Canon EFS 18-135mm lens: Fellow Hoggers, I am in need of enlightenment. I have a Canon EFS 18-135mm lens with IS and AF. I had an opportunity to use the manual focus option of the lens...

wegriffin8642 Loc: Houston, Tx

Fellow Hoggers,

I am in need of enlightenment. I have a Canon EFS 18-135mm lens with IS and AF. I had an opportunity to use the manual focus option of the lens and found that the focus ring turned freely. However, the focusing of the subject did not change. The lens was still under warranty and I returned it for an exact replacement. I put the lens on my camera(s) and attempted the manual focus option. I had the same results...the ring turns freely but makes no changes to the focus of the subject.

If any of you have this same lens, does your manual focus change the focus of the object you are photographing?

Incidentally, the auto focus works just fine.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

wegriffin8642 wrote:

Fellow Hoggers, br br I am in need of enlightenme... (show quote)

Did you bother to change the focus switch on the lens to "M"? Otherwise the manual focus ring is disengaged.

wegriffin8642 Loc: Houston, Tx

Yes, MT, I did change the switch...still no effect.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

wegriffin8642 wrote:

Yes, MT, I did change the switch...still no effect.

Had to ask. You wouldn't have been the first one.

wegriffin8642 Loc: Houston, Tx

I know, MT. Your point is well received.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

wegriffin8642 wrote:

Fellow Hoggers, br br I am in need of enlightenme... (show quote)

Which version of the lens do you have. There are three of them. The two most recent ones the STM version and the most recent USM version are both fly-by-wire lenses. The focus ring is not mechanical, it's electronic. You have to power the lens before the manual focus ring will work. You can do that with a back button focus or half depressing your shutter button. Then the focus ring will work. I personally find fly-by-wire manual focus rings to be virtually useless for the purpose. Additionally as you discovered the focus ring does not have any damping and moves too freely for accurate manual focusing. I don't know why they designed it this way nor why users accept it. I suspect very very few people successfully use that lens for manual focus.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

MT Shooter wrote:

Did you bother to change the focus switch on the lens to "M"? Otherwise the manual focus ring is disengaged.

MT I'm sure that you know that two of the three versions of that lens have electronic fly-by-wire focus rings. I suspect his copy is one of them.

Jodevoy

Thank you for that question and answer. I have the Canon 18 - 55 STM Lens and had the exact same issue. Pressing the shutter button made all the difference! Thanks!

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Well! I do not think I will get that lens myself. Having to press the button to manually focus would be a pain. Does it at least not need that if you are in live view and manual focus?

Jodevoy

It was a “kit lens” that came with the camera. I just checked it and if you are in live view, it does work without pressing the shutter button. I’m glad you asked - it made me check it out even further. Learn something every day on this site!

wegriffin8642 Loc: Houston, Tx

Problem solved, thanks to Canon email. My cameras needed to have a firmware upgrade for that lens series. All is well again. Thanks for the helpful replies.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

mwsilvers wrote:

MT I'm sure that you know that two of the three versions of that lens have electronic fly-by-wire focus rings. I suspect his copy is one of them.

Since I neither buy or own crop sensor lenses, much lens kit lenses, I guess I do not "know" that. But cannot believe Canon would do such a thing so when I get back to the store today I will check and see as I do have a couple used 18-135 lenses in inventory.
And there are actually 4 versions of that lens when you count the Nano model I think.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

dsmeltz wrote:

Well! I do not think I will get that lens myself. Having to press the button to manually focus would be a pain. Does it at least not need that if you are in live view and manual focus?

I have no experience with that lens in liveview but I suspect you still have to power it before you can focus manually with the focus ring. Between you and me it's a really stupid design, but it's probably cheaper than a mechanical linkage.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

MT Shooter wrote:

Since I neither buy or own crop sensor lenses, much lens kit lenses, I guess I do not "know" that. But cannot believe Canon would do such a thing so when I get back to the store today I will check and see as I do have a couple used 18-135 lenses in inventory.
And there are actually 4 versions of that lens when you count the Nano model I think.

I think the latest USM version is the nano. There were only three versions of that lens made by Canon as far as I know. There was the original micro motor version, the STM version, and the current USM nano version.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

MT Shooter wrote:

Since I neither buy or own crop sensor lenses, much lens kit lenses, I guess I do not "know" that. But cannot believe Canon would do such a thing so when I get back to the store today I will check and see as I do have a couple used 18-135 lenses in inventory.
And there are actually 4 versions of that lens when you count the Nano model I think.

Since you are a dealer, I guess I assumed that you were familiar with those lenses since they are a popular Canon model and are often supplied as a kit lens with some camera bodies.