This is an easy fix: Pull off the focusing rubber and you'll see the three screw holes for the front makeup ring. You can buy the part from Canon and replace it.

But if two of the three screw holes are still intact, you can remove the screws, put it back and unless you tug on the hood it will be perfectly serviceable. If two holes are stripped though, you'll either need to replace it or do some repair to the screw holes,
...Show more

I stand corrected, there is an easy fix! Wow. Had I realized the screws were behind the focusing rubber I'd have done the fix myself--I thought some more in-depth disassembly was required. Roger with awesome info as usual.



Jan 14, 2013 at 03:55 AM
josama
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Advice needed: 50mm L loose front element..solutions?


I have the same problem and this is the 2nd time. The first time I sent it to Canon at my cost. ( $350.00) Ridicules !!!!!!


Feb 05, 2013 at 11:06 AM





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