Shoddy product and crap service...

SO, when I went Canon, I purchased a 40D, 100-400L, 17-85 and a 580EXII flash...

The gear worked well for many years, until the 17-85 stopped focusing (I NOW know it was a fixable issue, but didn't back then, so sold the lens as a man focus only lens and brought an 18-135 in November 2011) and I sold the 40D last year (still in excellent condition) to buy a new 7D.

Now, come may 2012 (around 6 months after purchase) and I notice that the 18-135 has a bit of movement in the front...and it was getting worse, so I started hunting for the original receipt (couldn't remember where I had brought it from) and only found it last month, so I sent it in to Canon to sort out...

Now, when I took the lens back to the shop (before being sent back), the owner commented on how he thought the lens was 'so bad, it looks and feels like it's about to fall apart'; a sentiment I too shared. We pulled a brand new 18-135 out of his cabinet and this had ZERO play, it was tight as.

So, after the lens being away for two weeks, I get a call from the shop to pick it up...also told they had disassembled it and tightened some internal screws...

When I got to the shop, it was exactly as loose as it had been before canon got it, and the accompanying note claimed that the "the small play in the end is common in this lens model"...WTF?

Not only did it wobble in my hands as i walked out of the shop (there's THAT much play in it), but the focusing ring is also loose and it just feels like it'll come apart in my hands...

An angry phone call to canon this afternoon has resulted in canon asking for it to be sent back again (but, i fear it will just be deemed standard play and ignored again, as i pointed out to the canon person on the phone)...

Considering this lens has a cost to canon of approx NZ$250 (although I paid NZ$999 when new), a quicker, and more customer friendly solution (i would have thought) would be to just replace it and deal with the offending lens themselves...

Anyone else out there think a 6 month old lens should have so much play in the barrel that it wobbles in your hand when carrying it?

My 18-135 is over two years old. It was my go-to lens until I bought a 15-85. It still worked and felt like new when I got rid of it last week. I estimate I took over 5,000 shots with the 18-135 lens.

I've just had a look at the wifes 18-135 and it has a tiny amount of movement in the front end, but only when fully extended. The focus ring is very easy to move when the lens is set to MF but still works perfectly. In no way is it in an 'about to fall apart condition' though and as far as I can recall it's been like this since I got it for her. I've used it a couple of times on my 7D and while it's not a 'steller' lens, it's certainly good enough for a walkabout lens for non critical shots.

You noticed the issue in May 2012.... And did not address it until early 2013...
I'd recommend addressing issues when they appear, not after they appear and have time to get worse and worse, which is what you did...
Your lack of any urgency on this makes me question this thread - why wait almost a year to get something fixed, but then quickly jump on forums when not satisfied??

Anything and everyone can break down or fall apart. Watching it do so for almost a year and doing nothing about it isn't going to help.

SMP_Homer wrote in post #15739016
You noticed the issue in May 2012.... And did not address it until early 2013...
I'd recommend addressing issues when they appear, not after they appear and have time to get worse and worse, which is what you did...
Your lack of any urgency on this makes me question this thread - why wait almost a year to get something fixed, but then quickly jump on forums when not satisfied??

Anything and everyone can break down or fall apart. Watching it do so for almost a year and doing nothing about it isn't going to help.

You should not make so many assumptions...

Yes, I noticed it was getting a bit loose in May and by July it was loose enough to be a concern so I stopped using it. I had phoned canon and they said to return it to the shop I purchased it from with the receipt and they would look at it.

I couldn't remember the shop I had brought it from (as there are a lot of camera shops in town that i buy from) and it was ONLY after I found the original receipt that i could take it back in, which I did immediately...

Sure things fall apart, but after 6 months?

And, I'm 'jumping on forums' to get some info on whether the 'canon line' about this model being loose from factory is actually true or a brush off...

Looking like I was right, and it's just an excuse to not honor the warranty...

first off i'd start shopping in a different store $999 for that lens?

STIC wrote in post #15740201
You should not make so many assumptions...

no assumptions made - everything I said came from info gathered in your original post

SMP_Homer wrote in post #15739016
You noticed the issue in May 2012.... And did not address it until early 2013...

You caught that too? I also felt a sense of non-urgency. OP, not a knock on you, but if it is THAT big a deal why did it take 7+ months to track down the reciept? A quick solution to avoid going thru that hassel again is to register your lens. I'm also confused about who looked at the lens- Canon or your camera shop?

DreDaze wrote in post #15740247
first off i'd start shopping in a different store $999 for that lens?

$999 NZD, that's about $825 US. Still more than we pay for it here in the U.S.

SMP_Homer wrote in post #15740277
no assumptions made - everything I said came from info gathered in your original post

You assumed I had done nothing about getting it fixed (or looked at)...

You assumed I had kept using it...

You assumed I didn't think it was worth acting on...

rivas8409 wrote in post #15740288
You caught that too? I also felt a sense of non-urgency. OP, not a knock on you, but if it is THAT big a deal why did it take 7+ months to track down the reciept? A quick solution to avoid going thru that hassel again is to register your lens. I'm also confused about who looked at the lens- Canon or your camera shop?


$999 NZD, that's about $825 US. Still more than we pay for it here in the U.S.

Currently sells here in NZ for NZ$440

Firstly, I spoke directly to Canon NZ to find out if they knew why this would happen, and maybe find out if it is a common fault and get info on returning it for service...

Due to their requirement to have the original Invoice (and my lack of memory on which shop I purchased it) It took a while to find the invoice (was actually in a box with other paperwork in the garage, tucked away after moving).

I did NOT use it once the problem became serious.

And, when I DID send it in (took it into the shop, and they sent it back to Canon NZ), they claimed it was normal play on this model (which we ALL know is rubbish)...

Also, thanks for the replies about other 18-135 lenses that are tight after several years use, just the info I was looking for.

Also, when I say the focusing ring is loose, I don't mean that there is play side to side, I mean that the actual focusing ring also wobbles with the end of the lens (moving away from the outer casing)...

STIC wrote in post #15740201
...Looking like I was right, and it's just an excuse to not honor the warranty...

If you first experience the problem in May 2012 (6 months after you bought it) means you bought it in November 2011. By the time you took take of the issue it was 15 months after purchase....3 months outside Canon's 1 year warranty. By your own account Canon told you to go back to the shop with the reciept it July 2012, still within the warranty period. If Canon did infact take a look at it, without charging you, then they honored thei warranty and then some becasue they did it after the 12 months was over.

Am I wrong? This is just what I'm gathering from your posts.

STIC wrote in post #15740334
And, when I DID send it in (with original receipt), they claimed it was normal play on this model (which we ALL know is rubbish)...

I don't know if it's rubbish. I don't own the lens, but I do remember my 28-135mm had some play in it. Yes it would wobble in my hand and at a point when it was on my 50D I thought that something in the camera was loose becasue of the noise it made as I was moving it around in my hand. It sure didn't have the same feel of any "L" lens I've used but then again I wasn't expecting it to.

send it back and see what happens. they offered to take a look at it again, so i would follow through with that rather than get upset.

to comment on your question about them just giving you a new lens as a replacement. this is not going to happen, if they can fix it they will. it sounds like it needs to be tuned up and tightened, not put out to pasture.

It will indeed be going back.

Just so we are all clear here, the lens began to feel loose approx 6 months after purchase (it was NOT loose when new).

This slight play rapidly became a lot of movement, at which time I DID become concerned (around 8 months old at this point) and contacted Canon NZ immediately. This call logged the fault (within the warranty period) and as I didn't use it until it was sent in, then this is still a warranty issue.

Yes, I couldn't find the original receipt (a requirement of Canon NZ to get it looked at) for around 7 months but as soon as I did, I returned it to the shop and they sent it away with a letter explaining the problem, the time frame and also noting comments from the shop owner (a second opinion) and pointing out their new model in the shop did not display any movement at all.

Canon NZ claim they disassembled it and tightened several screws, but on return, it has the same serious slop at the end of the lens (when NOT extended) as it had before they "fixed it".

They also undertook this service/repair under the warranty on the lens, making no charge for the work.

As voiced by several people on here, on other forums and by the shop owner and myself while examining it alongside a new version, this lens has significant movement that does NOT appear on other lenses of this model!

Hopefully, that clears up why it IS covered by warranty despite being returned after the warranty period...

...and, we play the waiting game yet again...

Still waiting on the 'rep' to come in to the shop (where the lens has been for a week) to see a comparison between it and a new lens. Hopefully, when the 'rep' sees it, and the shop owner tells him he's sick of dealing with this-just replace it, maybe i'll have a solid lens again. God knows how long it'll take though...

give 'em stic... a big one.