Broken IS on 70-200 f/4 IS?

Hi everyone.

I'm a little upset that my 18 months 70-200 f/4 IS lens has the stabilizer broken. I mean, I have no certainty is is really broken, but the sounds it emits and the lack of stabilizing efficiency point towards that. I first noticed something was wrong when I attached the lens to my 50D and a high-pitched sound was emitted. The noise later dissapeared, but now I get a much more audible sound when the IS mechanism engages and disengages (along with the no stabilization at all). Sometimes, then IS tries to engage but then not even the little humming is heard.

What bothers me most is that this lens is almost on its bag, has never been subject to hard impacts or whatsoever. In the 50.000 pics I took last year, only about 10.000 were with this lens. Is this too much wear??

It has a UW code, meaning it has been manufactured in 2008.
Here is a link to a small recording of the sound:

http://www.4shared.com/file/175842877/f78f2c17/70200f4is.html

The lens has no warranty, so what should I do? Should I be relieved that the repair could cost less than a new lens? Has anyone had this experience before?

Thanks in advance!

I have the same lens and use it on my 1d MIII all the time. There usually is a whirring sound when the IS engages but not like you describe. You may want to take it to a reputable camera shop just to have an independent opinion before you send it in to Canon.
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Jeff Lynch
Serious Amateur Photography
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Yes, I had a problem with my 70-200/4IS that may be related. About 2 years ago the IS made some funny sounds, the image was briefly jumping in the viewfinder, then no stabilization at all, only a whirring sound.

The strange thing is, when I tested the lens a few hours later back home everything was fine again. Since then the IS seems to be working normally and I never sent the lens in for service (the warranty was already expired when the problem appeared).

The IS on this lens is quite loud when it's near your ear. As long as it stabilizes the image when you turn it on I wouldn't worry about it.
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Mike Mullen

I had an issue with my 100-400 L lens a few weeks ago. The lens was only 18 months old when the IS starting jumping erratically when used with my 7D.

I took it to my local Canon Repair Centre and because the warranty was no longer valid, they quoted me a price of $250 (Singapore dollars. Exchange: US$1 = S$1.40).

As luck would have it, they told me that a little dirt had entered the lens barrel and clogged up the IS mechanism. With a little cleaning they solved the problem. They also checked the lens for proper calibration.

Final bill - $0.00!

The Singapore market is very small so we are able to sit with the technicians and get their feedback. They told me that because the IS system in the 100-400 is relatively old (around 1st generation), the expense is not anywhere close to what someone would have to pay for a lens that uses more recent IS technology. I also have a 70-200 IS f/4 so I asked out of curiosity how much it would cost... S$650.00!!! The reason is because the 70-200 IS uses 4th generation IS technology. Much more complicated and time consuming to fix. Replacement parts are also expensive.

To the OP, I would take the lens for an inspection at a local reputable camera repair shop. If there is something seriously wrong with it and the ($) quote you get is the same as Canon's then I would send it to Canon. Otherwise with luck, you may have a very simple adjustment or cleaning that your local repair shop can do for very little cost.

In any case, good luck!

It's not that loud, when it works OK. The point is that now it makes twice the noise with no stabilization at all.

Looks you had a good experience with your Canon Service. Thanks to everybody, I'll have the lens being inspected for a quotation on the repair. I'll then tell you how it went.
Cross-fingering it doesn't come out THAT expensive! I really love this lens!

Regards!

Just got my quote and the repair will cost me just shy of €300. This is the cost of a new stabilizer unit. Oh well, I'll just take the plunge, it's still cheaper than a new lens.
I'll let you know how it went afterwards.

Regards.