Avoiding lens slipping off camera? 40-150 f2.8 came off today...

Have you ever had a lens slip off the camera?

Neither have I, until earlier today.

I went for a long walk with my EM5II + 40-150 f.2.8 PRO. On the way back home I guess I must've accidentally hit the lens release button and the lens slowly worked itself off the mount. My hand was on the camera and/or the lens all the time, and attached to both a body strap and a wrist strap.

Luckily it didn't fall very far, and works perfectly. But it did take some small cosmetic damage. Unfortunately I'm anal about how my stuff looks. Ugh.

(In fact I've decided to sell it because I really love my gear to look perfect, so if you're interested it's in the DPreview selling forum here. I have photos of it there as well.)

How can I avoid something like that happening again? Any tips?

Hi,

First off, so sorry for your situation. I get how you want your lens to look its best at all times, especially some slick glass like the 40-150 2.8 pro.

Secondly, though, I really think you're being a bit superficial about this. You mentioned some minor cosmetic damage. If you had the hood deployed when it slipped, I would expect the hood to take most of the damage. At that point, the lens barrel probably has a few dents and scratches, but as long as the glass functions properly and creates a sharp image, I really don't see why you would have to sell it off. Of course, if you want to, that's your right. You'll be losing money unnecessarily on a great lens that still functions, but that's your choice.

Finally, what I found is that when a lens is locked onto the mount, the button will have a bit of resistance due to friction of the lock against the lens mount. You'll probably be able to feel a slight jerk if you accidentally pressed the button. Furthermore, the lens mount and camera mount will have quite a bit of friction, so it should't have been that easy to knock it off. Have you been using the lens for a while? After prolonged use the mount may have worn off a bit, reducing the friction, making it easier to push off.

I would suggest you simply check the lens once in a while to ensure it's locked on tight. As you said, you care deeply about the cosmetic of your camera set up, so anything you add onto the camera to increase the hold on the lens will take away from the design (i.e. putting gaffers tape around the mount and barrel to prevent it sliding off).

The 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro has a tripod collar, so while holding it you should be able to tell if it's in the right position on the mount and not about to fall off. If your tripod collar is positioned downwards, then while holding the lens the tripod collar should always be resting in your palm.

Post a picture if you please.

James Pilcher wrote:

Tapper123 wrote:

Have you ever had a lens slip off the camera?

Neither have I, until earlier today.

(In fact I've decided to sell it because I really love my gear to look perfect, so if you're interested it's in the DPreview selling forum here. I have photos of it there as well.)

Great marketing: Announce that you've dropped a lens and then offer it for sale. You may find a taker, though, because there's a sucker born every minute.

Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA

That lens is the nicest and most expensive piece of photo gear I ever allowed myself to own, and I wanted to keep it pristine. Until this accident, I have never dropped a lens.

And yes, I am interested in selling it to someone who doesn't care about cosmetics as I do, and they can save a few hundred dollars.

How is that bad, exactly? And how does it make someone a sucker to buy it? Used stuff with cosmetic damage is bought and sold all the time.

Knoxis wrote:

Hi,

First off, so sorry for your situation. I get how you want your lens to look its best at all times, especially some slick glass like the 40-150 2.8 pro.

Secondly, though, I really think you're being a bit superficial about this. You mentioned some minor cosmetic damage. If you had the hood deployed when it slipped, I would expect the hood to take most of the damage. At that point, the lens barrel probably has a few dents and scratches, but as long as the glass functions properly and creates a sharp image, I really don't see why you would have to sell it off. Of course, if you want to, that's your right. You'll be losing money unnecessarily on a great lens that still functions, but that's your choice.

Finally, what I found is that when a lens is locked onto the mount, the button will have a bit of resistance due to friction of the lock against the lens mount. You'll probably be able to feel a slight jerk if you accidentally pressed the button. Furthermore, the lens mount and camera mount will have quite a bit of friction, so it should't have been that easy to knock it off. Have you been using the lens for a while? After prolonged use the mount may have worn off a bit, reducing the friction, making it easier to push off.

I would suggest you simply check the lens once in a while to ensure it's locked on tight. As you said, you care deeply about the cosmetic of your camera set up, so anything you add onto the camera to increase the hold on the lens will take away from the design (i.e. putting gaffers tape around the mount and barrel to prevent it sliding off).

The 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro has a tripod collar, so while holding it you should be able to tell if it's in the right position on the mount and not about to fall off. If your tripod collar is positioned downwards, then while holding the lens the tripod collar should always be resting in your palm.

Thanks for the post.

Yes, in the future I will definitely keep my hand on the tripod mount and not the camera body - that is undoubtedly what led to the lens release inadvertently being pressed.

I'm also thinking of getting a holster style bag to use with this camera and lens combo, and any similar combo in the future. Going "naked" with this gear was probably not smart either, despite my town being pretty safe.

Knoxis wrote:

Post a picture if you please.

Here you go. I know some people will tell me it's not a big deal, and intellectually I know that. But this is the most expensive single piece of photo gear I ever owned, and I wanted to keep it as perfect as I could. When I was younger I could never afford such things, so it's a big deal for me now to own a lens like this.

Tapper123 wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Tapper123 wrote:

Have you ever had a lens slip off the camera?

Neither have I, until earlier today.

(In fact I've decided to sell it because I really love my gear to look perfect, so if you're interested it's in the DPreview selling forum here. I have photos of it there as well.)

Great marketing: Announce that you've dropped a lens and then offer it for sale. You may find a taker, though, because there's a sucker born every minute.

Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA

That lens is the nicest and most expensive piece of photo gear I ever allowed myself to own, and I wanted to keep it pristine. Until this accident, I have never dropped a lens.

And yes, I am interested in selling it to someone who doesn't care about cosmetics as I do, and they can save a few hundred dollars.

How is that bad, exactly? And how does it make someone a sucker to buy it? Used stuff with cosmetic damage is bought and sold all the time.

That is about as wrong as me saying he is paranoid because suspicion without knowing someone at all is what paranoids have in common. If you sell a lens and you are honest about its condition you are doing nothing wrong at all.

OzRay wrote:

It'll probably be cheaper to send it in to Olympus, ask them to check, service and repair it.

Hmm, thank you for saying that. Honestly, I'd just assumed such cosmetic damage couldn't be repaired. I guess it's worth asking Olympus FWIW.

RichRMA wrote:

OzRay wrote:

You may need to go to a fixed lens camera.

You'd have apoplexy if you saw what my E-M1 looks like (new in Feb 2014); bare metal showing through everywhere.

A direct result of the fast replacements of modern cameras. Years ago, wear was a badge of honour, it indicated you actually used your equipment. Today, people are paranoid of wear (and lose shots because of it) because they are trying to keep what they know they are going to be selling soon in perfect condition.

Just been to see Bailey's Stardust exhibition in Edinburgh (wonderful images you must see it if you can before end of October) his Pentax camera has more brass than paint!!

OzRay wrote:

You'd have apoplexy if you saw what my E-M1 looks like (new in Feb 2014); bare metal showing through everywhere.

I actually really want to see what your EM1 looks like...

I don't think Olympus would be willing to fix it — not for free, at least. They would probably charge you for it since it is damage caused by you and not by the factory. The warranty will only protect you against defects caused during the manufacturing process.

It'll probably be quite expensive as they would need to replace quite a lot of stuff, as the images you posted earlier of your lens shows quite some damage all over the lens barrel. Would probably still be cheaper than buying new, since the internal optics still function properly; that is, unless they refuse to replace it at all...

You can try your luck, but be prepared to be disappointed...

Colin K. Work wrote:

Tapper123 wrote:

James Pilcher wrote:

Tapper123 wrote:

Have you ever had a lens slip off the camera?

Neither have I, until earlier today.

(In fact I've decided to sell it because I really love my gear to look perfect, so if you're interested it's in the DPreview selling forum here. I have photos of it there as well.)

Great marketing: Announce that you've dropped a lens and then offer it for sale. You may find a taker, though, because there's a sucker born every minute.

Jim Pilcher
Bonita Springs, Florida, USA

That lens is the nicest and most expensive piece of photo gear I ever allowed myself to own, and I wanted to keep it pristine. Until this accident, I have never dropped a lens.

And yes, I am interested in selling it to someone who doesn't care about cosmetics as I do, and they can save a few hundred dollars.

How is that bad, exactly? And how does it make someone a sucker to buy it? Used stuff with cosmetic damage is bought and sold all the time.

Nothing wrong with what you're planning, however from the photos you posted, there seems to be a bit of distortion to the barrel at the camera end of the lens. As a possible buyer I would be concerned that an impact that severe could also have affected the alignment of lens elements. For that reason I wouldn't bid on it.

It might well be worth getting it checked by Olympus, as having a service record could net you a better price. The cosmetics alone wouldn't put me off

He's right, you know. Simply taking a picture and looking at it on your LCD or even computer monitor won't guarantee that everything's in perfect condition. It might look good to you — heck, to anyone but a trained technician, the lens images probably look perfect! It is always good to have it checked out. Unless you go through MTF checking, lens alignment checking, the whole nine, you can never be sure that it solely has cosmetic damage and not some other internal damage.

People will think about this as well, as Colin said. If I saw a listing on eBay for a "cosmetically damaged" lens from a drop, I would have my doubts. You read online all those cases where a lens fell and had focusing issues, increase chromatic aberrations and fringing, etc... Posting without some form of guarantee that the internals are working perfectly will ward off many experienced photographers. So in essence, anyone that buys your lens without going through a thorough check could be called a sucker, since they'd essentially be paying quite a lot of dough for a damaged item...

Not my place to say, but you really should get it checked professionally before selling it off, since you will hurt your chances of selling it.