Canon EF-S 17-85MM F/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Logo

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Posted on Apr 15, 2010

Canon 17-85 is usm lens very loose focus ring causing lens creep

Hi there
I,m a keen amatuer photographer and bought myself a canon 40d with the above said lens as kit lens just over a year ago (so typically the lens is now just out of warranty ).
I've never been sure that the lens is quite how it should be.The lens focusing ring has steadiy become looser and looser over a year to such an extent that if you tip the camera to photograph something the lens either tries to unwind itself fully(creep) until you auto focus and hear it pull in or shots you know were focused correctly are blurred or soft .
I know I should have had the lens checked while it was in guarantee but for various reasons, I didn't.
I am sure now that the lens was not right when I purchased it but put the failures down to my learning errors.
But having had the camera recently checked at a camera shop the guy said it's not right .
I have 2 questions :-1 is would canon replace it foc if it was examined and found to be faulty although out of warranty ( I haven't approached canon yet)and 2 is it possible to dismantle this lens and stiffen the focus ring myself ?
I am engineering minded and have worked with small precision instruments and would have a go at it but I do not know how to seperate the lens and components.
Any help grateful
Ian

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  • Posted on Jun 30, 2010
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I also have a 40D with exactly the same lens and fault. Over the course of a few months the lens became "sloppy" so if the lens was pointing towards the ground it began to creep. Towards the end it dropped to its full extent. About 10 days ago it locked up completely and I was unable to zoom at all. Returned to Canon as mine was just in warranty and they have fixed and returned it within 7 days. Very effecient even sending me a text message to say that it had been dispatched. The lens is now just like new and I only hope that this is not an annual trip.
Bottom line; I am an engineer by profession and I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. To do these properly you need special tools and jigs to make sure things line up properly. It also needs to be done in a "CLEAN" environment.Do yourself a favour and leave it alone.

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  • Posted on Apr 29, 2010
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Engineering minded means you will get it apart but not together again - it has ben tried and most - even the engineers who are great at what they do fail - simply put - canon will charge you - I recognize this is an expensive lens but it is not the coveted L - so you will need to justify the repair yourself - doing it yourself is like representing yourself in court - we all know how that usually turns out... and you have the old client who is a fool routine - good luck and if you do try and fix it yourself at least you will wind up with an interesting paperweight...

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