If you buy a Canon DSLR, don't buy an "L" lens

[canuckian]

If you look through the photography forums, you'll find a lot of discussion on expensive Canon "L" lenses that backfocus or frontfocus badly. These are Canon's top of the line lenes, you'd expect a bit of quality control but I guess not.

Despite reading all the bad reviews, I decided to risk it given my past experience with Canon's quality and purchased a 17-40 "L" lens.

I noticed that this lens was very "soft" and didn't really have sharp focus anywhere in the image. Even with the camera on a tripod and a fast shutter speed and closed down lens, just not sharp. It wasn't even as shap as my $200 lenses!

I sent a few samples to my camera dealer and posted a few in the photography forums, and the verdict was the same, send it to Canon to have them have look at it. So, I pack it up and send it off to the regional service centre. Now, I hate sending anything in for repair, I have had things come back worse than they went off, had things get damaged in shipping and even go missing. But what else was I to do.

So, I call them a week after I shipped it off to make sure it arrive in good shape. First they tell me they can't find it, then they call back and say they found it and they'd call me within a week to let me know what the problem is. Three weeks pass and no call. So I call them, no one can take my call so I leave a very detailed voice message and three days later, still no call back. You'd think when you send that much for a lens, they'd at least return a call. I understand they're busy with lots of repairs to recalled cameras, but they could at least call and tell me they're running behind.

Until now I've been a very loyal Canon user, having bought my first Canon 35mm equipment back in 1977. I own two Canon SLR bodies, seven Canon lenses, a 20D and a A75, Canon scanner and Canon photo printer. But I'll be thinking twice before I buy another Canon product.

[canuckian]

An update. After a week of trying, I still haven't managed to speak to a single person at Canon to find out when they'll check out my lens. I've made at least ten calls to their service centre, one to their Customer Support department and one to their head office, all unanswered. Dish out for a top of the line lens and get abused by Canon.