Canon lens repair

I have a Canon 90-300 lens which has stopped working. When I turn on
my camera (EOS 300D) I get Err 99 and the lens makes a noise as if the
gear is stuck. I remember just before it stopped working that the
auto-focus was slow which might be important. Does anybody know what
might be wrong? It sounds to me like there is a motor stuck, perhaps
requiring lubrication? Does anybody know if it is possible to take
these apart for self-repair? Jessops quoted me £80 just to get it
looked at. (I have verified that it is the lens thats faulty as I have
tried it in other cameras, and other lenses work fine on mine).

Thanks
Allan

wrote:

I have a Canon 90-300 lens which has stopped working. When I turn on
my camera (EOS 300D) I get Err 99 and the lens makes a noise as if the
gear is stuck. I remember just before it stopped working that the
auto-focus was slow which might be important. Does anybody know what
might be wrong? It sounds to me like there is a motor stuck, perhaps
requiring lubrication? Does anybody know if it is possible to take
these apart for self-repair? Jessops quoted me £80 just to get it
looked at. (I have verified that it is the lens thats faulty as I have
tried it in other cameras, and other lenses work fine on mine).

Sounds like the AF is probably knackered, what happens if you try and
use it in manual focus mode.

I asked about a dodgy AF motor on a different lens elsewhere and
basically got told they weren't an economical repeair. The Canon 90-300
is available for around £120 in the UK, so it definitely wouldn't make
sense to send it away at Jessops, and you ought to get something for it
in its current state on eBay.
--
Jon B
Above email address IS valid.
http://www.bramley-computers.co.uk/ Apple Laptop Repairs.

wrote:
I have a Canon 90-300 lens which has stopped working. When I turn on
my camera (EOS 300D) I get Err 99 and the lens makes a noise as if the
gear is stuck. I remember just before it stopped working that the
auto-focus was slow which might be important. Does anybody know what
might be wrong? It sounds to me like there is a motor stuck, perhaps
requiring lubrication? Does anybody know if it is possible to take
these apart for self-repair? Jessops quoted me £80 just to get it
looked at. (I have verified that it is the lens thats faulty as I have
tried it in other cameras, and other lenses work fine on mine).

Thanks
Allan

If it's uneconomical to repair it and you end up buying something new,
mail the lens
to Canon along with a note thanking them for such a pathetic design.
Unless the barrel focus autolocks when the AF is engaged, they REALLY
screwed-up here, no doubt to save production costs. I wonder if any
other companies have this same issue?

"RichA" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
I have a Canon 90-300 lens which has stopped working. When I turn on
my camera (EOS 300D) I get Err 99 and the lens makes a noise as if the
gear is stuck. I remember just before it stopped working that the
auto-focus was slow which might be important. Does anybody know what
might be wrong? It sounds to me like there is a motor stuck, perhaps
requiring lubrication? Does anybody know if it is possible to take
these apart for self-repair? Jessops quoted me £80 just to get it
looked at. (I have verified that it is the lens thats faulty as I
have
tried it in other cameras, and other lenses work fine on mine).

I wouldn't bother with sending it in for repair - it's just not a cost
effective idea. But you might want to consider taking it apart yourself
if you're handy with tools and are mechanically inclined. It could be a
simple lubrication issue or dirt. Or loose connection. It won't hurt to
take a look if you're careful.

Or you can do what someone else suggested and sell it for parts.

If it's uneconomical to repair it and you end up buying something new,
mail the lens
to Canon along with a note thanking them for such a pathetic design.
Unless the barrel focus autolocks when the AF is engaged, they REALLY
screwed-up here, no doubt to save production costs. I wonder if any
other companies have this same issue?


Off your meds again there Rich?

On 10 Jan 2007 21:02:54 -0800, "RichA" wrote:


wrote:
I have a Canon 90-300 lens which has stopped working. When I turn on
my camera (EOS 300D) I get Err 99 and the lens makes a noise as if the
gear is stuck. I remember just before it stopped working that the
auto-focus was slow which might be important. Does anybody know what
might be wrong? It sounds to me like there is a motor stuck, perhaps
requiring lubrication? Does anybody know if it is possible to take
these apart for self-repair? Jessops quoted me £80 just to get it
looked at. (I have verified that it is the lens thats faulty as I have
tried it in other cameras, and other lenses work fine on mine).

Thanks
Allan

If it's uneconomical to repair it and you end up buying something new,
mail the lens
to Canon along with a note thanking them for such a pathetic design.

Rich, be reasonable. IINM, this lens is comparable to the 75-300mm
that sells for around $160 US. I have the 75-300mm (an unfortunate
gift from a friend who meant well), and it is not a good lens. And
even though I use it from time to time (I don't have another lens with
that reach), I would not be heartbroken if it died.


To the OP....

Check to make sure the contacts on the lens are clean. Dirty contacts
can give an Err 99. If that isn't the problem, save up for something
like a 70-200mm f/4L and maybe a teleconverter. IMO, repairing this
lens is a waste of time and money.

You didn't mention if you get an Err 99 when the lens is set for
manual focus. If everything works fine in manual focus, I'd turn off
the AF and keep using the lens until I had a suitable replacement.

TR

Thanks for the posts guys. I have taken the lens apart and it seems
that one of the legs of a gold 4-fingered contact is broken. I have
put it back together again and the same error appears so i havent done
any more damage than was already there. Is there anywhere that does
spares for this kind of thing?
Other than that, I have my eye on a sigma 135-400 APO DG lens or the
170-500. Can anybody comment on these?

Thanks
Allan