The skilled labor to repair a lens is fairly expensive ... so depending on the value of the lens, the labor cost can over-take the replacement cost.
This tends to happen with the lower cost lenses... e.g. the EF 50mm f/1.8 (which is only about $120 brand-new) or the EF-S 18-55 (roughly $200 brand new) where it doesn't take too many hours of labor before it's just not worth repairing.
If you have the non-STM version of the EF-S 18-55 then there are other motivating reasons where it's probably a better idea to "replace" rather than "repair".
The new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM has the new extremely quiet STM focusing motors... but it also has other advantages
- Significantly quieter focusing (nearly silent)
- Faster focusing
- Front element doesn't rotate when focusing (a huge advantage when you use a polarizing filter)
- Noticeably improved optics - sharper all the way around
- Better aperture blades and 7 blades instead of 6
- Shorter minimum-focus distance.
- A better lens hood (petal style -- if you use a hood)
- Supports full-time manual override during auto-focus (no risk of damage if you try to focus when camera tries to focus.)
- And other advantages in terms of build quality, focus & zoom rings, etc.
The "STM" version is $50 more than the non-STM version... but the advantages are so numerous that it's worth every penny of the $50 additional cost.
OR... you could consider a completely different lens such as one of the 18-135mm versions, or 17-85mm ... or even the 17-55mm f/2.8 (VERY nice and collects considerably more light).
If budgets are tight... check to see if anything is available in Canon's "refurbished" section of their online store. Those tend to be the best prices you get and though they are technically refurbs... they're generally indistinguishable from "new" and they even come with the same warranty as a "new" lens.
Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da
