Lens break if...

I once heard that you could break the lens if you rotate the lens, while it's on AF mode instead of MF mode. Is that a myth?

I can see how it might not be a smart thing to do, since the lens might feel like you are "forcing it", but can it damage the lens?

dahl wrote in post #3752050
I once heard that you could break the lens if you rotate the lens, while it's on AF mode instead of MF mode. Is that a myth?

I can see how it might not be a smart thing to do, since the lens might feel like you are "forcing it", but can it damage the lens?

The motor drive system (and possibly more) in some lenses can definitely be damaged if you crank on the manual focus ring while the lens is in auto focus mode.

Which lenses are at risk? I couldn't answer that. I do know that the three Canon lenses I own have "Full-Time Manual" capability and are advertised as such. I would be extremely cautious with lenses were not advertised as having FTM capability.

lenses like the 18-55 which do not have USM - yes, those can potentially be broken by trying to manual focus while still in the auto-focus setting. most lenses though that do have USM will be fine, since you're not actually turning a motor manually (if that made any sense).

depends on the lens. read the book that came with it and it will tell you.

J