# Canon 35 mm F1.4L II USM. Strange sound inside. Bad copy?



## grinbo (Apr 26, 2019)

Hello. I've recently bought new lens Canon 35 mm F1.4L II USM. First thing: loose focus ring (longitudinal play). Like on video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-2QGo2a5ZE .I asked official repair center about this problem. Answer was - "no problem". Second: I hear some strange sound when little shake lens up and down, like loose part inside. When I put the focus ring in infinity position sound is disappear. I bought the lens directly from the manufacturer. I have another lens, but all of them have image stab system. I thought, that prime lens without IS must be absolutely quiet inside.
Please, owners of this lens, can you check your lens for this "problem"?
I want to know, problem or not...


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## caMARYnon (Apr 26, 2019)

The first thing: same here, some longitudinal play. There is also an internal clunking but not too high, I dont think it can be called a problem.


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## Viggo (Apr 26, 2019)

Perhaps the clonk is from the shock absorber in the front? I don’t have mine anymore, but it did not have any abnormal sounds...


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## grinbo (Apr 26, 2019)

Viggo, caMARYnon, thinks for help.
May be someone else have comments about my situation? As i can understand, fist problem is not a problem. Now there is a question about the sound inside


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## victormro (Apr 26, 2019)

Dear Grinbo,

The play in the manual focus ring is normal. I had this ‘issue’ from day one, so I guess it’s nothing to worry about.

Regarding the sound. If I hold the lens with the mount facing to the ceiling and shake it front and back, it feels like there is something loose inside, like an IS unit but not that that loose


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## grinbo (Apr 26, 2019)

victormro said:


> Dear Grinbo,
> 
> The play in the manual focus ring is normal. I had this ‘issue’ from day one, so I guess it’s nothing to worry about.
> 
> Regarding the sound. If I hold the lens with the mount facing to the ceiling and shake it front and back, it feels like there is something loose inside, like an IS unit but not that that loose



Yes, the sound like IS  I have a few days to make a decision: leave or back it. If we assume that the backlash is the norm, how I can test the lens? I worry about it, because of seller policy in my country - you can return any item in 7 days without any reason. The lens may has previous owner.... Most important for me is sharpness and good installation of lenses inside for a good picture. I mean not lab test. I haven't any large charts and special lights. May be some useful method to test at home.


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## st jack photography (Apr 26, 2019)

I would dump it. I bought a 50 L f1.2 from Canon, and THE DAY I bought it, I dropped it 1 meter onto padded carpet, and it didn't work right, sounded weird when I shook it, and squeaked when it autofocused. I should have quietly returned it and pretended I never dropped it, but instead I had it repaired by Canon, which they did for free. It works now, but it still has a squeak, and sometimes it will not focus to the MFD. When I ask Canon to look at it again, they say "It is fine, It is fine, no repairs needed." The whole situation has me soured on L build quality, and this happened a month before the R came out, so I look at my L glass now and wish I never bought most of it. If you aren't 1000% sure, send it back. They charge too much and do too little on EF L. Honestly, they should have a buyback program for all the people with huge EF glass investments who were waiting on Canon's "sexy" solution for mirrorless mount that didn't involve adapters, like they claimed they were doing. I feel a bit betrayed.


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## grinbo (Apr 27, 2019)

I've created video about my problem. May be it help to recognize problem. GDrive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o4-mzEug-uPDKioEiH2ufxzzuOjM50d3/view?usp=sharing


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## grinbo (Apr 27, 2019)

victormro said:


> Dear Grinbo,
> 
> The play in the manual focus ring is normal. I had this ‘issue’ from day one, so I guess it’s nothing to worry about.
> 
> Regarding the sound. If I hold the lens with the mount facing to the ceiling and shake it front and back, it feels like there is something loose inside, like an IS unit but not that that loose


Сan you compare the sound from my video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o4-mzEug-uPDKioEiH2ufxzzuOjM50d3/view?usp=sharing and from your lens?


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## Viggo (Apr 27, 2019)

I think that’s normal, shaking a lens that way isn’t 

If you can’t noticing anything in use, it’s usually okay.


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## Bundu (Apr 28, 2019)

Mine is exactly the same as yours and works perfectly. Never noticed it till I saw your post.


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## grinbo (Apr 28, 2019)

Bundu said:


> Mine is exactly the same as yours and works perfectly. Never noticed it till I saw your post.


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## victormro (Apr 28, 2019)

grinbo said:


> Сan you compare the sound from my video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o4-mzEug-uPDKioEiH2ufxzzuOjM50d3/view?usp=sharing and from your lens?



I think mine sounds even worse  But that's when I shake it from the mount side, but in a perpendicular direction compared to yours. It's like a small knocking.


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## hgredo (May 6, 2019)

Hi guys, i just bought this lens and the first thing i noticed (besides the weight) is that fkn clacking noise in the focus ring. I bought the 35mm1.4LII and the 85mm1.4IS, and the later has a perfect, thight, well dampened focus ring. I cant understand why the 35 has such a play and noise. Kinda dissapointed if this is "normal".
I uploaded a video to gdrive:








VID_20190506_113838.mp4







drive.google.com


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## victormro (May 6, 2019)

hgredo, the play in the focus ring seems to be normal. Everybody complains about that. But what's inside that's important 

Meanwhile, check this out:









Canon 35mm f/1.4 Mk II Teardown


As soon as we optically tested the Canon 35mm f/1.4 Mk II lens we couldn't wait to tear into one for a couple of reasons. One was that Canon has been making a lot of interesting advances in lens mechanics lately, so we're always excited to look inside their new lenses. Another was that Canon...



www.lensrentals.com


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## hgredo (May 6, 2019)

victormro said:


> hgredo, the play in the focus ring seems to be normal. Everybody complains about that. But what's inside that's important
> 
> Meanwhile, check this out:
> 
> ...



I know... but nevertheless... you think canon intended that wiggle/rattling/ wobble / clanking? if not, theres a problem. You pay a premium for this lens, why expect cheap build?

I did watch the lensrental teardown, and they dont comment on the focus ring being this loose, so i must be that this isnt so normal...


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## hgredo (May 6, 2019)

Can any owner of this lens confirm that his or her lens does NOT exhibit this problem? I refuse to think that this is normal. Had canon lenses in the past (cheap ones too), nikon lenses, fuji lenses, sony lenses and none have this rattling on the focus ring. Thanks!


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## StoicalEtcher (May 6, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Can any owner of this lens confirm that his or her lens does NOT exhibit this problem? I refuse to think that this is normal. Had canon lenses in the past (cheap ones too), nikon lenses, fuji lenses, sony lenses and none have this rattling on the focus ring. Thanks!


I can - mine makes effectively no sound when gently shaking in any direction or way, and no loose play around the focus ring either. 

(I didn't chime in earlier as I didn't want to sound like "well, mine's fine...", but as you have now asked, I have been off to check).

For what it's worth, I've given mine a gentle shake, rather than trying to dislodge parts, so I may be doing it gentler than others.

If yours is still within warranty, it may be worth having it looked at.


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## storioni (May 6, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Can any owner of this lens confirm that his or her lens does NOT exhibit this problem? I refuse to think that this is normal. Had canon lenses in the past (cheap ones too), nikon lenses, fuji lenses, sony lenses and none have this rattling on the focus ring. Thanks!



Mine has just a very slight play in the focus ring, normal tolerance values, I think. If I hold the ring in place, there's no sound when shaking it, but then - I also didn't shake it as hard


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## hgredo (May 6, 2019)

StoicalEtcher said:


> I can - mine makes effectively no sound when gently shaking in any direction or way, and no loose play around the focus ring either.
> 
> (I didn't chime in earlier as I didn't want to sound like "well, mine's fine...", but as you have now asked, I have been off to check).
> 
> ...



Thanks for the chiming in . I dont have to shake the lens to hear the clacking/rattling sound. I dont hear any noises when shaking it, only when touching (yes even touching) the focus ring. Please watch the video i posted early in this thread. The focus ring is very loose, as i said before, never happened with other lens...


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## hgredo (May 6, 2019)

storioni said:


> Mine has just a very slight play in the focus ring, normal tolerance values, I think. If I hold the ring in place, there's no sound when shaking it, but then - I also didn't shake it as hard



Did you watch my video? Does yours makes this sound?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j2gw_Xgcr13f2QOaM1pXYr5GA7LLY-cD/view


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## storioni (May 7, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Did you watch my video? Does yours makes this sound?
> 
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j2gw_Xgcr13f2QOaM1pXYr5GA7LLY-cD/view


I did watch your video. If I jerk the focus ring, it does a little bit but not as much as yours, just a hint of play between the focus ring and the rest of the lens body.


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## hgredo (May 7, 2019)

Heres an updated version of the video, with more clarity and sound:









VID_20190506_204340.mp4







drive.google.com


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## storioni (May 8, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Heres an updated version of the video, with more clarity and sound:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My advice: go out and take pictures. Lots of pictures, more or less artistical. Different apertures, different focus distances, flat subjects, 3D subjects and so on. Then please come back and post them. If anyone here can spot any flaws caused by the lens, then you can start to worry...


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## hgredo (May 8, 2019)

storioni said:


> My advice: go out and take pictures. Lots of pictures, more or less artistical. Different apertures, different focus distances, flat subjects, 3D subjects and so on. Then please come back and post them. If anyone here can spot any flaws caused by the lens, then you can start to worry...



Please, dont be condescending. The topic of the thread never was IQ. Im only pointing out a valid subject, that is build quality. If you never worry about build quality on your usd1600+ lenses i envy you. I work hard to get the money to get these, and when i buy them, i expect what is advertised, a premium build quality lens. In this case, a clanking focus ring, in my opinion, doesnt qualify as such. Thanks for the reply.


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## StoicalEtcher (May 8, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Heres an updated version of the video, with more clarity and sound:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've watched your new video, thanks.

Mine definitely doesn't make any sound like that - in fact the only very slight sound emanating from it is actually a little bit of play between the lens body and the lens cap itself, which creates a slight rattle. No sound at all with the lens cap off.

Good luck.


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## storioni (May 8, 2019)

hgredo said:


> Please, dont be condescending. The topic of the thread never was IQ. Im only pointing out a valid subject, that is build quality. If you never worry about build quality on your usd1600+ lenses i envy you. I work hard to get the money to get these, and when i buy them, i expect what is advertised, a premium build quality lens. In this case, a clanking focus ring, in my opinion, doesnt qualify as such. Thanks for the reply.



It was never meant to be condescending, sorry if it sounded that way to you. I was sincerely trying to help, as I thought the thread topic was more like "is this issue enough reason to send the lens back". Maybe I was wrong.
If the lens helps you take good quality pictures, then that would be my primary consideration. I can imagine that the slightly loose focus ring could (but doesn't need to) represent a problem only in very harsh weather conditions like heavy rain or sand storms.


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## hgredo (May 8, 2019)

storioni said:


> It was never meant to be condescending, sorry if it sounded that way to you. I was sincerely trying to help, as I thought the thread topic was more like "is this issue enough reason to send the lens back". Maybe I was wrong.
> If the lens helps you take good quality pictures, then that would be my primary consideration. I can imagine that the slightly loose focus ring could (or could not) represent a problem only in very harsh weather conditions.



No harm done. Sorry if i sounded a bit to harsh, but im so angry right now... the op showed a youtube video where a lot of people comment on how normal this problem is... and thats what gets me angry... people accepting the problem and canon getting away with it.


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## Michael Clark (May 21, 2019)

st jack photography said:


> I would dump it. I bought a 50 L f1.2 from Canon, and THE DAY I bought it, I dropped it 1 meter onto padded carpet, and it didn't work right, sounded weird when I shook it, and squeaked when it autofocused. I should have quietly returned it and pretended I never dropped it, but instead I had it repaired by Canon, which they did for free. It works now, but it still has a squeak, and sometimes it will not focus to the MFD. When I ask Canon to look at it again, they say "It is fine, It is fine, no repairs needed." The whole situation has me soured on L build quality, and this happened a month before the R came out, so I look at my L glass now and wish I never bought most of it. If you aren't 1000% sure, send it back. They charge too much and do too little on EF L. Honestly, they should have a buyback program for all the people with huge EF glass investments who were waiting on Canon's "sexy" solution for mirrorless mount that didn't involve adapters, like they claimed they were doing. I feel a bit betrayed.




It's not really an "adapter" the way most photographers think of adapters. It is a "registration distance spacer." It's a lot more like a Canon extender than an adapter.

The EOS communication protocols are all the same: EF, EF-S, EF-M, and RF. Other than AF, ditto for MP-E and TS-E. While RF does have capability of higher bandwidth communication, the RF cameras are all 100% backwards compatible with every EF lens made since 1987. It's not like putting a third party adapter between EF glass and a Sony body and giving up a lot in terms of AF performance.


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## grinbo (Jun 19, 2019)

3 weeks ago i've sent my lens to CPS for checking this problems. Today, i've received the lens back. Answer of repaire center - all works fine and sound inside and play of focus ring is NORMAL for this lens...


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## grinbo (Jul 15, 2019)

Another few words about play focus ring. I've read lensrental blog article about teardown the lens. Focus ring inside must have felt ring (attach the jpg file).I've not disassembled the ring, but I think our "clank" copies haven't this ring.


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## YuengLinger (Jul 15, 2019)

Don't stress. Just send it back for a replacement. If your gut is telling you something is wrong, go with it. Your description is telling me something is wrong.

For the record, mine, two years old now, used a lot, does not have the play in the very smooth focusing ring, and no sound and all when shaken (gently!).

Who knows? You might have somebody else's return, or the package might have been dropped pretty hard but not showing damage. IMO, this 35mm represents the pinnacle of Canon's non big-white primes. You should be comfortable, excited, and thrilled to have such a lens--not worried!


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## grinbo (Jul 16, 2019)

YuengLinger said:


> Don't stress. Just send it back for a replacement. If your gut is telling you something is wrong, go with it. Your description is telling me something is wrong.
> 
> For the record, mine, two years old now, used a lot, does not have the play in the very smooth focusing ring, and no sound and all when shaken (gently!).
> 
> Who knows? You might have somebody else's return, or the package might have been dropped pretty hard but not showing damage. IMO, this 35mm represents the pinnacle of Canon's non big-white primes. You should be comfortable, excited, and thrilled to have such a lens--not worried!


"Just send it back for a replacement" .. the process is not so easy as you think. I've sent it to CPS for quality control about this problems. I've spent extra 300$ for DHL delivery to them. One week later I received the answer: "It is normal for this lens." , "all works in Canon specifications" ... and i 've received the lens back... 
It was the main CPS of Russia, Canon Inc. So, manufacturer's answer is ... "all is ok".. 
And i can't return the lens back, because i've bought it directly from them (canon online shop).


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## Viggo (Jul 16, 2019)

grinbo said:


> "Just send it back for a replacement" .. the process is not so easy as you think. I've sent it to CPS for quality control about this problems. I've spent extra 300$ for DHL delivery to them. One week later I received the answer: "It is normal for this lens." , "all works in Canon specifications" ... and i 've received the lens back...
> It was the main CPS of Russia, Canon Inc. So, manufacturer's answer is ... "all is ok"..
> And i can't return the lens back, because i've bought it directly from them (canon online shop).


I’ve been in this situation a couple of times, one with a used lens and one with a new lens.

I sent it for service, came back with and “it’s okay”. So I decided to cut my loss and sold it since it was confirmed okay, bought another one, and the guys who my old ones were just as happy as me with another one.

If you’re like me, this issue will overshadow any joy owning the lens, get rid of it since it’s okay and get another copy. If it’s the same you know it’s normal, if it works, then.. yay!


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## Cwall64 (Jul 16, 2019)

Rented one from Lens Rentals prior to buying one, both the one from Lens Rentals and the new in the box one from local camera store have the play and slight noise. Both lenses preformed as expected and work fine. I'll admit the noise bothered me at first (compared to my other lenses), but not anymore.


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