UPDATE 12/01/09
Complaints keep trickling in and sadly there’s been no resolution. Not everyone is having the problem, but it’s far too many. Canon has not responded further (shame on you Canon). For now all I can suggest to those having the issue is to contact Canon and voice your thoughts. Also keeping leaving comments and letting people know about the issue. When shooting I’m just staying aware of the problem and watching for the lens coming loose, hoping to avoid further accidents.
UPDATE 09/09/09
I sent my MK2 body and broken 24-70L lens to Canon. They returned my body stating everything was up to spec and sent a repair quote for the lens which broke when it fell off at my last wedding. My rep got them to repair the lens at no charge. I’m thankful he worked with me, but forced to wounder. Would he have been allowed to help had I been non media related? I don’t know.
The bigger concern I have is that Canon did not acknowledge the problem. What happens the next time a lens falls off in the middle of a shoot. They come loose frequently and usually I catch it before disaster strikes, but not always. Will Canon keep fixing lenses for no charge? I have my doubts .
I use a battery grip, so perhaps my hand is held slightly different? I’m curios if others having the issue are using the grip. I’ve talked to my rep about possible causes and we’ve come up with no answers. The bottom line it that a locked lens can be detached (presumably from a button touch while zooming) and if not caught in time (easy during the heat of an event such as a wedding) it falls off.
This keeps happening, but not to everyone. We’ll see where it goes and I have hopes that Canon will find a solution for those of us dealing with it. Please keep reporting your findings. If you break a lens because of this Contact your Canon rep, see if they’ll take care of it and let us all know how it goes. If I get further info I’ll let you know.
UPDATE 08/26/09
The release button position falls directly into the thumb path for many of us while zooming (especially on short lenses). Larger lenses are not entirely immune, but seem to have less issues. Perhaps due to more wight (more force to turn loose) and perhaps that the control hand would be further up on the barrel with a large lens and close to the release button on smaller lenses.
More reports keep coming in and I had yet another lens disaster. Last weekend at a wedding I had multiple lenses come loose including my 17-40 and 24-70, but I was wary and realized it, until at one point during heavy shooting the 24-70 came loose and fell about 6ft to a ceramic floor with a sickening smack. It no longer works properly.
My Canon rep sent me loaner MK2 and 24-70. I’ve not shot with it yet, but from my tests, the lens seems to release every bit as easily as my body I just sent to Canon service, along with my damaged lens. The button is so sensitive that a slight touch will unlatch it. If you don’t realize it, it’s a simple matter to it to turn entirely loose and fall off. Especially since lens mount seems looser than previous models like my 30D. Further experimentation on my 30D shows me that the lens can still come off, but the difference must be enough that it has never been a problem for me or others.
I fear that Canon will say there’s nothing wrong. I can’t tolerate this and neither should anyone having the problem. Could it be I’ll have to turn to Nikon after using Canon my entire career? I have not heard one such report on Nikon bodies. We’ll see how Canon responds. They have a good track record and hopefully with rise to this and find a solution. I’ll keep you all posted.
UPDATE 06/29/09
The lens keeps unlatching, but I’m watching for it and have not had any more falls. With me it happens on the 24-70 L. Other reports keep coming in however. I compared it with my 30D, and it just seems like the release button it hypersensitive, making it easy to turn the lens off while zooming. I spoke with Mike, my Canon rep and he’s going to arrange a loner body so I can send this one in and have them look at whats happening. I’ll report back.
UPDATE 05/31/09
Doing further experimentation. The lens worked loose twice at Saturdays wedding but did not fall off as I was watching for it. It seems (especially on the 24-70 2.8 Canon) that it’s VERY easy to Inadvertently hit the release button while zooming. It’s very sensitive and and takes only a slight touch to release the lens allowing it to turn while you zoom. Perhaps the button is more touchy on the MK2 vs other Canon bodies? Or even just certain units in the MK2 model? Will update again soon.
Original Article. 05/18/09
by Gavin Seim: Please share this so we can use the net to get feedback or tips on it. I’ve sent the tweet below on my twitter and requested RT’s. You can paste it and do the same if you like. This is a simple way to hear from the world on their experience with this…
RT @gavinseim + others had lens fall off 5D MK2. Anyone else on MK2 or others? RT & lets find out… http://bit.ly/SpG31
Those who listen to the PPS podcast are aware that I recently sent my brand new 24-70 2.8 L lens to Canon for repair because it fell off my 5D MK2. I love my MK2, but I was on the dance floor at a wedding happily shooting away and next thing I know my twelve hundred dollar lens is rolling on the floor. Pretty disconcerting.
There’s was that chilling intake of breath from the crowd, that most of us who have publicly dropped a piece of gear are all to familiar with. Like any pro, I kicked the lens off the dance floor with disdain, while casually saying. “Heck that old thing. I have a whole case of them in the car”. OK seriously though, I kept cool and finished the wedding just fine. If you want to hear about that listen to PPS podcast #58.
Naturally Canon treated the situation as if I’d dropped the lens outright and the the repair cost me about $200. Not a huge deal. I figured perhaps I somehow hit the release button. Then I got to thinking. Should that happen since you we you have to to rotate a lens with some pressure to take it off. Probably most people thought I was being clumsy and did something wrong. I was using the camera quite normally however.
I was about to let it go when I found I’m not the only one this is happening to. Seems that there’s various reports coming in about lenses falling off the MK2. More all the time. So I decided to write this post to talk about this. Does this happen commonly? How about on other cameras besides the MK2. Do Nikon’s ever have this issue?
This is not some conspiracy theory about Canon having a plot to make all our lenses fall off and break, so we’ll buy new ones. (then again… Just kidding) I just want to know. Have you had this problem? I’m concerned that the locking mechanism does NOT always stay locked. These are VERY expensive lenses we photograph with. The risk of dropping while changing on the go is bad enough. We don’t one more thing to worry about.
Thoughts?
I’ve had my Mk 2 since the end of November last year and I have to admit this has never happened to me (and I hope it doesn’t either, especially with my 855 f/1.2!). Will be interesting to see if this does turn out to be a design issue as I can’t see what on earth Canon could do to rectify it considering the units shipped…… will watch with baited breathe.
I received my Mk 2 the first week in December and I have not experienced this issue, but you can be certain that I will be checking my lens mount frequently in the future.
I’m interested in seeing what Lenses people where using when this happened. I’m simply inclined the issue to be with specific lens builds – after all Canon has produced this mount on their bodies for more than a decade.
I do not own a Mk II – but I can honestly say that my 24-70 lens does not fit as tight on my 5D and say the 70-200 does … or any of my other non-L lenses do.
hence, I’m wondering if we don’t have a build problem with a specific lens.
Sorry to hear about the problem you had. Chris Marquardt from TFTTF had his 5DMKII separate from his lens – but the body fell on the floor – not the lens…
I’ve had no issues with lenses ‘falling off’ my 5DMKII.
I don’t own the 24-70 – but my 70-200, 16-35, 85 and 100 have been fine.
The locking mechanism is mechanical so it would require the button to be pressed (accidentally) and the lens to rotate – not hard as you turn the camera in to portrait and landscape position.
Just admit it. You messed up! Stop trying to blame Canon for your mistake. Gavin, seriously, take a breath once in a while. You’re too hyper!! It takes me about a MONTH to get through your podcasts because I can’t take your ranting and stumbling over words.
I know weddings are fast-paced but blazing through stuff only leads you to make mistakes (CASE IN POINT!)
Seriously Gavin, chill.
Wow you didn’t even read what I wrote did you. And I’m hyper? What are you a stockholder at Canon
I never denied that I may have hit a button, but the lens should not have fallen off. Not that this is happening to various people it seems there”could” be an issue.
I don’t need to explain myself to you, but honestly don’t know what happened or how it fell off. far as I’m concerned this post could turn into a list if tips on avoiding it. Excuse us for using the internet to share information.
Don’t you have to push the button and turn the lens to take it off? I can’t imagine how this happens, but I can say I would NOT be calm and cool if it happened to me and one of my favorite lenses. Maybe take the 5D, put it 2 inches from a pillow, and push the button again with a lens attached to see if it is a recurring issue?
Definitely sorry to hear about the lens. $200 bucks for the repair don’t sound too bad. I’m thinking, maybe the locking mechanism didn’t quite lock the camera into place. You might have twisted as far as it can go but maybe the lock didn’t set in properly. Just a guess. My solution is lots of duck tape and gorilla glue, that’ll keep that sucker from ever coming off. : D
Hi Gavin,
I had sent you the DM on twitter yesterday because this has happened twice to me with the 5D Mark II. Luckily both times the lens came loose in my hand instead of landing on the floor/ground. I remember hearing that one of the podcasters had this problem – it turns out it was Chris Marquardt from TFTTF as Al pointed out above. I remembering listening to the TFTTF podcast when Chris was talking about it and it made me wonder whether others have had this problem. When you mentioned it in your podcast, I thought it might be worth talking about to see whether or not it’s happening more often to other 5DMKII owners
It has happened to me twice, once with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L Lens and once with the Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8 APO Lens. While I would like to assume that it’s user error – I can honestly say that in the 6 or 7 years that I have owned and used Canon DSLR’s (starting the with the 10D) I have NEVER had a lens come loose. My gut tells me that the problem lies either with the positioning and/or size of the release button. That’s the only common sense deduction I can make. It just seems strange that three of us (myself, you, and Chris) have had this happen.
Ron Risman
Gavin,
I was listening to podcast when you shared your experience about your lens falling off. The tone of your voice definitely had me thinking it was one of those “WTF just just happened!!” moments… you sounded truly confounded!
Well, for what it’s worth, I received my 5D2 just after Xmas ‘08, right before I embarked on a long excursion to India — not once have I had a problem with a loose lens.
Keep up the great work…stop being so hyper will ya!?!!! (kidding)
Don
I have a friend who had this happen with her Tamron 28-75 2.8 Di.. In fact, the lens won’t even lock onto the camera. Lame!
I actually had this happen to me on just my normal 5D I had my Canon 70-200 2.8 on it sitting on my hip outside a church, next thing I heard this sickening smash and looked to see my lens bouncing end over end on the Concrete!! i had figured i had knocked the button and it was slowly working its way off, and felt like an Idiot! maybe not?? but then you mentioned this happens with the MrkII so maybe I still am??
Maybe it’s a problem across the board with Canon. Though I never had it happen on other bodies I’ve owned. To be honest I’m amazed at many many people have dealt with this. Even if we briefly hit the button the design should be such that the lens does not fall off. Anything else would is bad design it seems to me
This has happened to me twice – both times I recall it was as I put the camera in the bag. As I pushed the camera in to its padded slot the lens came right off. It happened with the 24-105 f4L and the 70-200 f2.8L. Each time I assumed I had knocked the lens lock button just a smidge from the side and this caused it to release its grip of the lens in the mount.
I would say this is user error, confounded perhaps by a rather light trigger on the lens lock button. I’m not sure if there is anything Canon can/will do about it.
I’ll be taking a closer look at this tonight and see if the button is more sensitive to being hit from the side than if you push the button in directly.
Gavin, I am a Nikon shooter so I do not have personnal experience with this particular combination but I think there is an issue. I have heard atleast a half dozen accounts of the 24-70mm seperating from a 5D Mark 2, and that is just in the last couple months. Sounds like there may be an compatability problem.
I’ve just bought a 70 – 200mm F2.8 L series lens and I have found that the lens feels loose on the 5D MKII body. I haven’t had it fall off but it does feel odd when I carry the kit, I can certainly feel free play in the mount, is this normal?
I’ve had my 5D for a few months and love it. I have a 70-200 F4L glass but i notice that once its locked into place there is still play in the lens. i could literally grab the lens and shift it side to side a tad to see there is a little wiggle room which really concerned me but i havent had a lens fall off completely.
Yes, I already dropped a 80-200 2.8 IS and I had to pay almost $ 200 to have a fix I though it was my mistake but next Saturday in a Wedding I was able to save a 24-70 2.8 because I hold it in my hand before it felt.
This SAME exact scenario happened to me while I was shooting a wedding as well, my second shooter witnessed it. I had the same lens on, the 24-70 on my 5d mark II and the lens simply fell off. This has never happened to me with any of my other cameras either in all my years of shooting. When the brick hit the floor my heart just sank. I did attribute it to user error at first, maybe the release button was pressed somewhere and the lens wiggled free? I was lucky, the lens hood took all the impact and the lens still seems to function fine. Now every time I use the 5d mkII Im always checking to see if the lens is on tight.
Wow, this is really bad quality control IMO. Terrible. Out of curiosity I took my two cameras and actually tried to do this. Pressed the button and moved the camera around. The lens didn’t budge. Even my big lens. Makes no sense to me that it is that easy for Canon dlsr’s to lose their lens.
I’m curious to see where this goes so I posted my own blog ( http://blog.planet5d.com/2009/05/is-there-a-problem-with-the-lens-mount/ ) to try to get more answers and find people who have had similar issues – I’ve asked them to come here to report them if they have to consolidate to one spot.
I have owned my Canon 5D Mark II since the end of December and have never had a lens come off or feel loose. I use the L series 24-105mm and 70-200mm f/4.0 and also use a 100mm macro lens on the camera.
A post over at Planet5D might have helped explain why some 5D Mark II owners, including myself, have had lenses come loose. One of the differences between the 5DMK and all the other Canon DSLR’s that I have owned is the video capability, which I use quite a bit. I have never taken the lens off to ‘trick’ the aperture but I do use manual focus while shooting video. If the lens release button gets pushed and stays ‘locked’ for lack of a better word in that position and then I start using manual focus while in Live View this could easily account for the lens being twisted to the position where it could become loose. Plus, when shooting in Live View, the camera is being held out in front of you in a rather awkward position, making it more likely that I don’t always find the manual focus ring on the first try.
I don’t think that explains too much. I didn’t even use video the day this happened to me and at the time I was also using AF. To top it off, hitting the button is really not an excuse. Certainly the button is going to get touched while shooting. The system has to be built for it.
I’m using my MK2 no different than any of my previous bodies. I’m not sure what gives, but somethings up. I’m not sure why everyone keeps trying to excuse the fact that lenses are falling off our cameras out of the blue sky. I don’t really care what the use situation is. It should never happen.
I’ve seen more than enough reports on this post alone to be very concerned.
Gavin, thanks for explaining that you weren’t using video. As I explained in my blog, I tried several different things to try to make this happen with my 5D mk ii, maybe you could try to figure it out on your camera? Maybe there’s a way you can help debug this issue. Do it in a controlled environment, low to the ground with pillows etc to protect the lens if it does happen again. Play with just touching the release button etc.
And if I may ask, where are the other reports you’ve seen? I’ve only found your blog so far.
Yes I plan to keep working with it Mitch to see if there’s clear signs/solution.
Other reports are mainly the people commenting here and some on twitter which initially got me to make this post.
I’ve almost had this happen once, I must have hit the button is all I can think. It was my 70-200 and for some lucky reason I felt it was loose.. I would not have been a happy chappy if it had crashed to the ground!
Greg.
We haven’t had that …Yet. I would surely wet myself if it happens..
I have a Mk II and have not experienced lens falloff. I was recently doing a shoot in a cave in Northern Thailand near the Burmese boarder and dropped the hole bloody camera and lens onto a hard stone ground. Fortunately I had a filter on the lens and except for a couple of scratches on the body and a ruined filter the camera and lens survived and no issues.
Just finished a wedding today with my 5D MK2 and I have not encountered any issues such as this. I usually keep my 70-200 2.8 on it as well. I can;t wait until the firmware comes out so I can manually adjust the videos!
i tried to replicate the problem by literally pushing the lens release button and shaking the camera…the lens would not fall off.
From what I can tell it has nothing to do with shaking the camera. I tried that too. A slight touch on the lens release will dis-engage it and as you zoom you can turn the lens off. the core problem I see is just that the button is too sensitive to a light touch.
I feel your pain and agree about the spring issue. I had a lens twist half off before -catching it. My 70-200 would have hit the ground if I didn’t catch it unlocked. This happened exactly a week from hearing you and chris marquardt. Never happened again so thinking sensitive spring too.
Gavin,
yes, it happened to me too. I had the 30-350/L on my cam and held the whole thing at the lens, when all of a sudden the 5D Mark II camera body fell off and landed down on the asphalt, spinning and bouncing several times before it came to a halt. Result: broken off battery compartment door (managed to fix it myself as no spare part was available), several dings on the brand new camera body and nearly a heart attack. At the time I thought I had done something stupid and left it at that, but now reading more and more about other people having the same issue, I’m inclined to believe that Canon has a systemic issue there in at least a certain portion of their 5D Mark IIs. At least I have never had this happen to me in many years of photography, and I have not recently changed the way I hold my camera or the lenses.
I have talked about this on Tips from the Top Floor 356 at http://bit.ly/MAn86 (about 3 minutes into the episode) but I’ll now re-visit the issue in the next TFTTF episode and ask my audience if the same thing has happened to anyone else.
I’ll also try to get a hold of someone official at Canon to get comment on the issue. If anyone reading this blog has a lead in that direction, please send me a note to info@tipsfromthetopfloor.com
Thanks,
Chris
I was recently on a stopover, doing the tourist bus thing, getting up moving between seats, putting the unit down on the seat beside me, etc.
I went to get off and all of a sudden the 24-105 F4 bounced off my foot! Luckily it was fine, and I assumed it was my fault and didn’t think anything of it (or the 5DMKII), now have another excuse as to why my photos shite in the future – I’m having to focus on ensuring my lens stays on!
one week ago i had the same problem late evening.
Not in action, just walking around.. !!!
having the camera mounted with my 70-200 2.8 IS L around my shoulder , it dropped itself while walking without doing anything.
damn.. searched the forums for problems i though i gonna crazy.. other people had the same problem.
so whats the matter with it
another interesting thing is, this morning my camera showed an connection problem between lens and camera. (please remount lens and reboot camera)
after this messege i remounted the lens carefally and safety.
I don’t have a DSLR, but my 24-70L fell off of my Canon Elan 7NE last year while sightseeing in NYC. Although it bounced around a few times it is still functional though the zoom ring is not quite as smooth as it was prior. Because it still takes great images I haven’t sent it to canon for repair. Since that time I have noticed that the lens occasionally comes loose. I’m pretty certain that I had not touched the lens release button. I’m thinking that there may be an issue with the 24-70, not the camera body. I have never had the the 70-200 f2.8 or the 50 f1.4 come loose.
my 24-70 2.8 is wonky on the 5d Mk II also. It sometimes dosen’t want to mount, and will take some fiddling to get it on properly. Something wierd is going on here. No falls, but it feels wrong when I change lenses.
This happened to me for the first time in my career at last Saturday’s wedding. Unfortunately it was my 70-200 2.8L IS lens. It fell about 7 feet off the Mark II onto concrete just as the bride was about to toss her bouquet from the 2nd floor. Perfect timing, right? (Thankfully, I had 2 other shooters with me catching the moment as well.) This has never happened on any of my other Canon cameras. I took it to Canon and it will cost approx $555.00 to repair. It never even occurred to me that it could actually be an issue others were having as well. Hmm. Bummer.
I was shooting a wedding this past weekend with my trusty 5D (NOT the MkII) and dang it all if this didn’t happen to me too… I was in the groom’s room, which naturally has a stained concrete floor. My 24-70 f/2.8, which weighs 4 lbs, fell straight off the front and crushed the UV filter. It also made it so the lens wouldn’t zoom. Argh. This was before the ceremony. I’ve never had this happen before; I’m sure I hit the button somehow but clearly had no sense that it had happened. I was shooting and the next thing I knew all of us were staring incredulously at my goof. Whew – I had other lenses, but it sure put me off my game; I always shoot with that lens the most. Maybe we can rig up a little strap or something that wraps around the lens. Or, just be more careful
I’ve actually had a similar experience with my 40D. I was using the 24-70 f/2.8 and got a “err” display and nothing would work. Upon closer inspection the lens was loose. Glod I caught it. I’m starting to think it’s the location of the button.
Hey Gav
For what it’s worth I have a Nikon D80 and I have never had a lens fall off quite the opposite they are quite stiff. But I am not a pro so do not shoot as much as you
Hi Gavin,
When using the 5D Mark II, there have been a couple of times when the camera won’t let me adjust aperture – even in manual mode (I have the latest firmware update). When this happened last I doubled checked the lens to make sure it was tight and it was – but removing it and re-connecting the lens made the problem disappear. I wonder if this lack of “full” connection is leading to the lens problems that some seem to have from time to time, including myself.
Ron
Well…It happened to me today
I was carrying the 5D MkII, with the strap around my neck, and my lens (Canon 24-105L) just simply fell off of the camera and hit the stone walkway, damaging the mounting ring so that it will no longer mount on the body.
I had not taken any pictures as yet today, but I used it Sunday without problems. I’m sure I couldn’t have accidentally touched the release button hard enough to release the lens, and nothing else could have pressed the button.
I have noticed since, that it sure doesn’t take much button movement to release a lens. 1/8th inch at the very most! My other bodies take more to effort release the lens than this one does.
Have have had mkII for six months, never lens fall off, but don’t have the 24-70. My 70-200 2.8 is very loose on the body, though, with wiggle room as the prior poster noted about theirs. Wonder if it is a combination of tolerance issues…
I know what you mean Dwager. It seems a bit sloppy. I’ve not had the same troubles with the 70-200 either. I think it’s because it’s so much heavier. I have had my 17-40 come loose, but not fall. It think it depends also on how you hold and zoom the lens.
I had my 24-70 lens drop off the Mk II a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, I was kneeling down to get a shot at the wedding and the lens landed on a carpeted floor, so no damage. I had heard of this happening to others, but this is the first time it has happened to me in the 6 months that I’ve had the Mk II.
Odd. I’ve shot with the 5D and the 5D2 for several years and tens of thousands of frames and I’ve never even thought about the lens coming off from accidentally pressing the release button, much less had it actually happen.
I wonder if either something is out of adjustment with your lens release button – e.g. too loose, etc – and it needs to be sent in, or perhaps you grip that camera in an unusual way.
Good luck.
Dan
Perhaps Dan, but honestly there should be no way of gripping the camera that the lens can become detached. Everyone has a different hand and professional gear has to be designed well enough to work with it’s users. Not only that many people are having the issue. I will be sending it to Canon and add an update to the post though. Just be thankful you’ve not had this issue.
I feel bad for you Gavin, I really do. This is intolerable! Indeed, Canon owes you and everybody else with this problem recompense for your woes.
Perhaps your time has arrived “Luke”… come to the dark side and join us on Nikon! Together we shall rule the world, and indeed, the entire galaxy.
I am a Nikon owner who met a guy today at the camera store with a Canon 5D Mark II and he had the lens fall off at least 3 times. He was at the store this time with his lens stuck on the body. The button would not disengage the lens. I was debating if I should buy the 5D Mark II or wait for the Nikon D700X to be released.
If this news gets to the general public it will put a damper on the 5D. I won’t be buying until Canon gets this issue fixed. I am not going to have a $1700 lens hit the floor. Canon are you listening?
Tried it with my 24-105 and my 100-400… pressing the button, shaking the cam, throwing it in the air.. okay I didnt do that but I did shake it and rotated it a BIT… no issue’s here.
might be just with the 24-70 lens…
Good luck anyway on this!!
I have a Mark II and shoot daily – never had an issue. It’s about 2 months old.
Similar thing over here – 5DM2 with a 70-200 f/2.8 EF, lens cap on, hanging on a shoulder while walking, when suddenly the lens dropped down on a gravel path. Except for some scratches on the housing nothing bad happened.
Hey kids,
Look, we suck at QC. You know it. We know it. But I can say categorically that we haven’t **** up… for once.
Keep your claw-like appendages clear of the lens-release, you big buffoons!
Yours,
Chuckie
I’ve got two 5D Mk II’s and between then I’ve shot well in excess of 20,000 frames sine I got them last December. I’ve got various lenses including the 24-70 and nothing like this has ever happened. That said, it could be a production batch issue. I had issues on my G10 that Canon recognised with a certain batch of cameras…..good luck and hopefully something will be resolved soon.
I have had it happen to me a few times. With both my 70-200 and 24-70. At first I though it was me, but it keeps happening and I know I am being careful. I was lucky and caught my 70-200 just about to fall off this weekend when I got the connection error.
It happed to me while shooting this weekend with my 70-200. Was walking away and it dropped right off my body. Luckily for me the lens didn’t fall very far and was ok. From now on I’m holding my 70-200 lens rather than letting it dangle while attached to the camera.
Hi Gavin!
I am horrified to hear about this. You are not the only one I’ve heard from with this issue this week either. I was itching to get a Mark II for my next purchase, but am not sure I will now.
I used to be a die hard Nikon user. Got hit by a car in Greece and lost all my equipment in one go. When I came back decided to go with Canon for the R&D and cost/value roi. One thing I noticed right away – the mounts are all weak. It doesn’t seem to matter on the camera. The mounting assembly should be made of metal. I like that most of the body is plastic for the weight issue but some things should still be made of metal. The sheer weight of the lenses has been an issue on several models from the 10D to the 5D. I am wondering if this is part of the issue here? If the assembly has issues in tolerance for the older lenses, plus being weaker than it should be… just maybe that is the issue.
I would love to see what Canon is doing to fix this issue since it is an issue many are having. If changes are made – I would really like that Mark II – even though it doesn’t have enough focusing areas like the Mark 3 does.
Hi Gavin,
This weekend while shooting a wedding the Canon 24-105mm “Kit” lens came loose during shooting. I was actually holding the lens and didn’t even realize it was loose. What alerted me was an error message that appeared on the screen after pressing the shutter. Unfortunately I can’t remember what the message said exactly, but it was white text on a red background and made mention that the lens wasn’t communicating with the camera – or something about the contacts themselves – I wish I could remember. I was supporting the lens with my left hand and it didn’t feel strange so I snapped another picture and again the message came up instead of the image itself. I then decided to check to make sure the lens was tight and of course it wasn’t. I can’t imagine that it could have been twisted that far on the mount without my left hand actually realizing it was loose. It didn’t feel loose at the time and would have fell to the group if I was alerted. What makes this even more strange is that I cannot duplicate this error message. I’ve twisted the lens virtually off the camera, pressed the shutter, and still not message. If it happens again I will write it down or, if possible, capture it with my iPhone’s camera.
Ron
Hey Gavin, I saw this and I thought of you!
http://cameradojo.com/2009/09/13/delkin-snug-it-pro-body-armor-for-your-camera/
Kerry tried out an slr cover but look at the pics and note how it covers the lens release button! It might help and it’s pretty cheap
I have had this happen several times as well. I use a Black Rapid strap attached to my 70-200 L IS lens, so the camera hangs from the strap which is attached to the lens. SEVERAL times, I’ve had the camera BODY fall off of the lens as it was hanging by my side. Sometimes as I’m walking, I’ll hold the lens to steady the camera and keep it from flopping around. Just brushing up against the release button has allowed the body to detach and hit the ground. Definitely a problem and a design flaw.
Ok, seems like this isn’t really getting much love these days
I’ve continued to see this kind of problem (lens coming loose) on my new 5dMKII and I decided I need to consider some solutions before a wedding I have this weekend. I wondered if we could insert a thin “shim” between a lens and the body – has anyone thought of this or tried it? I cut about 1″ of paper into a circle that can sit on the silver mount of the lens and sure enough it increases the friction to insert or remove the lens. I suspect it could alter focus somewhat, but with casual shooting I didn’t see any problems. I guess it’s possible it could wear the mount out sooner than “normal” as well. Any thoughts out there?
Just to close the loop, I used the “thin paper shim” technique I described above and it worked flawlessly this past weekend. I never once felt the 24-70 f/2.8 come loose at all, and the shots are perfect.I think this will be my default approach until Canon comes up with something more “standard”…
Well I honestly thought, this was not real till it happened to me last night. Scared the crap out me. Brand New 24-70 came flying down, luckily it fell on the table only 6″. The camera is rarely used, and the lens stays on it 90% of the time, go figure. Never had this happen on Nikon.
Sorry to hear that Canon has not been very helpful so far. I would put a small piece of gaffers tape on the lens/body to keep it from twisting in the meantime. Good luck Gav!
I have a 5D MkII since june 2009 I have used it with half a dozen canon lens including 16-35 F2-8 ,70-200 F2.8 right up to my big 300mm F2.8 plus X2 converter with no problems. I am forever changing lens never had one fall off yet. Although my 1D MkIII has a lens locking pin problem and lens sometimes don’t lock properly on that.
Well I was just about to buy a 5d Mk2 + 24-70 L. I’m a Sony user at the moment (A700). Now I have to rethink my plans. I have no allegiance to any system, but I see clear pros and cons with the A900, D700 and 5D MK2. The 5d2 was my choice – just – vs the competition, and then I remembered this old chestnut! Lenses staying on the camera is kind of a big deal for me, but I’m weird like that. Damn, damn, damn.