Another thing to check when buying a used lens

A couple of weeks ago I traded my 400mm 5.6 +cash for a 100-400mm with a guy on Craigslist. I did a lot of research before about tests to do on the lens and I did not see any problems with the lens. That weekend I wanted to try using the new lens to capture a bird with a pretty interesting call, so I flipped my 7D to video. After a few seconds the video stopped and the LCD displayed a message "Press STOP/START button to activate movie shooting." So I did that and it happened again any time I tried to shoot video with the 100-400mm.

I was with a friend that had a 100-400mm rented from LensRentals. I asked to try his and had no problem shooting video. When shooting stills, his image stabilization was much smoother than mine. When I tested the lens I bought, I thought that the IS was a bit wonky, but attributed it to the fact that it wouldn't be as good as my newer 70-200mm F4 IS. This made me think that there was something wrong with the IS. When I shot video with IS off there was no problem. As I tested it further, I found that when shooting stills, only with IS on, the camera would refocus (and reconfirm focus) every few seconds.

Long story short. I probably have a malfunctioning IS unit. I could have detected this if I had tried shooting video or live view (it happens in live view as well). So when you're buying used equipment I would add shooting in live view/video when testing a lens.

The seller refused to take the lens back. He claims that this is not really a problem and that I may have caused it in the day that I had it before I noticed it. I guess I understand this, but I still feel screwed because I traded him an absolutely perfect 400mm prime. He has offered to pay for half of the repair cost which helps lessen my frustration. Canon received the lens Friday and I'll let you know what they say about it. I hope that my story helps you when you are buying a used lens.

Ouch and thanks for the heads up. I hope your fixed lens will work flawlessly for the next 10 years

Man, I hope it turns out for the best for you. At least he had a heart to offer to help compensate repair costs. I am picking up a used lens soon so I'll definitely give it the super detailed look over and shoot more than a few pics with it.

That's one reason when looking at expensive lenses I tend to opt for buying a new one. I have found with quite a few of the lenses I have purchased that for the good quality ones second hand prices are quite strong and it's not much of a jump to pay the extra for a new one.

I know this doesn't completely negate the chances of getting a duffer, but if I do I have the warranty to fall back on to get it sorted.

Splitting half the repair bill sounds fair on the sellers part, IMO. He likely was unaware of any issues (or perhaps it doesn't happen on his camera?) so don't feel that you were screwed.

Used lenses are a gamble. Sometimes you make out really good (like in his case with your perfect 400L), but other times you may get a dud. It's nice of him to cover half the cost of the repair though. Hopefully it will come back better than new!

Sorarse wrote in post #10405409
That's one reason when looking at expensive lenses I tend to opt for buying a new one. I have found with quite a few of the lenses I have purchased that for the good quality ones second hand prices are quite strong and it's not much of a jump to pay the extra for a new one.

I know this doesn't completely negate the chances of getting a duffer, but if I do I have the warranty to fall back on to get it sorted.

I'm with you on this one. I always check out the used pages and then reconsider when a nightmare scenario like this pops into my head. The way I look at it, when buying used stuff you'll save money and there could be no problems whatsoever, BUT, you might also get hosed. If you buy new stuff, you'll spend more but at least you have some kind of safety net (warranty, etc.)

I hope it works out for ya :S

what about shooting with IS on and IS off? for those without live view or video.

When I say that I feel screwed, I don't mean that he screwed me. I don't think that he knew of the problem. I'm just frustrated that for the price I'll pay that I could have had a new lens and be using it now rather than wait for Canon to fix it. I have only bought cheaper lenses in the past from Craigslist. I bought the 400mm 5.6 new at the beginning of the year. But I wanted to move to the 100-400mm and I saw two posts on Craigslist. Wanting to buy a 400mm. Another said selling a 100-400mm. Didn't realize it was the same guy until he responded to both of my emails. Seemed to good to be true and I guess it was.

I just got the repair bill from Canon. They didn't really address what the problem was, they only restated my original concerns.

"WHEN THE "IS" IS ON, THE VIDEO STOPS AND A MESSAGE ASKING TO PUSH THE START STOP BUTTON TO RECORD VIDEO. FOCUS CONFIRMATION BEEPS EVERY FEW SECONDS. REFERENCE ONLINE COMMENTS. CHECK ALL FUNCTIONS, REPAIR TO GOOD WORKING ORDER. PLEASE RESPOND TO ESTIMATE. "

The estimate is $300 plus shipping. I'm assuming they will replace the IS.

I didn't mean for this to be a complaint session. I do hope that this helps others that may be buying a used lens.