70-200 Mark II - I've Gone & Done It!

[elmo_2006]

I've pulled the trigger on this bad boyandI'm in love with the output. The Mark I was great but the Mark II issimply amazing.


BUT, Ihave a concernabout the IS on this puppy:


I was taking some photos today in fairly good lighting, thethe IS when *winding up/down* would make a louder than normal buzz. I mean, typically it's a low buzz/hum, but this caught me off guard. Yes the lens was still capable of stabilising and achieve focuslock BUT the sound has me worried. It only happened a couple of times today. I flipped the switches from 1.2 to 2.5 and back again to no avail. I then decided to power cycle the camera and the loud buzz is no longer present.


I'll be heading out on vacation in about a month and the lens is less than a week old and the last thing I need is to possibly have the IS *jam* up in the middle of a photo shoot!


Suggestions/comments are more than welcome.....


Thanks

[peety3]

1.2/2.5 is focus distance, not IS, so I don't know if there could be a relation there.


Suggestions? You can send it to Canon for a problem that no longer exists in the hope they find the problem if/when they disassemble it, but you might get it back no-problem-found (and after-you-leave). Or you can hang onto it and send it to Canon if/when it acts up in a manner that you can't coax away. Unfortunately it's your call.

[Jon Ruyle]

I don't know how much louder than normal it was... mine has some variation: sometimes it gets a bit louder. Does "louder than normal" mean much louder than the mk 1?


I don't really know, but my gut reaction is... relax, man :) Enjoy your awesome new lens!

[elmo_2006]

<div style="margin-bottom: 14pt;"]1.2/2.5 is focus distance, not IS, so I don't know if there could be a relation there.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 14pt;"]Suggestions? You can send it to Canon for a problem that no longer exists in the hope they find the problem if/when they disassemble it, but you might get it back no-problem-found (and after-you-leave). Or you can hang onto it and send it to Canon if/when it acts up in a manner that you can't coax away. Unfortunately it's your call.</div>





Yeah, just thought I would test the waters...maybe I should head back over to Henry's for an exchange just to be on the safe side, I just hate returning/exchanging items if not necessary!






I don't know how much louder than normal it was... mine has some variation: sometimes it gets a bit louder. Does "louder than normal" mean much louder than the mk 1?


I don't really know, but my gut reaction is... relax, man :) Enjoy your awesome new lens!






LOL, your gut maybe right, I'll try to recreate the problem, but I guess a slight variation in sound is ok from time to time, at least I'll know it's functioning...[:P]...but since the lens is less than a week old, I'll play it safe and return for an exchange as mentioned above.


LOL...now I'm sounding like a *drama queen*...thanks for the suggestions!

[Jon Ruyle]

LOL...now I'm sounding like a *drama queen*...thanks for the suggestions!


You sound kinda like I do when I get something new :)

[elmo_2006]

Update...


I've exchanged the lens at Henry's and this one is quiet than ever, wow, but now I find thatmy XSisometimes cannot obtain focus lock. I was out in the yard at around 3:00pm, lots of sun and heat and I was snapping up photos of flowers, but sometimes the camera would not obtain focus lock on anything - talk about a crap shoot!


Talk about bad luck. I then quickly attached the 24-105 and had no issues with focus lock.


The current setup...Av, spot, AI Focus, Auto ISO, center focus.


It can't be the lens, not twice in a row! I think I want my original lens back.


Anyone with ideas, as I'm close to reverting to the *fetal position*!

[Tom Wertman]

but sometimes the camera would not obtain focus lock on anything


Were you inside of the minimum focusing distance by any chance?


Tom

[elmo_2006]

Hi Tom...


No I was not, most of the times however; I was trying to capture the subject on the long end of the zoom.


This is very frustrating...

[neuroanatomist]

Were you inside of the minimum focusing distance by any chance?
<div>



No I was not
</div>


Tom's question occurred to me also, so I'll ask a follow up - were your subjects closer than the distance set by the focus limiter? Thereis afocus limiter switch with settings of 1.2m - &infin; and 2.5m - &infin;. So, if the switch was in the 2.5m- &infin; position you would not be able to AF on anything closer than 2.5m, even though the MFD for the lens is 1.2m.

[elmo_2006]

Hi Neuro...


The switch was set to 1.2 and the subject was more than 2.5m away.


I performed some basic tests and the lens is neither front/back focusing. With the original lens I was able to zoom in and obtain lock on a vine leaf, with this lens, it's having a hard time obtaining lock. I have to constantly keep pressing the button to find lock.


Could this be camera body related or lens or both? The 24-105 does not exhibit this issue.

[neuroanatomist]

That does sound odd and suspicious. [:(] A couple of other possibilities:


Is there sufficient contrast in your subject? If a monochromatic leaf is larger than the AF point, it's like trying to focus on a blank wall - not enough contrast. The AF points do extend a bit beyond the boxes seen in the viewfinder, but they are smaller than the spot metering circle.


What AF mode are you in? If you're in AI-Servo, there is no focus lock confirmation beep/light. If you're in AI-Focus and you or the subject are moving (vine leaf in the wind would do it), the camera will use Servo mode and again there is no focus lock confirmation. But, if you're in One Shot it should lock as long as there is sufficient contrast under the AF point.

[elmo_2006]

Hi neuro...


As for contrast - yes, plenty. As for the AF mode I tend to shoot in AI Focus 90% of the times, but I have tried the other modes to no avail. It's actually getting really frustrating as it's a coin toss if lock will be achieved.


As for the original lens, the IS would buzz intermittently but mostly after the camera has been in standby for a few moments. When the IS kicked in, you could feel a vibration through thebarrel as though the motors were grinding - I'm certain that this is not normal especially for a new lens with the latest gen IS - again this was intermittently but lock was achieved with no problems even at the MFD.


It'sdifficult to diagnose the actual problemas this lens is all over the map! Even at the MFD, this lens cannot lock on focus with plenty of light, it's akin to the *can't hit the side of a barn yard no matter how hard I try* line.


Let's see what Henry's has to say. I guess the worse case scenario is to try and ask for my original glass back and deal with the IS if it decides to jam up!

[elmo_2006]

To make a long story short....


Called Henry's, asked for my lens back due to the current lens issues, offered3 choices...


1. Exchange for new lens - lack of confidence on my part


2. Exchange for the original


3. Refund


Took option 2 and the capabilities of said lens is night and day compared to the second unit. No focus hunting -aim, lock and shoot!


peety3 was right, I will just hang on to this lens until something really bad happens which I can live with...


Curious...could therepossibly bea QA issue with Canon with this new lens?!?!?


Thanks for the responses/suggestions....

[Jon Ruyle]

Curious...could therepossibly bea QA issue with Canon with this new lens?!?!?


I believe all canon lenses have some degree of variability, and those who critically test them tend to get different results with different samples. So in a way the answer is yes, but particularly more so than with other canon lenses.


We are probably more critical of an expensive, high performing lens and thus notice a higher percentage of the issues (and we should be more critical after spending all that $$)