Dropped Lens

So, the unthinkable happened. I dropped my lens yesterday . I'm pretty sure its pretty much finished, but I thought I would get someone else's opinion:

http://1.bp.blogspot.c​om …bTXOuU/s1600/IM​G_2247.JPG

I'm still in school, studying robotics, which means that I am pretty much broke and that I am not afraid to open up anything up and give it a try at self repair. I watched a few hours of youtube videos of guys taking lenses apart last night, and I don't really see anything beyond my capability, I just really am unsure as to what is broken on it. As you can see, the zoom barrel is bent pretty badly. All of the lens elements are intact, and it still takes pictures just fine. I really want to just try and pop it back into place, but know this is a bad idea.

I bought my camera (300D) off of a guy that bought it when it first came out, so the lens itself is around 10 years old. The only other one i have is the 50mm, so my camera is pretty much worthless without it either repaired, or replaced. It seems kinda silly paying $100+ to repair a lens I can buy new for $175 from amazon and even cheaper if I wanted one in the same shape that this one was in. My other option is to hold out a year until I graduate, and then I can spend some real money and get a nice upgraded lens. I just really don't want to be without a general purpose lens for a whole year.

So what are my options? Do you think its repairable by either myself or a professional, or has it been totaled? If I could repair it, can anyone point me in a direction of how to go about doing it? If its a lost cause, does anyone have any recommendations for a new lens? I bought my 300D 5 years ago just to test see how much I enjoyed using it, and I think its safe to say that I'm in it for the long haul. Therefore I am not opposed to spend some money to get an upgrade, I'm just not a professional, so preferably keep it mid-range.

Also, anyone have any good coping strategies for such a loss? I felt so attached to that lens, and I didn't even realize it until it was too late. Anyone been there before?

Thanks for any thoughts, comments, or words of encouragement!

The 18-55mm kit lenses are essentially all plastic and glass with little to no metal components. That's definitely a case where it's not going to be worth fixing, unfortunately. Look at it as an opportunity to finally upgrade to some quality glass.

The repair on that is going to be a minimum of $100, and the newer 18-55mm lenses have IS and cost ~$140 retail.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …18_55mm_f_3_5_5​_6_IS.html

Your best option is to buy a used 18-55 IS for about $100. You could try selling the broken lens on ebay with a low starting bid. You might be surprised at what someone people would pay for a broken lens.

I know what it is like to be low on the funds at college. Save your money, and focus on your studies. You still h1ave the 50mm which is fine. Once you graduate and get a job, then you can start to decide on what direction you will be headed.

Good luck and graduate

You might want to go see older used lenses at a local shop. I got a old big Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 that is really sharp here. That kind of lenses are probably selling for peanuts now. However be sure to try and pixel peep before buying anything used.

Also I'm sure there's a lot of first generation 18-55mm non IS that you can get for less than 30$. You could put an ad in the newspaper saying that you will pay 30$ for a kit lens. A lot of people got that laying around after upgrading.

If you see one at 90$ in a shop, try to bargain it down. They are not going to sell it anyway... they might accept your money.

Lucky its only a cheap lens

Pull it apart and see what's wrong, you might find a broken one for sale cheap that has the parts you need.

Thanks for the replies. That helps a lot. I didn't realize it was the old version, so here I have been beating myself up for being careless and breaking what i thought was a $200 lens. I knew that images were always pretty blurry with it zoomed in past around 35mm, but I didn't realize it was from not having IS. I just assumed it was low light and opened the aperture a bit.

Honestly it may be a good thing. I have gotten a little careless with how i handle things since working in the machine vision industry this summer where everything is built to take a beating. It is a really good reminder that these things are really delicate and need to be taken very good care of. I'm just lucky it was a $30 lens to learn the lesson, and not something more expensive or as easily replaced.

Now i can take this as an opportunity to upgrade. I plan on buying a new body as soon as I graduate with my first paycheck (been the plan for a few years) but I suppose I could go ahead and get a lens. Now I will just need to decide what kind.

Thanks a lot!

I have a kit lens from my T2i for sale if your interested. Pm.

Best of luck!!!

I just sold this exact lens a few months back for 50$. I bought it on these boards as well. If you post a want to buy ad, I'm sure there are people out there that still have their kit lens left over.

thekevster08 wrote in post #14880298
I knew that images were always pretty blurry with it zoomed in past around 35mm, but I didn't realize it was from not having IS. I just assumed it was low light and opened the aperture a bit.

Its not. I use my 200mm regularly without blurry-ness and it doesn't have IS. What you're seeing could be a result of, as you rightly guessed, low light, and/or incorrect settings, combined with lack of proper technique, and a soft lens (the old 18-55 is not known to be a great performer optically).

Some of your blurry photos also could of been caused by the cheap UV filter on it .

David

I would look for the 18-55IS in a white box from a retailer. They will be about the price of a used lens, but are likely taken from a kit. This would be the way to go.
The older 18-55 isn't worth the cost of a repair.

You can pick up an 18-55IS off eBay for like $70 off eBay-

I am selling one $75 never used

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1219596