Soft lens - help!

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macmike

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Well, Merry Christmas to all you folks! Here's a little conundrum you might be able to help me with.

After much deliberating, I finally bought a Canon 24-70L second hand from here a few weeks back. For various reasons I wasn't able to get my hands on it till two days ago. I've been trying it out now, and it's really really soft. I mean, at 70mm, it's noticeably softer than my Canon 55-250 which costs a quarter of the price new. I could post photos, and probably will if I have nothing better to tomorrow, but believe me, it's really bad.

So my question is: what should I do about it? Apparently it was bought in Feb, but I don't have any documents. If a pro lens like this is so soft, can a tweak by Canon fix it, or is it a complete write-off? And if it can be calibrated (is that the right word?) is it covered under warranty? If not, what does it cost?? And what should I do regarding the seller who claimed it was in excellent condition? Can a lens go soft from a knock or a drop?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but I just spent £650 on a lens that was meant to be pin sharp, and I'm really worrying :shake:

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I hope you have a fantabulous Christmas Day!

Cheers,
 
Lens can be calibrated.

It is free under warranty and takes 7-10 days.

Could be worth getting camera and lens done together then you know they are going to be matched exact.

As for the seller.........did the lens work fine on their camera?............. Did it get knocked in transit?................If I buy used items for anything ie fishing, photography, etc then they need to be checked/tested upon arrival as after a few weeks the seller will just say `you have had it x number of weeks and now you say there is a problem`. I do not want to sound rude but it is the buyer who needs to check the goods upon delivery and notify the seller if there is a problem.
As for `excellent condition`...........that description can vary from person to person. :eek:

So it is not too bad.

But £650 for a lens that needs checked and no papers to confirm sale date. It could be a problem if the sale date was over the warranty period.

Let us know what happens.

All the best
 
Show us some pictures. That might help the diagnosis.

Lenses can "go soft" after a drop, if one of the elements becomes misaligned. It's easily repairable by Canon, but it it's been dropped then they won't necessarily do it under warranty.

You really need to get the original purchase/warranty documentation from the seller.

But if you didn't inspect it for several weeks after purchase then I don't think you've got any claim against the seller. Far too late now.
 
More in reply to spencer than the OP, but Fixation in Victoria are worth ringing for a quote. In fact, I think they are used by a lot of retailers etc. to recalibrate lenses on their behalf. I had a Sigma that they had done and you could cut yourself on the pictures it took!

Cheers,
James
 
Crop from two raw files. No other pp.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L
IMG_0324.jpg


Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6
IMG_0326.jpg


both shot at 70mm, f/4 and 1/200th second; ISO 400.

thanks for the advice so far.
 
Try testing the lens on something flat, I think I paid about £70 to get a 24-70 calibrated when for no reason started back focusing by about 18inch and no it was never droped.;)
 
Not a conclusive test macmike, but not a promising start is it. Shoot something distant to minimise focus error from the equation. On the bright side, one way or another you can get it repaired to 100% excellent :)

Not wishing to point a finger, but there are many good reasons to buy and keep a superb lens like this, and not so many to sell it on after a short time. Dropping it and knocking something out of alignment might be one.

I'd be mega-pi55ed in your shoes. Good luck,

Richard.
 
Just got the lens back from Fixation. To cut a long story short, it was expensive but very well-done and the seller made a contribution to cover costs.

I now have an excellent walk-about lens - something I've never had since getting my 40D.

Thanks to those who recommended Fixation.

:plus1: from me.
 
now show us a shot in all its glory!
 
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