EF-S 17-55 2.8 isn't *that* fragile

Moving from my 17-40 f/4L to the 17-55 2.8 IS, I was slightly concerned about build quality, especially because I was buying it for PJ work. I had read a ton of comments here and elsewhere about how flimsy it felt, but I went ahead and made with switch.

Last Saturday, I was doing a shoot in a private cemetery on the edge of town. Waist-high grass and weeds, shed rattlesnake skins, and visible signs of their activity had me a little on edge. I was watching where I put my feet very carefully.

I was so focused on my foot placement that, when I circled around a tree to get a better angle on an old 1813 grave marker, I failed to notice the yellow jacket nest above me in the mesquite tree.

I got stung twice in the back of the head, once on each shoulder, and once on the wrist, by two or three of the suckers. In a moment of irrational thought, I just *knew* I was dead because a rattlesnake had just dropped out of the tree and bitten me.

In my flailing and wailing and cursing (I did apologize to the reporter I was with, but she said it was understandable!), my hat, my bag, and my 30D and 17-55 2.8 IS on it all fell to the ground, landing on top of a rocky grave site. Thankfully, the hood was on the lens. Oddly enough, my 40D and 70-200 2.8 IS stayed on my shoulder, thanks to the incredible UpStrap.

After the hornets flew off, I went and gathered my gear, fearing the worst for my "flimsy" little lens. Turns out, not a scratch on it, except for the hood, and it works flawlessly still. Turns out the non-L beauty can handle being flung to the ground in a panic!

So, buy with confidence that this thing won't fall apart in your hands, as some might try to tell you!

Good thing that you checked your lens before getting to the hospital for anti-venom. I like your priorities.

TaDa wrote in post #6052146
Good thing that you checked your lens before getting to the hospital for anti-venom. I like your priorities.

gahaha
pure win this
+1

more worried about how you turned out than your lens lol

Sfordphoto wrote in post #6052984
more worried about how you turned out than your lens lol

Well, I motored home pretty quick, touching 95 in some stretches in the windy roads through the hills. I figured if a cop pulled me over, I'd tell him what happened, and that I was headed for the emergency room.

The cemetery was about 30 minutes outside of town, and about halfway back, I felt my throat closing up. I made it home, downed 4 Benadryls, and passed out for about 6 hours. My wife came home in the middle of it all and thought I had been drinking or something.

But, no lasting effects, that I can tell! Thanks for the concern!

gregkendallball wrote in post #6054577
...But, no lasting effects, that I can tell! Thanks for the concern!...

Be very careful, I was stung by bees once, now my hair is turning grey, i'm getting weaker, and my eyes are fading.

scokar wrote in post #6055222
Be very careful, I was stung by bees once, now my hair is turning grey, i'm getting weaker, and my eyes are fading.

Are you sure that you're not just getting older! Ha, ha, just kidding.

gregkendallball wrote in post #6054577
Well, I motored home pretty quick, touching 95 in some stretches in the windy roads through the hills. I figured if a cop pulled me over, I'd tell him what happened, and that I was headed for the emergency room.

The cemetery was about 30 minutes outside of town, and about halfway back, I felt my throat closing up. I made it home, downed 4 Benadryls, and passed out for about 6 hours. My wife came home in the middle of it all and thought I had been drinking or something.

But, no lasting effects, that I can tell! Thanks for the concern!

As long as it wasn't a radioactive bee or snake. Cos we all know from films what happens when various radioactive insects bite you.

TaDa wrote in post #6052146
Good thing that you checked your lens before getting to the hospital for anti-venom. I like your priorities.

ROTL i was thinking of the same thing!

on a side note, glad your camera & lens were ok

Glad both the lens and you made it out in one piece

I got one to top you!

My 40D was in my saddlebag on my motorcycle with the 17-55 EF-S mounted. I managed to crash at 70mph, and the saddlebag went flying roughly 50 meters through the air, landed, and tumbled another 15 meters. The bag isn't that padded, and the bag tumbled all around inside the saddle bag. No problems with lens!

Did have problems with camera's AF, but that was fixed!

scokar wrote in post #6055222
Be very careful, I was stung by bees once, now my hair is turning grey, i'm getting weaker, and my eyes are fading.

Yeah, me too. Upset a yellowjacket nest. Now I'm losing my hair.

It was about 62 years ago.

Excuse a non-native English speaker: Is the yellowjacket a common word for hornets, or what? Do hornets live in holes in the ground and wasps in paper-like nests, or is it the other way around?

Sorry for the side-step, but this thread isn't too photographic by now, anyway!

Yellowjackets are wasps. They make paper nests. From Wikipedia:

"Yellowjacket or yellow-jacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these are black-and-yellow; some are black-and-white (such as the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata), while others may have the abdomen background color red instead of black. They can be identified by their distinctive markings, small size (similar to or slightly smaller or larger than a honey bee), their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side to side flight pattern prior to landing. They are often mistakenly called "bees".[1] All females are capable of stinging. Yellowjackets are important predators of pest insects.[2]"