Digital lens

[redshoes]

Was chating to a fellow snapper at Thruxton and then again at Silverstone last week and he told me about a unusual problem on his newly brought Canon 10D - it would regularly lock up and display an error message just as he was taking a picture. Not every time but enough to mean he had no confidence in the camera actually working at that vital moment. He took it back to the store who replaced it but first time he used it in anger it did exactly the same.

He phoned the shop and they suggested it could be the lens, so he tried a different one and sure enough the problem never re-appeared. The shop claimed he would need to either replace his existing lens or send it back to make it digitally compatable.

For what it's worth the existing lens was a Sigma, the working replacement a genuine Canon but several years old and probably pre-digital.

This is a new one on me. Surely the fact it's a digital shouldn't effect the AF and f-stop electronics, and even if it did you would expect it simple not to work at all than work erratically. Don't know if this is a problem specific to the 10D or all Canon Ds, never had the problem on my D60 but I am using Canon lenses.

Anyone else heard of or had experience of this?

[G_Ilott]

In what condition were the contacts on the Sigma? My Sigma 70-300 macro thingy's contacts look slightly worn - need a good buffing or something.

I sometimes get a lock-up and a BC (battery check) error if I try to use all three extension tubes and the above Sigma at 300mm. I think the weight of it (camera mounted you see) flexes the mount just enough to lose connection with the contacts on the body.

You didn't say which Sigma it was. Big glass? How was he holding the camera and how was it mounted?

I should point out I'm not a digital snapper. I'm just thinking of the simple things first...

Ta.

[PaulSands]

ooooh this is worrying
I've been holding back...waiting to see what the Pentax *istD is like so that I hopefully wouldnt have to get lenses too (as all mine are Pentax) now it sounds like I may have to anyway..wouldnt that be typical

[G_Ilott]

Paul, Redshoes is only talking about the Canon 10D. It doesn't mean every digital camera has this fault - in fact, I expect either it is a faulty batch or Canon has slightly updated its lens mount (again) and the Sigma is just slightly incompatible in certain circumstances.

Some lenses do need re-chipping to work with certain cameras so there's nothing out of the ordinary about incompatible lenses. Indeed, the one I have just bought would need re-chipping if I was using an Eos 3 or 1v. Happily I have a 1N and it works fine.

[redshoes]

The Sigma was a 170-500, the Canon a 70-300. The Sigma had previously been used on a conventional film Canon so no reason to suspect it was a duff lens.

As I said, never heard of this before so don't know if it's a problem unique to the 10D

[Ian_H]

I have the 10D and a Sigma 17-35 which worked great with the D60 but would not autofocus with the 10D, I rang Sigma up to see if they could suggest anything and they told me that Canon had updated the lens mount and the lens would have to be 're-chipped' to make it compatible again. So the lens is now with Sigma UK being re-chipped and I should have it back this week (hopefully) Because I had a proof of purchase the repair is FOC otherwise it's £33.99.

Cheers
Ian

[blackfalcon]

I have 10d and use it with a canon 70-200 and a sigma 17-35 and have had no problems. The auto focus works great on both it's fast and sharp. I was using a d60 which had to have the stutter mechanism replaced, I think because the weight of thebigger lens was pulling on it. The 10d has a stronger body so should hold up better.

[Carrie]

I actually never trusted the connection on my Sigma 170-500 on the Pentax, luckily I'd always been holding the lens when it has suddenly decided to detach itself from the camera.
My Nikon F80 does have a habit of losing the connection with my Sigma 28-300. You hear it trying to drive the AF, but not actually doing anything. Easy to sort out by re-attaching the lens, but annoying when you think you're about to get a good photo. I've not encountered that problem with my 50-500, so I'm wondering if it's a little problem with the 28-300.

[G_Ilott]

What kind of shutter mechanism is on a digital camera? I thought (in my innocence) that it merely turned on and off the CCD to capture an image. A traditional shutter seems rather low tech (although shutters aren't ) for a 21st Century device. One reason I suppose they kept shutters for digitals is flash effects like second curtain...??

Lenses? Detaching themselves from cameras? Blimey! Never heard of that before. Did you have the lens tripod-mounted? Or the camera, with the bulk hanging off the front?

(Hello Carrie by the way, how's the museum business these days?)

Back to the matter in hand, I'm sure I read somewhere on a forum about a lens problem and the 10D but I can't blimmin' find it again. I'll keep looking.

[bella]

my nikon d100 really doesn't agree with my sigma 50-500 and it was suggested i'd need to send it back to get it sorted out to be a digital one.

sounds like a similar problem?

[G_Ilott]

Just to hijack this thread a mo, Bella and Carrie - do you not f6.3 too slow at the long end of your 500mm lenses? Do you ever use the long end?

[bella]

f6 is way too slow i find, especially when it gets dark - winter series are a big no-no. otherwise i just make do, can't afford anything better.

[G_Ilott]

The 50-500 is £700 isn't it? You could buy a Sigma 100-300 f/4 + 1.4x convertor for that (420mm). In fact, Sigma are doing a special deal at the mo - the 100-300 + 2x convertor. However, you wouldn't be able to autofocus with the 2x. I would buy it and sell the 2x for its market value of approx £130, therefore making about £80 profit, and buy a 1.4x so I could autofocus.

For another £100 you could get a Canon 400 f/5.6. Very sharp lens.

Totally off-topic I know...

[Ian_H]

Originally posted by bella
my nikon d100 really doesn't agree with my sigma 50-500 and it was suggested i'd need to send it back to get it sorted out to be a digital one.

sounds like a similar problem?

If you are going to send it in be prepared for a long wait, they have had my lens since 12th May and I was told I would get it back this week but to quote the e-mail I have just received off them:-

"Your lens should be back to you in the next two weeks. I appologise for the delay but we are awaiting more chips to arrive from Japan as the demand for rechipping is very high.



Cheers
Ian

[bella]

blimmin eck!!

i won't be doing that! i think i'll be working around the problem for a bit longer then...

[PaulSands]

Got me worried now on all fronts.. I just bought a Sigme 170-500 APO with a Pentax mount..I'll have to hang tightly onto it by all accounts then.

[G_Ilott]

How about using that opaque stick tape that speccy kids use when they break their glasses...

Paul, you don't half worry a lot

[Ian_H]

Well finally got my Sigma 17-35 back today from Sigma after being 're-chipped' to work with my Canon 10D, it now auto focuses without any problems and it only took them 6 weeks to get it back to me

Cheers
Ian

[G_Ilott]

Happy to hear it came back okay. Someone I used to know sent their lens off to have the aperture blades repaired on an old but sentimental Praktica lens and promptly forgot all about it. 2 years later, a repairer in Malaysia phoned up asking if he wanted it back. Seems it had his name and phone number written in UV pen on the barrel.

[Snapper Baz]

This is all very interesting...I'm about to get my 10D, well soonish anyway to use with my Sigy zoom. I actually had my zoom fell apart through wear last week. A camera shop wanted a fortune to repair it so I did it myself! I peeled back the rubber grip around the the lens to reveal 3 grub screws which had sheared through their threads. Having carfully undone them all without loosing any I put a tiny drop of super glue on the ends of each screw and put them all back...fingers crossed as its working fine again. If you ever have this problem with these tiny screws pulling through the thread then give this a go!