Question for those who have the 100-400...

I'm just wondering if any of you who own the 100-400 have had to send it in to have the zoom ring (lock ring) serviced?
I have had this lens for about 8 years, but don't use it extensively (I have a 70-200 that I use most of the time) and I have had to send it in a few times now to have the zoom ring fixed. I know that the zoom lock ring has been a known issue with this lens, but I'm basically just curious to know how many have had issues with this lens and what you have had serviced on it.

Thanks for reading...(and letting me vent a little)

No issue with mine. I've had it about 18 months, but I don't use it often.

No issues with mine but it's less than a year old and is rarely used.

No issues with mine. I use the lock all the time and the lens is about 7 years old.

GeoffSobering wrote in post #16329082
No issues with mine. I use the lock all the time and the lens is about 7 years old.

No issues with mine either and it must be 8 years.

No issue with mine (knock on wood) and it maybe 6~8 years old and i use zoom lock all the time.

vince_ross wrote in post #16329032
I'm just wondering if any of you who own the 100-400 have had to send it in to have the zoom ring (lock ring) serviced?
I have had this lens for about 8 years . . . and I have had to send it in a few times now to have the zoom ring fixed.

I would like to know what was wrong with your zoom ring.

In my experience, the zoom ring on my 100-400 has never been very smooth, and the tension does not remain consistent when pushing/pulling - but it was not designed to be nice and smooth, so even though I really don't like the way it performs, I can't say that there is anything wrong with it because it's just performing in accordance with the way it was designed. It certainly has never had to be fixed.

Another thing I do not like about the zoom ring on my 100-400 is that if I set it for a given tension, it does not stay set at that exact level of tension. Grabbing the lens to pick it up, putting it in a backpack, grabbing it to change bodies, getting it out of my camera bag, etc - it seems that every time I handle the lens, the tension adjustment gets "undone", and I have to go thru the bother of re-setting it again - which I hate! Those are valuable seconds lost, which result in missed images.

I wish they would come out with a new design that would "hold" the amount of tension you set it to until you intentionally change the tension again - no matter how much the lens is being handled. And that would have exactly the same amount of tension applied at all times as you zoom the lens in and out.

I agree about the smoothness and variable tension. Mine is all the way tight when the lens is not mounted. It is all the way loose when the lens is mounted. Yes, I have to hold both the lens and the body nearly all the time.

FWIW, my lock is either full-on or full-off.
It's become automatic that I lock it when I put the camera down after shooting a sequence. When I grab it to shoot I also automatically unlock it.
I don't think I've ever tried to use an intermediate setting.

I've had mine for about 7 years....no problems.

I'm wondering how folks use their zoom lock and if it has anything to do with failures. I tend to only use it when I want to lock the zoom in place else it is set to be rather free as in no resistance. I'm wondering if those that set the zoom lock to offer some resistance all the time have more failures or not.

I've had mine since 2008 without any problems.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #16329120
I would like to know what was wrong with your zoom ring.

In my experience, the zoom ring on my 100-400 has never been very smooth, and the tension does not remain consistent when pushing/pulling - but it was not designed to be nice and smooth, so even though I really don't like the way it performs, I can't say that there is anything wrong with it because it's just performing in accordance with the way it was designed. It certainly has never had to be fixed.

Another thing I do not like about the zoom ring on my 100-400 is that if I set it for a given tension, it does not stay set at that exact level of tension. Grabbing the lens to pick it up, putting it in a backpack, grabbing it to change bodies, getting it out of my camera bag, etc - it seems that every time I handle the lens, the tension adjustment gets "undone", and I have to go thru the bother of re-setting it again - which I hate! Those are valuable seconds lost, which result in missed images.

I wish they would come out with a new design that would "hold" the amount of tension you set it to until you intentionally change the tension again - no matter how much the lens is being handled. And that would have exactly the same amount of tension applied at all times as you zoom the lens in and out.

Well...The first time this happened (around Sept.2010), the zoom locked up at about 135mm leaving a very large groove in the barrel. The IS and AF still worked fine, just couldn't zoom or turn the focus/lock ring. Sent it to Canon and they replaced the body of the lens, fixed the zoom (for $300). About a year later it wouldn't lock focus, the IS kept jumping around when activated and the zoom became not so smooth, so it went back to Canon. They replaced the IS unit, a couple of lens elements and fixed the zoom...good as new (covered under previous repair warranty). All was good for about a year, then the zoom started acting funny again so I sent it in with a clean & check coupon and all was good in the world again...until now. The zoom is now very difficult to extend, the focus ring feels very "gritty" and the lock ring only turns about 1/4"-1/2" from release to lock. Canon's charge for repair this time is $201, which isn't horrible.

My workhorse lens is my 70-200, I use the 100-400 lens for sports on bright, sunny days where I can stop it down to about f/8 and get crisp/sharp images. It gets used mainly from late August to late October for about 20 games worth of photos, any other time...I use other lenses.

gjl711 wrote in post #16329284
I'm wondering how folks use their zoom lock and if it has anything to do with failures. I tend to only use it when I want to lock the zoom in place else it is set to be rather free as in no resistance. I'm wondering if those that set the zoom lock to offer some resistance all the time have more failures or not.

That's what I was wondering. Mine is 9 years old now and has seen a LOT of use, but never given me any problems at all. If I am expecting to be doing a lot of zooming I slacken it right off, otherwise I half tighten it at the focal length I want, then I will usually release it again if I want to change focal length. I rarely find a need to tighten it fully.

I have always been wary of zooming with any significant tension on the ring as it is going to cause friction by definition, and that leads to wear.

gjl711 wrote in post #16329284
I'm wondering how folks use their zoom lock and if it has anything to do with failures. I tend to only use it when I want to lock the zoom in place else it is set to be rather free as in no resistance. I'm wondering if those that set the zoom lock to offer some resistance all the time have more failures or not.

Yeah, that's why I posted the question. I'm thinking along the same line as you.

I don't use the lock unless I want to lock it at a certain focal length. Any other time it's left unlocked because I'm constantly zooming back and forth during the game(s).
The only other time it's locked is when I have it stored on my equipment shelf. No humid conditions and the temperature remains fairly constant at about 73F. I haven't seen any conditions that would cause it to fail (at least in my mind). I mean, I could understand having to send it in for service if I was tossing the thing around like I've seen some other guys do, but I treat my stuff with care because I'd like it to last a very long time.