How are their costs compared to Canon? I have to send in my 17-40L for similiar reasons. Do they also work on bodies? I have a 40D that has been out of service for months due to err 99 and I have not bothered to get it fixed.
Any compelling reason to either send it to them and not Canon?
Let's say I pick up the lens and gently shake it, should it make any noise like something is loose inside? Because I'm pretty sure I hear two seperate sounds coming from inside the lens barrel about half way through (near the tripod foot ring).
edit - definitely something loose in there. If I shake it hard it sounds horrible.
Andrew - yep, I somehow have figured out the problem on my own. I don't know how Midstate didn't notice this. A lens group is shifting forward and aft, the focus goes from ok to horribly soft, video and pics up in a little while..
Will Patterson wrote:
Andrew - yep, I somehow have figured out the problem on my own. I don't know how Midstate didn't notice this. A lens group is shifting forward and aft, the focus goes from ok to horribly soft, video and pics up in a little while..
Will-
I'm glad to hear you have a probable cause... hopefully you can now get it repaired.
Will Patterson wrote:
I somehow have figured out the problem on my own. I don't know how Midstate didn't notice this. A lens group is shifting forward and aft, the focus goes from ok to horribly soft, video and pics up in a little while..
Hmmm... wonder if it rattled before you sent it to Midstate, or if this damage occured during return shipping. Seems like they would've noticed a loose lens group... thought that's exactly what they were looking for.
Oh well, hope it is something loose that they can easily fix... but now you've got 2 more shipping trips to risk and pay for. Argh.
clarence3 wrote:
Hmmm... wonder if it rattled before you sent it to Midstate, or if this damage occured during return shipping. Seems like they would've noticed a loose lens group... thought that's exactly what they were looking for.
Oh well, hope it is something loose that they can easily fix... but now you've got 2 more shipping trips to risk and pay for. Argh.
I do doubt it was something from shipping, it was packed very snugly in expanding foam pouches. And if I remember right, I always sort of heard this noise before but thought it was the AF system or something.
Check out the video on the previous post. Here's another one where I'm just shaking it -
I bookmarked this because I have a out of production lens as well, apparently they repaired a members 400 2.8 a couple years back, and he was pleased. Good Luck.
lwrnclightner wrote:
I bookmarked this because I have a out of production lens as well, apparently they repaired a members 400 2.8 a couple years back, and he was pleased. Good Luck.
CRIS Camera
Thanks. I'm going to call Midstate back tomorrow to see if they will take the lens back again. I'm pretty sure this loose lens problem is what Mark told me happens to these once in a while, I'm still surprised he didn't notice it.
You should send it to Canon. Once I sent a lens to them that they were no longer servicing, I figured what the hell, most it will cost me is shipping and a little time. They sent me a bill, I paid, and the lens was repaired.
Just spoke with Mark, he said he'd gladly take a look at it again and look at the area of the lens that I'm hearing the noise come from.
Feeling better now that I seem to have pin pointed the issue, and I'm confident that he will be able to fix it over at Midstate Camera. He even explained to me how to take the back half of the lens apart, telling me exactly how many screws there are at each step So off it goes today, they'll probably have it by Friday.
Received the lens back from Midstate just now, Mark found and fixed the problem and it was indeed a loose lens group near the rear of the lens where I heard the noise coming from. I'll get some shots tonight of the same letter I took photos of before.
corndog wrote:
You should send it to Canon. Once I sent a lens to them that they were no longer servicing, I figured what the hell, most it will cost me is shipping and a little time. They sent me a bill, I paid, and the lens was repaired.
Then again, sometimes it goes the other way. My 200/1.8 needed repair and I called Canon Irvine. I asked if they still repaired the lens, they said yes and I sent it in. It came back less than a week later with a note saying "Outside repair period". I called to complain and all they could offer was to ask "Who did you originally talk to?".
So I paid $75 for my lens to take an expensive FedEx ride across the country. If the fact they did not fix it wasn't bad enough, somehow in the course of deciding the lens was too old to fix they must have allowed their dog to lick the front element because that is the only explaination I can imagine would have resulted in the lens coming back to me in the condition it did.
I have since sent it off to Mid-State and they fixed it up toot-sweet!
- 
So off it goes today, they'll probably have it by Friday.