85 1.8 Focus Ring Wobble

Hello all! I just received my new 85 f/1.8 in the mail yesterday and before I even attached it to the camera I noticed that the focus ring was a bit wobbly. The ring will move axially up/down the barrel about a millimeter or so. My 17-55 f/2.8 IS has absolutely no play in either the focusing ring or the zoom ring. As a result the focus ring seems like it is directly connected to the focus motor on the zoom whereas the prime has that same millimeter or so play even in the rotating direction of the focus ring. Essentially it feels like it is a bit disconnected from the motor.

Is this normal on the 85mm? Should I send it back to the store I bought it from or directly in to Canon?

Sorry for the long post, I'm just a little upset since I've read such great things about this lens and haven't even had time to make any images yet...

Thanks for your help

Does it take good pictures?

Mine moves ever so slightly.

mikekelley wrote in post #8131581
Does it take good pictures?

I don't know yet. I just got it and haven't had time to take any pics yet. Thought I'd see if I was being too picky or if I should send it in... I'll probably play with it over the weekend and see if it really bothers me or not (also check out the optics).

I just got my 17-55 back from Canon to fix a grinding focus ring, and you know what, same thing, there is play in the focus ring. Soooo, its going back to canon

Who cares!!?? All of my lenses have about a mm of play in the focus rings, and guess what, they all work perfectly and take great pictures.

24-70L
70-200L
85 1.8
50 1.4

Surprsingly, the only lens that doesn't have any play in any of the rings is my sigma 10-20.

Well, if it works then I guess there is nothing to worry about. However this is not the way my 17-55 works and the way its build gets described on this forum you'd think it was a complete piece of junk. I just want to make sure this is not normal before sending my brand new lens off to get "fixed".

I guess I'll see just how much the rattling of the focus ring bothers me in use. But just taking the lens out of the box I can say that I was underwhelmed with the construction (i.e. not a good first impression).

Maybe it had no play because something was jammed in there. I really wouldn't worry about it. The 85 1.8 and 17-55 aren't exactly known for their build quality, either.

Quicksilver, did you keep the lens or send it back?

I just received a new 85mm from Amazon and the focus ring on mine wobbles, too. I'm a little disappointed with the 85mm, seeing that the focus ring on my 28-135mm is smooth and solid after almost 2 years of use.

maybe you could take some pics here and see whether it is good or you need to fix that wobble

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mikekelley wrote in post #8133226
Maybe it had no play because something was jammed in there. I really wouldn't worry about it. The 85 1.8 and 17-55 aren't exactly known for their build quality, either.

Short of an L, the 85 is built quite well, imo.

I bought mine a few months ago and its focus ring has a bit of a wobble, too. Kind of surprised me but it certainly works well enough.

Dave

QuickSilver11 and snguyen,

I just bought a new 85 1.8 a couple of days ago and the focus ring is smooth and has no play when you rotate it back and forth. It has some very slight play if you try to move it up and down the barrel, but by no means would I consider it a problem.

As for the build quality (in my opinion), I would never expect to get a tank for $350. This outstanding prime lens is known for its optics and very respectable focusing speed. Considering what you get in these two areas, I think it's a steal.

I hope the lens is working out for you and you're taking some great pictures.

Bryan

sparksdjs wrote in post #8262602
I bought mine a few months ago and its focus ring has a bit of a wobble, too. Kind of surprised me but it certainly works well enough.

Dave

Well after a few photo sessions I can say that I love the IQ from this lens. I haven't found myself correcting focus too much anyway and only notice the slight wobble when I stop to think about it. I'm in the same boat as Dave... surprised me but I can't complain about the images it makes.

Now I want the 135L and something longer too (300 f/4?)... blasted POTN, why do you tempt me with all of this great gear?

bohdank wrote in post #8131585
Mine moves ever so slightly.

Same thing here, it's not a big deal.