My 500mm lens was returned from the shop yesterday afternoon, even earlier than I dared hope. Here’s a recap and an explanation of the reason I’m now an enthusiastic supporter of Canon Professional Services (CPS).
Some readers will recall that I had to send the same lens (Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM) into Canon for repair just over a year ago because of focusing/sharpness issues. It was still (barely) under warranty so thankfully the repair and shipping costs were covered by Canon. The diagnosis was “shock damage” but there was no physical damage to the lens and it was repaired by making “electrical adjustments” only. I never understood how it could be shock damage because that lens had never been dropped or even bumped hard. So when I began having sharpness issues again a few weeks ago I suspected the damage had been caused by the extremely rough dirt roads that I travel often with the lens “hard mounted” into my lens caddy atop the center console of my pickup. In the interim I’ve made adjustments to both the caddy and to the console in an attempt to cushion the ride.
But my biggest complaint with Canon Service (and it was a huge one) was the down time while my lens was being repaired. Counting repair and shipping time I was without my lens for just over three weeks (Jan 9 – Jan 30, 2015). Being without it for that long drove me absolutely bonkers, especially because it was in the middle of “raptor season” around here.
So in late February I joined CPS and I was covered under their terms when I sent the lens in again a few days ago. Here’s what happened this time:
- I was without the lens for only 6 days (CPS guarantees a turnaround of three business days). Two of those days were weekend days when the Canon repair facility was closed and there was a one day delay when Canon requested that I send them my teleconverter so that lens, camera and tc could be tested together (I’d sent my camera in with the lens).
- CPS benefits include free return shipping but when they became aware that the lens had been in their facility a year previously with similar symptoms they sent me prepaid FedEx overnight shipping labels for all three items – lens, camera and tc. This was a big deal – my lens is big and heavy and very expensive so it also had to be insured (which Canon also paid for). Yesterday I made a special visit to FedEx to see what all that would have cost me. Overnight shipping and insurance on my lens would have cost me $432.38 one way ($120 of that was insurance). The camera and tc would be extra but I paid nothing for any of them.
- During the entire process CPS was accessible and forthcoming about the status of my gear and I’ve been impressed by their 24/7 CPS Support Hotline.
There are many other benefits to CPS too (more info can be found here). I belong to the Gold Membership level which costs me $100/year and that C-note was the best money I’ve ever spent. You qualify based on the Canon gear you have and I suspect that many of my readers could qualify easily. I actually qualify for the Platinum Membership level but in my situation I don’t see the need to do so. I’d highly recommend CPS to serious photographers who qualify (and no, that is not a paid endorsement). I know that Nikon has a similar program but I’m relatively unfamiliar with it.
There’s only one caveat. I don’t know yet if my lens issue is fixed or if one even existed in the first place. In their “service details” that came with the repaired lens they say that “the product performed according to specifications” but they also say that “adjustments were carried out on the autofocus assembly”. I’ll be calling CPS soon in hopes of talking to the technician so I can get additional feedback. I do have some questions but I was able to very briefly take some test shots last night just before dusk and at this point those results look promising.
I’m very tired of moderately soft shots. This Western Grebe image illustrates the kind of sharpness I’m used to – even when viewed at 100% both birds are almost sharp enough to cut my eyeballs. It’s relatively easy for a slightly soft image to look good at the size I use on the web (900 pixels on the long side) but at larger sizes, especially for printing, any softness becomes glaring. I’ve recently licensed this image to a highly respected publisher to be printed at 3/4 page for a new bird book they’re coming out with this summer. If the birds in the photo had been even slightly soft the image would never have been sold.
I hope my lens issues are behind me but it’ll likely take me a few days to know for sure. We’re in the midst of an awful winter inversion so shooting conditions aren’t the best.
I apologize to many of my readers for this post. Some have no real interest in photo-geek stuff but others are serious photographers who may have considered joining CPS for some time so I thought this information might be useful.
Ron
Was admiring your Magpie pic ( 2/17/16 ) taken with your repaired 500mm lens and wondered if you have got ton around to completing your carrier upgrade design?
Yes, Dan, I have. It’s really not a change in design – I like my lens caddy as it is. All I’ve done is put some cushioning foam (it’s called camper tape – the kind they put between pickup campers and the bed of the truck) between the caddy and the console it sits on and I’ve also placed padding under the console to cushion the bouncing. I’m hoping that it all works out.
First, I LOVE the image, Ron! It’s ‘simply stunning’ as my grandmother used to say. Nature provides brilliant subjects and settings. It’s nice when a talented photographer is in the right place at the right time to capture it. You done good!
Thanks too for the technical info about your gear and your experience about CPS. I am transitioning to Canon for my bird photography due to its advanced AF features and renowned optics so will be eager to hear how the lens performs. Between yours and a few other stories I’ve heard, it sounds like stellar customer service from CPS. That is especially impressive these days; sounds like a dream come true when good gear goes bad.
Thanks so much for all your posts. I’ve learned a lot and thoroughly enjoy your photographic style and images!
EXCELLENT news.
Consider me happy dancing – which leaves you free to take photos.
EC, dare you to send me a photo of you happy dancing. I’d post it… 🙂
As a community service gesture there are as few photos of me as possible. And none dancing.
Consider a jelly-fish. A large jelly fish.
I like your style, EC…
I’ll have it enlarged and make sure it goes viral!
Great news! Hoping you enjoy a long period of problem-free shooting.
Thanks, Marvin. I hope so too!
Your experiences and problems make me wonder how the news men and women war correspondents and photographers handle the shock and vibration issues they must face….
Patty, those types of photographers tend to use lenses smaller, cheaper and less fragile than most of these big prime lenses.
Geek on! I’m not a serious photographer, but I appreciate passion!
“I’m not a serious photographer, but I appreciate passion!”
Well said, Arwen. I feel the same about some activities I’m mostly ignorant about when others have the passion for it.
What a wonderful photo!! Really, really special!
Thanks very much, Pat.
What a pleasant surprise to get the lens back a day earlier than what you expected. I agree that CPS is worth every penny. I was surprised to hear that diagnostic info was striped out when converting to .dng, however. The benefits of the conversion far outweigh anything Canon may need for diagnostics, IMHO. I could always shoot an example for them in there proprietary .CR2 format (which doesn’t follow international convention of small letter file extensions) if necessary. For one, I would not be able to use LR4 or CS5 with my 7Dii and I know that I’ll always be able to use any and all Adobe products that work with raw files with the conversion to .dng and not need to upgrade any software now or in the future,. Canon has some issues, but CPS isn’t one of them.
Thanks for the info, Neil. I’ve never dinked around with .DNG files so I’m learning some stuff from you and others.
ron, you probably already know this on shipping, but I was told several years ago to insure my lens for only the amount of my camera insurance deductible ($500) – when I ship by ups or fed x – that makes shipping very affordable – (when I rented 500mm lens a while ago the shipping was less than $50 total) and if anything happens in shipping it is covered by
your whole camera package insurance – don’t know which company you go with. but obviously you have it – love those greb shots
I am anxious to see “my grebes’ in Klamath lake this spring
Good tip on the insurance, Barb. I hope you’re able to enjoy your grebes very soon.
Good story with some good outcomes, Ron. Thanks for sharing your experience. CPS is totally worth it, I have been pleased with them in the past, except I do wish they would be less vague on what they actually end up doing in their repair or adjustment. Just for curiosity sake and since I am very attached to equipment that I use almost everyday, it would be nice to understand it all better. Now, I wonder if CPS can “repair” the lighting conditions out here 😉 Yesterday I was amazed at the delay in acquiring focus… probably due to lack of contrast? Thanks for sharing your experience, again, I will now sleep a little better and will continue to be careful with my lens in my truck, however it makes sense to me that these lenses should be able to handle some road vibration. Looking forward to seeing more of your tack sharp images Ron, and I will be careful not to cut my eyeballs on them :-).
“I do wish they would be less vague on what they actually end up doing in their repair or adjustment”
As do I, Ed. And dang it was great to finally meet you out on the island this morning. I really enjoyed our visit!
Thanks Ron for the great tour of Antelope Island today. It was a real treat to have you show me your favorite spots on the island and your experiences ( I look forward to reading some of your older blog posts on the wildlife interactions you photographed out there ). Thanks again!
Ed, Some of those older posts weren’t very well written (I was new to blogging back then) but I think you’ll enjoy some of them anyway.
Great news and a wonderful shot!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
First, no need to apologize! This equipment is your life’s blood – the very essence of your blog, without which we would not be here!
Second, I hope when you find out the specifics you will share with us. I am very interested in what could cause these problems even though I know how delicate current equipment can be.
I have been having similar issues of softness, thinking it might be me, my settings, etc.
Any shared information will be extremely helpful.
Dick, If I get more detailed info I’ll be sure to share it. I did some testing on birds in flight in the fog and low light this morning and I’m encouraged by the sharpness I’m seeing, especially in those conditions.
Hey Ron, I’m SO happy for you!! I know your camera is “almost” a part of your body so to have that turn-a-round time as compared to last year would absolutely be worth the cost. I’m not a professional photographer but I found your story very interesting. If my skills were at your level, I’d be joining the program too!! I also wanted to mention something about your time for delivery by FedEx. I get a lot of things from Amazon and FedEx is one of the delivery companies they use. For FedEx, “deliver by 8PM” is there usual statement for the day of delivery to cover themselves but I rarely get deliveries that late. I’ve gotten things as early as 7AM!! So I didn’t think you would have to wait that late for your camera and I’m glad for you it wasn’t a long wait. I have been having problems with my Nikon D80. It will occasionally just not want to focus and of course it’s always at a bad time!! I need to take it in but dread it. This is a great time of year for birds AND great temperatures so I don’t want to be without it.
Yup, they also told me “delivery by 8PM”, Jo Ann – but I know the time their truck usually rolls through my neighborhood so I figured it would be between 3 and 4. It came at 3.
For Dick and Jo Ann above.
Check the gold contacts that couple the lens to the body. Even though they are gold plated, they still tarnish and need to be cleaned regularly. To clean the contacts, use the eraser on the end of a pencil to burnish the contacts. Take care not to get any eraser bits into the camera. I hold the camera with the lens opening facing down so gravity helps keep any bits out. I use compressed air to finish the task, but be gentle with the air.
Thx for the tip – I have issues every now and again with the Nikon D90 and, if turning it off and on doesn’t get it, removing and reattaching the lens has SO! 🙂
I LOVE this shot!!! Cute, crisp, crystal clear, every detail sharp…the water and reflections are wonderful!! Ought to be published every Mothers Day. I am no photo/camera techy so that kind of info goes right over my head, but I am always very interested in the story…sure hope you have the problem solved….if so, sounds like a valuable, publish-worthy tip to share in some phototechy magazine…
PS when I saw the size of your lens, I was amazed. It looks huge and heavy…I wondered if you lift weights so you can handle it…or if the lens itself is all the exercise equipment you need. A lens like that would send me to the hospital!
“It looks huge and heavy”
It is both, Patty but with this newer version of the lens Canon was able to shave off several pounds of weight so compared to my old one it actually feels light!
Impressive!
Agree, I have used Canon CPS for years. Very professional organization.
“Very professional organization”
That was also my experience, Richard.
I couldn’t agree more about CPS: I am also a Gold member (like you, qualified for Platinum, but decided it was too much). At photo conventions, they will check up to 2 pieces of equipment with a turnaround of mere hours. (At Imaging USA, if you had a high resolution image file, they made a free poster-size print for you, on the spot. I had a picture of a lion’s eye (from a photo safari), where you could see my silhouette reflected in the pupil).They are fabulous!
I am having softness issues with my 500 mm ( first generation) as well, but kerp thinking that I simply have not mastered it yet. It lives on a tripod with gimbal head, so shock should not be an issue. I may take it to CPS: thankfully they have a facility 45 min from me, so I can avoid shipping altogether.
Thank you for all your informative posts!
CPS does seem to bend over backwards to please their members and your experiences with them certainly reinforces that, Roberta.
Thank you! & Enjoy “The ReTurn” as we will, too. 🙂
I hope that happens. Thank you.
Glad the lens is back! 🙂 Thx for sharing about CPS. As a Nikon shooter it’s good to know it’s “out there” for Nikon tho my present equipment is a bit aged (Nikon D90) even if good and I uses some lenses other than Nikon. Good luck with the lens today! 🙂
Thanks, Judy. I’ve heard rumors that Nikon’s program may not be as “user friendly” as CPS is but I don’t know that for sure.
Equipment issues and technical info are all part of the photographers challenges. I enjoy hearing about those experiences, almost as much as the detailed knowledge of the subjects. I’ve been a CPS Platinum member for 3 years and I gush over their service! Whenever I have to send something back, I have them ship me replacement equipment of my choice, so I am never without gear. That has allowed me to try out other bodies and lenses, that I might not otherwise get to use. Everything comes back overnight, including Saturday, and as you pointed out, these supertelephoto lenses and their cases are very expensive to ship. I’ve also talked in-depth, on the phone to the technician to help me understand the repair. I too had shock damage after falling on cement steps with my 200-400mm taking a direct blow. They requested I send sample RAW files showing the problem I was encountering. That is how I learned that converting to .DNG strips a great deal of retrievable technical data that can be used to diagnose your equipment. These cameras collect an amazing amount of information, that they can utilize for diagnosis. That convinced me to leave my files RAW and not import with the conversion. That information may be of interest to your readers.
That’s very helpful information, Everet – thanks for providing it. They asked me to send them RAW files too, which I provided (I don’t convert to DNG).
Ron: Thank you. I hung on every word! Yes, we have some serious Canon equipment, and yes, my wife and I are serious bird photographers. Thanks for the benefit of your experience, not just today, but day after day. Very helpful, very generous.
Thanks VERY much, Richard. I figured that this kind of info might be helpful to some but I wasn’t sure about it. Your comment reassures me that this post won’t bore everyone… 🙂