A very bad feeling

I was out in the field (literally) on Friday, and noticed something new and different about my ZD 50-200 non-SWD.

It's a bit loose right behind the zoom ring, both slightly wobbling laterally, and wiggling slightly in rotation in relation to the front half of the lens. At first I thought that the lens collar wasn't tightened, but it was.

It's very much like there's a setscrew or two just a little loose, not that there are any that are user accessible in that area.

Some shots taken at 125mm and f5.6 show distinct vignetting in the upper corners, but not the lower. There was nothing attached to the lens, except for the lens shade.

For example:





Is this a known (or likely) precursor to complete failure?

seho said:

Is this a known (or likely) precursor to complete failure?

Click to expand...

This lens is known to literally fall apart because screws come loose. Personally I'd send it in for a service. They should replace the seals etc anyway, so its worth doing.

G.

That's a known problem with the early version of the lens. I agree with Big Ga. Send it to Olympus right away.

Jim Pilcher
Summit County, Colorado

Same thing with mine last month on my Costa Rica honeymoon. Heard a screw rattle around, then it began to separate. I have it packed up to ship to Olympus and I hope they recognise that it's their "whoops" and should be fixed even out of warranty.

However, others have said that Olympus charged $300 for this fix, so no free lunch I guess.

Hope it goes well with you.

Best,
Seth

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?

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wallygoots.smugmug.com
wallygoots.blogspot.com

Known problem in part of the production line.
Just give it to service.