One involves older camera gear and the other is a heads up about B&H Photo.
Be forewarned, today’s post is heavy on photogeek and it’s far from short so it won’t be for everyone.
A little over a year ago I began to have a serious problem with my camera gear. I didn’t know if it was caused by my camera, my lens or my teleconverter (extender) but occasionally my camera wouldn’t focus at all and other times it was focusing but my photos weren’t as sharp as they should be. The problem was intermittent and completely unpredictable, other than it always seemed to happen when I had an opportunity for an unusually good shot.
At first it only happened rarely but its frequency slowly increased until recently when it’s been occurring about 3-5 times every morning I’m out shooting. Most of the time everything works fine but when it doesn’t I have to loosen my teleconverter from the lens and then twist it back on to reset my locking pin. You can imagine my frustration because by then I’ve missed the shot(s). At first I thought it was just dirty electrical contacts but cleaning them many times using a variety of different methods never helped one bit. Based on the evidence I just mentioned I was pretty sure the problem was caused by either my lens or my teleconverter and not my camera but until the last few days I couldn’t narrow it down.
But I’m almost positive I now know the culprit. It’s my teleconverter. Five days ago I rented a teleconverter for test purposes and I haven’t had the problem a single time while the new tc has been attached.
I’m also confident I know why my tc stopped working properly.
This is my tc (not the rented one). I bought it ten years ago as soon as version III of Canon’s 1.4 teleconverter became available. I’d have to say it’s been the most reliable lens (yes, teleconverters are considered to be lenses) I’ve ever owned. And its quality is superb. I never notice any loss of image quality when I’m using it, something I can’t say about 1.4 teleconverters of other brands I’ve tried or even about Canon’s 2.0 teleconverter.
The guy at one of my camera shops calls Canon’s 1.4 tc a “sweet piece of glass” which always brings a smile to my face for a couple of reasons.
Here it is mounted between my Canon 7D Mark II camera and my Canon 500 f/4 lens.
And here’s my entire rig. I’m embarrassed to actually see how dirty my Lens Coat is where I hold on to it with my left hand while I’m shooting from my pickup. It’s way past time to replace it.
The purpose of a teleconverter is to effectively increase the focal length of the lens its mounted to. When mounted to my 500mm lens and a full frame camera the combined focal length is increased from 500mm to 700mm (1.4 X 500) but I shoot with a cropped frame camera (1.6 crop factor) so when I’m using my tc I’m shooting at an effective 1120 mm which is just about perfect for most birds I photograph.
OK, lets get to the cause of my problem and to the potential issue I’m trying to warn other photographers about.
See those eleven gold electrical contacts buried deep inside my tc? Each time I take a photo every one of those contacts has to be in solid and reliable contact with their matching contacts in my lens (they’re called ‘contacts’ for good reason).
And there are seven more gold contacts on the other side of the tc that have to make proper contact with matching contacts on my camera. That’s a total of 36 contacts that have to work properly for my lens to communicate effectively with my camera.
Three conditions are the most likely disruptors of that communication – dirty contacts, worn contacts and worn mounting rings that when functioning properly keep my gold contacts in physical contact with each other. Since my contacts aren’t dirty and my rig works fine with the rented tc (or without a tc) my problem is almost certainly caused by worn contacts or worn mounting rings or both.
After all I’ve been using that tc for 10 years now and on a typical morning of shooting I twist it on and off of my camera and lens multiple times depending on how close I am to my subject. That’s a lot of physical wear and tear over 10 years. Everything works fine when I’m not using the tc and I’ve had it much longer than I’ve had either my current lens or my current camera(s).
So here’s my plan: I’ll continue to use the rented tc for a few more days (I’ve rented it for a week) to continue my testing. If results remain the same I’ll purchase a new tc ($429) and have my old one repaired. When it’s repaired I’ll either sell it or keep it as a backup and for possible use with my 100-400 lens.
One thing’s for damn sure – I won’t be ordering the new tc from B&H Photo as I initially considered doing. My good friend Jim DeWitt (Wickersham’s Conscience) recently lived a consumer’s nightmare when he ordered a new camera from B&H Photo which he’s documented here and I certainly don’t want a repeat performance. The last thing I need right now is more camera gear headaches.
Besides, especially these days I prefer to support local businesses so I’ll be buying it from a nearby camera shop.
Ron
Notes:
- When it comes to problems with camera gear or vehicles my least favorite word in the entire English language is “intermittent”.
- If you look carefully at the last photo you can actually see the lateral wear on 5 of the 7 contacts. I can’t see that wear with my naked eyes but I sure can in the photo.
- Regarding B&H photo: I realize that many folks have used them reliably for years and in the past I’ve ordered from them myself. I also realize that ‘mistakes happen’ when humans are involved. But in Jim’s case B&H acknowledged their (incredibly stupid) mistake and promised to make amends but they reneged on that promise and then became unresponsive to Jim’s inquiries which transformed their simple mistake into a pattern of unethical behavior that I don’t want to become a victim of. In addition to being a good friend Jim is a retired attorney, a smart guy and ethical and honest to a fault. I trust every word he wrote about the unfortunate incident.
Looks like the wear marks on those contacts have grooved or worn all the way through the gold. Gold is used in many electrical contact situations due to its excellent conductivity and resistance to corrosion. Usually corrosion on other metals acts as an electrical insulator and tends to disturb connectivity and often in an intermittent manner since the conductance varies with the presence or absence of the corrosion and connecting and disconnecting the lens tends to wear off the corrosion. TMI to say that I am confident that the wear on the contacts is the culprit in your case. Luck!
Interesting and informative post. But mostly, thanks for shopping local. Online behemoths are changing society and the economy. And not in good ways.
I agree, Lyle. It’s unfortunate.
Intermittent problems are a total beast.
And often result in less than stellar responses from repair firms.
I am so very glad that you found the reason and have got a solution – before the problem became mittent (which should be a word). Just as gruntled should.
“mittent (which should be a word). Just as gruntled should.”
You are absolutely correct, EC! I love some of the word stuff you come up with.
Ron, I have heard other pro photographers recommend the 1.4x. In fact, the consensus has been to not use the 2x. I would remind amateurs like myself that teleconverters may not fit their gear. I almost bought a TC for my kit lens, but was informed by Canon that their teleconverters are only compatible with their pro-grade lenses.
Also, I left a contrarian opinion on Jim’s blog regarding his issue with B&H.
David, I bought Canon’s 2x tc some years ago but only kept it for a few months before selling it because there was noticeable loss of image quality. I believe that’s simply a function of optical physics with that much “magnification” and not a quality issue with the tc. I’ve heard the same is true with Nikon’s 2x.
I can just see you walking into the camera store and saying, “Hi. I’d like to buy a good piece of glass.” 😉
Glad you have your equipment issue fixed — wishing you smooth sailing and sharp shots from here on out!
“I can just see you walking into the camera store and saying, “Hi. I’d like to buy a good piece of glass.” ”
That brought a guffaw, Marty. A couple of them actually.
Yes, that’s one of the reasons for the “smile” I mentioned in my post.
Your post is timely for me. I took a look at mine after your emails to me about my focus issues. I cleaned the contacts, of course my techi kid had all the supplies, but I have not used it yet to see if it made a difference. My contacts looked fine, shinny and the whole ring looked clean and new. I seldom change my lenses, and I keep my gear in a closed backpack, but considering all the dusty situations my camera finds itself in I am sure some dirt works it’s way in.
I am glad you found out what was causing your soft focus, yet sorry you had to purchase a new TC.
I’m glad the timing of my post was good for you, April.
I just got home after purchasing the new tc and sending my old one off to Canon for repair. After I saw the photo of my contacts so badly worn I figured it didn’t make a lot of sense to put it off.
I’ve had the same problem repeatedly over the last couple of years. And yes, it is always the teleconverter. I know because I have two 7d2 and two converters and two lenses, so I can do a round-robin test. Usually sending the item to Canon for repair results in the problem being solved. The last time, no. I now always carry two teleconverters.
I know some photographers who rarely remove their teleconverter because of this problem; I take mine on and off a lot.
Thanks for that input Brad. Based on what you said I’m now leaning toward keeping my old tc rather than selling it after I get it repaired.
I know some photographers who don’t use a tc because they’re afraid of the “dust problem” that potentially results from the swapping process. I’ve had almost no problem with dust in all these years.
Agree; dust isn’t the issue. Wear on the contact is. I try to be very careful about keeping “grit” off the contact surfaces, but am not always successful when in a shooting frenzy outdoors.
Have you also found that rotating the lens CCW (I think) with respect to the body while shooting can temporarily solve the problem–that is, if you are getting the dreaded f/0.0 display?
Brad, I don’t remember ever getting the f/0.0 display. The only 2 things that happen are 1) it won’t focus at all or 2) my images suddenly become noticeably softer than they should be. Often I can’t tell if #2 has occurred until I see my photos on the big screen at home.
Yes, rotating the lens CCW and then rotating back solves the problem temporarily. But for some reason I have to gently force the locking pin back into place (it should fall into place all by itself) which makes me think I also have significant wear on the mounting rings of my tc (more likely the tc than the camera or lens because I’ve had and used the tc for so much longer).
I have long considered getting a teleconverter for my Nikon, but heard mixed reviews from friends and print sources. You have now sold me on getting one….well your photography has. Thanks.
Marcia, I wouldn’t hesitate in the least about getting either a Canon or a Nikon tc. Matched with a high quality lens both are marvelous pieces of glass and especially effective for bird photography. Mia shoots Nikon and has their 1.4 tc and loves it.
CAN see the wear on the 7 contacts……. Glad you were able to rent a teleconverter to “check it out”. Better the teleconverter than the camera or lens! It IS sad about B&H ethical standards collapse…….. 🙁 I’ve used them a few times with no problems BUT! I like Jim’s approach of “just telling the story” on Facebook………
Jim always has good approaches for things like that. His legal training and ethics serve him well.