Urgent lens repair in Singapore

Hi there,

My lens (f4/24-105 IS) is playing up as of yesterday. I am currently travelling & will get to Singapore for a 2-day stopover from Monday to Wednesday. (It definitely is the lens - other lenses are fine with the same camera).

Does anyone know a camera centre / repair centre in Singapore, who can fix this on short notice?

In case it helps: I'm a member of Canon Professional Services (CPS Europe) – though it doesn't necessarily have to be a Canon repair centre I'm looking for.

A few more details on what's happening (in case someone here can diagnose it a bit better for me):

• when I attach lens to camera, there's an electronic 'rattling' noise for 1-2 seconds
• when I auto-focus on something, the rattling noise sometimes reappears and the viewfinder image is vibrating a bit (problem with the IS system?)
• when I switch IS off, the electronic 'rattling' noise comes up for even longer (several seconds)
• when I try to take an image, the mirror locks up (most of the time, though not all the time) and the camera says "Error"
• once the mirror comes down again (after a few seconds), the viewfinder is very dark (aperture closed)
• sometimes, the camera doesn't display the aperture number but aperture "00"

My assumption would be electronic problem, not mechanical. (The lens has never been dropped or anything, but it was exposed to a bit of moisture near a waterfall the other day).

Thanks a lot for any kind of help!!

BelIblis

You can call Canon Services Center, they open on week days ( http://www.canon.com.sg/section/contactus/ ) , or try Camera Hospital ( http://www.camerahospital.com/ ).

They may be able to give you urgent services if needed as long as they have the parts.

--
Rendrat

Thanks for that. I've contacted them by email.

With all IS lenses, you will see a momentary shake through the viewfinder. That is the IS device working. You might also hear a slight hum too.

But if you hear a rattle, remove the lens and look through the lens from the rear. Shake the lens a bit. If you see the rear element rattling, that means the retaining clip somehow came off. You definitely will need a Canon repair center that this point.

Does the camera go into "BC" or "Err"? Look at the lens and look at the aperture blades. If their are in the stopped down position, then your aperture unit could be defective too.

I know the normal sound of the IS element. But the noise I'm trying to describe is about 10x louder and definitely 'rattling'. When I switch the IS off, and then use the AF, that rattling noise continues forever.

Aperture is 'sticky' as well. Now what baffles me is: why does this IS thing happen AT THE SAME TIME as the aperture thing.... weird, no?

I've played around a little more, and the very(!) strange thing is:

If I use the lens at 24mm, the aperture works fine. Shot after shot, hundreds of times. As soon as I zoom to 35mm or above, the aperture 'sticks' and the camera locks up & the mirror won't come back down anymore.

Very bizarre.

Sorry to hear abt ur problem. I can't help with Singapore (I'm in HK) but I have had a similar problem with my 24-105, symptoms:

Camera displays Err 01 when attempting to take photo. This does not occur with other lenses on same body. It does occur using this lens on another body. Therefore not a body problem.

Does not occur if put in Av mode and keep lens wide open (f4), can use lens at f4 over any focal length. Any other aperture and the problem occurs.

Does not occur at widest angle (24mm), can use lens with any aperture if do not attempt to zoom.

Changing AF/MF and IS on/off does not make any difference to the problem in my case.

Given the above I suspect some electrical connection problem that comes into play due to zooming. Unfortunately I can't afford to repair at the moment but would be interested to hear how yours was repaired.

Best, Ranald.

Can recommend Canon's service centre @ HarbourFront MRT. When the mirror on my 5D fell off during shooting at Singapore Zoo they have fixed it really fast. It still works.

I went to see the guy from Camera Hospital in Singapore today. He new the problem with the lens, I didn't have to explain to him at all.

He said this is a current problem with the 24-105 lens: Stick aperture (or 'power diaphragm' problem as it's called on another website), but the lens works fine at 24mm setting. The noise I'm hearing from the "IS" system probably comes from the aperture box (so: the IS system should be fine).

He said this problem will come up / reoccur around every 3 years. And in my case he's right: my lens is 3 years old.

The lens is currently with him, the repair will be around US$250.

Did a bit of research on the web. If you own a 24-105, take a look at this:

http://community.the-digital-picture.com/forums/t/922.aspx
http://www.pinoyphotography.org/forum/index.php?topic=38608.0
http://www.pinoyphotography.org/forum/index.php?topic=38608.15
http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00Lx0W

In the last link, you can see the printed circuits hanging off the aperture unit. I believe these printed circuits are damaged & result in a 'loose connection'. And at 24mm, that printed circuit is 'stretched' or 'set' in a way that DOESN'T show a loose connection. That's why the lens works at 24mm.

Just to close the loop, I finally got my 24-105 repaired.

They replaced the "power aperture assembly", total cost was about HK$1250 which is around US$160 or GBP100.

Hope it lasts a few more years now (it was about 4 years old).

Happy shooting!