24-105mm lens hit a marble floor: Looking for tips for lens repair

[A_Random_Dude]

Hi there:

I was recently taking pictures inside a church with my R5 Mk II and 24–105 f/4 L lens. Not paying attention to where my feet were, I slipped and fell down a step onto a marble floor, with my body taking the brunt of the force, but with the camera and lens taking their share as well. The camera seems to be OK, but the lens I'm not quite as sure about.

I've taken literally hundreds of pictures since this mishap, and the lens focuses and zooms normally, and I'm able to open/close the aperture like I usually do. The thing that concerns me, though, is that when I wipe the front element of the lens with a cleaning cloth, I feel a bit of mechanical vibration in the lens, as if something is moving in response to the action of my wiping the element. This vibration definitely wasn't there before, and it isn't present in any of my other lenses.

I can't even remember where I got the lens from; could have been B&H, UPP, MPB, or KEH, and I seem to have lost the email. For this reason, I haven't bothered to look to Canon for repairs since I can't provide proof of purchase. Someone put me in touch with the Society of Photo-Technologists, and I emailed them. I did get a response from their admin, but haven't heard anything back for a couple of weeks, even with a follow-up email from me.

I'm wondering if anyone can point me towards somewhere I could get the lens checked out and repaired if necessary.

Thanks very much!

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

Send the lens to Canon. Since it was dropped it isn’t a warranty situation. The repair will be on you. They will give you an estimate before any repairs are made. It needs to go to Canon, I would avoid private repair shops since it is a current model.

[shadowsports]

Agree with Ernie.  

Once the lens is registered in your MyCanon account, you can initiate a repair within the portal.

Home - MyCanon https://share.google/KfLgbj16RpLodr6zl

As previously stated you only need to provide proof of purchase for warranty repair.

[A_Random_Dude]

Thanks, Ernie and Rick. I'll have to search through my emails and see if I can find the purchase email. Fingers crossed that I can, since I rarely delete any emails other than spam. If I can't find it, I guess the next step would be to contact the various retailers I listed above to see if they can locate my purchase and send me a copy of the email.

EDIT: I did find the purchase email from Used Photo Pro, and it was by coincidence exactly one year ago today that I picked it up. I'm going to try to register the lens now with Canon, and we'll see how it goes.

[ebiggs1]

You do not need a receipt to register your Canon lens on your My Canon account. You only need one to claim warranty service.

[ebiggs1]

Oh, BTW, you can't register a grey market lens. It is not an officially imported product for the US and there is no US warranty or official support.

[ebiggs1]

BTW #2, Canon may offer paid none-warranty service for grey market lenses. You need to send it in to a service center for evaluation. But the dime will be on you. Again this is not a set thing as Canon USA may not have the parts for certain items and therefore can not guarantee perfect operation so they will refuse to service it.

[A_Random_Dude]

Thanks for all that info. I was under the assumption that I needed the receipt based on what I saw on the "My Products" page. Out of curiosity, does the fact that I bought the lens used from Roberts Photography/Used Photo Pro make it a grey market lens? I have no problem paying for the repair as long as it's less expensive than buying a new 24–105, which are showing as $1399 (f/4), and $3299 (f/2.8) at B&H. I love this lens, and I'm really hoping it's just a matter of tightening something up internally. I'm going to call Canon tomorrow and we'll see where things stand.

[A_Random_Dude]

Update: I filled out a repair request, and the lens is now on its way to Newport News, Va. Fingers crossed… 🤞

[ebiggs1]

"...does the fact that I bought the lens used from Roberts Photography/Used Photo Pro make it a grey market lens?"

It could be there is no way of knowing by looking at it but Canon will know. Again, if they can repair it and guarantee it works as intended and as long as you are paying for the repair, Canon should service it.