70-200mm IS L USM Err 01

[kndreyn]

About a month ago I bought a Canon 70 - 200 F2.8 IS L lense. I haven't had much opportunity to use this lense yet, but it seems almost everytime I do, I get a Err 01 message and it locks my 1D MkII up. Turning the camera off and detaching and reattaching the lense clears it. I called Canon today and they said they've never heard of this problem. I know I've seen it mentioned here and doing a search found some references to it, but the main link in those threads is gone now. Have you folks determined for sure there is a problem with this lense? And if so, why would Canon Tech tell me there were no issues with it? I was shooting a high school basketball game last night and it locked up twice on me. Very frustrating.

[CyberDyneSystems]

The larger discussion on this issue was taking palce on Rob Galbrait's forums... where If I recal even Canon's own Chuck Westfall admitted to the situation.

Call Canon again.. and don't even discuss this as if it is part of a larger problem.. the fact of the matter is quie simple. You have 6,000.00 in new Canon Equipment that is not working correctly,. and they need to fix it for you. Whether or not this has happened before does not matter.. they just need to make it all work.

Whether they replace the lens or fix the one you have.

[kndreyn]

Yeah, that was the link I was looking for but it seems to have been lost to a server upgrade or something. The Canon tech. told me to clean the contacts and if it still does it, then call back. I have another game to shoot this Thursday, but I was going to try my 85 F1.8 for that one. Maybe I'll tote the 70 - 200 along and shoot the JV game with that.

The larger discussion on this issue was taking palce on Rob Galbrait's forums... where If I recal even Canon's own Chuck Westfall admitted to the situation.

[Nigel Wallace]

Kndreyn

I had err01 on my 100 - 400, It did exactly what you said on my 10D. Try switching off the image stab. It worked then, but as soon as i put my IS back on it locked up making me think it was the gyro in the lens. I sent my 100 - 400 (which was only 4 months old) back to Canon Uk (Where i live) and they fixed it no probs. Had it back now about 3 weeks and touch wood no more problems.

Hope it helps

Cheers

Nigel

[Mills]

It happened to me last Friday. I had to pull the battery to get it to stop. Only happened once though.

[kndreyn]

Nigel -

I bought the 100 - 400 and the 17 - 40 F4 L at the same time and haven't had it happen with those lenses, even though I've used them a lot more than the 70 - 200. After talking to Canon, I cleaned the contacts on the 70 -200 and have been shooting random shots without a glitch. Hopefully that's all it was.

Thanks for the replies folks.

[CharlesK]

Kndreyn

I had exactly the same problem with the 70 - 200mm F2.8 IS L lens. I would just turn the camera off, and clean the contacts on the lens, until the problem would reoccur. This would happen about 6 times during an afternoon of shooting. This happened with 10D body, so I thought it may be locking up with software. The problem reproduced itself when I updated to 20D, so I sent it away to Canon.....10day later they had replaced the image stablizer mechanism, and to date no problems...

Charles

[Mark Mathews]

I got a Error 1 message today for the first time. Thought it had something to do with my battery going dead halfway into a shoot. Switched to the AC adapter. I was shooting with a 28-135-IS with a extension tube (closeups of seafood) I had to pull the ac cord to get it to stop blinking. When I started to remove the lens / extension tube, I realized the lens had rotated out of the locked position on the extension tube. Clicked it back into place and everything worked fine. :)

[MarkoPolo]

I've noticed the same thing with my 100-400. It only happens when I have image stabilizer 1 on and I pan quickly. I will literally hear a "clunk" and the floating lens element swings wildly. Then I get error 1. I presumed this was from using the IS in situations it was not designed for and is normal. Now after reading these replys I am wondering if I have a faulty IS unit. Any one else with similar results? Mark

[JX]

Dear kndreyn,



The Canon Rep that told you he never heard of this problem should be fired. In fact this problem is well documented. You have a bad IS unit. Don’t bother cleaning the lens contacts it will not help. Your lens will work as long as you don’t turn on IS. If “IS” is turned you may be able to take 10 to 15 shots and it will lock up. You will have to send the lens in for repairs. Canon quality control for problems with the 70-200 F/2.8 L IS is at best dismal. You are now the fourth person on this forum (including myself) to post this problem.



The len minus the IS unit is a fantastic lens. If I had to do it over I would have order the 70-200 F/2.8 L and save my self $500.00.

[kndreyn]

Hi JX,

Mine isn't doing it that frequently it seems. The first night I used the lense, I shot 220 images and it locked up twice. Last night I shot 180 images and it locked up once. Also, today, for the first time, my 100 - 400 locked my camera up. I had just put the lense on, and when I turned the camera on, nothing worked. I turned the camera off, unmounted the lense and remounted it and it worked fine. This is the first time the 100 - 400 has done this and I've used it quite a bit since I bought it. One dilemma I have is, since I had to chop the factory boxes up to send pieces back for the rebate, I don't have the boxes to package the lense up to return it. I'm sure I'll find something to package it in, but it would be nice to have been able to keep the original box.



Dear kndreyn,



The Canon Rep that told you he never heard of this problem should be fired. In fact this problem is well documented. You have a bad IS unit. Don’t bother cleaning the lens contacts it will not help. Your lens will work as long as you don’t turn on IS. If “IS” is turned you may be able to take 10 to 15 shots and it will lock up. You will have to send the lens in for repairs. Canon quality control for problems with the 70-200 F/2.8 L IS is at best dismal. You are now the fourth person on this forum (including myself) to post this problem.



The len minus the IS unit is a fantastic lens. If I had to do it over I would have order the 70-200 F/2.8 L and save my self $500.00.

[JX]

Hi kndreyn

I was wondering did you have "IS" on while you were shooting. My next question is what canon camera are you shooting with? I have a 1D Mark II. My camera does not lock up when I use another lens. I had a freind use my lens on her Mark II with "IS" turned on. Her camera lock up after a few shots.

[raztazor]

I thought I would add to this discussion by reporting that I have also experienced an Err01 when using my NEW 70-200 L USM f2.8 IS lens with a 1.4x TC. This happened about 3 times on Sunday last (20th Feb). In order to resolve the issue I had to turn off my 20D, unmount and remount the lens. I took about 200 photos that day to give you an indication as to frequency. The weekend before when I hired a 70-200 L IS USM I did not have the problem at all but I was not using a 1.4x TC. Also it was a different lens to one I have. Now I am seriously thinking I may have a dodgy IS hence the Err01 after reading this thread.

[ultravibe]

Same problem here!

I just bought the 70-200mm 2.8 IS L USM and shot about 350 pictures of a college baseball game and track meet. Twice my Canon 10D gave me an Err 01 message and the only way to fix it was to turn it off, slightly dismount the lens and remount it. The lens contacts and body contacts are clean as a whistle so that's definitely not the problem.



Also however I found that on two occasions I didn't get any error but the auto focus mechanism failed to work and the aperture failed to work showing "000" in the display. The only solution again was to shut down and slightly dismount and remount the lens. Ugh, it's a lot of money for a buggy lens.



On a positive note the 350 pictures that it did work, WOW, this lens is incredible!

[JX]

Hi ultravibe,



Send it back now for repairs before you get too attached to it. It is a great lens as far as optical quality. Very fast auto focus. But Canon's ability to produce a defective free lens takes a real hit when talking about the 70-200 F/2.8 L IS lens. So many problems with the IS on this lens. This problem is so well documented on this forum and others. Yet when you call Canon customer service, they will tell this is the first time they have ever heard of the problem.



Let me know how you make out.

[Fate]

Make that the 5th person to report this problem..

Only for me it's getting REALLY serious..
I'm talking about EVERY SECOND SHOT I'm getting the damn Err01 and I'm stuck in 2 weeks of shooting Dancers on stage, NEED the Image Stabilizer on, and have no way of getting it fixed in that time..

Is it definately the lens?? I've had trouble with other lenses as well although no where near this bad..
and please, does anyone have a quick fix?? I'm desperate until I can take this damn thing in for a service!

[tim]

Try turning off IS and using a tripod until you can get it serviced.

[Cadwell]

Same problem here!

I just bought the 70-200mm 2.8 IS L USM and shot about 350 pictures of a college baseball game and track meet. Twice my Canon 10D gave me an Err 01 message and the only way to fix it was to turn it off, slightly dismount the lens and remount it. The lens contacts and body contacts are clean as a whistle so that's definitely not the problem.



Also however I found that on two occasions I didn't get any error but the auto focus mechanism failed to work and the aperture failed to work showing "000" in the display. The only solution again was to shut down and slightly dismount and remount the lens. Ugh, it's a lot of money for a buggy lens.



On a positive note the 350 pictures that it did work, WOW, this lens is incredible!

Your IS mechanism has failed. The same thing happened to my EF 100-400L IS USM a couple of weeks back. Canon service replaced the IS mechanism on my lens. All is OK now.

[Thenethiel]

I just got back from a weekend of using my new 70-200L IS and 1.4x TC, got both the Err 01 and the 00 Aperture problems a few times over the course of 300 shots, all with IS on and the TC, I just removed the lens about half way and put it back, without even turning my 300D off, and it went away for a while. After reading this I might go ahead and send it for service now before I risk it getting worse when I need it to work. On the plus side, I didn't really miss any good shots because of it and the ones I got are amazing, at least for me being used to the kit lens:p

Edit: On a side note, since I've never sent anything back like this, I have no idea how to go about actually doing it, anyone got some pointers?

[Jon]

Call them first (on general principles) and the tech will probably (he did for me) e-mail you a set of directions, including the recommended address to send it to. Basically, pack it into the original box (minus any rebate bar codes) with a copy of the bill of sale/invoice, and a description of the problem, and pack that inside a larger box surrounded with peanuts or bubble wrap. Then ship it back to Canon at the address they recommend, UPS or FedEX, insured for replacement cost.

[SDK^]

I'm also having problems with Error1 using the 100-400L IS and it happens on 2 different bodies.

What is the turnaround timescale for repair ?

[Jon]

Canon UK, I can't say. Canon New Jersey's turned things around for me in about a week - door to door in 10 days.

[rg-tom]

yup seems to be a real problem, canon need to get their act together, using SDK's 100-400 it did it a few times on his body and then when i was trying it it was lockin up every 6 or 7 shots, ruling out the bodies :/

[Jason R]

Exact same problems with my month old 70-200 USM IS locking up with ERR01. With mine, it's locks up on literally every other shot. It's unfortunate that it's happening to so many people, but was relieved to read that I am not alone and I appreciate that this thread exists. This has *never* happened with my year-old 16-35 so I know that the problem is with the 70-200 lens. I've cleaned the contacts, and have tried the same remedies as others have done above -- turning the body on and off; taking the lens on and off -- but to no avail. Will try to get repaired by Canon... more later.
Thanks.

[gabymiami]

ONE MORE ! err 01 - IS Problem... and do they go how many?
Buy my 20d 2 weeks ago today I also received my 1.4 to extend when it uses it next to my 70-200 L 2.8 IS my F they were shown in 00 and immediately err 01 are VERY SAD I can still return the lens ...no you if to return my lens to B&H to recover my money or a new lens or to Canon for the IS service...

Gabriel

[gabymiami]

REPAIR REQUEST (CANON USA) THE 70-200 L 2.8 IS ..."NOT THIS IN THE SUPPORT LIST AT THIS MOMENT"
TO SEE THE REPAIR REQUEST PAGE ...
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=OnlineRepairBookingAct&fcategoryid=216&modelid=7469
where I should send my lens so that canon gets ready the problem of IS?
I have spent USD 3800 in a canon equipment that I cannot use
I should cover events every week...
I am VERY SAD...and disappointed...

Gabriel