A Long Story — My Sony 600mm f/4 Repairs
In mid-August of this year, I discovered that I could not remove the drop-in filter on my Sony 600mm f/4. It should be cleaned every few weeks. So, with some trepidation, I sent the lens to Sony repair in LA in late August. Other than the stuck filter, the lens had been working perfectly. I was pleased to note that Sony picked up the round-trip, overnight Fed Ex shipping charges as part of my Sony Pro Support membership ($100.00/year).
In early September they told me that the filter was stuck because “of sand getting into the unit.” Understandable. Perhaps. They stated that they had cleaned the entire lens as it was “full of sand.” That was surely understandable. Two weeks later I received another e-mail: they had discovered a problem with the AF system and needed a part that was out of stock. Several weeks after that, they told me that the part had come in, but when they began the repair, they discovered that they needed another part that was of course out of stock. At that point I decided to grab a loaner from LensRentals.com. While I love the 400mm f/2.8, there are times when I need and depend on the 600, especially at Sebastian Inlet.
On October 23, I got an e-mail stating that the lens would be returned to me in perfect working condition. I returned the loaner before checking the lens. The first time that I attached an a-1 to the 600, it was obvious that the lens was inoperable. The camera could not read the lens; all I saw in the EVF was “f-” instead of the aperture.
So, I contacted Sony, returned the lens to them, and grabbed another loaner from LensRentals.com. I immediately got an e-mail asking if I had taken the lens to the beach as it was again “full of sand.” I wrote back stating that I had not taken the lens into the field and that sand they had found must have been left over from the first “cleaning.”
The next e-mail said that the unit needed a new motherboard that was, of course, out of stock. On November 22, just about three months to the day that I sent it in, I got my lens back. As shown here, it worked perfectly.
The great news out of all this was that each of the 600mm f/4 GM lens that I got from LensRentals.com were in like-new condition and performed perfectly. After the total repair screw up, the second loaner was at my home the next day! I was very impressed.
Save 15%!
If you’d like to try out a new lens, or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.
I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.
Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout.
Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com
LensRentals.com
LensRentals.com is the largest online rental provider for photography, videography, and lighting equipment, and accessories in the United States. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, with a satellite office in Nashville, Lensrentals ships gear to customers in all 50 states and also provides in-person pickups and returns to local customers.
Founded in 2006 by Roger Cicala as a way to expand his own gear collection and share his photographic knowledge, Lensrentals.com has grown from a one-man operation in a spare bedroom to a company with nearly 100 employees, dozens of experienced photo and video technicians, an in-house repair department, and the best customer service representatives in the industry. Roger continues to provide guidance and expertise to photographers of all experience levels and is considered an industry authority on lens quality and testing, as shown by his work evaluating NASA satellite lenses.
LensRentals.com serves hundreds of thousands of photographers and videographers annually, while always maintaining the values of their founder – share the best available equipment at its optimum quality, and educate and provide support to their customers to ensure they can achieve their goals regardless of experience level. They carry camera bodies and lenses in every format from every major manufacturer, and all the audio, lighting and support accessories needed to cover any kind of shoot, from a family holiday card to a commercial advertising job. All equipment purchased is sold within two years so customers are assured that their stock is always in like-new condition.
What makes LensRentals.com different from other rental houses is their staff of trained photo and video professionals with a commitment to excellence, quality, and customer support! Every piece of gear is cleaned and inspected optically and physically to guarantee that orders arrive on-time with compatible, working equipment.
Your Call?
As for today’s featured Victory at Sea image, do you like it or hate it? Why?
Catching Up on My Calls
In the Striving for Different. And Blessed at Indian Lake Estates blog post here, the spectacular dorsal flight shot of the Boat-tailed Grackle, Image #4, would have been my favorite had the bird’s head been turned slightly toward us rather than slightly away. (The other image with a less-than-ideal head angle was Image #2, the Black Vulture on ground with it wings raised.) My first two picks were the Sandhill Crane photos, Image #4 –Sandhill Crane with dried grasses in bill, Image #7 (for its simplicity), and the Sandhill Crane gaining altitude just after taking flight (for the perfect wings fully down flight pose and the image design).
In the Alan Goodwin — Super-telephoto Lens/a-1 Beginner blog post here, most folks went for the Image #4, the White Ibis in the breaking wave, and for Image #5, the dancing Reddish Egret. So did I — the ibis for the breaking wave, and the dancing reddish for the whimsical flight pose and the soft light. That said, all of the other images were quite excellent, especially the Reddish Egret flight shot, Image #6.
|
|
This image was created on 17 December 2023 on the pier at Indian Lake Estates. While standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter (zoomed out to 144mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the Thumb Dial. Multi-metering -1.7 stops in Shutter Priority mode. AUTO ISO set ISO 100: 1/1000 sec. at f/25 (stopped down 4 1/3 stops) AWB at 9:36:13am on a then bright sunny morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled performed just fine. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: The Bering Sea in Winter? Not! |
Lake Walk-in-Water
Lake Weohyakapka, commonly known as Lake Walk-in-Water, is a 7,528-acre lake located in Polk County, FL, south of State Route 60, about 10 miles east of Lake Wales. The name is derived from the Creek language. I have spent many a serene, tranquil mornings down by the lake — the still blue water is to die for. I took a walk on the pier on Sunday morning as the sun poked in and out. The wind was whistling at about 25 mph from the Southwest. Rarely seen whitecaps were on the lake.
I was walking with the peashooter rig (70-200 II/2X TC/a-1), but there were no birds to photograph. As I headed back to shore, I saw a shot of the strongly backlit breaking waves. Working in Shutter Priority mode, I set the shutter speed to 1/1000 second. I over-exposed the first series because the glare of the sun on the brilliantly lit water made it difficult to judge the level of Zebras. So, I decreased the EC to -1.7 stops. After the fact, RawDigger showed that the raw file exposure was dead-solid perfect.
How-to Photograph Blinding Highlights
Shooting into the super-bright reflections of the sun off the water will always require some degree of underexposure. You can work either in Manual or Shutter Priority mode. These situations are so bright that you will always want to use a fast shutter speed and a low ISO.
Aperture Question
Why did I wind up at f/25? (Hint: check out the ISO.)
Your Call?
Like it or hate it? Why?
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
So you pay $100 for “pro support” and you wait 3 months for a lens repair.
Great success !
I don’t know what’s wrong with Sony but their repair centers suck big time !
I had my a7R IV sent for repair in NJ for broken front cover. They didn’t have parts in stock and had to order it from Japan. All took 4 weeks.
I don’t understand how a repair center doesn’t have a stock of main parts and how ordering parts ,even from Japan, takes weeks.
It would be nice if they had more parts in stock but there are a lot of lenses and camera and thus, a lot of part. And they do pay the round trip shipping by FedEx. And you can get a loaner quickly.
How’s this: I paid about $650 to have them repair my 200-600. They needed so many parts that they sent me a brand new one with no additional $$. That ain’t shabby.
with love, artie
I too have had perfect experience every time with LensRentals.com. The first time I used their service I was going to Sarasota to visit my daughter. I booked a day on the Hooptie Deux but didn’t own a big lens. I rented a Canon 500 f/4 from them. They delivered to a UPS store nearby and I had a great day with Mr. Shadle. My first time shooting with a super tele. He taught me a lot.
I followed Roger’s blog for a long time, his technical knowledge of optics is unreal.
Great company.
Hi, Artie. I’d say you used f/25 for two reasons. The first is to maximize your DoF. The second is to be sure you wouldn’t blow the highlights in the reflections. It does look like the Bering Sea–or Nantucket Sound–in winter. I don’t love it, but I certainly don’t hate it; I’d say I like it. Roger Cicala is amazing. I’ve read a lot of his reviews. Good to know it’s a good place to do business with.
All good except for the d-o-f. They. key is that I DID NOT set the aperture. The camera did …
with love and see you in Homer!
with love, artie
Image #1 with Bird-Eye/Face Detection is wierd to be able to see The Bering Sea on the photo.
It will see pretty much anything that you point it at.
a
Hi Artie, It took some time to wrap my head around this. Looking at the low-res version on my iPad while reading your description failed to reveal any reflections. It just looked like a grainy B&W photo. So I tapped on it to embiggen it and I started to see some reflections. Switching to my 27″ iMac truly revealed what you were writing about. The “B&W grain” is thousands of reflections. Very interesting! Thanks for describing your technique. Now, the question for me, is how to use this?
Not sure what you mean by “how do you use it?”
How do you use your photos?
With love and see you in San Diego.
a
When a very old used Nikon 600 f4 non-VR lens that I had bought from another used lens dealer years and years ago stopped working properly and no one including Nikon had parts to repair it, I went to LensRentals for another, newer used lens. They were absolutely the best people to work with. They shipped out a lens and I was able to use it for a several days (they worked with me on a few extra days because of some other gear problems) and I believe they applied the rental cost against the purchase price. The lens was a much newer version Nikon 600 f4 with VR and was in top notch condition. The only downside was that they did not ship the lens in the OEM Nikon hard shipping case (it can be purchased separately from them). But, they did ship the lens in a decent generic container that was well padded. Good price and wonderful service.
Many thanks, Gary.
Really don’t see the point of the image, sorry! It tells me nothing.
Thanks, Maggi.
That is exactly the response I expected from you.
with love, artie