Canon 85/1.8 lens fails to focus!

[gusmahler]

I've had two lenses fail on me before. But both had the cheap DC motor. And in both cases, the lens will still manual focus, just won't auto focus. (In fact, both were 18-55 kit lenses). I had chalked it up to those lenses being my most frequently mounted lenses and due to the cheap motor.

Yesterday, I go to take some portraits with my 85/1.8. Then I find it doesn't focus. At all! It won't autofocus. And turning the focus ring does absolutely nothing.

What's the problem? And how much does Canon charge to fix this?

 

[BAK]

I've got a broken Sigma 24-135 that I took into Sigma's Canadian service department and the nice man there told me about pressure fractures.

There was no evidence of the lens being dropped, kicked, clubbed with an ax. Instead he explained that it was squeezed somehow (perhaps in a camera bag in among groceries in the back of a car - use your imagination) and thus electrical connections, "spines" and other components might have been hurt.

We cocluded that the $90 to open it up and look and repair it, and hope there were parts avasilable, which was a gamble although he was willing to order from Japan (for more money) was a bigger gamble than we wanted to make.

Anyway, it's probably not a bad idea to send the lens to Canon for an estimate.

BAK

 

[hotdog321]

This is odd. I shoot professionally and have never had the AF fail. The 85/1.8 is a nice, rugged, reliable lens (I own it, too). I suspect your camera may have a pin-contact problem where the body attaches to the lens.

Check that the gold pins are all fully extended, not bent, and have no signs of corrosion.

Also check your "bad" lenses on another body to verify that it is the lenses, not the camera, causing the AF problem.

Good luck!

PS--I just re-read your post about the manual focusing on the 85 not working. Yup, sounds like the lens. Still strange.

 

[gusmahler]

Checking the Canon website, looks like it will cost $134 for them to repair it. Seems expensive, but I guess that's cheaper than spending $400 to replace it.

I checked the lens on another body. Still doesn't auto focus. Still doesn't manually focus.

I checked Lightroom to see when was the last time I used it and it was on January 4 of this year. I don't recall even touching the lens after that. Oddly enough, the first photo I ever took with with this lens was also on January 4, of 2008.

 

[Timbukto]

Does that mean you didn't touch it for 4 years? So its true that you need to at least shoot your lens once in awhile to keep aperture blades slick and maybe even USM Ring motors.

 

[Prime85]

I've had two lenses fail on me before. But both had the cheap DC motor. And in both cases, the lens will still manual focus, just won't auto focus. (In fact, both were 18-55 kit lenses). I had chalked it up to those lenses being my most frequently mounted lenses and due to the cheap motor.

Yesterday, I go to take some portraits with my 85/1.8. Then I find it doesn't focus. At all! It won't autofocus. And turning the focus ring does absolutely nothing.

What's the problem? And how much does Canon charge to fix this?

Is the lens switched to MF mode?

 

[Resul83]

on which body?
5D M2 is supposed to have issues with AF..

I've had two lenses fail on me before. But both had the cheap DC motor. And in both cases, the lens will still manual focus, just won't auto focus. (In fact, both were 18-55 kit lenses). I had chalked it up to those lenses being my most frequently mounted lenses and due to the cheap motor.

Yesterday, I go to take some portraits with my 85/1.8. Then I find it doesn't focus. At all! It won't autofocus. And turning the focus ring does absolutely nothing.

What's the problem? And how much does Canon charge to fix this?

 

[middleclasstrash]

FIXED MINE WITH SAME PROBLEM (WONT FOCUS MANUAL OR AUTO).

First day with Canon 85/1.8 lens and I drop my camera about a foot into some grass and it lands lens first. Auto focus quit working, clicked it to manual focus, still nothing. Looked on ebay for a replacement, then decided since it was broke things couldn't get worse. First I softly clunked the front of the lens on a wood surface, and didn't check it, Then I removed the 3 tiny phillips head screws just above the manual focus ring with a micro screw driver (they are small). I pulled the cover ring off the front of the lens. Any way I put it back on the body with the ring off and it worked perfect, for no reason. I put the ring back in position and replaced the screws. It still works perfect. No Idea what I did. ( I just did this 10 min ago so im not sure if it will break again).

Hope this helps.