Repair options for 16-80Z lens

[kaled_201299]

I've got the Zeiss 16-80 and a couple of faults have appeared over the last couple of months.
Firstly, I noticed that the aperture would not close below about f10, and I've confirmed this both in shots taken and with the spring not showing the same 'strength' as other lenses I have.
Secondly, yesterday I switched my A77 on, which the lens was mounted to and when it initiated the focus routine, a grinding sound could be heard. I obviously panicked and switched it off. I mounted the lens on my Nex-5 via the LA2 adapter and same result. I took the lens off and using a small screwdriver to turn the focus mechanism, it doesn't turn freely across the whole travel - there are two very resistive points in the travel.

Question I have is what repair options do I have? This lens has been looked after and although a few years old, I consider it a premium lens and I'm rather shocked that it has 'failed' so catastrophically.
I'm happy to get it repaired, but will it be financially viable - what are the typical cost Sony charge; and am I likely to get a pristine lens, fully overhauled back from Sony?

If I write this lens off, then I have the 16-50 ssm lens, but want a lens with an extended range to go with it. I've been hoping that the 16-80Z will be replaced with an ssm version, but if that isn't forthcoming soon, what alternatives do I have? I've seen the 18-135 SAM lens and was reasonably impressed (particularly at £299) with the quietness of the SAM motor, but less impressed by the plastic telescopic barrel. Neither have I seen any reviews of it to get a sense of optical quality.

Any experiences, suggestions and thoughts would be most welcome.

[David Kilpatrick]

Sony offers fixed price repairs on most equipment. In the UK, I believe the price is around £110 for a fixed price repair to any camera or lens. Lenses get wear - our 16-80mm now has really slack rubber grips, the rear one is slipping off all the time revealing the works underneath. I would suggest you contact your Sony service and find out if a fixed price repair/service is offered.

David

[kaled_201299]

£110 isn't anywhere near as bad as I had anticipated so will definitely give the service centre a go.

thanks

[johnstra]

Apologies for being away from the forum for a few days. I recently seriously damaged my 16-80 by falling on it. I sent it off to the UK repair centre in Pencoed. They replaced the 'GP1 moving barrel block" and the "friction sheet E". They charged me £134 plus V.A.T. which I I thought was very fair considering they were replacing half the lens. The friction sheet E has fixed the zoom creep which the lens had developed but whether that fix will last is another rhing. So far so good.

Bob

[Dr. Harout]

Nice to hear that Bob.

[David Kilpatrick]

OK, it's a bit more than I thought, but I would agree - still an entirely reasonable repair cost.

David

[kaled_201299]

Unfortunately, I discovered a few days ago, and after sending the lens in for repair, that Sony don't offer the fixed cost service on lenses. What is particularly annoying is that the web process does not make it clear one way or another and the help line is completely useless - the guy was insistant I ad to send my camera body in too, which I of course refused point blank.
Anyhow, so on discovering that the cost wasn't going to fixed, I was asked whether I wanted an estimate to made and I recieved the estimate today - £340.03.
Both dissapointed and annoyed in equal measure. I would say that the estimate does provide a complete break down of parts etc, and so in contrast to Bob, I'd say their replacing everything other than the glass!
My instinct now is not to get the lens repaired, have it returned, sell it on ebay (honestly, as a repair job) and buy a new lens.
Anyone have views/ideas on what I should do?
I really do like the lens, and the range it offers, but I would be torn to get another one given that it doesn't have an SSM motor. I also have the 16-50mm SSM and since being without the 16-80z I have to admit I've not missed the extra range too much.
Dilemas - what to do? I have been thinking of a fast short focal length lens for indoor shooting -fast moving kids. Anyone have any experience with the Sigma 30mm f1.4, or Sony's Zeiss 24mm.

[David Kilpatrick]

You might have got a fixed cost repair with the camera body too - was the insistence because this could have affected your repair cost?

The 24mm f/2 is great, of course, if you want a fixed focal length of good quality. But I feel obliged to tell you that the Sigma 18-250mm OS, while available, matches the CZ over the 18-80mm range and goes on to be very sharp beyond. If I had a 16-50mm f/2.8 I'd want that as my alternative zoom, not another 16-80mm or a fixed 24mm.

David

[kaled_201299]

No, I don't think he really knew what repair options there were - more that he couldn't comprehend a lens repair without a camera body i.e. complete kit bought at the same time.
I can't see how Sony would honor a different rate when the body is in warranty, and the lens is 3 to 4 years old.

Regardless, a costly repair is making me think about alternatives, and your suggestion is indeed an interesting one. I've not really given a great deal of consideration to a super zoom, and I assume you're referring to the currently available OS/HSM variant.

[johnstra]

Kaled,

I think that you may have 'started on a wrong footing' with this one. I can see why Sony wanted to look at your camera body. As both the aperture and focusing are affected is there something seriously wrong with the coupling between the lens and the camera? Has the lens damaged the camera or vice-versa? These are the sort of questions that it would be reasonable for the technicians to ask. You should have returned the whole lot so that they could check out the body and its relationship with the lens. I do wonder if the high estimate is because you refused to give them what they wanted.
In my case I found them very helpful. They repaired my camera body at the fixed price of £117 despite the fact that I told them I had damaged it in a fall. The lens cost me a bit more but not nearly as much as you have been quoted, although of course the repair was different.

Regards,

Bob

[kaled_201299]

I should have clarified that the folks in Pencoed (repair centre) have been very helpful. It is the main service line for Sony that appear clueless. The requirment of the camera body came from their lack of knowledge that you could put a lens into the web wizard to raise a service request.
Anyhow, there is no doubt in my mind that the motives were not anything to do with the question around damage to the camera itself and there is no lasting damage to either my A77 or LAEA2 (tested with my one remaining screw drive lens), which I tested the 16-80z lens on.
The repair part list is very extensive and may post it and this explains the cost. The pricing structure you paid is entirely consistent with a flat rate for bodies and parts at cost for the lens.
Having spoken to the repair centre it sounds like a spring in the aperture broke loose, and then this cause more extensive damage to the focus mechanism. This would explain why it was such a catastrophic failure.

[johnstra]

I see. I think that it is very poor indeed that a lens with the CZ logo on it should fail like that. I know that it isn't a top level CZ but really it hints at poor internal build quality. In my opinion they should have done it for free. I hope that it all works out ok.

Bob

[kaled_201299]

Whilst my lens has been away at the repairers I've been considering different options for selling - could I live with shorter length of the 16-50mm, which I also have, or should I consider buying a 18-135mm or sigma superzoom. Long and short of it, the self destruction of my 16-80z had not left good feelings for it with me. As a side note and for completion, I got an additional report from the engineer explaining that the two faults were completely independent I.e the aperture breakage didn't cause the focus mechanism to break - what is the chance?
So back to the lens and it arrived back yesterday and of course I was keen to check for evidence of repair. What I hadn't expected was that on opening the box I suddenly wanted to use the lens again and any thought of selling it on instantly disappeared. And to me it comes down to the great balance and handling it has. I like the performance of focus and iq of the 16-50, but the 16-80z is so much easier to handle even on a nex-5 with adaptor. So off I went out for a walk withbthe kids nex-5 and 16-80z attached to take some blustery shots.
So even after the bitter pill of an expensive repair I still love this lens.