Lens creep on a 15-85

RodneyCyr wrote in post #14810216
I didn't expect anyone to take my suggestion seriously.

I have had my 15-85 for about six months, and it doesn't creep under normal circumstances. But I did a test and found that, if I first set the zoom ring to around 30mm and pointed the lens straight down, it would creep out to about 50mm. I personally don't think this is a serious problem because: a) I usually set the zoom to 15mm when carrying the camera, and b) my camera and lens usually hide inside a camera bag unless I am actively shooting with it.

I think that zoom creep is an almost inevitable consequence of having any zoom that extends outward when zooming toward the telephoto end. The manufacturer can fix this only by making the zooming action stiffer, or perhaps by using more costly materials and construction. This if course would make the lens more expensive.

I know you weren't serious, but some other might prefer the red. There are some that use L lens so they can show off the red ring. I know that sounds weird but I've seen many posts by people who indicate the red ring as one of the advantages of using an L lens. For them I think its about bragging rights.

I agree with your other comments. I most often do not use the o-ring. My creep without it is about average, meaning from slightly below 24mm to slightly above 50mm. For many it seems to be an annoyance and an issue. For some its been the reason to sell their copy or not buy the lens in the first place. A few have even indicated anger at Canon, calling the 15-85 an overpriced and defective product as a result of the creep. The truth is that most consumer zoom lenses tend to creep, some more than others. In addition to the 15-85 I have a Tamron 18-270 PZD and a Canon 18-200 and they both have looser barrels with more play and much more lens creep

I've played with the Oring solution over the last couple of days and it does work to a point. Unless it's twisted just right, the Oring doesn't make enough contact with the zoom ring to hold it in place. The 3/23" Oring might be better but I haven't used it yet. My only issue is that the larger CS may contact the focus ring which was a severe problem when I tried 2 x 1/16".

One solution I got when shooting upwards was to place the Oring directly in front of the zoom ring. This holds the extending section nicely in place at any focal length. Extending the zoom requires that the Oring be rolled down the lens but it does hold it. Leaving the Oring in place means that 15mm is no longer available but it's not difficult to remove it if needed.

I did try a soft elastic band which worked better for me as it was easy to twist 'just right'. This leads me to believe that an Oring closer to the 3" diameter of the location we're looking at might be a better proposition. The zoom ring doesn't require very much tension to hold it in place.

When I get back to work tomorrow, I'll try a few more sizes.

Uncle Flash wrote in post #14816139
I've played with the Oring solution over the last couple of days and it does work to a point. Unless it's twisted just right, the Oring doesn't make enough contact with the zoom ring to hold it in place. The 3/23" Oring might be better but I haven't used it yet. My only issue is that the larger CS may contact the focus ring which was a severe problem when I tried 2 x 1/16".

One solution I got when shooting upwards was to place the Oring directly in front of the zoom ring. This holds the extending section nicely in place at any focal length. Extending the zoom requires that the Oring be rolled down the lens but it does hold it. Leaving the Oring in place means that 15mm is no longer available but it's not difficult to remove it if needed.

I did try a soft elastic band which worked better for me as it was easy to twist 'just right'. This leads me to believe that an Oring closer to the 3" diameter of the location we're looking at might be a better proposition. The zoom ring doesn't require very much tension to hold it in place.

When I get back to work tomorrow, I'll try a few more sizes.

I tried a 3" O ring and it didn't seem to exert enough pressure on the zoom ring to hold it in place in the 1/16 inch size... Perhaps 2 1/2 or 2 3/4 inches would work better. I indicated in my original post that this was not a perfect solution. Depending on the diameter and thickness of the o-ring used there many be more pressure on the focus ring than desirable for smooth use. Of course the o-ring can be remove if manual focusing is used, and its not an issue at all if MF is not used.

It may not be the perfect solution but it's still pretty good.

Based on Mwsilver's solution, I went looking for an appropriate O-Ring today to fix the lens creep on my 15-85. As mentioned above, I have been using the lens band. I can get it to work fine, but it's a bit of a hassle.

Long story short, I found a larger diameter Culligan OR-233 O-Ring at a local Ace Hardware store. They are a common item so if you are inclined to try one, you won't have a problem finding one. The larger/thicker diameter works well as it keeps the tension on the zoom and you don't even have to roll it out of the way to zoom. The only time I would need to roll it out of the way (which is very easy since it's a thicker diameter) is when I would need to manually focus the lens.

Thanks, Mwsilver, for the idea.

No Problem with mine...

Cool man, thanks - I best write that down or good luck finding this info a few months from now

here it is at Amazon, btw. <below> or, if you want to spend 3X as much go to the CND amazon site

http://www.amazon.com …=UTF8&smid=A2JG​H9K1780DGL

Phoenixkh wrote in post #15020619
....Long story short, I found a larger diameter Culligan OR-233 O-Ring at a local Ace Hardware store. They are a common item so if you are inclined to try one, you won't have a problem finding one. The larger/thicker diameter works well as it keeps the tension on the zoom and you don't even have to roll it out of the way to zoom. The only time I would need to roll it out of the way (which is very easy since it's a thicker diameter) is when I would need to manually focus the lens.

Thanks, Mwsilver, for the idea.

Roy,

The camera gods have blessed you. I bought mine used and it works perfectly other than the lens creep. From what I've read, it's hit or miss but this O-ring is a great fix if one's lens has the problem.

Willi
(I never know whether to address you as Will or Willi so since your signature says "Willi", I'll switch to that),

thanks for posting the Amazon link.

Hmmm. I've had mine for three years, go hiking with it all the time, never had any creep.

hughhowey wrote in post #15021141
Hmmm. I've had mine for three years, go hiking with it all the time, never had any creep.

You are one of the lucky ones. Its seems that very many, if not most, copies develop creep to some degree within weeks of purchase.

mine was new & likely from an early batch before Canon realized there was a creep issue.

Love the versatility of this lens and if there is an event or on-location event, its hard to beat the convenience (also coupled with a speedlight & off-camera ttl cord & omni-bounce)

@ Kim - whatever you prefer bro

hughhowey wrote in post #15021141
Hmmm. I've had mine for three years, go hiking with it all the time, never had any creep.

Me too. I've had mine for about a year and half and use it all the time traveling all over with no lens creep. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

I'm on my second in just over a year and both have had lens creep after about two weeks.
I recently got a Lens band (only just seen this thread and the O ring fix) but not sure how much I'll use it.

dave_bass5 wrote in post #15032262
I'm on my second in just over a year and both have had lens creep after about two weeks.
I recently got a Lens band (only just seen this thread and the O ring fix) but not sure how much I'll use it.

It's actually interesting how many people don't think they have zoom creep and only find out they do when they actually test for it. There was another thread where this came up. Several owners who said their copies didn't creep at all tested them and realized they had the same amount of creep as everyone else. Some folks only carry their camera around their neck so it never points down. Others just haven't taken shots between around 24mm to 50mm while focusing on a subject more than 45 degrees below or above the horizon. While there are examples that don't creep, I suspect they are fewer than reported.

I agree. If its a design fault then most people will suffer from it, yet might not notice it most of the time.
I never use a neck strap, i use a very shot strap wrapped around my hand so i notice it quite a bit if i leave the lens zoomed out. I do find i tend to zoom all the way out (so the lens is at its smallest length) after most shots. Maybe ive loosened mine up by doing this.