28-135 IS USM cracked inside element

[45R]

Man I wanna cry!!!!

This lens is just over a year old!! I took it off the camera today to clean the lens after shooting some pictures and noticed this chip. How does one get a chip inside the crystal/lens? ITs never been dropped, stepped on or bumped into.

Its on the posterior lens closest to the sensor!! I can't believe this! The strange thing is that it has not effected my pictures. I have to wait until Monday to call MACK. The Canon wont warranty is because its 16 days outside warranty.....

Here are the pictures

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44943835.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44943836.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44943837.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44943838.jpg

This is a shot from the lens.
http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44943839.jpg

[ddelallata]

It may look like a chip, but it probably isn't. I had something similar appear when my brand new 28-105 came in a year ago. I almost pooped my pants. It lookes almost exactly to what you have on yours. It turned out to be a piece of dust or some extra glass from the factory I guess. What I did was zoom in and out pretty forcefully until I could here a slight snap as the zoom reached its max at both ends and the particle somehow just came off the glass element. Give it a try.

[45R]

Well the good news it that the picture quality is still the same. The bad news is that for some reason my autofocus hunts like crazy now.....err! Any other suggestions on how to get this foreign object off my element.