Do Canon IS lenses park? Which ones? Ok if they don't?

YuengLinger

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By now some readers interested in this issue have read the fascinating, deep teardown discussion by lensrentals.com. I'm going to take a liberty here to briefly resuscitate this thread with my final thoughts on the issue by copying and pasting what I wrote in reply to some very sharp criticisms of the 100-500mm on another forum:

I agree with every criticism of yours regarding the 100-500mm, but it is an incredibly fun lens to shoot with, and, without an extender, is ergonomically superb and has spectacular image quality. The MFD is very important to me.

That said, wow, the tele-extender limitation is just plain goofy, like some no-name knockoff might come up with. The slower aperture at 500mm is disappointing and frustrating.

But, at this time, there really is nothing comparable that beats it for convenient, easy-to-carry, top performance. I'm very curious about the Sigma150-600mm, but it seems large and unwieldly compared to the 100-500mm, and even without using it, I'm sure it can't match with AF speed and accuracy. So, for somebody who wants something light, quick, and with excellent IQ, the 100-500mm on an R5 just doesn't have any real competition yet.

YET. Yes, I wish something like a 200-600mm f/5.6 had been offered, even a little heavier, but, as others have noted, nothing like that is on Canon's horizon at the moment.

The 100-500mm reminds me a lot of the EOS R, a body which in hindsight seems to have been a bridge, or a stopgap--something designed quickly so Canon could get its new RF lenses into the mirrorless game. And I loved the R despite its burst limitations, its older sensor, and its ergonomic awkwardness.

Compromise is one of the fundamentals of photography. To call the 100-500mm flawless is silly, but to call it a failure is just as ridiculous. If somebody strongly desires a great outdoor lens, the 100-500mm can fit the bill until something better comes along!

BTW, I was the OP of the thread questioning the soundness of the 100-500mm's lack of IS parking. Roger Cicala's exhaustive teardown convinced me to relax and reorder the lens!
 
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usern4cr

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Is there any further news regarding the unparked IS since January, either in the RF 100-500 or 70-200?
Not that I've heard. I have both and am still extremely happy with them.
The 100-500 f4.5-7L is my absolute #1 lens in use and I wouldn't want to be without it.
If you have the chance, just buy one and you'll love it!!!!
 
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FrenchFry

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Not that I've heard. I have both and am still extremely happy with them.
The 100-500 f4.5-7L is my absolute #1 lens in use and I wouldn't want to be without it.
If you have the chance, just buy one and you'll love it!!!!
I recently purchased the 70-200mm F2.8, and am waiting to see what lenses are announced before deciding on the 100-500mm.

Hoping for some new telephoto choices to be announced close to the Olympics, or at least in 2021. Would love to see more information about some of the rumored lenses.

I love the 70-200 so far, and I am hoping it has a long and useful life even without IS parking. I got mine at a good price from CPW so no CarePAK as an option. Bring it on hikes all the time; isn't that one of the points in getting a more compact and portable lens? Time will tell if issues appear.
 
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JPAZ

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I will, however, wait on moving from my EF 100-400 to and RF 100-500

That was my thoughts in January. Now, 6 months on, just got an RF 100-500 and actually just sold the EF 100-400 mkII to help pay for it. I've been reassured by the multiple responses by others discussing that despite the shaking IS elements, just how great this lens has proven to be. Preliminary testing tonite makes me secure that this lens is a good copy optically. Hope I've made the right move. :rolleyes:
 
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YuengLinger

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That was my thoughts in January. Now, 6 months on, just got an RF 100-500 and actually just sold the EF 100-400 mkII to help pay for it. I've been reassured by the multiple responses by others discussing that despite the shaking IS elements, just how great this lens has proven to be. Preliminary testing tonite makes me secure that this lens is a good copy optically. Hope I've made the right move. :rolleyes:
Nearly six months later, I'm 100% satisfied with all aspects of the lens. I've had loads of fun and even gotten some extremely satisfying shots with it. It's a great companion on hikes. Amazingly versatile!
 
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usern4cr

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Any further developments on this issue? I just bought an RF 100-500 and was surprised at the degree to which the unpowered IS unit wobbles around. For context, I had an RF 24-105L become visibly decentred and needed the IS unit replaced after, at worst, a minor fall onto soft grass. It wasn't worth repairing so I replaced it.
This has been discussed a lot a long time ago. To my knowledge (and a seemingly rough consensus) there is no problem with this and it is indeed how it is designed to work. It is my favorite lens which I use almost all the time, carrying around etc, and there are no problems and the results art tack sharp. I can only assume that this is an intentional design to allow for the extremely fast IS response in this lens.
 
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Had the same problem with my RF 400mm f/2.8.
  • Mounted, camera on, IS on: no sound at all
  • Unmounted when the camera is on: big clunking sound, hands on the lens could feel the IS component hitting the sides
  • Unmounted after the camera is turned off: mild rattling sound, much less than the clunking I heard before
So I called CPS China and spoke to an engineer at their service center in Shanghai.

The Canon engineer confirmed that it is normal to hear the mild rattling sound even after properly disconnecting the lens. So, I guess there is an IS parking mechanism in the RF 400mm f/2.8, but it doesn't completely lock the IS in place, and that is expected.

There also seems to be a distinction between the R3 and the R5. When I called, he asked me whether I was using the R3 or the R5. When I said the R5, he said "for the R5, try turning off the camera before disconnecting the lens." (and it worked for me—there was still the rattling, but he said that was expected) I do not have an R3, so I cannot verify whether with the R3 one doesn't have to turn off the camera before disconnecting the lens. But it seems like that's the case.
 
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koenkooi

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Had the same problem with my RF 400mm f/2.8.
  • Mounted, camera on, IS on: no sound at all
  • Unmounted when the camera is on: big clunking sound, hands on the lens could feel the IS component hitting the sides
  • Unmounted after the camera is turned off: mild rattling sound, much less than the clunking I heard before
So I called CPS China and spoke to an engineer at their service center in Shanghai.

The Canon engineer confirmed that it is normal to hear the mild rattling sound even after properly disconnecting the lens. So, I guess there is an IS parking mechanism in the RF 400mm f/2.8, but it doesn't completely lock the IS in place, and that is expected.

There also seems to be a distinction between the R3 and the R5. When I called, he asked me whether I was using the R3 or the R5. When I said the R5, he said "for the R5, try turning off the camera before disconnecting the lens." (and it worked for me—there was still the rattling, but he said that was expected) I do not have an R3, so I cannot verify whether with the R3 one doesn't have to turn off the camera before disconnecting the lens. But it seems like that's the case.
AFAICS all Canon manuals, both for the lenses and the bodies instruct you to turn off the body before changing lenses. Since that doesn't add a noticeable amount of time to the lens change (for me), it is not something I'm going to be stubborn about and ignore the manual :)
 
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Del Paso

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AFAICS all Canon manuals, both for the lenses and the bodies instruct you to turn off the body before changing lenses. Since that doesn't add a noticeable amount of time to the lens change (for me), it is not something I'm going to be stubborn about and ignore the manual :)
Thanks :) for reminding me to do so. It's something I tend to forget.
Even more important with the R series, otherwise the shutter stays open.
 
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