My used 180-600mm arrived from Japan yesterday and unfortunately has a crack near the front of the barrel (next to the hood bayonet). Not sure it's related, but the lens seemed a bit soft at the long end in my preliminary shots.
The lens is going back to the seller, who is accommodating, but I wondered if anyone has encountered this type of fracture and whether it affects the performance of the lens. (seems like this piece might be part of what retains the front element, but can't really tell).
Meanwhile, I decided to avoid the risk of another used one and ordered a new one...
PS -
This story has a happy ending. I got the refund for the bad lens, and my new one has arrived.
This looks like a sign of impact damage and was likely dropped.
I know of a few cases of the 200-500 f/5.6 having this issue as well as the 80-400 in the F-Mount.
Given the price point of the 180-600 and desire to cut weight, it doesn't surprise me that a fall of some sort might lead to a crack in the housing.
With that said, rest assured, the lens doesn't need to be treated with kid gloves. I use mine without thinking about the occasional bump, I just try and avoid dropping it from high places.
I think it makes sense to buy one new or a used one from a trusted local source... if the price is too good to be true, it is likely that the lens has undisclosed issues.
A similar thing happened to my last 500mm f5.6 PF lens - a little extra stress on the lens hood broke a small chunk out of the lens barrel where the hood attaches. I would have thought the lens barrel would have been stronger than the hood, plastic or not...
Cliff L. wrote:
A similar thing happened to my last 500mm f5.6 PF lens - a little extra stress on the lens hood broke a small chunk out of the lens barrel where the hood attaches. I would have thought the lens barrel would have been stronger than the hood, plastic or not...
The plastic lens hoods tend to have a bit of flex to them, and most often I've seen them break at the bayonet connection. This is probably by design to try to absorb impacts and then break away from the lens if there's too much force to absorb. The lens barrel on the other hand is probably constructed of a stronger but more brittle material.
MikeEvangelist wrote:
I believe I will; it seems to be a reputable dealer (Kitamura Camera).
Indeed one of the largest with a good reputation (like Map Camera).
It's actually surprising that they would buy, and therefore sell, such a lens in the first place. What was the condition rating of the lens? Any possibility the issue happened during shipment?
bernardl wrote:
Indeed one of the largest with a good reputation (like Map Camera).
It's actually surprising that they would buy, and therefore sell, such a lens in the first place. What was the condition rating of the lens? Any possibility the issue happened during shipment?
It was described as 'EXC'; and rank 'B'. Looking at the photos downloaded from the eBay listing, the crack can be seen. Rather humorously, the damage happens to line up with the arrows for scrolling to the previous picture, so it's unintentionally hidden (see listing image below)
Definitely some sort of impact damage. As for the softness you noticed, a jolt that would do this kind of damage could surely knock some elements out of alignment.
MikeEvangelist wrote:
It was described as 'EXC'; and rank 'B'. Looking at the photos downloaded from the eBay listing, the crack can be seen. Rather humorously, the damage happens to line up with the arrows for scrolling to the previous picture, so it's unintentionally hidden (see listing image below)
That's too bad... I think you are legitimate to claim a refund... that's not B at all. More like D per Japanese standards.
bernardl wrote:
...that's not B at all. More like D per Japanese standards.
That's what I thought too. I've bought from Map Camera several times and always found their ratings extremely fair. I assumed, given their size and reputation, that Kitamura was similar. Things happen.
But they are doing the right thing. They've already provided a prepaid shipping label to get it back to them, and promise a refund once it's back in their hands. So all is well.
Don't know if I would give them a pass on this. There should have been a detail shot of this defect.
I bought mine from MAP camera. Was described as "some haze on glass". Could not see anything in the images. Messaged MAP and confirmed that they stand behind their full satisfaction guarantee and I can return for free for any reason. When the lens arrived I could not tell it from new.
MikeEvangelist wrote:
It was described as 'EXC'; and rank 'B'. Looking at the photos downloaded from the eBay listing, the crack can be seen. Rather humorously, the damage happens to line up with the arrows for scrolling to the previous picture, so it's unintentionally hidden (see listing image below)
MikeEvangelist wrote:
My used 180-600mm arrived from Japan yesterday and unfortunately has a crack near the front of the barrel (next to the hood bayonet). Not sure it's related, but the lens seemed a bit soft at the long end in my preliminary shots.
The lens is going back to the seller, who is accommodating, but I wondered if anyone has encountered this type of fracture and whether it affects the performance of the lens. (seems like this piece might be part of what retains the front element, but can't really tell).
Meanwhile, I decided to avoid the risk of another used one and ordered a new one... ...Show more →
Whoa! That’s from heavy impact. You're right to buy a new one now. I love mine
