Canon 3x wide angle lens

Mikey Williams · August 8th, 2005, 07:28 PM

It happened a few weeks ago and i still have not figured out what the problem was. I was shooting with the wide angle lens fine one day, then two days later I was on another shoot and it would not respond! I had no focus, zoom, or iris control at all with the lens. I am located in canada and the quickest that Canon said they could have it repaired is 4 weeks! I can't afford to send it away that long because i have shoots every week. Has ANYONE found this problem or heard of it!? I wish i was in the states so i could take advantage of the XL2 users club, we don't have that in Canada and it really really sucks right now...

Ash Greyson · August 8th, 2005, 08:20 PM

Never had it happen but sounds like repair is the only option... maybe find an adapter to tide you over...

ash =o)

Dan Vance · August 8th, 2005, 11:35 PM

If you haven't already, remove the lens and take a look at the gold contact pins in the mount. There's a slight chance that you have a bad contact due to dirt or a small foreign object. The fact that you've lost all functions suggests that it's either the power contact or the ground contact. If they all look okay, not much else you can do except send it in for repair.

Matthew Nayman · August 9th, 2005, 01:15 PM

Happened to me 1 month after I got my 3X

Did you accidentally remove it with the camera turned on? You blew the lens's main fuse.

Should be covered under warrenty.

Mikey Williams · August 9th, 2005, 10:10 PM

i don't beleive i blew the cameras main fuse, cuz it works fine with my 16x manual lens and a borrowed 3x wide i tried out last weekend. The contacts look to be clean...i guess i'll have to try and send it in on it's own, cuz i can not afford to send the whole camera in to be repaired.

Joe Winchester · August 10th, 2005, 11:30 AM

Not the cameras fuse, but the lenses. I don't know anything about the fuses on the lens, just repeating and clarifying what Mathew said

Bruce S. Yarock · August 10th, 2005, 08:36 PM

My 3x developed the same problem today. I was shooting outside, and all of a sudden there was no zoom. I switched to my 20x, and it worked fine. When I got home tonight, I tried again, and realized that the zoom ring itself didn't work either( or the focus ring).
I checked the gold contacts and they look ok. Maybe I have a blown fuse also. I'll call Canon tommorrow.
Bruce S. Yarock

Duncan Ross · August 14th, 2005, 09:45 AM

I've just got my 3X zoom back from repair after it threw it's hand in on the 16th July displaying all those faults mentioned eg no zoom, or focus. That repair, by Videotech near Manchester, took about two weeks, the lens being received back on the 28th. I was told a circuit board had failed. I didn't expect it to be turned round as quick as that.This was done under warranty. I'm very surprised to see so many of these lenses developing faults. On that day I was videoing at a motor race track up here in Scotland and had been swapping between the 20X and 3X but I can't remember if I changed lenses without powering down the XL2. I got the 3X lens at the beginning of the year from Warehouse Express after a lengthy wait which I assume was them waiting on new stock coming from Japan.
I'm going to get back in touch with Videotech tomorrow and see if they can give me a more detailed failure report.

Bruce S. Yarock · August 14th, 2005, 10:21 AM

I brought mine to an authorized Canon repair facility in North Miami called "southern Photo". Very nice people, but had to leave it so they could diagnose the problem. I'll call them monday and mention the circuit board issue...Thanks Duncan.
Hopefully I'll have it back soon.
Bruce Yarock

Bruce S. Yarock · August 15th, 2005, 08:25 AM

Update...
Southern Photo just told me that the 3x has to go back to Canon. Apparantly they've been having some problems with a bad batch...
Bruce S. Yarock

Richard Alvarez · August 15th, 2005, 09:30 AM

Duncan and Bruce,

Any chance your serial numbers are sequential? Might be interesting to note where the 'bad batch' lies.

Duncan Ross · August 15th, 2005, 10:16 AM

Just off the phone to Videotech. They had to replace the main PCB, which Canon UK supplied to them very quickly! Could it be that there is an known fault with a batch of these boards. This lens serial number is:0200228A.
I'd like to know why it failed and was it caused by changing the lens with the XL2 powered up??
Regards
Duncan Ross

Richard Alvarez · August 15th, 2005, 11:41 AM

Changing the lens with the power up can fry the camera fuse and/or the lens fuse. Always power down before changing lenses. ALSO NOTE. If you 'mis thread the lens'... you can damage the CCD block assembly, which is an expensive repair. Always 'match the red dots'.

Bruce S. Yarock · August 15th, 2005, 08:43 PM

Richard,
I'll post the serial # as soon as I find where I filed away the receipt....
Bruce yarock

David Morton · August 16th, 2005, 01:08 AM

I had the same problem with my XL1s recently using the standard 16X lens, I got the " check lens" message in the viewfinder, I could only zoom out but not in, auto focus had quit and auto iris stopped working. I loosened the lens and quickly retightened but this did not fix the problem. This problem occured before I loosened the lens so therefore was not caused by me.
The camera was sent back to Jessops who quoted me a minimum charge of £435 for repair. Luckily the camcorder is only 10 months old and has now been sent back to Canon for repair under warranty.
I know that it states in the instruction book that you should not remove the lens with the camcorder powered up, could this be a design fault on the part of Canon, the message in the viewfinder does not say " Power off camera and check lens".
If you notice the lens contacts have been "stepped" 2 of them are on a different level from the others, this looks to me as if Canon have designed the contacts so you can't accidently short the power contacts and cause this type of problem.
In short, I think this is a generic problem with the electronics in the Canon lenses and not caused by operator error, much like the " remove Tape" error with the XM2/GL2 camcorders.

I spoke to a " Stills" cameraman who works for our local newspaper, he uses a Canon with lenses that are compatable with the XL1 & XL2 camcorders with the same configuration of contacts, he changes lenses regularly without switching off his camera and has had no propblems.

August 8th, 2005, 07:28 PM	#166
Mikey Williams Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Squamish, BC, Canada Posts: 28	3x Wide angle HUGE PROBLEM! It happened a few weeks ago and i still have not figured out what the problem was. I was shooting with the wide angle lens fine one day, then two days later I was on another shoot and it would not respond! I had no focus, zoom, or iris control at all with the lens. I am located in canada and the quickest that Canon said they could have it repaired is 4 weeks! I can't afford to send it away that long because i have shoots every week. Has ANYONE found this problem or heard of it!? I wish i was in the states so i could take advantage of the XL2 users club, we don't have that in Canada and it really really sucks right now... __________________ Mikey Williams Down To Earth Productions

August 9th, 2005, 10:10 PM	#170
Mikey Williams Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Squamish, BC, Canada Posts: 28	i don't beleive i blew the cameras main fuse, cuz it works fine with my 16x manual lens and a borrowed 3x wide i tried out last weekend. The contacts look to be clean...i guess i'll have to try and send it in on it's own, cuz i can not afford to send the whole camera in to be repaired. __________________ Mikey Williams Down To Earth Productions

August 8th, 2005, 08:20 PM	#167
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Never had it happen but sounds like repair is the only option... maybe find an adapter to tide you over... ash =o)

August 8th, 2005, 11:35 PM	#168
Dan Vance Built the VanceCam Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Prescott Valley, AZ Posts: 109	If you haven't already, remove the lens and take a look at the gold contact pins in the mount. There's a slight chance that you have a bad contact due to dirt or a small foreign object. The fact that you've lost all functions suggests that it's either the power contact or the ground contact. If they all look okay, not much else you can do except send it in for repair.

August 9th, 2005, 01:15 PM	#169
Matthew Nayman Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 917	Happened to me 1 month after I got my 3X Did you accidentally remove it with the camera turned on? You blew the lens's main fuse. Should be covered under warrenty.

August 10th, 2005, 11:30 AM	#171
Joe Winchester Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 125	Not the cameras fuse, but the lenses. I don't know anything about the fuses on the lens, just repeating and clarifying what Mathew said

August 10th, 2005, 08:36 PM	#172
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	My 3x developed the same problem today. I was shooting outside, and all of a sudden there was no zoom. I switched to my 20x, and it worked fine. When I got home tonight, I tried again, and realized that the zoom ring itself didn't work either( or the focus ring). I checked the gold contacts and they look ok. Maybe I have a blown fuse also. I'll call Canon tommorrow. Bruce S. Yarock

August 14th, 2005, 09:45 AM	#173
Duncan Ross Tourist Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 4	I've just got my 3X zoom back from repair after it threw it's hand in on the 16th July displaying all those faults mentioned eg no zoom, or focus. That repair, by Videotech near Manchester, took about two weeks, the lens being received back on the 28th. I was told a circuit board had failed. I didn't expect it to be turned round as quick as that.This was done under warranty. I'm very surprised to see so many of these lenses developing faults. On that day I was videoing at a motor race track up here in Scotland and had been swapping between the 20X and 3X but I can't remember if I changed lenses without powering down the XL2. I got the 3X lens at the beginning of the year from Warehouse Express after a lengthy wait which I assume was them waiting on new stock coming from Japan. I'm going to get back in touch with Videotech tomorrow and see if they can give me a more detailed failure report.

August 14th, 2005, 10:21 AM	#174
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	I brought mine to an authorized Canon repair facility in North Miami called "southern Photo". Very nice people, but had to leave it so they could diagnose the problem. I'll call them monday and mention the circuit board issue...Thanks Duncan. Hopefully I'll have it back soon. Bruce Yarock

August 15th, 2005, 08:25 AM	#175
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	Update... Southern Photo just told me that the 3x has to go back to Canon. Apparantly they've been having some problems with a bad batch... Bruce S. Yarock

August 15th, 2005, 09:30 AM	#176
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Duncan and Bruce, Any chance your serial numbers are sequential? Might be interesting to note where the 'bad batch' lies.

August 15th, 2005, 10:16 AM	#177
Duncan Ross Tourist Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 4	Just off the phone to Videotech. They had to replace the main PCB, which Canon UK supplied to them very quickly! Could it be that there is an known fault with a batch of these boards. This lens serial number is:0200228A. I'd like to know why it failed and was it caused by changing the lens with the XL2 powered up?? Regards Duncan Ross

August 15th, 2005, 11:41 AM	#178
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Changing the lens with the power up can fry the camera fuse and/or the lens fuse. Always power down before changing lenses. ALSO NOTE. If you 'mis thread the lens'... you can damage the CCD block assembly, which is an expensive repair. Always 'match the red dots'.

August 15th, 2005, 08:43 PM	#179
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	Richard, I'll post the serial # as soon as I find where I filed away the receipt.... Bruce yarock

August 16th, 2005, 01:08 AM	#180
David Morton Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: N. Ireland Posts: 36	I had the same problem with my XL1s recently using the standard 16X lens, I got the " check lens" message in the viewfinder, I could only zoom out but not in, auto focus had quit and auto iris stopped working. I loosened the lens and quickly retightened but this did not fix the problem. This problem occured before I loosened the lens so therefore was not caused by me. The camera was sent back to Jessops who quoted me a minimum charge of £435 for repair. Luckily the camcorder is only 10 months old and has now been sent back to Canon for repair under warranty. I know that it states in the instruction book that you should not remove the lens with the camcorder powered up, could this be a design fault on the part of Canon, the message in the viewfinder does not say " Power off camera and check lens". If you notice the lens contacts have been "stepped" 2 of them are on a different level from the others, this looks to me as if Canon have designed the contacts so you can't accidently short the power contacts and cause this type of problem. In short, I think this is a generic problem with the electronics in the Canon lenses and not caused by operator error, much like the " remove Tape" error with the XM2/GL2 camcorders. I spoke to a " Stills" cameraman who works for our local newspaper, he uses a Canon with lenses that are compatable with the XL1 & XL2 camcorders with the same configuration of contacts, he changes lenses regularly without switching off his camera and has had no propblems.