Some sand in Canon 24-70 L...

[kzhlin]

I was shooting near some sand dunes about a month ago and some fine sand got into my focus ring...

I thought the sand would just grind itself away, but every time I turn the focus ring, I still hear a slight grinding sound. Someone told me to use a vacuum and it helped a bit, but there's still a bit of grinding.

Any ideas? I heard shipping it to Canon for service is around $300?

 

[chromophore]

Sand ingress is not covered under warranty.

By continuing to use the damaged lens, you are going to worsen its condition. Every time you hear the sand make scratching sounds, that's the sound of sand particles making scratches inside the sub-barrel assembly, the focusing and zooming mechanisms, bearings/washers, etc. That stuff, over time, will end up as debris blocking the optical path of the lens, contaminating the USM mechanism, and the electronics, probably shortening the life of the lens and making future repairs more expensive.

Do yourself a favor. Just send it in now, bite the bullet, and get it cleaned out and fixed. As it is, Canon will most likely charge you for standard labor, and if you are lucky and the sand is not excessive, they might not charge you for replacing damaged parts.

In the future, do not assume that "weather sealed" means "impervious to dust/sand." Use a housing or even just a simple plastic bag, and you can avoid dust/dirt/salt/moisture if you prepare in advance. I speak from personal experience--my mistake was I tipped over my tripod on a beach and the sand got inside my lens. But once I realized I couldn't get every particle out, and I heard the sickening sound of the lens barrel getting scratched up, I immediately sent it off to Canon. Came back better than ever.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Have it cleaned, or face a larger bill from serious damage. A local camera shop might be able to clean it if you haven't already done enough damage to ruin some internal parts.

 

[kzhlin]

Is this a simple thing that a local camera shop can easily repair?

How much would it cost to send to Canon?