As mentioned in my post on how to buy a used lens, I almost ended up with a very costly paperweight. Or at least, I would’ve had to spend quite an amount of money to get a working lens, something along the lines of buying a brand new lens. I was presented with the following scenarios:
- Scenario 1: Contact the seller and try to get a refund
Intended outcome: Seller would immediately refund the money and apologise for the mistake
Probable outcome: Seller would deny that the lens was faulty and point the blame at me for damaging the lens after purchasing it. Afterall, I had tested the lens prior to purchasing it.
- Scenario 2: Send the lens into the distributor to get it examined and repaired
Intended outcome: Minor fault reported and repair costs would be minimal
Probable outcome: A major fault reported (even though it may be a minor fault) and a crazy repair bill with labour costs included
- Scenario 3: Send the lens into a third party dealer to get it examined and repaired
Intended outcome: Minor fault reported and repair costs would be minimal
Probable outcome: A major fault reported (even though it may be a minor fault) and a crazy repair bill with labour costs included as well as an ‘inspection fee’ if I chose not to repair the lens
- Scenario 4: Live with the mistake and settle for a 100% replica lens paperweight
Intended outcome: Live and learn, and forgive the seller
Probable outcome: All-out rage and thoughts of doing ugly things to the seller
- Scenario 5: Do some research on the Internet to see if others have experienced a similar issue
Intended outcome: Someone has experienced the exact issue and explained how to fix it step-by-step
Probable outcome: No one has experienced the problem before and I’m screwed
Faced with many possible outcomes that clearly weren’t in my favour, I decided to bite the bullet and dismantle the lens. Thankfully, a number of people opened up their lenses and documented the process which made it less daunting for me. I had decided that the problem was probably due to a spring or lever that was broken in the lens that was attached or related to the aperture. I was hopeful that there wasn’t anything broken as I didn’t hear any loose bits moving about in the lens when I shook it.
I didn’t know what to expect but armed with some visuals and instructions, I pressed on. The mount is secured with 4 large screws (image 1) and 4 other smaller screws (image 2). I carefully drew details of the lens mount on a paper and taped the screws to the paper as I removed them one by one. After removing the lens mount, I discovered that a small spring had come loose from a screw (see Ken Sekiguchi’s image of the exact same part here). The screw is visible from the outside (image 3) and it is clearly identified by the fact that it isn’t flush with the surface of the mount. However, it doesn’t need to be removed along with the other four.
The spring is responsible for closing the aperture and somehow got dislodged. Simply reattaching the spring solved the problem!
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
A great sense of relief came over me. I felt tremendously lucky that it was only something as simple as that. It could’ve been something way more costly.
Update (7 May 2011)
[singlepic id=67 w=550 float=center]
[singlepic id=68 w=550 float=center]
Links:
*** If you found this post because you have a problem with your Tamron 17-50mm, and think that dismantling it may solve you problem, I do not hold any responsibility over any problems that may arise!
Apr 15
Malfunctioning Tamron 17-50mm ƒ/2.8 (updated 7 May 2011)
April 15, 2011
As mentioned in my post on how to buy a used lens, I almost ended up with a very costly paperweight. Or at least, I would’ve had to spend quite an amount of money to get a working lens, something along the lines of buying a brand new lens. I was presented with the following scenarios:
Intended outcome: Seller would immediately refund the money and apologise for the mistake
Probable outcome: Seller would deny that the lens was faulty and point the blame at me for damaging the lens after purchasing it. Afterall, I had tested the lens prior to purchasing it.
Intended outcome: Minor fault reported and repair costs would be minimal
Probable outcome: A major fault reported (even though it may be a minor fault) and a crazy repair bill with labour costs included
Intended outcome: Minor fault reported and repair costs would be minimal
Probable outcome: A major fault reported (even though it may be a minor fault) and a crazy repair bill with labour costs included as well as an ‘inspection fee’ if I chose not to repair the lens
Intended outcome: Live and learn, and forgive the seller
Probable outcome: All-out rage and thoughts of doing ugly things to the seller
Intended outcome: Someone has experienced the exact issue and explained how to fix it step-by-step
Probable outcome: No one has experienced the problem before and I’m screwed
Faced with many possible outcomes that clearly weren’t in my favour, I decided to bite the bullet and dismantle the lens. Thankfully, a number of people opened up their lenses and documented the process which made it less daunting for me. I had decided that the problem was probably due to a spring or lever that was broken in the lens that was attached or related to the aperture. I was hopeful that there wasn’t anything broken as I didn’t hear any loose bits moving about in the lens when I shook it.
I didn’t know what to expect but armed with some visuals and instructions, I pressed on. The mount is secured with 4 large screws (image 1) and 4 other smaller screws (image 2). I carefully drew details of the lens mount on a paper and taped the screws to the paper as I removed them one by one. After removing the lens mount, I discovered that a small spring had come loose from a screw (see Ken Sekiguchi’s image of the exact same part here). The screw is visible from the outside (image 3) and it is clearly identified by the fact that it isn’t flush with the surface of the mount. However, it doesn’t need to be removed along with the other four.
The spring is responsible for closing the aperture and somehow got dislodged. Simply reattaching the spring solved the problem!
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
A great sense of relief came over me. I felt tremendously lucky that it was only something as simple as that. It could’ve been something way more costly.
Update (7 May 2011)
[singlepic id=67 w=550 float=center]
[singlepic id=68 w=550 float=center]
Links:
*** If you found this post because you have a problem with your Tamron 17-50mm, and think that dismantling it may solve you problem, I do not hold any responsibility over any problems that may arise!