Help! Is Canon's support telling me crazy things?

[fegari]

Hi, hopefully someone can help me.

I kind of noticed a small potential decentering in my 70-200 II IS so I've sent it to Canon's tech repair center explaining it may need a calibration/centering and they sent me a crazy estimation for 900 USD!

When I asked why the wanted to replace the "Barrel ASS'Y SET, MAIN CAM" they've quoted in their estimation (again, a decentering issue that I understood reauireds only to realign whatever lens element may be slightly off axis) their answer was that the "motor is damaged".

I still cannot understand how a lens which focuses perfectly and which AF and IS are working perfecly needs to have any kind of motor replaced for a descentering issue??

And when I mean decentering is because I've noticed that recently the RH border of the image is softer than the LH side (landscape photos, usually when focused near infinity)

Help/guidance appreciated!

 

[cinema-dslr]

Hmmm, maybe it's wise to reject the quote and have them sent the lens back to you.
If the lens is still functioning the same as before you sent it for repair then their quote could be right.
When on the other end your lens is worse off then the argument could be made that they broke something during disassemble
In the latter case they are liable for the repair.

 

[fegari]

Thanks, I'll keep in mind the possibility they actually broke something..however you say that in case I refuse the quote, they send back as it was, if problem persist then they may hev been right with the quote? That I do not understand cause preciselly I don't see how any kind of motor (broken or not) is the reason the RH side is softer than LH..

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

You may be assuming that it was a simple job, but if the cause of the decentering was damage to other parts, then Canon will insist on repairing any and all damaged parts.

You can have them return it, and take it to a independent shop, there is a risk that it will not be fixed and adjusted right.

The cost to repair does seem expensive, but if the AF motor needs to be replaced along with other parts, the labor involved is a big part of the price.

The lens could have been damaged in shipping to Canon, damage during shipping is far too common. I use extreme protection when shipping, camera wrapped in 2 inches or more in a box. That box wrapped in another thick layer of bubble wrap, and put inside a box that is reinforced with rigid foam on all sides to make it even stiffer. I have a online electronics business, and even though I use some pretty extreme packing, items that worked when shipped do not when they are received. The shippers can ruin anything. My wife worked in a US post office. Some of the employees liked to drop kick parcels across the room and into the hamper. If they missed, try, try, again.

 

[dak723]

I don't know the extent of your conversation with Canon, but I wouldn't waste my time asking questions here - you should be asking the technicians at Canon to explain exactly what is wrong and exactly how this is causing your de-centering issue. Tell them that you will not be having any repairs done at that price without having them give you a detailed explanation. Hopefully, they will give you all the answers that you seek so that you can decide whether or not to have them do the repair, have them return the lens as is so that you can take it elsewhere, or decide to do nothing because the issue isn't worth the cost of repair.

 

[brad-man]

The 70-200 is a pretty robust lens. For the main cam in the barrel assembly to become damaged would likely require a significant impact or extreme wear (barring a defective part). It's replacement does appear to be rather labor intensive (where's Roger when you need him?). I don't know the going rate for the barrel assembly, but it's presently going for $500 on ebay. Good luck!



http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-BARREL-ASS-039-Y-SET-MAIN-CAM-Canon-EF-70-200mm-2-8-L-IS-USM-II-lens-/172483637793