Scratched my Sony GM lens

[jhbodle]

I made a mistake last night - I put my camera on a tripod with the lens cap off on a beach and the tripod fell down lens first onto the stones.

Picked it up and tried to take a picture - at first it wouldn't focus (even manually), but taking the lens off and putting it back on fixed that. But there are scratches on the lens surface from the stones. These show up as blotches on the image.

Can I get this lens repaired or is the only option to buy a new lens? It's a Sony 16-35mm GM.

 

[Rol Lei Nut]

I made a mistake last night - I put my camera on a tripod with the lens cap off on a beach and the tripod fell down lens first onto the stones.

Picked it up and tried to take a picture - at first it wouldn't focus (even manually), but taking the lens off and putting it back on fixed that. But there are scratches on the lens surface from the stones. These show up as blotches on the image.

Can I get this lens repaired or is the only option to buy a new lens? It's a Sony 16-35mm GM.

Theoretically it should be possible to repair it, but Sony lens repair prices are among the highest of any brand, so you need to consider if buying a used 16-35 might be a better option.

Also, the fall may have damaged more than just the front element, making a positive repair scenario even worse.

Unless someone who has had a similar repair on the same model lens answers, you should contact your Sony repair service, describing the entire situation, for an estimate.

 

[alh00020]

I made a mistake last night - I put my camera on a tripod with the lens cap off on a beach and the tripod fell down lens first onto the stones.

Picked it up and tried to take a picture - at first it wouldn't focus (even manually), but taking the lens off and putting it back on fixed that. But there are scratches on the lens surface from the stones. These show up as blotches on the image.

Can I get this lens repaired or is the only option to buy a new lens? It's a Sony 16-35mm GM.

Yes, you can. Find your nearest Sony dealer and they can arrange for it to be shipped to Sony and repaired. They will definitely need to replace the front element, and perhaps some other parts depending on how hard the impact was.

Bare in mind that it will be expensive and it may take a while. But not as expensive as purchasing a brand new lens. I had it happen to my 24-70mm GM several years ago.

It’s also worth mentioning that this kind of accident may be covered by your home insurance/contents insurance, if you have some. Some bank accounts/travel insurance could also cover it, depending upon your policies. Always worth checking before spending your own money!