17-40mm, uneven ghosting problem

Hey all,

I've been using my 17-40mm for some time now and I have noticed that the lens has a disfunction. The left side of whatever image I take has a lot of ghosting whereas the right image seems fine.

Examples @ f/4, 1/2000, 17mm, ISO100:

Left side: http://i45.tinypic.com​/2lkd7pu.jpg
Right side: http://i45.tinypic.com​/r1daah.jpg

Bumping the aperture to f/5.6 makes the problem less apparent.

Is this a normal problem, because it makes the lens quite unusable. It's annoying to say the least.

The lens appears to be mis-aligned. Have you had the lens for a while, or is it new to you? Have you recently noticed this problem, or has the lens always had it? Has the lens been struck, dropped, hit, etc?

Does the problem occur with other lenses? If not, then it looks like a trip to Canon is in order. If it shows up with other lenses, then the camera sensor may be suspect.

(Really simple / obvious question: are the front and rear lens elements clean?)

I carefully handle all my lenses, the lens is clean and has never fell or hit anything. Other lenses perform fine, I've only seen it happen with my 17-40mm!

I don't think it qualifies for a trip to Canon, since I bought it second-handed.

I meant for a repair, not necessarily warranty work. From the sample you posted, and your original comments, you are (understandably!) not happy with these results.

RobinSchouten wrote in post #14624734


I don't think it qualifies for a trip to Canon, since I bought it second-handed.

I think it still qualifies for a trip to Canon. Unless you just want to chalk it up as a loss. Canon should be able to fix that, they might even do it under warranty, I'd have them at least send an estimate of cost. My 17-40 is sharp across the frame.

My 17-40 has the UW serial code. That means it's made in 2008... Would warranty still apply for this lens?

What would be an estimate cost for lens calibration?

Could anyone fill me in on the estimate price (from personal experience)?

Would I be able to get it aligned in the Netherlands?

RobinSchouten wrote in post #14628079
Could anyone fill me in on the estimate price (from personal experience)?

Would I be able to get it aligned in the Netherlands?

Canon's US warranty is 1 year, so assuming the EU warranty isn't dramatically different, it will no longer apply.

Prices are hard to quote, since Canon wants to see the item in question before issuing a estimate. In the US, barring a major part replacement, I'd expect the issue to cost something in the area of 150-250 USD.

Visit Canon.nl or call 088 -7322666

It looks as though it may be de-centred but it's difficult to tell with these pictures.
Try taking a picture of a flat brick wall, making sure that the camera is parallel to the wall both horizontally and vertically.

Does this lens have a filter on it, the issue could be the result of a poor quality filter ?

lannes wrote in post #14630633
Does this lens have a filter on it, the issue could be the result of a poor quality filter ?

There is not filter on the lens, thanks.

I have contacted Canon. They told me that they will not fix it, because it does not have warranty anymore. There was no optional paid repair available, because first they'd want to see the lens for themselves. I was warned for high costs and they couldn't assure me that they'll try to fix the problem.

This does not help me at all. As far as I know, my question was a simple one: asking for an estimate cost concerning realignment of the 17-40.

Are there any trusted retailers that could help me out here?

I had a similar issue with my 17-40 brand new:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=792320

In the end, I sent it to canon, they took a while, sent it back and it was still the same. I ended up living with it.

mrkgoo wrote in post #14650715
I had a similar issue with my 17-40 brand new:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=792320

In the end, I sent it to canon, they took a while, sent it back and it was still the same. I ended up living with it.

Thank you for sharing, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. Mine performs better @ f/5.6, have you tested it with higher apertures? I mean it's still a great lens if you're only going to use it at 5.6 or higher.

i've owned 2 17-40's, both soft near the outer edges, but not quite that bad.

RobinSchouten wrote in post #14653104
Thank you for sharing, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. Mine performs better @ f/5.6, have you tested it with higher apertures? I mean it's still a great lens if you're only going to use it at 5.6 or higher.

My issue was mostly the way bokeh looked over at the left. It was kind of unnoticeable most of the time. It only really was apparent if I used it wide open and there were trees or something else with high detail, and slightly out of focus.

I learnt an important lesson with my 17-40 - that IQ isn't everything, particularly pixel-peeping. I frequently use it at F/4.0 these days. So long as the images look fine, I'm not too bothered.