Image Stabilizer Issue on 17mm - 55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens

[jktpts]

Recently my lens has made a loud whirring sound when the shutter is depressed.  The noise is combined with a very blurry, shakey view through the viewfinder.   It continues even when the shutter button is let up.  Turning off the Image Stabilizer on the lens stops the problem.  It happens frequently but not every time.  Is my lens going bad?

Thanks,

Jerry

[Waddizzle]

Do you have another lens to try with the camera?  The IS should be almost inaudible. 

What camera body are you using?  If the camera/lens is mounted on a tripod, then the IS should probably be turned off.

[jktpts]

My body is the 30D.  I do not have another lens to try.  When looking through the viewfinder, the image blurs - shakes at the same frequency of the sound it is making.  This lens has always been very quiet for me.  I am hand holding the camera under low light conditions.  The battery is fully charged.

Thanks,

Jerry

[kvbarkley]

At the very least the IS is going bad. I think you will have to send it in for repair. Or whack it a couple of times to see if it is something loose. (NOTE: The previous statement is not official Canon Advice!)

[ebiggs1]

"Do you have another lens to try with the camera?"

This won't help.  It isn't the camera that's at fault.  It might help, unlikely, to have another camera to try your lens on, though. But I really think you need Canon Service as the IS is going out or has already gone out on your lens. Or you can just turn the IS off and continue to use your lens the same way we did in the olden days. 

[jktpts]

I figured it was just a lens issue.  I can't spare the time it would take to get the lens serviced.  It's just a bummer to lose the stabilizer feature!

Jerry