Broken Canon 16-35 lens

[Paul Cronin]

I just had a mishap that was not fun to see. Shooting stills inside and went to put the camera on a table and it slipped out of my hand. The Canon EF16-35L 2.6 broke off from the 5D MKII camera. The mount stayed on the camera but the lens is now in two pieces, the lens it the floor not the camera on first impact. I was able to remove the lens mount off the camera as normal. Put the 70-200 on the camera and it seems fine. But still worth getting the camera checked out.

Sent an email to my insurance company so they can move quickly. And an email to Abel where I purchased the lens asking where to get the lens fixed and camera checked out.

Where do you send lens to be fixed? Do they do this in NJ? I am in RI. Will need this the end of next week.

Mistake on my part but the amount of time I handed cameras and this if the first one I have dropped there is not much to do but move on.

[Paul Cronin]

Found the info through the Canon site. I am going to send the lens back for hopefully a repair and the body back to be checked over.

[Jon Fairhurst]

That's terrible, Paul. Best of luck with a fast, solid, inexpensive repair.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

My thoughts are with you Paul. it is never a nice feeling and puts your stomach in knots when it happens!

I've accidently dropped cameras about 10 times during my worldwide travels, and a few times even at home. Occasionally I've been lucky and the results were just external dents or scratches, but more often the lens has cracked in half or, like the time when I dropped a complete new camera and lens off the side of the Grand Canyon, it was smashed into a million pieces...as shown in this photo:

[Paul Cronin]

Yup my stomach jumped when the camera bounced. One of the many, many, reasons to have great insurance.

It was a clean break and hopefully the lens took the brunt and not the body which seems to be fine. But I will still send the body in for a checkup.

[Olof Ekbergh]

Sorry to hear about the slip of hand. Insurance does help.

I always used to send cameras to Marty at Professional Camera Repair in NYC. But I think after they are out of business now. So canon is your best bet.

Are you a member of Canon CPS?

If not join they have many accelerated repair programs.
Link:
Canon U.S.A. : Canon Professional Services

I hope the rest of the new year goes better for you. We are finally seeing heavy snow up here.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Olof,

I am sending the gear to Canon.

Appreciate the Canon CPS link. I tried to sign up but they say I do not have enough gear.

New Year is going well this is just a very small bump in the road that happens.

[Denis OKeefe]

Hi Paul -
My friend Jim Sicile had the exact same thing happen, broke the 16-35 right off the mount. As I recall Canon repaired it for about $200.00 and Jim was mighty relieved.
If you purchased with a credit card it may be worth calling them, some guarantee/insure items for up to 90 days after purchase ( although I suspect that benefit will go the way of the ox cart soon).
Accidents happen, don't let it make you nuts.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Denis,

$200 repair fee would be fine. Sending this out overnight in the next hour.

Not going nuts just feel bad about nice gear hitting the wood floor. But no worry here, I am ready to move on and put it back to work quickly.

Contacted a repair shop in NYC Abel recommended and they said 2-3 weeks at the early end. Canon said 7-10 days max. So it goes off to Canon.

[Bill Binder]

Slightly off-topic, but you reminded me of something that happened to me once.

I literally dropped (it slipped out of my hand) my 70-200mm f2.8 IS once, and my body, my instincts if you will, were so shocked and concerned in that split second, that I literally was able to catch it before it hit the ground. It might seriously have been the most athletic, hand-eye coordinated thing I've ever done, LOL!!!

It was seriously a miracle almost, as the lens was headed for the concrete garage floor, ha!

That said, sorry about your woes, hopefully they'll fix it up for a reasonable price -- I love that lens (16-35).

[Paul Cronin]

GOOD CATCH Bill,

When it flew out of my hand it went the opposite way I was going. Guess i need your quickness.

Sent it today overnight morning delivery since yesterday FedEx and UPS were shut down with the snow storm. Should hear Monday/Tuesday what the damage is for the repair. Hoping the body is ok and does not need a repair.

[Luc De Wandel]

I'm a Canon CPS member, but even then they won't accept some of my equipment: I could register my photocamera's (5D's) and lenses (8 in total), but the most expensive lens, a Canon video wide angle, could not be registered. Strange organisation...

I once dropped a 70-200 while testing a motor boat for a watersports-magazine. Believe it or not, the bayonet fitting came loose, probably by rubbing the camera against one of the posts of the flybridge during the brisk motion. When the lens eventually came off, it first hit another photographer's head on the deck below the fly, and then bumped off his head the right way: onto deck, not into sea! No damage at first sight (except the lump on the other guy's head), but about a year later the internal block of lenses came loose, so I had to have it repaired anyway.

Too bad in this country there's not one insurance company that will ensure photographic equipment or video stuff.

Good luck with the camera, Paul!

[Paul Cronin]

Hi Luc,

I was surprised when I tried to register for CPS they said I do not own enough gear. Oh well I get their point.

Yikes the head is harder to fix then the lens. Glad it all worked out.

Your story is exactly why I sent both the lens (no real choice there) and the camera body which seemed fine but you never know.

Canon received the gear yesterday and I should know the damage by Tuesday.

I have great insurance for all of my gear but it is not cheap.

[Wayne Avanson]

I insured all my camera gear last year with E&L.
I was travelling to Canada to do a documentary so I thought it prudent.

[Paul Cronin]

Well Canon just sent me two repair estimates and I approved both.

The body was $300
Lens $160

Guess it made good sense to send the body back. Could have been a lot more expensive.