Lens Lifespan: 'just wondering: I've worn out a few camera shutters in my past but never a lens and I not heard of this happening either. Yes I heard several times about breakage but...

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

'just wondering:

I've worn out a few camera shutters in my past but never a lens and I not heard of this happening either. Yes I heard several times about breakage but not just normal wearing out and I'm talking about in my 55 plus years of photographing.

I don't often get a chance to use Canon or Nikon with their in lens stab system so that might electronically go bad. Once I dropped a lens into a river so if it ever gets found again, it might be bad, but otherwise my Pentax lenses just keep on working!

Has anyone ever worn out a lens?

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

(double post)

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

GENorkus wrote:

'just wondering:

I've worn out a few shutters in my past but never a lens and I not heard of this happening either. Yes I heard several times about breakage but not just normal wearing out and I'm talking about in my 55 plus years of photographing.

I don't often get a chance to use Canon or Nikon with their in lens stab system so that might electronically go bad. My Pentax lenses just keep on working!

Has anyone ever worn out a lens?

The most common lens failure is loss of the internal AF motor on those lenses that have them. Second most common is failure of the IS system. For lenses without those, the most common failure is mechanical failure of one or more of the aperture blades.
In my 47 years of shooting I have had 3 lens failures. All three were Canon USM AF motors

mleuck

Never in 48 years.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

GENorkus wrote:

'just wondering:

I've worn out a few shutters in my past but never a lens and I not heard of this happening either. Yes I heard several times about breakage but not just normal wearing out and I'm talking about in my 55 plus years of photographing.

I don't often get a chance to use Canon or Nikon with their in lens stab system so that might electronically go bad. My Pentax lenses just keep on working!

Has anyone ever worn out a lens?

Nope. I have some cameras with German lenses made in the late 1940's - early 1950's the lenses are all still fine. The only issues I've ever seen are with abused view camera leaf shutters. Oil them wrong and they are junk. I have five View Camera lenses that work, a couple that are rather old. I do have one funky one that came with a older wooden 4x5" field camera and has a stuck shutter and oil on the inside of the glass. I was told the lens was junk when I bought the used camera. It would be interesting to know how and why the lens / shutter was abused and ruined.

I also have Pentax lenses from a Screw Mount Auto-Takumar (pre-Spotmatic? Which is auto nothing), thru Super-Multicoated Takumars, thru SMC-Pentax K, KM, KA, FA, DA, DA* lenses and they all work fine except one SMC-Takumar f/3.5 35mm lens that has a slow or sticking iris. Seems to not affect exposures.

Basically "Mechanical" lenses can work for over a life time or two unless damaged or abused. Current electronic AF Canon, AF Nikon, AF D-FA Pentax, etc. Lenses, no idea.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

I guess, the one thing a person was to watch out for is dust getting inside the lens, other than that, you can't wear them out by looking through them.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Been taught the following:
Cameras come & Cameras go but Lenses last forever --- Well almost

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

If well-taken care of, a manual focusing lens should last many decades.

CO

I've been wondering about the tin whiskers that develop because of the lead-free solder being used in lenses now. I've read that the whiskers can cause a short circuit. All of my lenses are still working great. I hope they don't fail.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

CO wrote:

I've been wondering about the tin whiskers that develop because of the lead-free solder being used in lenses now. I've read that the whiskers can cause a short circuit. All of my lenses are still working great. I hope they don't fail.

Haven't seen a whiskers issue in a lens yet, but I have seen it in several bodies in the last couple of years.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Any motor will fail sooner or later. Purely mechanical (auto nothing ) lenses can last a lifetime. My canon Fd lenses from the early 70.s worked perfectly when I sold them late last year

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

boberic wrote:

Any motor will fail sooner or later. Purely mechanical (auto nothing ) lenses can last a lifetime. My canon Fd lenses from the early 70.s worked perfectly when I sold them late last year

In case anyone doesn't know, the Auto Designation on Pentax Takumar and many other old lenses refers to the fact that when set to "A" or "Auto" the aperture remains full open for focusing and in some cases for exposure readout. These lenses then "Automatically" stop down to the f-stop set on the aperture control ring when the shutter is tripped. It accomplishes this feat with a pin that gets pressed in or with a lever that gets moved. Sooo, you see, these lenses are not "auto nothing". They are "auto aperture".

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

yes once. the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my sony a-200. it took good images but after 7 yrs the gears stripped. it still manually focuses but why bother I've moved on to a better lens.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

GENorkus wrote:

'just wondering: br br I've worn out a few camera... (show quote)

Life span for older manual focus metal Nikon, Canon, Minolta lenses, 100's of years. Life span of newer auto focus, full of electronics, Nikon, Canon, Sony lenses, 100's of months?

Robert Bailey Loc: Canada

A friend of mine has for over 30 years had a business repairing photography equipment. He tells me the most common lens problems he sees are problems with auto-focus, and problems with zooming mechanisms.
Another crucial problem he constantly faces is that manufacturers don't store parts longer than the warranties on lenses. He's tried to fix some lenses that were only two years old, but the parts were no longer available.
His advice- if you want a lens that will last more than 50 years- buy a manual focus, prime lens.