• Canon DSLR Cameras

  Have you ever had a camera lens stop working & then work again?

  Posted by Joseph Torres on July 14, 2015 at 12:52 am

  It’s really weird.

  The other day, I made a huge mistake. On a shoot, I knocked my camera (Canon t3i) off a tripod by mistake & the lens I have (28mm fixed) hit the ground first.

  When I tried to use it again, it refused to focus. No autofocus, no manual focus, nothing. It would give you the “confirmation” on auto as if it was really focusing…but it wasn’t.

  A few days later, I try it out. To my surprise, it works! Though I can hear that the gears sound different (slower for sure), it focuses both in auto & manual without an issue!

  This leaves me obviously scared & confused. Has this happened to any of you before? How safe should I feel using it from now on?

  Tim Jones replied 11 years ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Tim Jones

  July 14, 2015 at 5:09 am

  Yes – Dirty contacts caused by high humidity in my case. A 5D and an EOS T5i both exhibited the issue in Hawaii on one trip. Cleaned the contacts on the lens and the cameras and all was fine.

  Suspect the contacts before you suspect a lens.

  Tim
  —
  Tim Jones
  CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
  https://www.tolisgroup.com
  BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!
• 

  Ryan Holmes

  July 14, 2015 at 9:31 pm

  [Tim Jones] “Suspect the contacts before you suspect a lens.”

  I agree with Tim. Though you may have damaged the mount on your camera as well. So the lens has contact points and so does the mount on our camera body. If either of those are dirty, not seated well, not touching correctly then you’ll have problems. So clean the contacts, and make sure the mount doesn’t have any damage.

  Ryan Holmes
  http://www.ryanholmes.me
  @CutColorPost
• 

  Warren Eig

  July 15, 2015 at 3:24 pm

  Just a note, if you clean the contacts, use only a white eraser not the pink type and be sure you don’t get any rubbings in the mirror box. You can also use a gold contact cleaner, just go easy on the amount of liquid.

  Warren Eig
  O 310-470-0905

  email: warren@babyboompictures.com
  website: https://www.BabyBoomPictures.com

  REEL: https://www.babyboompictures.com/BabyBoomPictures/Reels.html

  For Camera Accessories – Monitors and Batteries
  website: https://www.EigRig.com
• 

  Tim Jones

  July 15, 2015 at 3:54 pm

  I just use the cheap toilet paper from a public bathroom (you know, the stuff that leaves you feeling like you just sanded your bottom side). It’s just coarse enough to get the job done and has very little lint production. If I wet it at all, I just use plain water.

  Tim
  —
  Tim Jones
  CTO – TOLIS Group, Inc.
  https://www.tolisgroup.com
  BRU … because it’s the RESTORE that matters!

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