Quest for the perfect copy?

[takesome1]

I just purchased the 24-70 II from B&H Photo on Friday.  The first one that I received via UPS from the online warehouse in Brooklyn had already been opened by someone else and there were finger prints all over and lint on the lens.  Moreover, the box had a barcode sticker on the side from B&H that said "RA on 12/19/2013" which definitely meant that someone had returned the lens.  This lens had the ticking sound when zooming down from 70mm to 24mm (serial number 062).

Luckily, I live in Manhattan and I went to B&H to exchange the lens.  At the store in Manhattan, the B&H employee pulled up two brand new, unopened lenses.  I could tell that they were unopened because there were no fingerprints or lint and they both had the lens lock on by Canon factory default (the first returned lens that I received had the lens lock disengaged which further indicated that it had been returned and re-shipped out to me).  The boxes were also in pristine condition with no B&H RA stickers on them.  The two lenses that I looked at in the store had serial numbers of 062 (ticking audible) and 042 (no ticking!).  The B&H employee was very patient and even said that he was used to these ticking and clicking sounds on some Canon lenses.  The 042 copy that I ended up with is perfect - no ticking or clicking, smooth as my other L zoom lenses.

I wanted to post here to let you know that I did receive a returned, obviously handled lens when I ordered online from the Brooklyn warehouse.  It was the first time that I ordered from the website.  Every other time, I have purchased the items in person and I have previously received perfect gear from both B&H and Adorama.  I believe the warehouses (Brookyln for B&H and New Jersey for Adorama) might function a bit differently from the physical stores in Manhattan.  I don't know if my experience was unusual but I thought I would post my experience here.

One thing to keep in mind is when someone returns an item to B&H they ask if it has anything wrong with it.
If that person indicates that there is not they most likely would just check it out to make sure it was still in like new condition and resell it again as new.
This is one reason I like dealing with B&H, I have never been hassled about an item I sent back. You can return an item whether it has something wrong or not.
I would have thought they would have cleaned it up a bit before shipping it out again.

[Zen]

My advice to docsmith would be . . . forget the 24-70, now or any time in the future! You won't be satisfied, no matter how good the next one you try might be. Perfection just doesn't exist at this price. Try Leica of Hassy . . . By the way, mine is fine!

Zen

[docsmith]

My advice to docsmith would be . . . forget the 24-70, now or any time in the future! You won't be satisfied, no matter how good the next one you try might be. Perfection just doesn't exist at this price. Try Leica of Hassy . . . By the way, mine is fine!

Zen

....ahhh...no...that isn't the answer....

I guess it is hard to imagine if it never happened to you.  But let's stay with the obvious.  In response to the OP wondering if there are really some bad copies of this lens out there, five of the eight lenses I tested had either the clicking while zooming issue or a bubble in the front element that CANON themselves advised be returned. 

[Invertalon]

I have *terrible* luck with Canon L's....

Some examples with brand new lenses (some issues over multiple copies)...

70-200 II - decentering, broken IS, build quality issues, scratched front element, excessive CA.

35L - USM squealing.

24-70 II - decentered, scratched front element.

16-35 II - USM high pitch squealing.

17-40 - decentering.

I am sure there are more I am forgetting... I almost expect to go through a few to get good a good copy. The 16-35 issue is from yesterday! Waiting for my replacement copy now.

[AlanF]

I have *terrible* luck with Canon L's....

Some examples with brand new lenses (some issues over multiple copies)...

70-200 II - decentering, broken IS, build quality issues, scratched front element, excessive CA.

35L - USM squealing.

24-70 II - decentered, scratched front element.

16-35 II - USM high pitch squealing.

17-40 - decentering.

I am sure there are more I am forgetting... I almost expect to go through a few to get good a good copy. The 16-35 issue is from yesterday! Waiting for my replacement copy now.

Are you just a lens schlimazel or does it affect your whole life?

[Invertalon]

Thankfully just lenses! Very lucky otherwise lol

[climber]

I'm not looking for a perfect copy, but I just want to ask if someone experienced could look attached photo and compare between each corner. I made one (very!) amateur test with my 70-200 lens. For me, it seems like the right side is more blurry then the left one. Opinions? Probably in case of decentering it would be much bigger difference between sides?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23585527/_N3A9066.CR2