Spare parts for out of production EF 80-200/2.8 L

[jean_marc_liotier]

<p>I broke my favorite lens in an extremely stupid way... So stupid

that I probably should have shared my story anonymously instead of

exposing myself publicly and suffering the stigma of being "that guy

who broke an L lens in such an insanely stupid way"... But maybe the

purpose of my life is to serve as a warning to others, so here is the

story :</p>

 

<p>The rubber grip around the zoom ring was beginning to loosen quite

a bit, slip around a lot, loose its original form and generally not

serve its function anymore. This had already happened to me a long

time ago on my old lenses, notably an EF 28-105/3.5-4.5 and an EF

75-300/4-5.6 for both of which the fix had been dead simple : squirt a

generous helping of super glue under the grip. Both of these lens now

have a solid and non-slipping grip that will certainly stay where it

is for the rest of their lifetime. Strong with that experience I

decided to apply my knowledge of the infailible method to fix loose

rubber grips, took a tube of super glue from my backpack and squirted

most of it under the grip. Five minutes later I put the lens back on a

body only to find the zoom was not moving anymore. Investigating

further I ended up tearing away the rubber grip and discovered with

the utmost horror that there were holes under the grip, that these

holes communicated with the inside of the lens and that a significant

quantity of glue had seeped there. The zoom was not going to move

anymore...</p>

 

<p>For the curious, here is the <a

href="http://gallery.ruwenzori.net/Kruger2004">gallery of the last

pictures I took with that lens</a>. Note that most of them were taken

using a Kenko Teleplus Pro AF 2x teleconverter, so don't be surprised

if images with the EXIF tag showing 200mm appear to have been taken

with a much longer focal length.</p>

 

<p>Back in Paris I gave my lens for repairs at <a

href="http://www.vilma.fr/">Vilma</a> (the place to go for Canon

repairs in Paris) and hoped for the best. Alas came back the answer :

this lens can't be fixed for lack of spare parts. Now I am left with

questions :</p>

 

<p>

<ul>

<li> Is there any way to procure spare parts for the EF 80-200/2.8 L ?

Do you know anyone who might be stocking them, or keeping broken ones

for spares ?</li>

<li> How long after production ceases does Canon keep spare parts

available ? To me, L lenses such as this one are built for decades of

use, and it came to me as a very unpleasant surprise when I learned

that there were no more spare parts.</li>

<li> Is there any chance that I will manage to get this lens repaired

or can I kiss it bye-bye ?</li>

</ul>

</p>

 

<p>In case if I can't repair this lens, I most definitely want to

replace it. But now that I have discovered that Canon's support has

its limits I don't really know what to do. The EF 80-200/2.8 L is all

I need and it can be bought on Ebay for very reasonable prices (about

EUR 650). But what happens if I need it serviced ? I guess I will keep

the broken one for spares. With the cheapest EF 70-200 2.8 L (the

non-IS one) I have found being offered at EUR 1100 with just a

slightly faster AF and compatibility with Canon TCs to justify the

doubling of the price of its previous incarnation, I believe I am

going to take the risk of buying an used EF 80-200/2.8 L for which I

won't have any spares the day I break it. What do you think ?</p>

[bobatkins]

It may be repairable since there are solvents for super-glue. However they typically also dissolve paint and plastic, so it depends on what's in there when the lens is opened up.

 

Lots of older Canon lenses are unrepairable. The USM motors used in some early telephotos are no longer available.

 

Your best best if you can't repair it is to look for one that has been damaged in some other way, then build one good lens out of two.

 

Otherwise I guess you still have a lens, just not a zoom lens. I hope you glued it at the focal length you use it most at!

[shambrick007]

I feel for ya Bro. <p>

I almost did a similar thing by trying to secure that focus tab on my 40mm Summicron-C. The tab had some play in it so I decided to put just the SMALLEST dab of thin CA (super-glue) on it. The problem is, the thin stuff is made to fill/seep in cracks, and surface tension rushed the dab around the circumference of the lens in a blink of an eye - almost getting in the focusing heli- coil! <p>Even if you don't get the stuff in the mechanism, the fumes can fog the glass. So lesson learned, lenses and CA don't mix!

[ron c sunshine coast,qld,a]

If the electronics are still working then there is a good chance of finding someone that can fix it.Repair shops regularly strip damaged lenses and cameras for parts .

As some electronic are not available for that model (judging by the comments on the net) then there must be a few of them around waiting to be sacrificed for their body parts.

<P>I would think the USA would be the best place to search for repair shops that might have parts(?)

[ryanjoseph]

Boss thats some seriously tough luck. Try KEH.com, some of my friends who have broken camera equipment have good things to say about their repair program. I really hope you work this out, thats a nice lens you have their.

[bob_bell]

Does your camera insurance cover this incident?

 

 

I spoke to Canon about a year ago about the possibility of replacing the AF motor when it finally dies on mine and they said that the part isnt in stock anymore and that they could attempt to fix it but with no promises. I would put a good effort in and try to remove the glue and at worst case try to salvage the AF motor. I bet you could get a couple hundred for one in good order from someone with a dead motor.

 

I think the 80-200 is a tremendous lens, but at the same time, you could buy a new 70-200, have a warrenty and not have to worry about someone elses mess.

[jean_marc_liotier]

<p>Thanks for the compassion guys...</p>

<p>I guess I'll make the rounds of the camera repair places to try and locate a broken of my lens for scavenging. Since that may depend a lot on luck and time, I don't think I'll resist snatching another one on eBay. If I don't find a broken one I will keep mine for parts...</p>

<p>I can understand why professional users who lose revenue when their lens is unavailable prefer to upgrade to a currently supported model, but for amateurs such as me the price/performance ratio of the magic drainpipe is worth the risk - and tragic incompetence from my part such as what I described above does luckily not happen every day either.</p>

<p>Does someone here know when production of the EF 80-200/2.8 L officially ceased ?</p><div></div>

[jean_marc_liotier]

I ended up buying a used EF 70-200/2.8 L for EUR 900. Although I was a bit sentimental about its predecessor (my first L lens...) this one gives me the piece of mind of a supported piece of hardware, a noticeably faster AF, and a 10 pins interface that gives me the actual aperture of the lens+TC combo instead of the aperture of the lens only which is what the 7 pins interface of the EF 80-200/2.8 L was giving me through the teleconverter. In addition, I the lens was sold with a tripod collar... I did not have one and it is a welcome addition for shooting with a monopod. Apart from that the two lenses are extremely similar.