Lens has stopped working - any advice?

[Jill Peters]

Hello,

The auto-focus on our 18-55mm Canon lens has stopped working :-( It went a bit dodgy for a few days where it wouldn't work at the extremes of the zoom range but today it has stopped focusing completely. The timing is particularly bad as we're on holiday and for the next 5 weeks we won't be in one place for more than a few days at a time.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there any possibility of getting the lens fixed do you think? It would need to get fixed on the spot or very quickly as we don't have time for it to be sent away anywhere. Or do we need to buy a new lens?

Any advice is appreciated!

Jill

[Jonathan Long]

Jill,

Try cleaning the contacts wth rubbing alcohol - both the body and lens. Usually once a lens needs repair it's time to go shopping for a new one. The cost of the repair will exceep the value of the lens. Being on vacation is a problem... I don't know where you are, but there are very few repair shops that will offer same day repair and they're located in large cities... L.A., New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London.... I can't even get same day in Chicago... and I'm a Nikon Pro Service member...

I'd look for a replacement lens before I'd try to have it repaired...

Jon

[Jill Peters]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for your reply. I tried cleaning the contacts with no success. It was unfortunate that our lens stopped working but we are now the happy owners of a new Canon 15-85mm lens. We're in Switzerland right now and are finding the 15mm to be great - there's a much bigger difference between 18mm & 15mm than I expected. I'm amazed at what I'm able to fit into a picture now.

Are there things I should be mindful of when using the 15mm? I'm guessing it's not great for buildings.

Jill




Jill,

Try cleaning the contacts wth rubbing alcohol - both the body and lens. Usually once a lens needs repair it's time to go shopping for a new one. The cost of the repair will exceep the value of the lens. Being on vacation is a problem... I don't know where you are, but there are very few repair shops that will offer same day repair and they're located in large cities... L.A., New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London.... I can't even get same day in Chicago... and I'm a Nikon Pro Service member...

I'd look for a replacement lens before I'd try to have it repaired...

Jon

[Dave McClung]

Hello,

The auto-focus on our 18-55mm Canon lens has stopped working :-( It went a bit dodgy for a few days where it wouldn't work at the extremes of the zoom range but today it has stopped focusing completely. The timing is particularly bad as we're on holiday and for the next 5 weeks we won't be in one place for more than a few days at a time.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there any possibility of getting the lens fixed do you think? It would need to get fixed on the spot or very quickly as we don't have time for it to be sent away anywhere. Or do we need to buy a new lens?

Any advice is appreciated!

Jill

Jill
I am sure you wouldn't make the same kind of mistake that I did, but I will share anyway.

On my last trip to the Grand Canyon, my autofocus lense stopped focusing. I cleaned the contacts and put in a fresh battery. It still didn't work. Finally, I checked the switch on the camera body. It had been bumped to "Manual." When I switched it back to "Auto" the lense worked fine.

[Jonathan Long]

Jill,

It should be fine for buildings... the 15mm vs. 18mm difference seems like it should be fairly small, but in reality there IS a big difference. I'd pay attention to any straight lines going across the frame to make sure they are straight.... lens distortion (if any) will be apparent most with straight lines. I think you'll be pleased with your purchase.

The other thing I should have asked the first time: can you focus the lens manually?

Jon

[Jill Peters]

Jon,

I can focus the lens manually, and yesterday I discovered that if I turn the lens all the way to the right in manual mode and then change back to auto focus mode that it will focus - but if I turn it the other direction it won't come back towards the right. At first I thought it wasn't trying to focus at all, but maybe there is still a chance of having it fixed when we get home?

Now I just have to get used to carrying a heavier lens around!

Jill

[Jonathan Long]

Jill,

I wouldn't bother having the lens repaired. I'd be happy with the new lens you purchased and move on from there. The 18-55mm lens a a good kit lens, but the 15-85mm is a much better lens. I'm willling to guess you could find a replacement 18-55 that would cost less than the repair.

Jon