Do Lens Wear out?

[Sailare]

Regarding these three lens --
Canon 50mm F1.8 II
Canon 50mm f1.8 (early metal mount)
Canon 50mm F1.4

My first impression is they are all very good optically and not that significantly far apart as far as sharpness. The F1.4 new is roughly 3x the f1.8 II price with a used metal mount somewhere in between.

Will a 50mm f1.4 last me three times longer than say "3" of the F1.8 II

Does the Cheapy wear out faster or is it more about how it feels and looks?

[markubig]

i've owned both and am probably one of the few who have went backwards from the 1.4 to the 1.8 II. I didn't use the 50mm 1.4 as much to justify keeping it around, so I sold it and got myself a grip, 50mm1.8II and computrekker bag. Just holding the 1.8II initally, I could already FEEL a huge difference between the two. The 1.4 just felt heavier and more solidly built, so i could only assume that the 1.4 would last longer in everyday, rugged, use. The 1.8 II feels like it would break if I hit it on something or drop it. However, for the price and quality, i don't mind having it. I'm pretty careful with my equipment anyway.

[steven]

So to generalize the question.

Has anyone had a lens wear out? I mostly interested in EF one but any information on lens and life span. You still see very old lenses for sale.

[cmM]

it depends on how well you take care of it. If you're carefull with the lenses, they might easily last for ages.... (until mushrooms start growing on the coatings inside the lens :-P)

[jbradc]

Anything with moving parts can wear over time. The degree to which it wears deponds on the quality of the lens and how you maintain it.

[Longwatcher]

On the flip side if you are brutal to your lens like I tend to be. Location shoots are hell on lenses (and cameras, models, photographers and assistants)

So far I have sent my 28-135 IS lens in twice (had for 3 years, first time it was still under warranty) and my 100-400L in once for repairs (bought used, stopped manually focusing).

If I had a 50/1.8 I would just get a new one if it broke, but if my 50/1.4 goes at some point I plan on sending it in for repairs.

If you leave it on a shelf and never use it the lens will last several hundred years to be found later by archeologists. After that the plastic lenses may break down a little faster then the metal (unless in a overly humid environment). I have a Canon FD lens from the 70's that is still good to go, but it gets little use these days (and for the past decade).

So in conclusion lenses can literally last a lifetime, but if used a lot they wear out much faster.

[cmM]

If you leave it on a shelf and never use it the lens will last several hundred years to be found later by archeologists.
Hahahhahahaha :-P
That's signature worthy :)

[davidwegs]

Not so far.

[steven]

So far I have sent my 28-135 IS lens in twice (had for 3 years, first time it was still under warranty) and my 100-400L in once for repairs (bought used, stopped manually focusing).

Two more questions,

what were the problems you had with your 28-135? (I just ordered this lens)

and

are the repair costs fixed (one price fixes all) or do you have to wait to find out what the cost is?

Thanks

[Mark Kemp]

My first Canon lens - about 10 years ago was a 35-105mm zoom, which was a basic lens back then. Eventually the autofocus mechanism just would not turn the lens most of the time. This was after a lot of use and probably a result of getting sand or dirt in the mechanism. This is the only lens I have ever had show any signs of wear and even this was still optically fine as long as you manually focussed. It got traded in against another lens last year.

[Longwatcher]

Two more questions,

what were the problems you had with your 28-135? (I just ordered this lens)

and

are the repair costs fixed (one price fixes all) or do you have to wait to find out what the cost is?

Thanks
The problem with 28-135 IS was
- First one of the elements went out of alignment just before the end of the warranty period. I was getting bad focus on the left side of the image which affected about 25%, the rest was sharp. It was kind of bizarre. I am suspecting heat and cold had a lot to do with it. This lens has traveled all over the country with me and also went on a trip to Jamaica so all that banging around (even in a lowepro or tamrac bag) is bound to cause problems.
- Then later the autofocus would hunt forever if set between 28 and 35mm, otherwise it worked fine.
When it came back both times it worked great. I don't use it as much since getting the 28-70L, but I occasionally still take it on trips, instead of carrying the heavy stuff.

It is my understanding there is a general repair/adjustment fee which is fixed, but if it costs more then this (like you dropped the lens and broke some elements) it is my understanding they will let you know how much before fixing or recommending replacement. Both my 28-135 and 100-400 repairs came to around 30% of the base price, which I was told was common. Still cheaper then a new lens.

I should note that in the case of the 100-400 there was also a mounting plate for the IS on/off switch that was cracked and although I had said don't fix it if it costs anything extra to replace it (since it did not seem to affect anything except looks) Canon said if it comes in and they do anything to it, it goes out in completely fixed condition, whether I like it or not. So it is fix everything or take it back unfixed. So my 100-400 looks even better then when I bought it used. I am kind of mixed about that. On the one hand I like that attitude, on the other it probably cost another $50 to have that part fixed.

It took about 5-7 days to get them back. And for trivia it went through NJ repair.

Just my experience.

[blackviolet]

i've had my bigma serviced (an internal screw fell out) which they had back to me in a few days. and middle of last year the af/mf switch on my magic drainpipe (80-200L 2.8) failed. i guess i used to beat the hell out of this lens in the film days (though not anywhere near as bad as the guys at the local newspaper :shock: ). as this lens is discontinued and not serviceable (canon doesn't stock parts), it took awhile to find a replacement switch. but now i have it back in my arsenal.


you also have to watch for fungus...

[S45_fornow...]

it depends on how well you take care of it. If you're carefull with the lenses, they might easily last for ages.... (until mushrooms start growing on the coatings inside the lens :-P)

You realize that mushrooms sprout up and grow to good size in several hours easily :p

[MrChad]

I had a friend wear out the aperture blades on his Tamron 24-135mm.
The lens was stuck at about half open, had to send it back for repair under the 6yr warranty.

[Tom W]

30 year old Tamron 35-80 f/2.8 FD mount (actually, they called it "adaptall" since you could buy a mount for any major camera brand) simply wore out. The aperture would stick most of the time, the zoom got loose and sloppy, focus became consistently soft, and the rubber grips fell off. So, yes, I'd say that the lens wore out.

[phili1]

IN thirty years of SLR photography I have never had a lens wear out and most of mine were no L glass.

[DocFrankenstein]

I've seen a 50/1.8 mkII with worn out mount. Took one year for it to become loose enough for the contacts to give err99(?)... But the guy changed lenses really often...

[Alexia]

My dad still has lenses from 1970-ish. :shock: He hasn't used them for about ten years, but they still work great. Though none of them will work on EOS cameras. :(

[Tom W]

My dad still has lenses from 1970-ish. :shock: He hasn't used them for about ten years, but they still work great. Though none of them will work on EOS cameras. :(

I still have a couple of those lenses - I have my old FL mount (pre-FD mount) 50 mm f/1.8 Canon lens. It is a fine, smooth-operating piece of equipment. I wish today's lenses operated with the same precision and smoothness of those lenses.

[Avalonthas]

Well glass cant vitually last forever. Glass is a fluidic materials, so over time (long term) it starts to warp sort of like it is "melting". This is because glass at a molecular level are moving -- very very slowly. So after 30 years you will start to somewhat notice the change. Although 30 years from now, im sure it will give u enough use to justify u buying a newer one.

So in a ideal enviroment the only thing that will degrade is the mehcanical components. Any lenses with a ring or any other type of movement will get loose or start to get rough from driction. Crevaces will get dust and dirt in them unless u got some good micro cleaning tools. The outter body may surcome to a drop or two in its lifetime. The mounts are the first to go just because of the friction and banging of parts when u attach it, etc. So the actual glass itself will survive the mechanical aspects. I'd give any lens a good 5 or maybe a bit more if used alot without care. 5 to 10, and maybe stretched to 15 if you keep it in good condition, no banging, and keep them tuned up regularly. And I would give the glass 30 years before it starts to warp.