Sand in a 24-70L?

Marcel

Marcel

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Marcel
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I was at an Aikido beach practise a few weeks ago, and we were near the (dry) sand dunes.
I asked my wife to get my camera out and take a few photos of us.
I'd prepared my 40D and 24-70L and left it in the boot of the car.
She got the camera out, took a few photos, and put it back. There was a quite a bit of sand in the air.

Got home that evening, there were little bits of sand on the camera and lens body (easily removed by my lenspen brush).

Anyway, the lens...I got most of it off the lens, but the manual focusing ring feels a little bit gritty. Not the focusing, just the ring when manually turned.
Optically it's fine. Works a peach, just manual focusing feels a little gritty.

Ive been trying to get hold of Lehmanns for a quote for a clean but everytime I ring they're engaged.

I'm just thinking though, this is supposed to be a weather sealed lens.
I wasn't particularly worried because of this 'protection' until yesterday when someone said the few bits of sand under there could be wearing away the weather sealing.

So, should sand have got where it did? It's not as if its that fine Iraq sand that Arkady talks about that gets everywhere (even though this was everywhere, even in places where I dont even let the doctor look!). But does weather sealed mean 'It won't get into the optics straight away but you're still going to have to fork out to get it repaired anyway'.
 
Just managed to get hold of Lehmanns, and theyve quoted 76.50 inc VAT. That's the full stripdown price.
 
Nah...it'll be fine as long as it's used on AF mode...it's just the manual focussing ring...
You can eventually take it in for a clean/service when money allows - that sand won't go any further into the lens than it has already...

Beach sand is pretty coarse though, so I wouldn't wait too long as it'll score the focus-helicoils...this stuff out here is like mica or talc - working the rings back and forth after wiping the lens with a very damp cloth expels it all in the form of a muddy paste... that won't work with bigger grains like yours has been exposed to...
 
If it were my lens I'd have it done ASAP to be honest, but I am very funny about my gear and like to keep it in TOP condition
 
So do all the Canon L lenses have this weather-sealing element then?

What about the Nikon equivalent lenses, the ones with the gold ring (the Pro lenses) - do they have similar weather-sealing?
 
I had a similar problem with my 24-105L. It started off just gritty feeling when turning the MF ring but slowly it started making a noise when used in AF (after about 9 months).

It went back to Canon under warranty (thank god) and it took two trips to get right. They ended up changing the MF ring, USM Motor, IS system and the whole barrel. I would get it checked and cleaned asap as I have a feeling the fact I left the sand in there caused a lot of these problems.

Just because it is weather sealed doesn't mean it is sealed from the environmental elements.

DB
 
darrenb said:
So do all the Canon L lenses have this weather-sealing element then?

What about the Nikon equivalent lenses, the ones with the gold ring (the Pro lenses) - do they have similar weather-sealing?
Click to expand...

Better by the sound of it - I use mine in absolutely horrid conditions...sand, sleet, hail, rain, salt spray (on a Rigid-Raider in the North Sea)...never had a problem...we get lens/camera covers, but I never use them as I find them too cumbersome. I just keep a towel handy to wipe the worst of it off from time to time...
 
I got my 24-70L for about £500 (apparently because of the tiny dent on the body near the end - a 'purist' seller perhaps? Anyway..) and I noticed that the zoom ring felt a bit gritty.

I was concerned about this, but to be honest, I've never had any trouble with image quality or operation, and so I've not bothered to send it off to be repaired. Clearly, if there was a problem, then I'd sort it out, but sometimes I like to put it down to bits of equipment having their own idiosyncracies ;)
 
Aye, there's my point. It's a professional lens. Im sure the world over there aren't thousands upon thousands of professionals who use the lens on a beach sending it in for repair each time.

Although I expressed my concerns to the guy at Lehmanns in that it should be weather sealed, but he seemed to intimate it may work its way inside the lens and kill it. I rarely focus manually.
 
When I went to Bournemouth Airshow on the beach I used an Optech rain cover which worked a treat. Didn't get any sand anywhere and was at the beach all day :)
 
Hmm.. googling "24-70 gritty" (without the speech marks!) brings up quite a few hits, so it could well be that it's something in the design that just occurs.

However, given that you've been in a sandy environment, it might be worth erring on the side of caution to get it looked at. It would be strange that the weather sealing is being affected after just one trip to the sands though. I dunno really, I only play with them, I don't build 'em ;) I'd go with Lehmann's, trust the pros! :)
 
It's really hard to say. It didn't feel too bad but as has been said it is only going to get worse. What is going to get damaged if you don't send it in and how much is the repair going to be then? If the cost isn't going to be much more I would be tempted to leave it. If it could get expensive I'd send it in.
 
Well I bit the bullet and sent it off to Lehmanns. Let's see what they say.
 
Fingers crossed its just a strip and clean. Didn't seem too bad.
 
Well, Marcel, your 'baby' is back from it,s holls! Had a great time, come back all fit and healthy!! Went for a river cruise, THREE, yes, THREE train rides, a tram ride, down a mine, to school, dentist, climbed a hill, didn't want to come home, and wants to stay with me!! Cheers mate!! :whistle: :ty:
 
LOL I just hope you didn't bring her back with a tan, she's white for a reason you know :D

(BTW Incase anyone is wondering, he borrowed my 70-200 :))
 
Well the tracking said my lens was delivered before opening this morning.
Still no word from Lehmanns :p

My baby is in surgery!
 
Marcel said:
Well the tracking said my lens was delivered before opening this morning.
Still no word from Lehmanns :p

My baby is in surgery!
Click to expand...

Mine is away for a tune up and a fixing, £120 inc return delivery for a strip down, clean and to repair the motor as it locked up during focusing.
 
That's scary, just as I open this thread, they phone. Lens is done, its had a full strip down and test etc. There was a very tiny amount of sand under the collar, and it hadn't gotten further into the lens. So its the best possible outcome really. They gave it a spruce up and a once over and it's back like new.

£76.50 for peace of mind tbh. Thankyou mastercard :p
 
Marcel said:
That's scary, just as I open this thread, they phone. Lens is done, its had a full strip down and test etc. There was a very tiny amount of sand under the collar, and it hadn't gotten further into the lens. So its the best possible outcome really. They gave it a spruce up and a once over and it's back like new.

£76.50 for peace of mind tbh. Thankyou mastercard :p
Click to expand...

It's got to be worth it really, you would not have been happy till it was done.
 
Poor Mr Mastercard! At least you know there is nothing nasty inside it which is worth it. Just keep it away from that fine sand next time :LOL:
 
Marcel said:
That's scary, just as I open this thread, they phone. Lens is done, its had a full strip down and test etc. There was a very tiny amount of sand under the collar, and it hadn't gotten further into the lens. So its the best possible outcome really. They gave it a spruce up and a once over and it's back like new.

£76.50 for peace of mind tbh. Thankyou mastercard :p
Click to expand...
I can confirm the weather sealing on the 24-70 is pretty good, a friend of mine fell in to a pond with one on his 5D, the lens is ok but the 5d is not so hot.
 
Well it's back.

And, er, its still 'gritty'.

Not bloody happy.
 
ooo...£75 for 'still gritty' - I'd be making some phone calls right about now...
 
Well I've been onto Lehmanns. He put me on hold and spoke to the technician who assured him it was really smooth when he'd done it.

I must admit it's MUCH better than it was, and it takes a few turns back and forth for it to start again, but it seems theres definitely something there.
He said it could be air bubbles in the grease too.

Ive given it more of a working and it seems to be even better now, so I might not send it back again.
 
To be honest I've forgotten what a brand-new, really smooth focus/zoom action feels like - all my lenses are a wee bit gritty...they feel smooth enough, but you can hear a slight crunchiness...the 24-70 exhibits a minor squeak when turning the manual focus ring - but since I never focus manually it's not going to bother me at all - ever...lol
The 70-200 zoom ring makes a sibilant hiss when turned quickly, again not really noticable in use...
Now and then when I deep-clean them (with a wet half-towel and toothbrush) I make sure I rapidly turn them all to and fro - seems to expunge most of the big stuff; smaller particles and dust are forced out as a fine muddy paste (just a tiny amount appearing at the edge of the ring, which is easily wiped away...).
It seems as though the helicoils are designed to do this as it's something I've noticed with all my Nikon lenses going back to the early '80's...
 
Yeah I did think about whether I can live with it or not.

TBH if it was like this last week, I probably wouldn't have sent it back. But I've spent nearly a grand on the lens, and nearly 100 quid on getting it cleaned, so I'd rather not have that money wasted.

Plus, it's more intermittent now. I may be being overly fussy, but what if I do come to sell this lens? It might just affect the resale value, all because it feels a bit scratchy when manual focusing.
I know I am being a bit kit-precious and I do agree I shouldn't be. If it was the kit lens, I wouldn't have even thought twice about getting it cleaned, but it's nearly a grands worth of lens. Something which I can't afford to replace (and I need to keep the value of it).
I suppose this is one downside of having pro level kit, coupled with me being rather anal and precious about it too :D.
TBH If I viewed the lens merely as a business tool like yourself, I wouldn't be bothered, it works, it's likely to stay working for a long long time, I'd just rather it didn't make that very small scratchy noise every now and then. :p
 
Perhsaps you should not send it back until after your possible trip to Donna Nook;)
 
LOL TBH Donna Nook is fine. It's wet sand mostly, so not the really dry stuff in the air like this was.

Anyway, just been to the Post Office, it's now on its way back to Lehmanns.
Hopefully with my CPS they'll have it back before the postal strike on thursday.
 
Fair enough - Send it back and get them to do it again - properly and gratis...

I take the point about resale value - and that for a lot of people keeping the kit pristine is almost as much fun as using it...I used to sit and polish my Pentax while watching TV - well I was only 12 - I found other things to polish soon after...

There is a joy to owning finely-crafted equipment and if unlike me you don't have to get brutal with the kit, then why not keep it pristine?

Remember the smell of real leatherette on a satin chrome camera body?
Cameras don't have that organic quality that they used to...

Sniff an old Leica and you'll know what I mean...

On 2nd hand values - my D3 & D3x kit, barely 4 months old, would be worth less than half it's retail price now according to Greys...as they said - "It's been used..."
 
Marcel said:
LOL TBH Donna Nook is fine. It's wet sand mostly, so not the really dry stuff in the air like this was.

Anyway, just been to the Post Office, it's now on its way back to Lehmanns.
Hopefully with my CPS they'll have it back before the postal strike on thursday.
Click to expand...

Donna Nook & wet sand!!!!!!??????? Does yer misses know?
 
The missus happily waves me off! (The night before of course...the morning of the trip she's fast asleep while Im freezing my nadgers off on the beach :D)
 
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