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16-35mm f2.8 Lens Dropped


Dan W
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Hi!

Dropped my A7iii with the 16-35 f2.8GM on. Was bending over while it was attached to a Cotton Carrier brand chest strap.

Fell right on the front of the lens with the lens hood on. One of the longer 2 wings of the hood snapped off (which, fortunately, must have absorbed much of the impact forces).

Looking into the front element, I cant remember  if it always looked like this or not (image attached). Not versed in advanced vocabulary of lens anatomy. It seems to be a part of the diaphragm structure?

Also, not sure, but, as far as performance assessment goes, it seems that AF is okay, sharpness is unchanged across the images across varying focal lengths and f-stops.... however, and again Im not sure, but I think there may be increased glare/flare/artifact formation.

The questions:

1.) Does anyone know if the unsmooth ring visible around the aperture could be a culprit scattering the light in unintended ways?  If this is damage, anyone have an idea exactly what you’d call it/how you’d describe it? Is it significant? Would it affect lens performance in any significant way?

2.) I know with zoom lenses, especially the wider ones, it’s more difficult to engineer them, with all their many optical elements (i think 15 for this lens), to ensure clarity and minimal flare/artifact creation. Does anyone have familiarity with the internal anatomy enough to sense/intuit what kind of forces/damage would really be required to misalign the elements in any significant way? (Ie, am I probably fine and just freaking out bc i just spent about ~2500 on this lens... or am i likely fine?)

3.) Anyone familiar with the typical process and costs associated with having a repair shop accurately diagnose and properly fix a subtle issue for a complex lens like this?

Thank you so much in advance and all the best,

Dan

 

 

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2 hours ago, Dan W said:

The questions:

Dan,

sorry for your mishap! I happen to own the same lens, and checked mine across the full focal range:

The "uneven" structure at about half radial distance from the center is not visible in my copy of this lens. I'm afraid, something is in fact broken inside of your lens. Since you were willing to spend 2500 bucks to get a top quality lens, you apparently expect top quality in return.

Even if it hurts, financially, I'd recommend to send it in for inspection and repair. Maybe ask for a quote first. Although I have no idea about the cost range. (The top end of the possible cost range should be at 2500 max. )

It might be worth to check, if you unknowingly bought an insurance against drop damages along the purchase, like I did with mine.

Good luck!

Edited by Chrissie
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Hi Dan

Also sorry to read of your drop. I too dropped my 16-35 f2.8 in late May. In my case the lens had unknowingly become partially unlatched and fell 30" onto the pavement. The fall damaged some internal mechanisms and the lens couldn't focus or change aperture afterwards.

As Chrissie correctly pointed out it is a significant investment and worth repairing. I used an authorized Sony repair shop Precision Camera Repair http://www.precisioncamera.com that also does Sony warranty work. I FedEx'd the lens to them for evaluation and a cost quote. They replaced all damaged parts and returned lens to factory spec's for $705. Perhaps not cheap but the lens now literally works like new. Took 10 days from the time I shipped to the time it was returned. Should the repair cost be too much to bear you will only be out the cost of return shipping.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 8/11/2020 at 10:03 PM, Bokehbobo said:

Hi Dan

Also sorry to read of your drop. I too dropped my 16-35 f2.8 in late May. In my case the lens had unknowingly become partially unlatched and fell 30" onto the pavement. The fall damaged some internal mechanisms and the lens couldn't focus or change aperture afterwards.

As Chrissie correctly pointed out it is a significant investment and worth repairing. I used an authorized Sony repair shop Precision Camera Repair http://www.precisioncamera.com that also does Sony warranty work. I FedEx'd the lens to them for evaluation and a cost quote. They replaced all damaged parts and returned lens to factory spec's for $705. Perhaps not cheap but the lens now literally works like new. Took 10 days from the time I shipped to the time it was returned. Should the repair cost be too much to bear you will only be out the cost of return shipping.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

Yes, unfortunately, its a bit of a design fault  ! Due to the lens release button, being inside the hand grip, if you are trying for a complex angle, as you grip the camera, you can inadvertently press the release button, and instead of zooming , you just unscrew the lens !  I had the 24 - 70  F 2.8, and in a boatyard shot, I thought I was zooming the lens......but no, I was unscrewing it ! It fell off and the front lens scabbed off, about a third of the diameter !  Strangely enough, my  B & W expensive filter, stayed intact, but due to the dent, could not be removed from the lens.  Thank God, I bought the lens through Jessops, and  took out the 3 yr extra insurance, Ok the lens, has in the meantime dropped in price, so all in all, I lost  100 quid.  In the meantime,Sony brought out the 24 - 105, which, even though, it is not a G master lens, is more versatile, and , takes photos, every bit as good as the 24 - 70, so I used the insurance money, to buy that one, instead of another 24 - 70.

Good Luck !

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1 hour ago, Wally The Confused said:

Yes, unfortunately, its a bit of a design fault  ! Due to the lens release button, being inside the hand grip, if you are trying for a complex angle, as you grip the camera, you can inadvertently press the release button, and instead of zooming , you just unscrew the lens !  I had the 24 - 70  F 2.8, and in a boatyard shot, I thought I was zooming the lens......but no, I was unscrewing it ! It fell off and the front lens scabbed off, about a third of the diameter !  Strangely enough, my  B & W expensive filter, stayed intact, but due to the dent, could not be removed from the lens.  Thank God, I bought the lens through Jessops, and  took out the 3 yr extra insurance, Ok the lens, has in the meantime dropped in price, so all in all, I lost  100 quid.  In the meantime,Sony brought out the 24 - 105, which, even though, it is not a G master lens, is more versatile, and , takes photos, every bit as good as the 24 - 70, so I used the insurance money, to buy that one, instead of another 24 - 70.

Good Luck !

Spot on. I made a similar observation about the lens release button location on my a7rIII after nearly dropping the 16-35 last year. Clearly I did not pay enough attention! For many years I used Nikons and now fully appreciate the simple logic of locating the lens release on the opposite side from the hand grip.

I love my 24-105 as well. 

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