Stuck lens: I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay...

Zazzy1 Loc: Northern Ca.

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

Paperweight? I'm assuming that the lens isn't worth the cost of repair since you bought a replacement. And, you wouldn't sell it without disclosing its problems. So, keep it as a decorative element in your home or office. 👍😁👍

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

If it's a fairly heavy one: Doorstop?
If lightweight: let it be the first one of a collection of non-working photography equipment?

All kidding aside: Unless you want to keep it for some sentimental reason, check with your local camera shop or city's recycling department where you can take it.

Oh, one other idea just came up: Do you have children, grandchildren, young neighbours?
As children we were fascinated with single lenses. You could take the thing apart and show the kids the
separate lenses, show them the different size circles they make on the the ground when the sun shines through them, how the shape can be very blurry and large, or very sharp and small.
The one thing I would not do, is give them the lenses to play with themselves: it didn't take very long for us to discover that the spot of light on a piece of paper would actually catch fire!

tinplater Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

I would list on Ebay as for "parts non working" start at .99 and add shipping charges that are realistic for US, preclude foreign sales. You would be amazed at how many folks out there purchase non working cameras and lenses to tear apart for parts.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

You can sell it, possibly for parts on eBay or to an independent camera repair shop. Depending on the lens will determine what it is worth. Don't expect to get a large amount of money for it. You are the 2nd, fairly recent post on this forum, that had a stuck lens problem. Good luck.

catfish252

I would call Canon and ask if they would look at the lens for no charge since they have already fixed the problem recently, if they do you get to recoup some of your money, if not nothing lost.

SilverthorneRuth Loc: Silverthorne, Colorado

Is it a separate lens or the zoom lens on one of Canon's SX series cameras? If it's the camera, there are videos on YouTube about how to unstick a stuck lens. If your other option is to trash it, it might be worth trying to fix it yourself :-) It might lead to a new career...fixing all of the HOGS' stuck lenses 📷 📹 🎥.

marki3rd Loc: Columbus, Indiana

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

Since you provided no details about the specific lens I am not positive the following information is relative, but I will mention it as it might save you or others this kind of problem in the future.

Many zoom lenses that do not have the newer "manual focus override" capability can be damaged by manually turning the focus ring when the manual/auto focus switch is set to the auto position. If the focus ring is turned either accidentally or intentionally in auto focus mode you risk stripping the auto focus mechanism. For this reason I always switch my lenses to manual focus mode when through using auto focus or putting the camera or lens away.

Since you have had this failure twice makes me wonder if the above is relative in your case.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

How long has it been, since Canon fixed it?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

Take it apart and attempt to fix it.
In worst case, you can't get it working again and it remains broken. But you have then gained experience disassembling that kind of lens, which may be a useful skill to have. That's how most lens repair people learned their craft.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Monkey wrench tire levers four clothes pegs tweezers a clean duster a bottle of bourbon a muse trap and a gallon of penetrating oil. When you have the tools and oil PM for further instructions.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

rook2c4 wrote:

Take it apart and attempt to fix it.
In worst case, you can't get it working again and it remains broken. But you have then gained experience disassembling that kind of lens, which may be a useful skill to have. That's how most lens repair people learned their craft.

Great idea! If the effort is successful, imagine the sense of accomplishment.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?

I'd speak to someone at Canon. It shouldn't have stuck the first time, and it certainly shouldn't have stuck again after only a year. It's not like car brakes wearing out. It should keep working for generations.

Zazzy1 Loc: Northern Ca.

Thank you all for your info.

rjriggins11 Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

Hi. My name is Rick. I’m the owner and lead technician at Discount Camera Repair and a member in good standing here at the UHH. I’ve been doing repairs for other members here at greatly discounted rates and would be glad to help.

I'd be more than happy to repair the lens for you and keep the cost as low as possible. If you’re interested, please respond by private message.

Zazzy1 wrote:

I have a Canon zoom lens that is stuck. It won't zoom. I have sent it in to Canon once about a year ago they fixed it, but now it is sticking again. I did not want to pay to have it fixed again so I bought a new one. Any ideas of what to do with the old one?