Photo Equipment Repair Advice Needed

When our beloved gear falls to the ground, our heart will sink with it, usually both break on impact.  Anyone who has done any out-of-warranty repair work will know how expensive it is to get photo equipment repaired.

Last June my D810 with the AF-S 28-70mm f2.8 fell to the gravel ground when the tripod toppled.  It was a short fall as the tripod legs were not extended, and both camera and lens didn't seem to suffer any damage, and both were working.  But few months later, the lens would not focus; it just racks to infinity and stays there.  Of all the wide angle lenses I have used, the AF-S 28-70mm f2.8 is my favourite.  I had used the Canon 28-70mm f2.8L, as well as 17-35mm f2.8L, 17-40mm f4L, 16-35mm f2.8L and 16-35mm f2.8L II, and none of them were as sharp as this one.  I have gotten some very fine images from this lens with the D810 and I really want to get this lens fixed, but I keep putting it off.

Frankly, Nikon repair costs scare me.  Their estimate and repair cost often is half cost of a new lens, and I am left with two choices for repair in Toronto: Toronto Camera Service or Sun Camera Service.  Both have very good reviews.

Toronto Camera Service is very close to me, but I have never dealt with them before.  One the other hand, I have good experience with Sun Camera.  I once sent the 24mm f1.4L to Canon to remove a large piece of metal shaving from inside the elements and Canon sent it to Sun Camera, which is an authorized Canon Repair centre, and they did a really good job.  I also had my Canon 135mm f2.8 Soft Focus lens that was dropped with broken AF switch and wouldn't focus, and they fixed it for $99, that included cleaning the lens elements that had a lot of dust, which I think is very reasonable.  But, they are just so far away from me.

If you have ever repaired an Nikon AF-S 28-70mm f2.8 lens, how much did you pay for the repair?  I want to get a ball park figure before going for an estimate, which carries a fee from both repair centres.

Sugar Beach in the Morning - Fujifilm Fujinon 4.5cm f1.9 Rangefinder Lens on Sony A7.

The Risk of Buying Expensive Used AF Lenses

Let's face it. Most of us amateur photo enthusiasts are not rich. It's our hobby that we maintain with what's left of the disposable income. That, of course, does not stop us from dreaming to own some nice gear.  Unfortunately, there is always this little problem of money, or the lack of it. So, the only way we can afford some of them is to buy used. My Canon 200mm f1.8L was the MOST expensive lens I have bought, ever, and I don't want to even remember how much I paid.

Buying used of anything comes with its associated risks. We don't know what the previous owner(s) did to them. They could have abused them, or took very good care of them.  We simply don't know. Fortunately, this part of the risk is relatively low, as we can usually test it before buying. The most risky aspect is the actual repair of very old auto focus lenses.

Once a lens is discontinued by the manufacturer, they might make a run of the most commonly used parts for the discontinued lens, that would enough for repairs for about 10 years. If the parts are used up, you are SOL. So, those 200mm f1.8L, first generation 300mm f2.8L, 400mm f2.8L, etc, are usually not even repairable any more, because parts are no longer available. Sometimes, I think manufacturers do this because they want us to buy their latest replacement lens, which cost 2x to 3x more expensive than the old one.

In the case of my 200mm f1.8L, the lens can still take pictures, but at the fixed distance, whatever it was when it stopped working. The sad thing about this particular lens, is that once AF is lost, you can not manual focus either. Just imagine for a moment, your $4000 lens, still one of the best out there, looks pretty, but now useless, because you can't even focus it manually. Many of Canon's USM lenses are like this; it would not work once AF is shot.

So, what do you do with an expensive, but non-functional lens? Hang it on the wall like a 3-D art object? Pray to the lens god everyday, and hope it would start working again? Or sell it for next to nothing?  There is something that can be done about lenses like this one.

I once read about a Chinese Si Foo (master) who does lens conversion, and he made a sea water damaged EF 85mm f1.2L into a manual focus lens. You can read about it here. It's definitely not an attempt for the faint of heart, or the casual DIY type. Extensive surgery is required. I think the same thing can be done for the EF 200mm f1.8L, but no one knows until some brave soul tries it.

So, tomorrow I will go pick up the 200mm f1.8L, put it in the case, and wait for some miracle to happen.

William. This is one of my favourite pictures from the 200mm f1.8L. Taken with Canon T2i, ISO 6400 @ f1.8