Unhappy Tokina 12-24- Repair, insurance, replace?

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leezer3

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Not a particularly happy chap today, as my Tokina 12-24 has decided to start dying....

I'm getting an intermittent Error 01 (50D).

Had the lens a bit over three years, probably taken ~5000 pictures or so in that time, and love it, other than this death :(
Never dropped or anything, in near mint condition.

Would appreciate any opinions on my options. As I see it:
  • Repair. Cam-Rep are quoting me £68 (Aperture flex), which Google tells me is a known issue with this lens model. I'd have to pay post to them, so ~£90 total.
  • Attempt claim on my insurance- This is LV personal possessions cover, so in theory no excess. I haven't ever tried this in 10 years, and at the minute I don't know whether they'd cover what I assume to be mechanical breakdown.
  • Complete replacement. I wasn't impressed with the build of the Canon or Sigma alternatives when I purchased originally.
Tokina appear to have replaced the 12-24 with a 12-28.
I haven't tried to find a dealer to take a look at these in person yet (Only happened at lunchtime, when I was out :( ), but reviews and the images I can find suggest these are very similar to the 12-24, other than the extra 4mm.

Thoughts, opinions and sympathy most welcome :p
 
I had a Tokina 12-24 when I shot Canon and had the same problem. I contacted Intro2020 who were the Tokina distributor who put me on to their repair company. I can't remember what I paid but it was probably around £100. Realistically, you can either pay £90 to continue using a lens that you like and delivered excellent results, try to claim on insurance and possibly affect future premiums (if they cover it), or pay out several hundred for a brand new lens.

Personally, I'd pay the repair bill and enjoy the lens.
 
If it was a one-off I'd almost agree with you, but the fact that this appears to be a well-known fault puts me off that option :(

What I can't afford to be doing is paying this every three years- Repair twice or so and I've got a new (grey) 12-28.
 
leezer3 said:
If it was a one-off I'd almost agree with you, but the fact that this appears to be a well-known fault puts me off that option :(

What I can't afford to be doing is paying this every three years- Repair twice or so and I've got a new (grey) 12-28.
Click to expand...

I had my 12-24 for around 4 years after buying it 2nd hand. I had the repair done around 12 months after I bought it and the lens was fine when I sold it on. It's a known issue but I believe the fix involves replacing the ribbon and routing it in a slightly different way which prevents it being pinched when zooming.
 
keeweeman said:
What about repairing it and then sell the lens on for more than the repair cost? How much do they go for used?
Click to expand...

Used is £200- £300, depends on the retailer and whether it's a MK1 or MK2. (Although sometimes this gets ignored....)

Trouble being that I absolutely want a UWA lens. If I sell on, I've still got to find a couple of hundred minimum to finance the replacement!
When I viewed them, the Tokina was by far the best of the bunch build wise, but it's bitten me :(
GAS says claim and try for a new 12-28.............
 
that's fair enough regarding the shortfall on a new lens but at least if you can sell yours on/trade it in once repaired then it reduces the deficit by a half decent amount. It is just the faff of getting it repaired first only to sell it on really.
Not sure i would be looking at claiming it on the insurance though personally simply because of the premium bump that will follow for the next 5 years, but that is just me
 
I don't think your insurance will pay as your cover will probably only be for loss or accidental damage, plus the hike in your premium for next and successive years will probably outweigh any repair cost
 
Just pay to get it repaired and carry on using it. I know I'd rather pay £100 to carry on using a lens I like than find £3-500 to buy another lens that's going to do the same job.
 
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