Canon EF 70-200 F/4 IS USM - Amazon Trade-in: loose cylinder & Rattle

I bought this lens from Amazon in June 2013. I've never had a single problem with it and it takes great images. However, I don't use it much even though I kept it inside a lens coat (also bought on Amazon).

Since it was just sitting in my drawer, I finally decided to trade it in. I have all of the original boxes & packing material for all of my camera gear.  All of it. So I packed it tightly in the original box with the original molded foam that it came with, put all items back in there and then double boxed it inside a slightly larger box with those plastic bubble bags that Amazon uses. Sealed it with box tape and sent it off with Amazon.com's shipping label.

After they get and it and goes into "processing" it comes through as rejected. I had it set to return my items if they degrade the condition, which I had set to "like new" (since it has no scratches, dings, dirt, fades, or anything). I clicked on the html link they have in there called "Item Rejected". Up pops a window that states the reason why it was rejected. It says this:

"After thoroughly checking your item, it was rejected due to the following reasons:

• major cracks or dents

"

It then says the item will be returned. This was as expected because I asked them to do exactly that.

Ok...when I saw that, those words "major cracks or dents", I red-lined. Major cracks and dents on my flawless (when it left me) lens?!

#$#@  ^##@@!  **(#

Long story short, I cut through their lousy customer services (which was zero help). I asked to speak to the persons evaluating my lens only to find that you cannot talk to them at all. Finally I got to another supervisor who agreed to listen. This person took down a lot of info from me (like how I had packed the lens, serial #) and said he would investigate. Finally, I got an email yesterday from him saying the following (I'm cutting out the fluff words about him being sorry to get to the gist of what he said which is quoted exactly below):

"According to the information provided by the facility processing your submission, the specific reason your item didn't meet the trade-in conditions was: Interior lens/cylinder of the device is completely loose, there are rattling sounds inside. The outside has no dings dents or any indication that it was ever dropped or banged around."

The trade-in condition was "like new". The last sentence there is probably in response to my claiming that if my lens, after I had packed it carefully in the original box & packing materials and then double boxed it, had "major cracks or dents" then it was more likely because they had dropped it in the processing facility, since no shipping damaged was claimed.

Now, this is the IS version of the Canon 70-200 F/4.  What do you all think about this part of their statement: "Interior lens/cylinder of the device is completely loose, there are rattling sounds inside."

Please offer your thoughts on this.  The lens should arrive back to me this coming Monday.  Thanks.

Did you ensure the lens when shipping? If not, you may have to send it in to Canon for servicing. Sounds like it was dropped or mishandled. Sorry OP.

Amazon provides a shipping label. I used it. However, I don't yet believe there is a problem with my lens.

I just received by lens back about an hour and a half ago from Amazon.

I inspected the outside carefully, there were no major cracks or dents.

I could not detect what was described as a loose cylinder.  Thus, I have no idea what they meant.  I could detect what one might describe as a slight rattle when I shook the lens gently in my hands.

However, once I put it back on my 6D and powered it up, the lens immediately resumed correct operation. The AF works, the focusing works near and far, the zoom function works, MF works. There is nothing about this lens that doesn't work.

My thoughts are that the so-called inspector is simply not competent and he or she would have used the lens on a Canon camera instead of trying to manipulate it off the camera. I suspect that the rattling sound inside must have something to do with the image stabilization system, which must somehow float while the user is handholding the lens. Whatever does that may rattle slightly when the lens is not on the camera and powered.  I never shake my lenses looking for rattling noises as I see no reason to do that. Also, I don't think I ever zoom or focus with the lens off the camera, either.

I was hoping that others here would have some experience with this behavior on IS lenses. Several months ago I read a post on facebook from a guy who was having the same issues with a Canon EF 100-400mm Mk2. This fellow even made a video on it.  It was hard to believe how his brand new lens was behaving but it righted itself once he put it back on a camera.  I would post a link here but I cannot seen to find the post or the video now.

I hope this experience will help someone else down the road and I still would like to see some discussion on this possible behaivor of these IS lenses.

Steve Balcombe wrote:

RogerZoul wrote:

I just received by lens back about an hour and a half ago from Amazon.

I inspected the outside carefully, there were no major cracks or dents.

I could not detect what was described as a loose cylinder. Thus, I have no idea what they meant. I could detect what one might describe as a slight rattle when I shook the lens gently in my hands.

However, once I put it back on my 6D and powered it up, the lens immediately resumed correct operation. The AF works, the focusing works near and far, the zoom function works, MF works. There is nothing about this lens that doesn't work.

My thoughts are that the so-called inspector is simply not competent and he or she would have used the lens on a Canon camera instead of trying to manipulate it off the camera. I suspect that the rattling sound inside must have something to do with the image stabilization system, which must somehow float while the user is handholding the lens. Whatever does that may rattle slightly when the lens is not on the camera and powered. I never shake my lenses looking for rattling noises as I see no reason to do that. Also, I don't think I ever zoom or focus with the lens off the camera, either.

I was hoping that others here would have some experience with this behavior on IS lenses. Several months ago I read a post on facebook from a guy who was having the same issues with a Canon EF 100-400mm Mk2. This fellow even made a video on it. It was hard to believe how his brand new lens was behaving but it righted itself once he put it back on a camera. I would post a link here but I cannot seen to find the post or the video now.

I hope this experience will help someone else down the road and I still would like to see some discussion on this possible behaivor of these IS lenses.

The problem - not necessarily with your lens, but in general - is that if you remove the lens from the body before the IS system has powered down, it can leave the IS group unparked and free to rattle around. It can be quite disconcerting, but if you then attach it to a body and power up, it immediately works perfectly.

Maybe the 'inspector' attached it to a body, checked that it was working (it was), then working quickly they removed it and shook it - whereupon it rattled.

That is very believable..I'm certain I didn't know that...but I wonder why he would do that if he knows the group could become unparked? Do you know if Canon has any written description of this on a website?

Thanks.

Does your lens perhaps suffer from erectile dysfunction? Reportedly some 70-200/4LIS won't AF smoothly when cocked in a vertical position. No joke.

I just checked my relatively new (2 months old) 70-200 f/4 IS lens and when shaken there is movement within the lens.  I put it on my 70D and tested it - works fine.  I turned off IS, turned off the camera body, and removed the lens - the same movement was detectable.  So "something loose" is normal with this particular lens.

J A C S wrote:

Most likely, the person inspecting the lens had no idea what to expect from a stabilized lens. Incompetence is everywhere. Also, I can imagine how violently would he/she shake the lens to check for "loose elements" in order to write such a description. I would be worried to send my lens to Amazon after reading this.

Sadly, these are exactly my thoughts.  I'm very disappointed in Amazon trade in. They have been good in the past but I won't be sending anymore of my gear to them.

Dave Sparks wrote:

I just checked my relatively new (2 months old) 70-200 f/4 IS lens and when shaken there is movement within the lens. I put it on my 70D and tested it - works fine. I turned off IS, turned off the camera body, and removed the lens - the same movement was detectable. So "something loose" is normal with this particular lens.

Thanks for doing that. It helps.

robsudac wrote:

It is an Amazon trade-in issue.

I had a similar trade-in that I submitted for a "like-new" Ricoh GR with less than 100 shutter clicks, not a single scratch or fingerprint. I was shocked and angry when they said there was a scratch and downgraded it to "Good condition," a $125 negative price swing, so I had them send it back and there was not a scratch or fingerprint to be found.

When I called Amazon, they said that the trade-in program is actually a 3rd party and not Amazon. I am pretty certain that they will always ding an item to a lower condition with the intent to pay out less than they originally advertised as you have to elect to have your item returned if it is not graded in the condition that you submitted it as. It seems to be quite dishonest and a bait-and-switch ploy. Left a really bad taste and I refuse to deal with an Amazon trade-in again.

Amazon really seems to be dropping the ball lately.

Prior to this lousy event, I had traded several items that were upgraded from "good" to like "new". Those days seem to be over, sadly.