Dropped 70-200...

So yesterday I was doing a shoot, when I placed my camera and tripod down to go move a light stand, when I heard a sound no photographer wants to hear. I looked back thinking it was a light stand, but it was my 5D2 and 70-200 lens first into the ground. I nearly **** myself. I thought the front element would be smashed and game over for the lens. I looked and just seems to be slight filter thread damage and very slight dent. Camera is fine and lens seems to work fine. Theres is a slight rattle if I shake it, but not sure if that was there before The focus seems fine for now.

Anything else I can do to make sure my lens is still perfectly ok? Its was about a 1 ft drop.

Lesson learned: ALWAYS HAVE LENS HOOD ON. No filter would have done anything better besides shatter, and for sure the hood would have cushioned the blow.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #16270468
Anything else I can do to make sure my lens is still perfectly ok? Its was about a 1 ft drop.

Do the pictures look ok? If yes, take no action. The filter thread can easily be replaced, but it's not worth the trouble if filters still mount properly.

Also, a smashed front element by itself is a fairly simple R&R job and hardly game over for the lens.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #16270468
Lesson learned: ALWAYS HAVE LENS HOOD ON. No filter would have done anything better besides shatter, and for sure the hood would have cushioned the blow.

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Exactly the same thing happened to me some months ago with my 50D and 70-200 f/4 IS. I had a hood on, which I think helped, in that it presumably absorbed some of the force when it shattered. However, the filter ring was bent. It seemed to me to be working fine. I took some informal test shots and found no obvious problems, although I really should have taken some more careful ones. I took it to a good local repair shop. they checked it, said it was functioning fine, and replaced the filter ring. I think the total cost was about $150. I've had no problems since.

Just out of curiosity, were you mounted via the body or a lens tripod collar?

I'm not sure if the lens hood would have helped on contributed to more damage, it's hard to tell. Check the auto-focus, I think that's the part that is most sensitive. It can be re calibrated, my suggestion to you is to send it to a camera shop and have it checked, it's $50 insurance policy.

Sorry to hear that George.

I'm wondering about the tripod collar also. Had you mounted it by the body and did that contribute to the fall?

the shake could be the IS system if this is one of the lenses with IS. I know mine does.
its more of a wobble than a rattle.

Tony_Stark wrote in post #16270468
Lesson learned: ALWAYS HAVE LENS HOOD ON. No filter would have done anything better besides shatter, and for sure the hood would have cushioned the blow.

Sorry you dropped your lens. You might want to have that rattle checked out.

But why is it people always seem to assume filter use is advocated for strong impact protection? And why is it that when someone says "a filter saved my lens", everyone jumps on him for not having any proof, yet when someone says "a filter would not have done anything", with the exact same lack of proof, people blindly accept that as correct?

Sirrith wrote in post #16271426
Sorry you dropped your lens. You might want to have that rattle checked out.

But why is it people always seem to assume filter use is advocated for strong impact protection? And why is it that when someone says "a filter saved my lens", everyone jumps on him for not having any proof, yet when someone says "a filter would not have done anything", with the exact same lack of proof, people blindly accept that as correct?

Because people like picking sides, especially Americans. If there's duality in something, people will readily supply pigheaded opinions, masquerade them as fact, and bitterly argue in circles ad nauseum.

Nope no collar on the lens. It has the same weight as my old 24-105L, but I guess maybe because of it being longer, slightly cause my tripod to just tip over. I was meaning to tighten my tripod legs as well. What I think happened was when I put it down, I didnt fully extend the legs out. It was dark when I was shooting so wasnt fully aware. This situation is my fault no doubt. Just not paying well enough attention.