Lens Setting F
When Will That Canon EF-S 17-85mm Lens Aperture Diaphragm Start to Self Destruct?
Have you learned about the Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS USM lens aperture diaphragm failing? This is a great lens that can be used so many situations its hard to be without it! What can be done when it begins to fail?
A new Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens should last approximately 4-5 years, so you will be ready to take many thousands photos with it, and will notice that it's a great general-purpose zoom lens. Some people buy a Canon EF 24-70mm lens to replace it, but keep the 17-85mm for a backup.
Latterly while on a photography road-trip we were using the 17-85mm lens on a Canon 350D camera. Focusing was fine, but any effort to take a photo would result in the 350D showing "Err ninety nine" on the LCD, and the camera needed to be turned off and back on to clear the error. "Err ninety nine" is a common catch-all boo boo code on the 350D, and can imply virtually anything.
Trying the 17-85mm lens on a Canon 50D resulted in a specific boo boo : "Err 01 - Communications between the camera and lens is faulty. Clean the lens contacts." As you might think, cleaning the lens contacts with a pencil eraser did not do anything to decide the inaccuracy.
Some further research on the web indicated a potential issue with the diaphragm assembly ; the moving parts that set the aperture. Trial - error indicated the diaphragm assembly was failing when the zoom was between 17mm and 24mm and the aperture was smaller than f / four. Outside of these parameters, the lens still functioned normally.
The DOF button on Canon DSLR cameras stops the lens down to the currently selected aperture. It proved to be a handy way to check the lens, and it may be confirmed the lens diaphragm assembly was functioning properly at the longer zoom range, but failing to operate at all between 17mm and 24mm.
When hitting the DOF Preview button, you ought to be ready to hear the diaphragm assembly functioning if the aperture is stopped down from the lens ' maximum, as well as seeing the lens aperture blades closing when looking into the front of the lens.
Seemingly this is a reasonably common issue with the 17-85mm lens, usually caused by an open circuit in the ribbon flex wire to the diaphragm assembly in the lens, due to repeated zoom operation of the lens.
Replacement wires are available to repair the Canon EF-S 17-85mm diaphragm flex cable online so you can fix the lens yourself if you've got the perseverance and time. The 17-85mm lens is out of warranty, and primarily based on a fast search online, is perhaps worth about $300 if it was totally functional. It is a great lens, and was still gets a large amount of use, so it is worthwhile to get it working again.
You may be worried with shipping your baby to a shop, that it's going to be a pricey exercise and might not be advantageous given the value of the lens. You may want to considering buying a Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens flex cable online, and attempting the replacement yourself instead . If you're pretty skilled with tools and a soldering iron, fixing a lens might be right up your alley. If the diagnosis of a flawed diaphragm ribbon wire is incorrect, then switching the wire won't accomplish much, other than gaining some experience in how the lens works.
Should it be shipped to a repair center, and hope it is not going to be too expensive to fix, or should the consumer try to find a Canon 17-85mm lens diaphragm repair part themselves? Its a tough question to clear up as it is not an easy repair but if you can do it you will save lots of dollars in the act.
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