My current toys

D

Darren Bradnock

Well-Known Member
Well i have just recently switched from a Nikon D40x with sigma 18-200 and 50 - 500mm to Canon. Got a little carried away but can never have too many toys

Ok so this is what i have so far.........

7D Body with battery grip
EOS1n with power drive booster (2nd hand)
17-55mm F2.8 EF-S
70 - 200mm F2.8L IS II
400mm F2.8 F2.8L (2nd hand)
Extender EF 1.4x II
Speedlite 580EX II
Pixel wireless remote
Sekonic L-758DR
Cokin P series circ pola, ND2 grad, ND2, 4, 8, blue grad
Fujifilm W3
Manfrotto monopod
Fancier FT664T carbon tripod
Fancier FT6664H ball head
DDE Gimbal Head

I think thats about it:D
 
nice set up mate.............(especially the 7D) as for the 400mm F2.8 F2.8L...."FAINT"
 
Welcome to the forum Darren, sorry for a slighty delayed welcome I've had a busy week :/

Nice set up (despite turning to the dark side ;) ) that's a MAJOR upgrade!
How are you finding the nikon/canon swap?
 
Darren B - Welcome to the light side! (And the forum)

Nice looking kit list - no such thing as too many lenses ;)

So, with that 400 2.8 and an extender in your kit, you must be shooting something interesting..?
 
Welcome Darren,

That's a huge lens the 400 f2.8,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29369066@N05/3812099411/

A shop near me had a used one in the window recently, it was well beaten up and a reasonable price, I resisted though as I dont need it and I dare not walk past the shop window again as it might still be there....
 
Thanks everyone.

As far as changing from nikon to canon, I'm very happy so far. I have nothing against nikon I just wanted more megapixels. There were time when I took wide shots of the city or something and because of the distance making the the buildings so small I was losing detail. I was only using a D40x after all.

As for the 400mm 2.8, well I saw it on trademe with the reserve met at $1200NZ and had to have it. I was about to get a new sigma 300mm 2.8 for $4000, so I put an auto bid on and won it for $3010! Just had to clean some fungus. I have now noticed that it is soft from 2.8 to 5.6 though so I'll look at getting it calibrated soon.

I was tossing up between the 5d mkII and the 7d but because I try to do some surfing photography I went with the 7d for the 1.6x factor of the APS-c sensor, save money by using shorter lenses. Also the reason for the 400mm 2.8.
 
Darren - that's a good price for the 400! :)

If it's the non-IS version, you will find that Canon NZ will no longer service it in-house - I have already run into this in the US with 'older' non IS glass :(

However, I went to a local independent Canon approved service center and they did a stunning job - so you may want to look at going a similar route.

Canon NZ will probably be able to recommend an authorized service facility:

Canon New Zealand Limited
Akoranga Business Park
Akoranga Drive, Northcote
AUCKLAND

Ph: 0800 222 666
 
Well i sent my 400mm to Canon Camera Repair in Sydney 3 weeks ago, got a call on friday saying that it needs a USM which of course they don't make any more. I don't see why i need a USM when i sent it in for a back focus problem. The problem is i can't talk to the tech, everything has to be done through email. This is not sounding good, $450 in freight to send it there and back plus what ever they charge and it sounds like its worse than when i sent it. Anyone know where to find a USM for a canon 400mm 2.8L USM MK1 if it needs it?
 
I guess as the USM is the bit that moves the focusing part of the lens, maybe it isn't moving the elements correctly??
The issue with this sort of thing as parts tend to be part assemblies as apposed to individual parts, one small part of an assembly can mean the whole assembly needs a replacement

Anyway, that's bad news! Sorry to hear your good buy has back fired slightly

I would be inclined to contact as many independent repair agents as you can find in the hope they might have a part from another expired lens!
Maybe concider contacting agents outside of nz or even oz ... If it's going to cost a lot to get sent around the place then maybe it's worth sending to where ever you can find one!
Alternatively, cut your losses and sell it for parts...
 
These are cropped images of a focus chart i printed that i took before sending the lens. If the USM is the problem then best case this it what i should get back if i can't find one. But if the USM is a new problem since they pulled it apart then i guess i'll have a $4500 paper weight.

F2.8
F28crop.jpg


F3.5
F35crop.jpg


F4
F4crop.jpg


F5
F5crop.jpg


F5.6
F56crop.jpg


F6.3
F63crop.jpg


I really hope the USM is not a new fault, at least then i can get it back the same as i sent it. Then i'm only out off pocket $1000 in stead of $4500.

This would be a lot easier if i could call the tech instead of them emailing the help desk in NZ and them calling me trying to explain. Spent the whole weekend stewing on this because i can't have a 5min phone call with the tech.
 
The USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) is probably the issue you had all along - i.e. it's not driving the focus accurately, and needs replacing to meet the factory spec. As Hamish mentioned, it'll be a module replacement rather than an actual repair.

I would expect the lens to be in the same condition when you get it back as when you sent it - fingers crossed.

You're going to have to look at an independent service center - as they can source parts which Canon no longer support via their own facilities.

That's why I used a facility like that for my 17-35 f2.8L when I dropped it - and they had no issue getting parts and doing a great job.

I have another repair place close to me in San Diego that also sells parts online as well - Here are their listings for 400 f2.8L parts on EBAY: (29 Items)

http://stores.ebay.com:80/Pro-Photo-Camera-Shop/Lens-Parts-/_i.html?_nkw=400mm+2.8&submit=Search&_fsub=2953873015&_sid=859605485

So parts are available in the independent lens repair community - it's just Canon service who drop older models to focus on forcing you to upgrade.. :(

Can Canon at least recommend a local independent service facility you can use, given that they no longer support that lens?

Or maybe your local Pro Canon dealer can recommend a repair facility for you?
 
Yeah i've seen all the products on ebay. Adjusting the back focus on the camera improved it. So the motor and mechanisim are capable of moving to the correct position, so it sounds like it's not being told to drive there which to me means it's probably the flex cable with the micro chips on it. Hopefully it is because i can get that of ebay. Now i just need canon to get back to me with more info.
 
You will be very lucky if you can get canon to tell you what is wrong with it ... In fact I'd hazard a guess and say they won't!

I'm not supprised your not able to speak to a tech.. You would have to have a lot of pro gear and by high up in canons support system to be able to speak to a tech!

You are just $$$ to them ... You haven't spent enough, so you don't mean enough ... It's the sad truth about dealing with these huge companies ...
This is not speculation either ... It is fact that the more canon kit you have the better repair service you are entitled to!

If you are a consumer, with a small amount of kit, independent repair agents will always offer a much better service!

There is no reason canon would share with you the details of the fault it doesn't benefit them at all to do so ...
An independent will be more inclined to as the will be hoping to build a relationship with a customer ...
£500 repair to an independent is a good bit of cash ... It's a drop in the ocean to canon!
 
Sad but true I'm sure Hamish. One of the nice things about getting things serviced by Hasselblad in the UK is that you can speak to the technician doing the work - but of course this is a small setup compared with Canon or Nikon (and may change following the recent changes). A good independent will usually give a much better service than you will get from the large service centres.
 
My comments are based on experience of dealing with canon, Sony, Nikon etc etc etc for about 5 years
I could tell you some stories!!!

People are often far to quick (me included - all that experience and I still sent my d3 to Nikon last year) to assume that our beloved camera manufactures will do the best by us! ... Giving them the benefit of the doubt, logistics allone prevent this!
 
Hmmm, not filling me with confidence. But i do know a guy who works for Canon in Brisbane and he's looking into it. He said he got the basic run down on it today, they're waiting on a second opinion because it's intermittant.
 
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