Let me just start from the beginning...
I sold my 70-200 L IS USM II lens has it was used and needed a replacement, also was hopping on getting the "newer one" with the newer lens cap and a new serial number. In fact that was never an issue but my lens get so much use than from now and then it is better to sell them and buy new ones than to send them back to repair.
That was the case for this lens. It had a lot of mileage so it went in for Canon CPS Portugal to get a clean and was sold.
I ordered a new one and for my surprise it did not arrived with the new lens cap although the serial number was a newer one.
I took it for an assignment and start to noticed that between the zoom range 90mm-110mm it produced some kind of a strange flare, well not a flare but more of an Halo. First I thought it could be something related to the front filter but since that is also a Canon Protect I thought it was a little odd and decided to test it without the filter on a new assignment.
That's what I did and for my surprise it produced the same Halo thing all over again :(
Tested with a friend's 70-200 L IS USM older model and none of his happened.
I started to scratch my head and ask for a replacement on the shop I bought it, they replace it in no time. The new one arrived with a different and newer serial number and this time with the new pinch lens cap.
So I guess this one should be in great conditions and since it had the new lens cap then I thought it would be a newer model, unfortunately it came with dust already deep inside the front lens, contacted the seller that informed me that this is somehow normal has it would be impossible to keep a little speck of dust out of while on manufacturing the lens (for me this has to do with lower quality control on manufacturing) and I never thought of buying a lens that came already with free dust inside.
Anyway, after a couple of tests the lens came with the same problem and this one with even worst than my previous one. When you point it to a bright backlight light situation it creates this horrible flares either on the left/right/up/down side of the lens and always at the same mm, that's between 90mm and 110mm and when zooming slowly at those positions the effect of that reflection ruins completely the photo.
I decided to investigate the problem, has I never had such a problem on my previous six 70-200 lens I had in the past neither I've heard anyone complaining of something of this kind, either photo or video.
So this what I did to test the lens out with Lens Hood on it.
1) Grab a flash light
2) Put the flash light in front of the lens
3) Zoom in and out slowly between 90mm and 110mm
Then check if you got the results I show in the images below.
So I decided to investigate and tried to find out why this halo reflection occurs and I got to the conclusion that has to do with a inner black part that is reflecting back the light. This part should be completely black to avoid any kind of reflection but instead is a dark grey that when light hits it it creates that halo reflection with the lines.
Let me show you what I'm talking about...
Is this piece inside the lens, just look how bright it is under the lamp light.
As you can see I got a lamp above the lens and that inner piece is reflecting back the light as showed in the red arrows.
If you take a closer look it's reflecting all the light that enters the lens and that will reflect back and back in again while zooming the lens between 90mm and 110mm that's when the blades cross.
Enjoy the photos with this new effect...
The videos below (with no audio due to copyright issues) were recorded while on assignment for a client with full front stage access with 70-200 f.2.8 L IS USM II with it's lens hood on it (as I never use any of my lens without the lens hood) with a 5D MarkIII, that allow me to capture on movie the problem I'm having with this lens that Canon refuses to acknowledge the problem.
One example of the halo problem caught on video that occurs every time you have a back light situation. This would be either on the right side or left just depends on where the lens is pointing at and does nothing to do with normal and typical lens flare that could be produce in situations like this.
Here is another example of the halos produced by the lens when pointed at bright lighting situations where you cannot avoid and if you need to zoom in you will get horrible lens reflections.
And another example...
I have already replaced mine for 3 other with the same problem (all of them completely new).
Contacted Canon Germany and was informed this was not a malfunction it was a NORMAL procedure with this lens under this lighting condition as per information of Canon Inc. Tokyo.
Strange I have never had this before on many of my older 70-200 only with the new ones that were recently manufactured with the new pinch lens cap, so I guess this could be somehow related to bad control quality issues due to rush sales and market demand for this lens.
Check if yours have this problem and report back.
This usually happens between 90mm and 110mm range in back light situations. This also mess with photos as they all come with this halo problem either on right or left and if you slowly zoom in and out will get critical ruining your photo and maybe even make you loose a couple of clients.
Here goes the serials of the ones I had so far with this exact same problem:
- 9420006293
- 0330001231
- 0120004900
- 6150005393 (new v.2 lens from 2018 with same problem)
At the moment I'm using one with this problem has Canon refuses to acknowledge the problem and replacing it with a non defective one... Hey!!! but it looks like they no longer produce such a fine 70-200 L IS USM II lens... so we're screwed :(
Leave your comments and share this if you feel you've been cheated by Canon on such an expensive lens... also report the problem to Canon maybe they will address this in the future upgrade of this lens.
Test yours ASAP and if you also find that your lens produces such thing please report it here with serial number so we can deal with Canon, the more reports the better so they could gives us a solution on this problem in such an expensive lens.
DIY Photography got some interest comments in it's page, have a look.
--//-- Update 12-09-2013 --//--
I've tried today this same setup with my older 70-200 L IS USM II, serial 119011, that I had sold to a friend and was bought on the same supplier as the ones that are coming with this problem but it did not produce this kind of problem.
Sent also today a personal email to Mike Owen (Canon UK), Guido Krebs (Canon Germany) and Jose Antas (Canon Portugal) talking about this all mess and will report back when I got some more answers about this.
Reported this to several lens rental houses in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany and France, some have replied saying that none of their costumers report this on the 70-200 L IS USM II that were rented.
Meanwhile test yours to see if you also got any of this problems and report them here.
We are much strong if we are all together!!
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--//-- Update 25-09-2013 --//--
Got email from Canon Portugal with a great answer to this problem. And unfortunately so far nothing new... checkt it out.
Estimado Sr. Rui Leal,
Agradecemos o seu contacto e a questão colocada aos nossos serviços relativos à sua nova EF 70-200 2.8L IS U II.
Lamentamos que a sua nova objetiva não esteja a corresponder às suas expectativas.
Informamos que após análise técnica ao modelo em questão, não foi detetado nenhum defeito de fabrico no mesmo. A situação reportada não se trata de um defeito do produto, mas sim de uma limitação, que eventualmente poderá ocorrer em situações raras e apenas na conjugação de vários fatores.
Certos da sua melhor atenção.
Com os melhores cumprimentos,
Luis Sintra
RCC - CIG Service Country Coordinator Marketing (CIG Service) Canon Portugal, S.A. | |
Translation:
Dear Mr. Rui Leal,
Thank you for your question and contact to our services related to your new EF 70-200 2.8L IS U II.
Sorry that your new objective is not meeting your expectations.
Please be advised that after technical analysis to the model in question, was not detected any manufacture defect. The situation reported it is not a product defect, but rather a limitation which may possibly occur in rare instances and only on the combination of several factors.
Grateful for your best attention.
Yours faithfully,
Leave to your attention to comment a spread the word around on this very serious lens problem that Canon keeps ignoring. Thanks
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--//-- Update 30-10-2013 --//--
No more news from Canon about this problem. They keep insisting it's a normal procedure of the lens and that it should work like this.
Apparently this only affects the full frame sensors has they cover a larger area of the lens. Never happened to me before on my previous versions of this lens.
So the best and only way that Canon have is to say that this is a normal thing so they don't have to recall all their defective lens.
Shame on Canon support and German CPS service center.
Canon, Thank God this is a normal lens feature ;)
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--//-- Last Update 04-2018 --//--
Got a new 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM II serial 6150005393 it has the same problem after all these years they still did not bother to silently fix this. It's a shame for such an expensive lens!
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--//-- Last Update 06-2019 --//--
Got the new 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM III serial 761000601 and apparently this lens did not only got the new white color (that apparently does not look as white as people have named it, well at least my version), noticed some improvements on the IS stabilisation system (not much but is sound more smooth and lens noisier and now when you shake the lens you can see it stabilising well it's not much and can't be measured in stops but something has changed and they did not tell us about), noticed the lens is sharper at the corners just like the new 24-70 USM II and finally the new lens coat that I believe this is what makes the difference after all. Tested it under heavy controlled light environment and even pointed a flashlight to it, like I did on previous models, and now you got this nice flare as it was supposed to. THANK YOU Canon finally after all these years you got it!
Do not know if this would be something to upgrade your old 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM II but for me this was definitely the best thing that happened in a long time and only for this, for me personally, it's a well deserved update for sure.
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