topic EF 24-105mm f/4 L Red Ring Came Off in EF & RF Lenses

EF 24-105mm f/4 L Red Ring Came Off

JackFleetwood — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:24:21 GMT

I'm an aviation photographer and this weekend I was doing a shoot with a helicopter. I was shooting out of the back of a B-25. When we landed, the helicopter pilot mentioned that he saw a red ring fly out of the airplane and it went through his rotor. I told him I'm extremely careful to empty my pockets and make sure nothing is loose in the plane. I got home and was cleaning my cameras and I saw it... my red ring that goes around Canon lenses is gone! I had no idea this could come off. Maybe this is something that would only affect someone doing photos like I do, but just a warning, these can come off!

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:39:18 GMT

@JackFleetwood wrote:

I'm an aviation photographer and this weekend I was doing a shoot with a helicopter. I was shooting out of the back of a B-25. When we landed, the helicopter pilot mentioned that he saw a red ring fly out of the airplane and it went through his rotor. I told him I'm extremely careful to empty my pockets and make sure nothing is loose in the plane. I got home and was cleaning my cameras and I saw it... my red ring that goes around Canon lenses is gone! I had no idea this could come off. Maybe this is something that would only affect someone doing photos like I do, but just a warning, these can come off!

Pilot has very good eyesight.

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

JackFleetwood — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:53:02 GMT

Agree! We were pretty close, and he was looking right at me, but still, amazed he saw it. If he hadn't, I would have never known where it went.

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

wq9nsc — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:56:43 GMT

Nice to know and that is a VERY cool photo!

A friend took me up in his ultralight last month and part of his pre-flight check was that I wasn't wearing or carrying anything that could come loose and create an issue. It was a nice day so we flew with the side windows removed but unfortunately there was a lot of haze making for not great photography. Given the tight quarters, I took my little M6 Mark II and 18-150 lens up with me and gave my girlfriend quick instructions on using my 1DX II with a lightweight EF 400 f5.6 lens to get a photo of us in the air. I wished I had a longer lens with me but space was at a premium however it was a very fun hour long flight around the area!

Rodger

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

JackFleetwood — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:02:09 GMT

I shoot with my 1DX3 cameras. One has a 24-105, and the other has a 70-200. The 70-200 is my workhorse and I use it most of the time. The weight helps me hold it stable. I tried and R3, but it was way too light for me!

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

p4pictures — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:30:29 GMT

This is not the first instance I've heard of where the red ring has come off a lens. A colleague had a 24-105mm f/4L Mk I where the ring came off. I've just checked several of my EF L-series lenses and most of the black ones have a red ring that appears to be made from different material to the lens itself. I think that in some situations it might be a knock on the lens in the right place that splits the red band and then it is much easier to fall off.

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

wq9nsc — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 18:51:28 GMT

Jack,

I am getting ready to shoot a soccer match with a pair of 1DX III bodies equipped with EF 400 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 and I love the balance these bodies provide with big lenses. I am very mobile on the field and I don't use a monopod which would slow me down. I used the cameras recently for a football match and I reformatted the cards but both batteries still show full even though I captured close to 2,000 images between them.

I will have a spare battery with me, for good luck 🙂 , but I won't actually need it during the match.

Rodger

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

Tintype_18 — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:21:58 GMT

Red ring? That's a new one for me.

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

JackFleetwood — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:27:33 GMT

The red line that is on the L series lenses. It's not painted on, it's a plastic ring that fits into a groove.

Re: EF 24-105 Helicopter Photoshoot

ebiggs1 — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:38:43 GMT

"Pilot has very good eyesight."

My father was a USAF Fighter Pilot. He flew WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He had 20-10 vision.