How long does a good lens last...

Ok, about to purchase a 24-105L lens for my new 50d. I've never spent half this much on a lens. Question to all... how long can one generally expect a lens to last given proper care. Is this a function of # of shots taken, all else being equal (i.e., assuming people keep filter on, lens hood, keep in camera bag when not using, etc.). I'd like to think I'll be using this lens for a decade, but maybe this won't be the case. What typically goes first... I guess I want to know the typical life cylcle of a lens in the class of a 24-105 lens.

Thx.

50+ years with millions of clicks

Barso23 wrote in post #8614969
Ok, about to purchase a 24-105L lens for my new 50d. I've never spent half this much on a lens. Question to all... how long can one generally expect a lens to last given proper care. Is this a function of # of shots taken, all else being equal (i.e., assuming people keep filter on, lens hood, keep in camera bag when not using, etc.). I'd like to think I'll be using this lens for a decade, but maybe this won't be the case. What typically goes first... I guess I want to know the typical life cylcle of a lens in the class of a 24-105 lens.

Thx.

of course it depends. amount of use. where it's used. how much it's used. by whom it's used.

the 24-105L has been out about four years (maybe a little less) and i don't hear about the lens failing or having other problems.

i'd say a decade or more with no issues is most likely with a moderately used lens.

ed rader

It's not like these things are fragile as glass--LOL

Mine stay attached to a body for months on end and rarely ever see a case and never a filter except at the beach.

As a sports shooter they see all types of weather and thousands of hours of use.

At around 10 years old mine are babies--one of the guys I shoot with has a 300 that looks absolutely gruesome at 21 years old--but is still wicked sharp.

Relax and enjoy--And welcome to the neighborhood

I have lenses I use that my dad bought back in 1979. Still work like new.

I own a lens from 1953, which other than being a little stiff in its focusing (a factor of 56 years of aging of the helical grease) still shoots imcredibly well. The glass doesn't depreciate unless you submerge it and get a fungus bloom that isn't addressed.

My CZJ Sonnar 180/2.8 is one of 40 made in Dec 1954. Great lens. I have at least one from the 30's.

AF motors, IS mechanisms, zoom gearing - they are all subject to wear. I suspect a typical consumer lens will give many years of service while an L lens will probably give decades under the same conditions.

gasrocks wrote in post #8615175
My CZJ Sonnar 180/2.8 is one of 40 made in Dec 1954. Great lens. I have at least one from the 30's.

Yeh but to be truthful, The reason those lenses lasted is they're very simple...What is there to really go wrong on it that isnt negligence? Keep the thing lubed up properly and dont bang it around and it will last forever.

Modern lenses, well...they're pretty robust, but they also have a lot to go wrong, lots of tiny wires, flexible PCBs, circuits, chips, motors....Everything in an EF lens is electronic, and the thing with electronics is..they do tend to break

But truthfully, i wouldnt worry about most of the L lenses, I think really very few fail frequently...i've never heard a 24-105 fail at least

Here's an L lens from 1989 that is still working well enough to be called EX condition and command a $600 price tag:

http://www.keh.com …CC=7&CCC=2&BCL=​&GBC=&GCC=

I think 2/3's of my lenses are 20-30 years old.

I would not worry about it to much. I was recently searching for a 70-200 and I was contacted my people that had lenses ranging from 10-15 years old that worked perfectly and never had a problem.
1 of them said they were a sports shooter and they were only selling it because they upgraded to the IS version. Others said that their lenses were used rarely but still a decade + in age. I would imagine that lens has seen years of heavy and demanding use.

The only feature I am curious about the life of is IS. It would seem like the most unstable part if the lens as far as durability goes. However I am sure on a L series lens it is very well made and built to last. Pull the trigger, enjoy your new lens and remember as long as you are good to it, it will be good to you.

Until they change the mount!

The lens will last longer than the mount. Canon FD mounts were around for a long time, now its EF and EF-S.

I love this forum...! Thanks everyone. I get the gist now!! This thing should last.

With good care, forever and a day!

I've owned my 24-105 for nearl 3 1/2 years, have done weddings with it, hiked with it, took it out in the winter, a modest amount of rain..... I've used it hard, but with respect and common sense; probably 20K+ shots with it, easily. And it's still ticking.

A number of the Hasselblad lenses I purchased when I shot MF film were used, easily 10 years old or more. Generally speaking, if you buy quality and take good care of it, the lens should last quite a long time. - Stu