janet_forsythe

<p>I use it all the time for landscapes. It probably is the lens i use most often. I personally don't feel the 28 would be wide enough. I have a 28-135 lens but never use it as i usually want something a little wider so the 17 is great to me. I like the zoom as well and rarely use my 50mm either since I didn't use much bigger than f2.8 with it anyway.<br>

I have a 40d so crop camera as well. I'd keep what you have and experiment with it. It's a nice lens and gives you a pretty nice range with your longer zoom. take it and<em> only</em> it some day and force yourself to shoot with it. Since you like the lens in general you may just need to get out of your comfort zone to use it more</p>

<p>I am on my second 40d body, both were/are refurbs. In both cases they have had an <em>occasional </em> problem when they simply will not focus, it's not soft, not front or back focus, the af will not do <em>anything( </em> lenses that normally would move don't ) <em> </em> nor can I get focus manually. This happens with all my lenses, third party and Canon L, all apertures, lengths, zoom, prime so i figure i has to be the bodies. ( even went so far as to send some lenses in to get tested, they are fine)<br /> After shooting for a time( actual time varies) it simply stops working and won't focus( so won't take a photo either). If i take the battery out,and /or then turn it off and on a few times and one time I just had to reset all settings to default( left the battery in), eventually after a few moments it will start working again like nothing ever happened. I don't think it is anything with the actual battery as the rest of the camera ie LCD works, it just won't focus/ take a photo. I wonder if by removing the battery I am actually resetting something. I don't get any error message, it just stops working<br /> I am planning on sending it in but since it only happens once in a while, i would rather not spend the next 6 months sending it back and forth till it happens to do it when they are testing it.( done that already with Canon to many times) So i am wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem and if so what was wrong. It's still under warranty so I'm sure it will <em>eventually</em> be fixed or replaced just want it done sooner than later. Last time they just gave me another camera but I really would rather have it fixed so it doesn't do it again once the warranty is over.<br /> I was considering trying to clean the body contact points but not sure if that is a good idea or not( due to chance of getting eraser dust in body)<br /> thanks for any and all help</p>

<p>have you tried using a monopod? i have some problems with hand tremors and weakness and a mono has helped with that. maybe would take some pressure off your hands since it is doing some of the steadying work for you</p>

<p>I have the non VC as well. very good lens and great warranty ( 6 yrs vs canon's 1)</p>

<p>make sure the lenses will work if they are third party. some needed re-chipped to work with digital.<br>

if you already have Pentax from what i have heard all their lenses work with their digital although i think some old ones only work for manual focusing. personally i'd probably stay with the line i had unless there is something you dislike about it.</p>

<p>it's cream colored, not bright white so i could be you are calling that tan?</p>

<p>i use a kingston 16 gb with my 40d, no problems whatsoever. sorry not sure of the speed but it's fast enough i never have to wait for it ;)</p>

<p>i dropped and dented the metal mount on my 70-200 f4. It would have been at least $185 for canon to repair and they don't give you a "final" estimate till after you pay the "initial" estimate and then they open it. Should it be more, they reimburse you the $185( in my case) and recharge you the new larger estimate. Should you decide not to have it repaired, you lose the original estimate amount you paid ( ie $185 for mine). It's according to lens though which is what that link should show you. But beware, that is <em>not</em> a final estimate and canon told me it could be up to double for mine...to replace a $40 part in my case.<br>

This was for the NJ repair center ( although I think I actually talked to someone in Virginia iirc). When i called in they originally told me $100, then once i sent it in they gave me the "tentative" $185 estimate in an email then the $300+ estimate when i called again to ask why estimate #2 was so much more than they quoted me over the phone. this was in July so doubt it's much different now</p>

<p>KEH on the other hand looked at it for free and fixed it total, including shipping back to me, for $145</p>

<p>i had that problem with that lens and the IS mechanism had to be replaced.<br>

mine started when i look a photo with the lens pointing down it wouldn't focus then progressed to where it wouldn't take a photo at all no matter what the position of the lens( wouldn't allow me to completely depress the shutter cause it never would focus)<br>

they had to replace the mechanism twice, after the first time it still didn't work. what about a third party repair place? I've use KEH successfully. they will examine it for free then send an estimate.</p>

<p>this hasn't happened to me but when i was trying to find out the problem with mine( it was a short but it just kept draining the battery, i never got an error message) i did see this about err 99, supposedly from Canon service.<br /> "To isolate the cause of the issue, we suggest that you do the following:<br /> 1. Turn off the camera.<br /> 2. Remove the lens, battery, and CF card.<br /> 3. Allow the camera to sit without power for approximately 20 minutes.<br /> 4. Insert a fully charged battery, and turn on the camera.<br /> 5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.<br /> Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If it does, then the camera should be<br /> serviced. If it does not, then please proceed to the next set of steps:<br /> 1. Turn off the camera.<br /> 2. Insert the CF card.<br /> 3. Turn on the camera.<br /> 4. Format the CF card in the camera.<br /> 5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.<br /> Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If so, then the CF card is the most<br /> likely source of the issue. Try using a different card.<br /> If the message does not appear, please complete the following steps:<br /> 1. Turn off the camera.<br /> 2. Clean the lens contacts by gently rubbing them with a pencil eraser<br /> or soft cloth. Be careful that you do not let any debris fall into the<br /> camera body.<br /> 3. Reattach your lens.<br /> 4. Turn on the camera.<br /> 5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.<br /> If the “ERR 99″ message only appears when one particular lens is<br /> attached, then that lens should be examined by a service technician.<br /> If you see the “ERR 99″ with a different Canon lens attached, then the<br /> camera should be serviced."<br>

i pasted cause i don't know if you can post links here but hope it helps</p>

<p>is it a kit you are looking at? i have a 40d and the tamron and love them both so that would be my choice if you aren't. with the 2.8 you have the center diagonal focus points on the 40d.</p>

<p>My favorite lens as well. Imo even with the price raised a little you can't go wrong, it's a lens you'll use all the time. I was having a problem with it being sharp at smaller apertures( above about 11. and tack sharp i mean, even then it was as sharp as some other lenses I've had) but i got it re-calibrated and now it's great throughout. Focus has been great. I've used it with an xt and 40d</p>

<p>i have a tamron, the pro series. works great. since i don't have a Canon extender i can't compare but i bought it mainly because it worked with more of my lenses. i have one third party lens it will not work with electronically ( a phoenix). it also works with f4 lenses and some do not. ( i have a 70-200 f4 as well) it does however say to use with 90mm or longer lenses<br>

the tamron build is great, metal, looks like a cream canon lens. the image is sharp and doesn't noticeably degrade(but then i'm not a huge fan of pixel peeking). the biggest problem i have with it is I need to use a tripod but for me that would be with any converter( medical issue= slight tremors in my hands).</p>

<p>have you tried a lens pen? you may be able to buff it out more easily with rubber tip of that.<br>

since i am guessing that wouldn't be covered under warranty if you can't ignore it, i'd send it into the California repair center (NJ has problems). unless you went through a lot of brush or something else that could have scratched it i would be surprised it was you who did it, thinking it could have come like that. i don't always use a hood or a filter and don't have any scratches on any lens i have. i think the coatings are tougher than they used to be.</p>

<p>how much do you want to spend? i used to have an xt and loved my canon 70-200 f4 L with it. ( about $600 now i think). i have seen good reviews of the newer canon 55-250 IS though and that is only about $300 or less</p>

<p>This makes me think maybe a move to the west coast or Hawaii might be needed for decent Canon CS/repair..my personal NJ repair experience has been atrocious. Next time ( if there <em>is</em> one since that will only be for under warranty gear that is impossible to find in some other brand) I'll be trying Irvine for sure.</p>

 

<p>I have heard of them doing that. I'd go with the 50d if it has a decent warranty( Adorama was offering a 40d refurb for 699 with a yr warranty just for reference). According to the canon tech support i talked to( same deal with my xt, they said it sounded like it had a short and gave me a price to "refurbish" it. They acted like that would be the final cost and imo it was to much ( think it was almost $200 and i declined to send it in). But that is what they also did with a lens i sent in, gave me one estimate on the phone( $100, I told them what lens and what was wrong) then when i sent it in they did another estimate.."it will be this much UNLESS...."( $185 basic estimate for the lens I wanted repaired,did not include parts) and said it could cost more once they opened it up. You do lose the initial payment if you decide <em>not</em> to have them fix it. If you still get it fixed if it costs more, they refund the initial payment and then charge you the larger estimated cost.<br>

<br /> sounds like a good deal for the 50d though. you can always send your other camera in to adorama and sell it through them ( unless canon keeps it, Adorama buys and repairs broken stuff for resale). or send it to KEH and see how much they will charge. they give a free estimate so you only need to pay to ship it to them. they fixed my lens for $145 total( $40 less than canon's basic estimate.)</p>

<p>they had emailed me with in a few days after it arrived with the estimate to look at it, not to repair it. when you get the estimate it is only a estimate to look at it not fix it. call them and they will explain. they won't repair till you ok the estimate to look at it ( and pay that) then they will look at it and give you an estimate how much it will cost to repair.</p>

<p>Finley I am having the same zoom problem with my 40d. occasionally at full zoom nothing will focus with Canon or third party lens. pull the zoom back a little, it will focus. if i rezoom to full it is fine and focuses. I wondered if it was the third party lens till it started doing it with my Canon lenses as well... Just sent the body in to Adorama( it was a refurb so under their warranty)..waiting to hear with my fingers crossed ;) ;)</p>

<p>i had an xt and never was really pleased with the focus. a lot of photos seemed soft to me.<br>

my 50mm f1.8 pretty much was useless except at f8-11 or 18-22( the opposite of all reviews i read) my 70-200 f4 was bad over f5.6 or so, unusably soft over f8. my other lenses were hit or miss but none really good ( the two i mentioned are known for sharpness though)<br>

i think the focus system on the my xt was either off or the focus system in general just isn't that great. the lenses work much better with my 40d. the 50mm in particular is now great through out. at 1.8 is maybe even a little to sharp for subjects like flowers etc. i dropped the 70 just before i upgraded the body so can't really say how much is the camera and how much is it getting repaired but it' s good through out also now.<br>

since i doubt my technique improved that much over a week or so i figure it had to be the camera</p>

<p>well evidently i am the only one with nightmare stories of canon repair. rebel xt and 28-135mm both under warranty, took 4 trips back and forth, never fixed the problem. i even sent in cd with photos of what it was doing, 6 months of nothing but hassles and unrepaired items returned. finally got customer resolution involved. they did eventually give me a new body and lens after i twisted their arms, the warranty by that time had just expired. <br>

the turn around time was good for all 4 times but then again since i had to send it back in again and again what good did a fast return do? that was 2 yrs ago.<br>

a few months ago dropped my out of warranty 70-200 f4 and the mount hit a rock and bent the flange. to <em>look at it</em> canon wanted $185. after they looked at it for the $185 they would send me an estimate of how much it would really cost to fix( tech support i talked to said it could be $300 or more). <em> if</em> i wanted them to fix it with the new estimated cost they would refund the $185 then charge the new cost. if i decided not to fix it i was out the $185.<br>

sent it to keh, they fixed it in 2 weeks total door to door and only charged me $145.<br>

my experience has all been with the NJ repair center. after doing research i have found it seems the California one is better or at least has less complaints. i also am sure some sexism is involved as it was a woman tech support who <em>finally</em> put me in touch with the resolution center in the first instance and male techs who i really think never even touched it after the first go round, just sent it back and said it was fine. they had never bothered to look at the cd<br>

today i talked to a canon Virginia tech center about the focus on my month old refurbed 40d. the tech was so intent on telling me the warranty was with someone else ( well duh, i had told him that originally) he never did answer my question about the diagonal cross focus points, the reason for my call.<br>

I had similar experience with a canon printer so i think it stinks across the board. nearly a carbon copy of the xt episode but lasting <strong>2 yrs</strong> total till they admitted the thing was defective when i took it out of the box <em>new</em> . to rectify it they sent me a <em>refurb</em> after i had paid for a new $400 printer that <strong>never worked and hassled with them for 2 yrs</strong> , a refurb was the best they could do? that printer episode nearly made me swear off canon when i was shopping for a dslr originally and i kind of wish i had followed my instincts there. canon products are good when they are working but imo the repair, at least in NJ, is the worst i have ever dealt with, bar none.<br>

<em>i </em> was thinking of changing to nikon after dealing with canon repair. you might rather stay where you are ;)</p>

<p> my canon 70-200 f4 non is was $185 for canon <strong>just to look at it</strong> , more if it needed parts and more than a basic cleaning/adjustment. since the mount was bent in my case it would be more. the tech i talked to threw around "oh $300 or so maybe, could be more" but the $300 was not an"official " amount. <strong>if</strong> after getting the real larger estimate, you want to pay the real estimate to fix it, they would refund the $185 then charge you the larger amount to fix it. if the real estimate is more than you wanted to pay, you are out the $185. the charge to look is a set amount and only depends on the lens model itself, not the damage.<br>

my lens was $185, another lens could be higher or lower.<br>

KEH on the other hand charged <em>nothing</em> to look at it. .once they get it, they email you a final amount of how much it will cost ($145 for my broken mount replaced, contact block fixed, calibrate, clean and lub, return shipping free)..so far it works great and it only took about a week to fix so 2 weeks total from the time i sent it off till i got it back.</p>

<p>i have a third party lens( f3.5 100mm macro phoenix, the iq isn't bad so got what i could afford till i could get something better) that will not autofocus in macro or 100mm. sent it into phototech 4 times now, they said it works perfectly on their 40d. on mine it works like a manual focus lens, total blur till i manually focus it <em>then</em> if i turn af on it will tweak the focus but will not focus by itself in af unless it is almost perfectly manually focused beforehand.<br>

the lens used to work normally( af worked) on my xt but made a really scarely loud grinding noise when focusing, i sent it in( 2007) it worked for a few months and then started doing what it does now. when i found out it had a 5 yr warranty( thought it had run out) sent it in again they said they fixed it , worked for a week on my xt then started this same junk, sent it back meanwhile got a 40d and it worked for 6 photos then reverted to the manual only focus junk. i thought they were just sending it back untouched since it constanly had the same problem so got omega satter involved, they said so far it works on their equipment but she is going to take it home and use it on her xt and 40d for a while and see if it duplicates the problem.<br>

so finally , the question is, on the exif it recognizes this f3.5 lens as f2.8 ( my canon 3.5 lenses come up f4) so i am wondering if the focus could not be working since it is trying to use the diagonal cross points for a 2.8 lens but not working due to the lens really being 3.5.could that make the af totally fail like that? thanks for any help .</p>

<p>the $185 was the estimate when i sent in the lens, they originally told me $100 over the phone( have had enough dealings with canon repair to know it's better not to rely on emails) so i sent it in for repair, got the new estimate so i called and asked what did the $185 included since it said no parts included... so what was the difference in estimates due to...then they told me it could be $300 or more to fix it, the $185 was just the base price to look at that lens. if it didn't need anything other than basic cleaning and calibration( which obviously the mount is not part of) it would be more, "could" be $300 +. wondered if anyone knew how big the "+" would be if it were just the mount since i saw some posts on various forums that totaled more than the lens cost if the damage is more severe.<br>

just looking at the connections the 70 has more than any other of my canon lenses which made me wonder the difficulty in trying or if i did try how much more it might cost to undo my trying ;)</p>

<p>they do apply the $185 if you get it fixed ( actually refund the $185 then charge the whole amount ) but to me that is a gamble of $185, almost as much as i can buy a 55-250 lens for.</p>

<p>hi new here but wondering if anyone has ever had canon fix a metal mount on this lens...sent it in, they told me $185 just to open it to see what was wrong and<em> "maybe "</em> fix it( but didn't include parts in the estimate) when i called, the csr said it <em>"might</em> <strong><em>" </em> </strong> be $300 or more if i want it fixed( they didn't open it, as i didn't have the money to fix it) .<br>

recently saw a few posts that said a metal mount is easy to change but wonder just how "easy" or if anyone has ever gotten the mount replaced by canon( or anyone else) how much it ended up being. ( ie $185 or $300+). i can't get it on the camera far enough to see if the AF etc still works but i can get it on enough to manual focus and that appears to be ok ( for what that is worth), nothing rattles, no scratches or dents etc.<br>

dropped it from about 18" but it hit a rock mount first and bent just a tip but can't get it straightened out. i had planned on sending it in sometime anyway as it needs to be recalibarated but would rather wait till i can afford it better if i can get the mount fixed cheaper.<br>

thanks for any suggestions</p>