In the past I’ve been lucky to avoid faulty or defective camera gear but now it’s my turn to pay the piper.
For several months now I’ve been having an issue with soft shots (focusing). I thought it was a problem with my relatively new Canon 7D Mark II camera but because the issue has been intermittent and variable it’s been extremely difficult to track down. But after weeks of scrutiny and many thousands of test shots with three different cameras and two different lenses I’ve concluded that it’s a problem with my 500 mm lens rather than the Mark II.
So the lens will be shipped off to Canon for repair today.
This will be the first time I’ve been without a 500 mm lens for about 8 years and I already feel naked without it. It usually rides shotgun in my lens caddy right next to me in my pickup so it will seem strange, even bizarre, for it not to be there. I might even see what my pickup interior looks like with the center console in the “up” position but I’m not looking forward to it.
At this point I don’t know how long it will be before I get the lens back but a minimum of 10 days seems likely.
I’m announcing this here because the situation is likely to have an effect on my Feathered Photography posts. Until I get the lens back my only other telephoto lens option is my 100-400 mm but using that lens will be like going from a cannon to a pea-shooter in comparison – it reduces my effective focal length from 1120 mm to 640 mm. That’s generally just not enough reach for birds.
So there may be days when I don’t publish blog posts. And when I do I’ll have to rely more heavily on older images (as I’ve already been doing for some time now). Regular readers will likely notice the change and I figured you deserved to know the reason for it.
Hopefully it won’t last long.
Ron
PS – What’s the “good news” I refer to in my title? It’s the fact that my new Mark II apparently isn’t defective. But I wish it had been, instead of the lens.
A Late Addendum: Some have noticed and commented on the patch of carpet (“tear strip”) where I rest my elbow on the door. Sharp eyes might also notice the piece of duct tape covering the buttons controlling the back windows. Mia shoots the same birds as I do from the back seat and I have to adjust my window to the best level to rest my lens on when we’re on a bird. You ought to hear (maybe not?) her reaction when in the excitement of the moment I blindly hit her button instead of mine and her window moves and tosses her lens around. Thus the tape…
Going through withdrawal yet? Maybe a good time to take those wider shots of the creature in its environment.Pushing Mia’s buttons are you? I wonder if she has ever cussed you, but happy for both of you that you found a solution.Happy shooting…
I understand how you feel, but have no doubt you will still pull off great photos with the 400mm. I’m still learning to use my 400mm upgrade and having fun with it, but sometimes have soft focus problems and, of course, have to crop heavily. My photos problems are with the photographer, not the equipment. 🙂
Ron, hang in there! Hopefully you’ve narrowed the problem to the right culprit! Did you sell the ver 1? The ole dust pump will make you appreciated the 500 even more! Hopefully coming out later this month for a day of shooting at Anrelope.
Chris
Daily lurker, infrequent poster….
Thanks, Chris. Yes, I sold my version 1 soon after I bought the new 500, about a year ago. I’ve actually never had the dust problem you mention with the 100-400 but I know that other folks complain about it.
Hey Ron. Turn it around and stop at Picture line and rent a 600 or use this as a test time to try out different lenses. They will make you a deal. Just a thought. Good luck
Interesting thought, Earl. Got my wheels turning…
My 500mm lens, I think, needs to go to Canon for the same reasons Ron. I’ll be watching for your comments when you get it back.
Oh no, Gail. I know how you feel. Is yours the version 1 or version 2? I had the first version for years with nary a hint of a problem. Then this (apparent) issue crops up its ugly head with the new one when it’s only a year old.
Ron, this is not good. However, if “Throwback January” pictures are not to your liking and you feel the exploration need, how ’bout two weeks of pictures of insects – or “what the birds eat!” We all love and admire the birds, but what exactly keeps the birds alive? Clean water sources, rodents and those edible creatures, and road kill, are sure close-up shots, no? Where do birds go when injured? How are the many different ways they are injured? Pictures of items that can cause injuries?
I have been asking people for years “where do the birds go when it rains?” No one has told me. (really, are there bird houses or bird caves?) Two or three weeks of acknowledging what keeps the birds going, I would find very interesting. Okay, one week of housing and one week of nourishments?
You’ve given me some food for thought, Dianne. Thank you.
As a newer member of your blogging community,I’m perfectly fine with a week of “best of” posts. 😀 Or “way back machine” posts. I may see something my avid stalking of your back blog area (gee that sounds a bit wrong, sorry) missed!
Who knows what I might end up doing for some of the posts, Arwen. I’m thinking about reworking a couple of the very early ones that I published when I first began blogging. Very few ever saw them because I was so new at it and almost no one even knew I was “out there”.
Hiss and spit. And repeat. Intermittent problems are a female dog to locate aren’t they? And, as an aside, why do we never hear the word ‘mittent’?
Good luck with the repairs. I hope the speed god smiles on you.
“And, as an aside, why do we never hear the word ‘mittent’?”
Dang, you can sure make me laugh sometimes, EC – even on a day like today. Thanks for that!
We’ll definitely miss new posts from Antelope Island and Farmingon Bay, but since I’m relatively new to your blog, I’ll enjoy the older images as if they were new…and I’ll take this as an opportunity to spend more time in your archives, too. Good stuff in there!
Wishing you patience and good luck as your lens is repaired, Ron.
Thanks, Chris. I hope you enjoy the archives!
So sorry to hear about your new 500mm issues–it must have been very difficult to make the decision to pack up your lenses and send it off. On the bright side…I can’t wait to see the images you post from your archives. Sometimes a second or third look at images can reveal gems that were previously passed over.
Yes, it was a very difficult decision, Sharon – part of the reason I put it off for so long. Too long, probably…
I’m sorry to hear about your lens, but glad to know that you’ve figured out what the problem is. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. I can deal with fewer posts if it comes to that, given that every couple of years I have to go for a 4-month period with no posts (it’s those darned world cruises we’ve been doing). I hope that your lesser lens will get you some shots you like and be ‘good company’ for you in your caddy.
I hope I’ve narrowed down the problem, Susan. If I’m wrong I’ll have gone without the 500 for a long time for no reason.
Hope you are back up and shooting with your big lens soon.
I hope so too, Marvin. Thanks.
Ron, I love your daily postings! Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your dedication!
I am curious…what type of window mount do you use?
Dee, I use a pool noodle on my window for support. I like it MUCH better that anything I’ve ever used before.
Explanation here: https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2014/09/24/tips-tricks-and-strategies-for-using-your-vehicle-as-a-mobile-blind/
Canon did such a good job refurbishing my 100-400 zoom about 15 months ago (basically cleaning, replacing the lock mechanism on the zoom, etc.) even though I thought the minimum price was high. However, for that price, they decided that the IS motor would be better off replaced…and they did, for no additional money. My advantage is that Canon is 15 minutes from here, but I’m sure your service will be as top notch.
“I’m sure your service will be as top notch.”
I hope so, Rich. My lens is on its way to the Canon Service Center in Irvine, CA.
May your disability be brief!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Sad news indeed. But let’s be optimist it would be much worst if you had broked your right arm.
And now you have the chance to improve your skills with an inferior lens. That will be a challenge.
Let’s get our fingers crossed and hope it will arrive fast. If not, we will be patient.
You’re right, Jorge – all in perspective. A good friend just broke her ankle and will be on crutches for two months following surgery. It could be worse…
Fingers crossed!
At least it wasn’t your camera, yea, I know you have an attachment to the lens, but you still can take pictures with your new camera. And, who knows, you might even get close enough to your subjects that a 100-400 x 1.4 might do the job.
At any rate your fans will be patient and be looking forward to the day you get your 500 back!
However, that tear strip you have on the drivers door side, probably will get a ton of use!
We all feel for you, especially those of us that also are camera buffs.
I’m about to leave right now to try to shoot birds with my “pea-shooter”, Dick. Tears will be flowing…
Ron – is the strip of carpeting I see on the drivers side door there to absorb the tears when you don’t get the shot????
Ha! No, Mark. I’d need a lot more carpet than that to absorb that many tears!
I’ve had a problem in the past with my left elbow resting on that hard plastic so the carpet is meant to soften it. Works well.
Ron, you mention effective focal length…are most of you images, that you pits, with the 500mm and an extender?
Yes, Rich. 500mm x 1.4 tc x 1.6 camera crop factor = 1120 mm. I nearly always include my image techs below the photos.
Look at it this way Ron. If, for the next 10 days or even two weeks, you post photos that aren’t up to your usual very high standards, we’ll be even more appreciative when your big lens is returned. And, while I can understand that you’ll feel under-equipped, I suspect that even your “below-standard” photos will be anticipated and enjoyed by all your blog subscribers. Hang in there.
I appreciate your confidence in me, Jeff. This is a fluid situation with my blog so I’m not sure what the effects will be. I don’t want to post sub-standard images so maybe my “style” will change temporarily. I’ll just have to see…
Ron,
Sorry to hear about your lens. I hope Canon can get it back to you fast. Do you have a CPS membership? If so, my experience with them has been they get things back within a few days. I am curious what problems you are having with the 500 ? Your lens caddy looks very nice. Is that something you made yourself, or is it a commercial product? Wishing you good luck and a fast repair on your lens.
Ed
Thanks for the good wishes, Ed. No, I don’t have a CPS membership. I don’t yet know the cause of the problem but the primary symptom is soft shots, no matter which camera I’m using. In the past that lens has been very, very sharp and I despise the results I’m usually getting lately.
I made that caddy myself. I also made one for Mia’s 500mm for the back seat (she shoots from there). We both love them.
Interesting Ron, regarding the new softness in the shots with your new lens. The fact that it went from sharp to soft is what is odd.
During the Festival of the Cranes this year at the Bosque del Apache NWR a small company Peachtree Camera Repair (http://peachtreecamerarepair.com/_pcr/services/autofocus-ca/) had a special offer for $10 per lens / camera body combination. They would tune the AF micro-adjust. I had them tune my 600 mm and a couple of bodies. I did notice significant improvement, especially with the tele-convertor lens combinations. I had tried to do AF micro-adjust myself earlier and did not seem to make any improvement. If I had to mail my lenses in for repair or adjustment, I would send them to Canon as you did.
The photos you have been posting with the 7D2 and the 1.4x have been super crisp! Last week I finally got the courage to shoot some very distant eagles with the 7D2 x 1.4x and 600 mm mkII. I was surprised at how well some, but not all, came out. At those focal lengths, especially with small apertures, I think the effects of turbulence come into play. Some day I want to measure this.
Ed, I had the camera professionally microadjusted (calibrated) to both the 500 mm and the tc right after I bought it. Then, when my focusing issues became apparent I had it done a second time on the possibility that it had been done incorrectly the first time. It hadn’t.