New 100-400L, seagulls, and good Canadian price.

Ember42 wrote:

First outing with the 100-400L

I'm impressed with this lens. Definitely some practice will be required to consistently get birds in focus, but it is a massive step up from the 55-250!

For the Canadians out there, I found a good deal on it. Photo-Experts in BC have it on for $1529, but Best-buy (or futureshop I presume) will price match it less the $15 delivery. They and the other big stores have it on at $1700. (After duties, delivery and currency adjustment US imports are no better)

I was considering waiting for the rumoured replacement to see if it was worth it, or if there would be good deals on the outgoing one. After I saw the price for the new Nikon 80-400, i figured the Canon would be well out of my bracket (this is my first L), and there would be enough difference the old 100-400L wouldn't go down that much.

I took it out to the local bay to give it a test run and check for any significant defects. I think I am happy with this copy

Good capture, good lens.  Is this the "trombone"?  If so be careful with zooming in and out.  It has no end of travel buffer stops.  With some hearty knocks at the end of travel it dislodges some of the microscopic ball bearings under the zoom lock.  These get between the slide and the barrel make the action sticky and can leave tiny smear like traces up and down the barrel which looks like some dirt has got under the slide.  Eventually these bearings can migrate into the IS mechanism and stop it working.  All this is guaranteed to happen one week after the warranty runs out.

I made the mistake of loosening the screws holding the zoom lock in place thinking that I might clean it. Advice - don't!  Underneath this innocuous fitting are two hoizontally opposed open ball races full of hundreds of tiny pin-head size ball bearings which will suddenly fall out into your lap.  There is no way of replacing them without special help - even if you are the patient type and have also managed to save all the bearings - as the races are open, opposed and dry.  I had thought perhaps "a symple nylon ramp lock" but this is one over-engineered tricky set up and a disaster waiting to happen.

I had to pay of course to have it fixed by Canon - AUD$800 later.

I was annoyed because when I then (some years ago) did a straw survey on the net I found that about one in ten of these lenses will suffer form the displaced bearing problem.  Everyone else who had not yet encountered the issue was a happy as the proverbial "Larry" with the lens.  Canon of course refused to acknowledge this as a fundamental design fault.

Of course my problem was in following an Osprey Eagle in flight.  Zoom out, find it, zoom in track it, lost it, zoom out, repeat .... The zoom action is very fast and you get this "whack, whack" when you are in a hurry.  Watch it.  I am careful these days and have had no more trouble.  I have no idea why Canon cold not have fitted and end of travel buffer - a simple cheap "O" ring would have done well.  Maybe the repair revenue is attractive.