EFS 10-22mm exposure issues

[CBernau]

Hi,

I just bought a new EFS 10-22 lens and it seems to have exposure issues.  When I first attached it to my 80D, I thought I had left the lens cap on.  I was in a well lit room and yet could see nothing through the lens.  It wasn't until I turned the shutter speed down to a full second that I was able to see anything.  This was at the lowest F-stop and 400 ISO.

I took the following photo of what the 10-22 is suppose to replace.  This was in a decently lit room, but at 400 ISO and F/4.5 it required a shutter speed of 1/6th second for the metering to be centered.  Would you happen to know if this is a known issue and if there is a quick fix.  I would rather not send it back to the store.  Thank you.

[ScottyP]

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@CBernau wrote:

Hi,

I just bought a new EFS 10-22 lens and it seems to have exposure issues.  When I first attached it to my 80D, I thought I had left the lens cap on.  I was in a well lit room and yet could see nothing through the lens.  It wasn't until I turned the shutter speed down to a full second that I was able to see anything.  This was at the lowest F-stop and 400 ISO.

I took the following photo of what the 10-22 is suppose to replace.  This was in a decently lit room, but at 400 ISO and F/4.5 it required a shutter speed of 1/6th second for the metering to be centered.  Would you happen to know if this is a known issue and if there is a quick fix.  I would rather not send it back to the store.  Thank you.

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You talk about the metering being centered. Does this mean you are shooting in M mode (Manual)?

i don't understand you not "seeing anything through the lens" and I don't understand how slowing the shutter would change what you see thru the viewfinder. Was it dark in the viewfinder or just in the pictures you took?  

Could you you have negative EC dialed in?

How do other lenses look in exactly the same light at the same time with same settings?

Put the camera in Av mode and use the master dial to cycle through the aperture stops. Put the camera to the widest focal length so it does not stop down on its own due to variable aperture if this lens is not constant aperture. Now look at the front of the lens. Stopping down (f/8, f/11, f/16 etc) you should see the aperture blades gradually pinching down the opening to near pinhole size.  Now open your aperture up to the lowest f/number the lens will do. You should not see any part of the aperture blades because at wide open aperture they should be tucked completely out of the way. If the lens is still stopped down while reading as open then maybe it is the lens. 

[ScottyP]

I forgot to mention you need to press the DOF preview button to make the blades stop down to the f/setting. Normally they stay wide open until you take the shot. 

[ebiggs1]

Poor test at best !  

Reset your camera to factory defaults.  Clear all settings, too.

Now set it to full auto (green square on the mode dial) or P mode. ISO to 100.  Lens set to AF on the AF/MF switch.  Go outside on a clear bright day.  Large jpg.  Take some shots.

Does it work?  If not you have a problem.  Get back to Scotty or me.  

[diverhank · Accepted solution]

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@CBernau wrote:

  This was in a decently lit room, but at 400 ISO and F/4.5 it required a shutter speed of 1/6th second for the metering to be centered.  Would you happen to know if this is a known issue and if there is a quick fix.  I would rather not send it back to the store.  Thank you. 

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A decently lit room --- at the settings you quote sounds about right. The light metering is part of the camera and not the lens anyway.  Your lens can only open up to f/4.5...it can't let anymore light in and ISO 400 doesn't help much...so the shutter speed has to get that low...In my home, which is well lit with the naked eyes, without flash, my settings are usually at 1/100, f/2.8 and ISO 1600 so the settings you've got from the camera was definitely in the ball park.  I'd only worry if the lens won't give you a correct exposure at any settings.

Now you know how good our eyes really are compared to cameras and lenses.

[CBernau]

Thank's everyone for your responses.

I took the new lens outside today in direct sunlight for some better testing.  I was not able to replicate the issue I thought I was having.  I'm going to have to chock this one up to human error due to new lens gitters.  It was a last minute purchase that I received last night for a vacation scheduled today.  I suppose the idea of a pricey lens not working the day before a big trip was a little more prominent in my subconscious than I would like to admit.  I didn't even think to try it with the flash when I "realized" there was a problem.

I'll give it a real test this next week.

Thanks again for all your help!

[Waddizzle]

It is a great lens.  I loved mine.  

[ScottyP]

Last year I bought my first wide angle lens and on the way home I stopped off at the zoo.  I shot lots of photos and when I got home I got that icy cold horror feeling that I'd made a huge mistake in not getting the 24-70 instead of the 16-35.  Nothing in the shots was big enough to stand out and the shots were boring.

Happily, I did some internet video self-education and learned that with WA you really MUST have something close to the camera.  Close can mean inches or a couple of feet away in some cases.  It really tells a story then and the images are awesome.