24-70 Zoom Ring Question

I just purchased a 24-70L after selling my first one a year or so ago. The zoom ring turns very freely (I'd almost say its sloppy) from 70mm to about halfway between 70mm & 50mm, then it tightens up a bit. I can't remember if my old one was like this.

Does this seem normal? I have 30 days to exchange it, and a year to have Canon repair it if need be. I'm just wondering if others experience the same.

Thanks!
Tim

timnosenzo wrote in post #6112349
I just purchased a 24-70L after selling my first one a year or so ago. The zoom ring turns very freely (I'd almost say its sloppy) from 70mm to about halfway between 70mm & 50mm, then it tightens up a bit. I can't remember if my old one was like this.

Does this seem normal? I have 30 days to exchange it, and a year to have Canon repair it if need be. I'm just wondering if others experience the same.

Thanks!
Tim

yup mine is the exact same. Thats the first thing i noticed so i sent it over to Canon and they claimed it is normal.

While it's difficult to say what is sloppy, I haven't noticed any tightening up when I zoom. Did you buy it locally? Go in and try out a couple of other 24-70's and see if they are the same.

timnosenzo wrote in post #6112349
I just purchased a 24-70L after selling my first one a year or so ago. The zoom ring turns very freely (I'd almost say its sloppy) from 70mm to about halfway between 70mm & 50mm, then it tightens up a bit. I can't remember if my old one was like this.

Does this seem normal? I have 30 days to exchange it, and a year to have Canon repair it if need be. I'm just wondering if others experience the same.

Thanks!
Tim

more or less how mine works too.

ed rader

mine is the same way and its a few years old..I wouldnt say its sloppy..i would call it smooth. but then it tightens up a good bit when you get wider on the focal length

Thanks for the replies, gents. Yeah I guess calling it sloppy might be a stretch--the lens still moves the lens a bit when I turn the zoom, even though there is less resistance. Glad to hear (sort of glad) its normal!

Thanks!
Tim

Until now I never noticed anything but mine is tighter at 24-28, rest is smooth.

mine is a bit tight right now, but i just got it.
the one i rented a month or so ago from calumet, was almost 'loose'.
sloppy may be the better term.
i'm sure the zoom ring will loosen up a bit.

i can't imagine anything going wrong with this lens, structurally.
it's like a cinder block.

rooftopsuicideclub wrote in post #6113552
i can't imagine anything going wrong with this lens, structurally.
it's like a cinder block.

The thing that I'm most concerned with is zoom creep. It's not doing it now, and I really hope it doesn't decide to do it in the future. I REALLY hate when lenses do that!

timnosenzo wrote in post #6113580
The thing that I'm most concerned with is zoom creep. It's not doing it now, and I really hope it doesn't decide to do it in the future. I REALLY hate when lenses do that!

Well, then it may be getting a little on the loose side of things. Mine is a couple years old and has enough drag on the zoom ring to prevent that. But, it's also slightly tighter at the wide end, than at the tele end of the range.

This discussion brings up a point... Overall, manufacturers today just don't seem to put the same effort into making lenses "feel" as fine as some did in years past. Partly that's due to focusing being done electronically, of course. However, I just fondly remember some ultra smooth feeling mechanical lenses that you could actually "tune" with the right dampening grease. They could be adjusted for personal preferences.

amfoto1 wrote in post #6114342
Well, then it may be getting a little on the loose side of things. Mine is a couple years old and has enough drag on the zoom ring to prevent that.

It's not creeping or anything at this point. I was just saying, if it ever did, then its off to Canon with it!

Never noticed this until you bought it up...Mine's about a year old, and loose to just past 50 before it tightens. Hasn't even bothered me though...lol

Mine is the same also, but the focus ring makes a slight tick tick if i move the lens back and forth. No sound from my 16-35 when i do that

Dont have it in front of me right this moment, but Im pretty sure mine does the same thing.