100-400 fault

marky.b

marky.b

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ive had my 100-400 for about 3 yrs or so, and im having problems with it
whilst it was still under warranty it took a tumble on a 30d d body.
the push pull became stiff. but the lens suffered no outside marks. dents scratches etc. the store i got it from sent it back to canon under warranty and they repaired it ( no questions asked) however since then a few things have happened.
the coating inside the lens as all come away
when i say inside, i think its the coating between the pull, push barrel. every-time i pulled or pushed there was thin bits of what looked like black velvety paper on the outside barrel. that as now stopped as i think it as all peeled away.
but i have noticeed a small piece inside on the lower glass.
also i think there is a bearing loose inside. i can hear it rattliking around and sometimes depending on were it is, manual focus is almost impossible and zooming is stiff sometimes, as well as not being able to pull back fully to 100mm
i dont thinks its as sharp as it used to be as well.
well it didnt seem as sharp as other 100-400s that people were using
 
I'm surprised any Canon workshop would do such a shoddy repair. Send it back and get them to do it properly. It should come back like new.
 
marky.b said:
ive had my 100-400 for about 3 yrs or so, and im having problems with it
whilst it was still under warranty it took a tumble on a 30d d body.
the push pull became stiff. but the lens suffered no outside marks. dents scratches etc. the store i got it from sent it back to canon under warranty and they repaired it ( no questions asked) however since then a few things have happened.
the coating inside the lens as all come away
when i say inside, i think its the coating between the pull, push barrel. every-time i pulled or pushed there was thin bits of what looked like black velvety paper on the outside barrel. that as now stopped as i think it as all peeled away.
but i have noticeed a small piece inside on the lower glass.
also i think there is a bearing loose inside. i can hear it rattliking around and sometimes depending on were it is, manual focus is almost impossible and zooming is stiff sometimes, as well as not being able to pull back fully to 100mm
i dont thinks its as sharp as it used to be as well.
well it didnt seem as sharp as other 100-400s that people were using
Click to expand...
Sounds like the friction ring is starting to break up, its only cardboard. You best send it in.
 
the repair after it was dropped was done under warranty
that was about about 2 yrs ago , but the coating started breaking up shortly after that. so i guess they will say i should have sent it back earlier.
i cant say for sure that it started after repair, but id say 50/50 sure.
ans what with the loose bearing. i was told its common on this lens
i would like to send it somewere local. but im in wigan and cant find anywere close by
 
Closest to you would be H. Lehmann Limited 247-249 London Road
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 5AA
Tel: 01782 413 611
 
It's the friction ring, mine did it at 13 months.

Leihmans will charge you £167 and Canon Elstree about £227.

It's nowt to do with you dropping it, unfortunately it's a common fault. :(
 
ChrisH said:
It's the friction ring, mine did it at 13 months.

Leihmans will charge you £167 and Canon Elstree about £227.

It's nowt to do with you dropping it, unfortunately it's a common fault. :(
Click to expand...

:agree: Mine did this after about two years!
 
zeugma said:
Cardboard? Christ! You've got me worried now...
Click to expand...

He's right, it is only cardboard. Pretty pathetic for an L lens if you ask me, but there must be madness behind the method... :thinking:
 
trencheel303 said:
He's right, it is only cardboard. Pretty pathetic for an L lens if you ask me, but there must be madness behind the method... :thinking:
Click to expand...

Which bit is cardboard?
 
ChrisH said:
It's the friction ring, mine did it at 13 months.

Leihmans will charge you £167 and Canon Elstree about £227.

It's nowt to do with you dropping it, unfortunately it's a common fault. :(
Click to expand...

what about the bearings that are loose, any idea if that is sorted with the friction ring. i also got a tiny piece of the cardboard on the inside glass. you can see it when the lens is at 100 mm .
ive sent Leihmans an email so hopefully tomorrow will get an-answer.
i checked im only 46 mies away from them.
big difference in price between the 2 company's. may contact a few more before i make a decision
would they be able to chec it for sharpness at the same time
 
marky.b said:
what about the bearings that are loose, any idea if that is sorted with the friction ring. i also got a tiny piece of the cardboard on the inside glass. you can see it when the lens is at 100 mm .
ive sent Leihmans an email so hopefully tomorrow will get an-answer.
i checked im only 46 mies away from them.
big difference in price between the 2 company's. may contact a few more before i make a decision
would they be able to chec it for sharpness at the same time
Click to expand...
I sent a 100-400 to canon for repair in march, as soon as they got it they called me to tell me it would be a fixed price repair, and thats before they looked at it, the lens was jumping round all over the place and it throw a error up all the time, it got a new stabilizer, service, calibration and 6 month warranty all for £127.50. and its sharper than its ever been.
 
i got email this morn from Leihmans.quoting about £167
i rang and spoke to a real nice guy, was on the phone ages and he knew exactly what the problems were that i had. he also thinks the inner seal may have gone and that is why i got some bits of the friction ring on the inner optics,
he guessing all the work plus parts should come to no more than about £220.
he reconed that postage to them would be about £30 - £35 royal mail special with extra insurance, stuff that im 46 miles away, just got in now 2 hr round trip. 90 miles and probably cost around £7 of diesel.
and i know it arrived saafe
so just got to wait now. thinks about 10 days till it come back providing it dont need parts they aint got.
im going the mach loop again on sep 17th fingers crossed
 
I just took a whole bunch of stuff into Canon Elstree for full AF calibration, including my 100-400, which needs the zoom tension ring fixed. It's over three years old and well outside warranty. They will repair the friction ring, recalibrate and do anything else required for a fixed price of £127.50 with 6 month warranty and return delivery included.

I don't know where people are getting these crazy figures of £220+ for a Canon fixed price repair on such a lens.

My other lenses outside warranty should be calibrated at an hourly rate with an estimate of from £20 for a simple prime up to £60 for my 70-200/2.8L IS.

Of course, the bits of kit that are in warranty still are being calibrated and returned at no charge.

Given the 100-400 is getting everything done for £127.50, and assuming that £60 of that is for calibration and £5 for return delivery, it makes the repair cost just £62.50.

I was also told by the receptionist (Lauren) that Canon will usually give a grace period of 2-3 months on the standard warranty if you take the lens straight to them. Of course, they may feel differently is there is clear sign of abuse/dropping etc..

Here's my equipment/repair receipt confirmation....

20100909_125441_.JPG
 
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tdodd said:
I just took a whole bunch of stuff into Canon Elstree for full AF calibration, including my 100-400, which needs the zoom tension ring fixed. It's over three years old and well outside warranty. They will repair the friction ring, recalibrate and do anything else required for a fixed price of £127.50 with 6 month warranty and return delivery included.

I don't know where people are getting these crazy figures of £220+ for a Canon fixed price repair on such a lens.

My other lenses outside warranty should be calibrated at an hourly rate with an estimate of from £20 for a simple prime up to £60 for my 70-200/2.8L IS.

Of course, the bits of kit that are in warranty still are being calibrated and returned at no charge.

Given the 100-400 is getting everything done for £127.50, and assuming that £60 of that is for calibration and £5 for return delivery, it makes the repair cost just £62.50.

I was also told by the receptionist (Lauren) that Canon will usually give a grace period of 2-3 months on the standard warranty if you take the lens straight to them. Of course, they may feel differently is there is clear sign of abuse/dropping etc..

Here's my equipment/repair receipt confirmation....

20100909_125441_.JPG
Click to expand...

the price i was given was originaly £167 fixed price for servive for the 199-400 plus parts. not got it back yet so dont know what the total price will be. although if its any more than the other quoted price of £220 they will contact first
the advantage of going to were i did meant it was cheaper to take it by car than to post, 90 mile round trip. so had i shipped it to anywere esle in the country i would still have had to pay p&p
but you still got a better deal
if canon appoint these repair centres to carry out there work then shouldnt they insist on set prices for the work they carry out,
it seems the difference in prices between various service centres is huge.
as anyone contacted canon about this,
i may do it myself
 
just noticed on your invoice the letters cps, thats the canon pro club isnt it ??
do you not get cheaper repairs
i cant join yet. got 4 pro lenses but only 1 body that qualify s
 
The quote I was given was to cover the cost of all repairs to the lens, even if it needed a complete new IS unit, AF unit, zoom tension control - the works. So long as the damage was not obviously due to abuse, which might in fact end up requiring a complete replacement lens, the £127.50 was to cover anything and everything required, including the calibration.

As far as the specific repair to fix the zoom tension is concerned, I was told the part would be about €20 (that's euros) and labour around £20, so I could have chosen a repair for just £40(ish). However, as I also wanted the AF calibration for maybe £60 or so I thought that paying the fixed price of £127.50 was money well spent to get a full 6 month warranty on the whole lens, plus the shipping, plus anything else the lens needed that was not initially obvious.

As for the likes of pricing by Fixation, Lehmans or any other non-Canon centre I can't comment, but the cost of sending the lens to Elstree by insured post would only be about £10-£15 I should think and leave you very much quids in all round. In my car a 90 mile round trip would cost me £15 just in fuel, never mind other wear and tear and 2-3 hours out of my day. At least Elstree is only a 70 mile round trip for me, and 45 minutes each way and taking it in means I don't have the aggro of packaging it up and then getting it posted. Today I took in around £7,000 worth of kit, so I was happier taking it in in person than packing and posting that lot.

EDIT : I don't think CPS gets me any discount, just a faster turnaround. I took two bodies and five lenses in and they said they'd ship them out next Tuesday, if not sooner, for delivery the next day.

EDIT 2 : BTW, in the reception area they had large posters up advertising a lens service for £60 plus another £30 if you wanted AF calibration done at the same time. I didn't notice whether that figure included parts. I guess not, but it's still way cheaper than the quote you were given. A body service was £80. I didn't notice any indication that those prices were for CPS memebers only. That's simply the price.
 
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mine not in for repair because it was dropped but just general wear and tear,
so what did the calibration cost for the 2 bodys and lenses
 
The bodies are both within warranty and being calibrated for free. I don't know what it would cost for body calibration outside warranty.

I already mentioned that lens calibration costs will range from about £15-£20 for a simple prime such as my 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 up to £60 for my 70-200, because the zoom needs more time and the job is costed by the hour or part hour. Labout is charged at £60 per hour. I don't remember if that's with or without VAT but consider the cost to be £70 per hour if VAT needs adding.

To be honest nearly all my body/lens combinations have needed some AF microadjustment from new, and mostly in the region of around +5 to +10. If I'd realised how painless it was to take the stuff in to Canon I would have/should have taken everything in while it was still within warranty. As it is I'm paying for things I needn't have, simply because I dilly dallied too long before biting the bullet and letting Canon sort things out for me.
 
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im just looking at the canon web site. im going to email them with regard to pricing policy's
although i may wait till i get repair price for mine before i do
tempting to get lenses and bodys calibrated though
 
just been on to Leihmans to find out what as happened to my lens . been 8 days
now
apparently they emailed me the same day i took the lens in, i didnt get one, this was to say they had checked the lens and that the parts were out of stock at canon and to give me a complete price
they say it needs a new is unit, it was working when i took it in ( im sure it was )
the friction ring needs doing but that i knew and im sure it need a new barrel
total price £346
im just waiting for a email to confirm all this
has anyone got canons number at elstree im going to contact them
tdodd said he had a good deal. off them
may contact other repairers as well
right email just arrived

this is the work needed

is unit = replace
focussing = repair, adjust, check,
optics = check . clean
zoom = repair, adjust, check,
barrel = replace
 
Canon Elstree....

Unit 130 Centennial Park
Centennial Avenue
Elstree Hill South
Borehamwood
Elstree
Hertfordshire
WD6 3SE

Tel: 0844 369 0100

FWIW my 7D, 100L and 70-200/2.8L IS are on the UPS van now, for delivery today, and the rest of my gear is being picked up from Canon today for delivery tomorrow. On closer inspection of my receipt notifications I have spotted what appears to be a mistake in the pricing, but I'll cross that bridge when the charges appear on my card.
 
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thanks i rang it a few mins ago
got through to a foreign lady, and she said she will get someone to call me back soon when they have an operator free
i hope H Lehmann dont charge me for looking at it . if and when i go to pick it up
 
Kerioak said:
It looks like I got a very good deal on my 100-400 when it needed a bit of panel beating after being clobbered by an angry swan (£60 - 24 hours) and then sorting out when it refused to auto focus and seized up (£30ish - 48 hours)
Click to expand...

were at
 
spoke to canon
took all my details, and problems with lens. and what ive been quoted
tear 2 support going to call me in the next few days. she agreed that there should not be such a big price difference between service centers
just out of curiosity i rang colchester repairs. they would not quote me over the phone for all the problems i have, need to send it in for a quote. so thats out
one thing i noticed
colchester said £187 for a servive plus parts
lehmans £167 for service plus parts
so 2 different prices for the same so called service
 
Well they're completely independent businesses, are they not, with their own overheads, profit margins etc. and quite at liberty to charge what they like. It's your choice to take your business where you choose to. Do car dealers charge the same price for a service? What about gas fitters?

To be honest, with all that you've said so far, I'm not sure why the lens is not already with Canon. It would seem to me the obvious choice. It strikes me you'd avoid all the "he said, she said" nonsense about spare parts or anything else and would appear to be by far the cheapest option. Have I missed something?
 
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You might give Advanced Camera Systems a call. Recently did some work for me at about half the price quoted by Canon Elstree http://www.advancedcameraservices.co.uk/ Very helpful peeps - had a long chat with the technician, and I guess Norfolk is cheaper than N London.

But if you could get Canon to do it as a fixed price repair that would be sweet.
 
tdodd said:
Well they're completely independent businesses, are they not, with their own overheads, profit margins etc. and quite at liberty to charge what they like. It's your choice to take your business where you choose to. Do car dealers charge the same price for a service?

To be honest, with all that you've said so far, I'm not sure why the lens is not already with Canon. It would seem to me the obvious choice. Have I missed something?
Click to expand...

well when i first started this thread. i was looking for a reliable place to send it to
lehmans were within an hours drive for me. so no expensive postage costs. and good reports from other people.
it only went in for the friction ring and the loose bearing and calibrate
now im told the i s unit faulty and needs new barrel
if canon get back to me with a lower price ill send it off to them asap
 
You must be very frustrated. I feel your pain. I really hope Canon can sort you out. I was told that for the fixed price of £127.50 they would do anything and everything the lens required, and guarantee the lens for six further months, not just on the work done, but anything else that might fail during that period.
 
tdodd

I don't know where people are getting these crazy figures of £220+ for a Canon fixed price repair on such a lens.
Click to expand...

M8 If there wasn't a swear filter I'd use bad language.

Ask Canon why such a crazy figure, thats what they charged me, full stop, period, end of.

Maybe you should contact them and ask them to send me a refund.

I take offence at your comment. It's bad enough that the lens failed at 13 months without me having had to pay a ludicrous sum only for people like you to challenge the price I had to pay for it.
 
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ChrisH said:
tdodd



M8 If there wasn't a swear filter I'd use bad language.

Ask Canon why such a crazy figure, thats what they charged me, full stop, period, end of.

Maybe you should contact them and ask them to send me a refund.

I take offence at your comment. It's bad enough that the lens failed at 13 months without me having had to pay a ludicrous sum only for people like you to challenge the price I had to pay for it.
Click to expand...
Im suprised you had to pay for it being 1 month out of warranty.
 
ChrisH,

People who make grossly exaggerated statements without qualification offend me.

In post #7 you made no mention that that is what you had paid. You said that is what he would pay. Based on my own experience and the words of Malla I can't help but think you are mistaken.

I guess we're even.

Fondest regards,
Timmy.
 
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just rang fixation for a quote
£130 labour
£81.41 for friction ring barrel bearings etc
£89.23 for i s unit
+vat + £10 return delivery

that i guess is not much different than lehmans price
and my lens is already there and i can pick up when ready
but im hoping when canon get back to me they quote me a fixed price like you other guys fingers crossed.
 
i dont beleive this
canon just rung back.
asked what the problem was with lens. and then gave me a list of service centers to send it to, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ive spent all day ringing round. i know the service centers. i want the cheap one.
he said what would be the best center for me, elstree i reply,
ring the same number you rang today "WHAT" then press option 2 then option 1 to get through to them ,.
they could have told me that this afternoon, right ill do that now.
oh just one thing they shut at 5pm he says noooooooooooooooooo
so now ill have to wait till tomorrow
 
Timmy

Your reciept tells about as much as I do, it doesn't even mention faults or parts replaced.

I'm not going to argue with you, I have no idea what the fault on your lens was, nor do I have to prove anything to anyone. My lens cost was £226 with a 6 month warrenty on the repair.

Please go read this thread and note the date it was started.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=149169&highlight=friction+ring

Malla

After waiting 7 weeks for Canon to stop farting around with all sorts of excuses I paid to get my lens back more than I felt it was for the fix.

As for paying for a fix on a 13 month old lens, trading standards told me to push for a repair done for free. To be honest I'd been messed about so much I just wanted some peace and to get back on using the damn thing. I missed most of the good summer weather fannying around trying to get it back.

I see yours went back initially for a fix on the IS so maybe not quite the same. Maybe too why the lower cost. I see you posted your fix price in the above thread as well. I'm glad you paid less. :D

As I'm now a member of CPS I get a phonecall from Canon with a price, and if the twice my 5D2 has gone back for repair is anything to go by their service is better for those in CPS than those who aren't.
 
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