Lens repair?

[Leadfingers]

I was browsing Craigs List the other day, and someone is trying to sell a broken 28-70mm f2.8L lens for $150. It looks like the EF-mount has broken off (based on the pictures).. I have no idea what state the glass is in.

The question is... how much will Canon charge to repair something like this? The seller wants $150, but I'm thinking it's worth closer to 0, depending on what Canon tells me when I call them tomorrow.

What do you guys think? What's your experience on repairing older lenses like this?

Wiki article on this lens...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF_28%E2%80%9370mm_lens

 

[dgatwood]

I was browsing Craigs List the other day, and someone is trying to sell a broken 28-70mm f2.8L lens for $150. It looks like the EF-mount has broken off (based on the pictures).. I have no idea what state the glass is in.

The question is... how much will Canon charge to repair something like this? The seller wants $150, but I'm thinking it's worth closer to 0, depending on what Canon tells me when I call them tomorrow.

What do you guys think? What's your experience on repairing older lenses like this?

Wiki article on this lens...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EF_28%E2%80%9370mm_lens

Depends on whether Canon still keeps parts for a lens that was discontinued 12 years ago, and what else was damaged when the lens broke off the body. Chances are you can't get parts for it at this point, which makes it mostly interesting for somebody who happens to have one that broke in a different way.

 

[Jim Saunders]

I'd ping Roger Cicala at lensrentals.com; he might be able to effect a repair without blowing the $300 max I'd put into that lens.

Jim

 

[Steve]

You can check with places like Midwest Camera Repair or KEH too. They will sometimes have a stock of replacement parts for out of production equipment. No guarantees, of course. Could be that it would still cost you more than the lens is worth though. Looking through ebay completed listings the general value of the lens in good working order seems to be ~600 or so.

Sometimes its worth it to get a busted lens and have it repaired. I got an old 17-35mm f2.8L that was misaligned and wouldn't manual focus for about $150 off craigslist and spent around $200 on repairs. Now I've got a good working wide zoom for about half of what they normally cost. Occasionally it works out.

 

[TexPhoto]

Why not call a camera repair place and ask? My fav: www.southern-photo.com/

The lens probably has some value as parts for doing just such a repair.

 

[Leadfingers]

Awesome replies, guys. I'll be sure to check out those sources.

Now to see if the "seller" can drop his price from $150 to "something I'm willing to pay" (which is closer to $50 or $0...)

 

[KeithBreazeal]

I broke my 10-22 mm pretty darn well. Canon CPS replaced all but the front element group- cost was $59

Canon 10-22mm Lens- forced disassembly by Keith Breazeal Photography, on Flickr

 

[kennephoto]

Hello I would love to offer my experience. I actually sent a canon 28-70 2.8 to midwest camera to have it fixed and they advised against the repair based on the scarcity of parts. The 28-70 2.8 has a common issue of a foggy rear element so look for that too. And I do like midwest camera I just got my 70-200 2.8 back from them. It took a month but it's back and works great. So if you do get it I'd really recommend midwest camera for the late model canon repairs.

 

[shumi31]

I would recommend you not to buy, rather repair it with a very reasonable price. It works for me as well.

 

[Marsu42]

What's your experience on repairing older lenses like this?

Better don't buy, after a drop knocking the back of the lens is bound to be de-centered which happens quickly on the L1 (somehow fixed on the L2, see lensrentals review on this)... or calculate in the cost of adjusting the whole lens apparatus. Question is - what to do if the actual glass is imaged beyond repair (i.e. purchase price of a ok used lens)? Will you get all your money back from the seller inc. service cost?

Canon CPS replaced all but the front element group- cost was $59

In this case, it definitely isn't Germany where CPS costs ~70€ (€!) just for the technician to pick up the screwdriver. That's why I'd rather opt to buy new with 2y warranty when in doubt.

 

[Leadfingers]

Update:
I have spoken with Canon, and this lens is out of their service window... so they won't touch it. I'm checking with the 3rd party providers you have all recommended now.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Update:
I have spoken with Canon, and this lens is out of their service window... so they won't touch it. I'm checking with the 3rd party providers you have all recommended now.

Its been out of service for a long time. The third party repair depots bought all the remaining spare parts from Canon several years back, and they are mostly used up.

You can buy a good functioning one for 600-700 dollars, so paying for a broken one that probably cannot be repaired, or which may have additional serious issues once the repair company opens it up, is a huge risk. You will almost certainly lose out.
Midwest Camera or any other reputable repair service cannot give a estimate to repair unknown damage, particularly if the lens needs parts.

The photo forums all have people with the lens looking for parts. That's where you would make money on a broken one, selling the parts. The switches on it might sell for the price of the broken lens alone.

 

[Steve]

You can buy a good functioning one for 600-700 dollars, so paying for a broken one that probably cannot be repaired, or which may have additional serious issues once the repair company opens it up, is a huge risk.

The risk is actually pretty low. You can sell broken camera equipment on ebay pretty easily exactly because someone out there probably needs it for parts. I see broken, out of production lenses and camera bodies going for half or more of the value of a functioning copy pretty often. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the people buying broken gear on ebay are the camera repair shops looking to stock parts.