got sand into a lens.

[Chris Summers]

When I was down at the beach shooting yesterday a big gust came up and blew a fine mist of sand on me and my camera. At the time I had my R7 with my Tamron 18-400mm lens. It now makes a crunch grinding sound when I zoom in and out. So I just packed it up to send into Tamron in NY for service. Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg. Paid $650 for it in 2019 and it looks like that is still the price. It's been an overall good lens. If the repair price is too high I might just make a claim on my camera insurance policy.

 

[MikeZ]

Sorry to hear that, Chris, and good luck with Tamron service. Your experience makes me shy about shooting on the beach.

 

[Kamoshika]

When I was down at the beach shooting yesterday a big gust came up and blew a fine mist of sand on me and my camera. At the time I had my R7 with my Tamron 18-400mm lens. It now makes a crunch grinding sound when I zoom in and out. So I just packed it up to send into Tamron in NY for service. Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg. Paid $650 for it in 2019 and it looks like that is still the price. It's been an overall good lens. If the repair price is too high I might just make a claim on my camera insurance policy.

Does sand in your lens make the photos grainy? (Sorry, bad joke.) I was planning on going to Great Sand Dunes a few years back (never made it), so I bought a Vortex Media Pro Storm Jacket Cover just in case. I think I should use it down on the beach should a situation like yours arise.

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[Bryan Conner]

Good luck with your lens Chris. I have only dealt with a Tamron service center here in Germany and have only had excellent service from them. For me, a side benefit to having them repair a lens was that they completely cleaned it and adjusted everything in the process. My last repair was my 45mm f1.8 prime. It had a bit of an autofocus issue and needed some new parts inside and adjusting. I guess the personal attention given the lens was the best part of the process as my lens came back and I could verify that it was sharper than when it was new. I always test new lenses with a focus target and that way I have a baseline to chart any changes. It came back better than new.

Your story also reminds me to consider blowing sand the next time the wife and I vacation at a beach location.

 

[Chris Summers]

Good luck with your lens Chris. I have only dealt with a Tamron service center here in Germany and have only had excellent service from them.

yes, my one past dealing with Tamron service went well. I had their 24-70mm f/2.8 and had a focusing issue. It was only a few months old and I sent it in for service. They repaired the issue and sent it back. About a week or two later I was traveling with it in my bag and went to use it and heard a loud clunk inside the lens. Come to find out upon inspection one of the element groups inside the lens had come loose and was rattling around. As I was not yet home it stayed in my bag and when I got home and sent it back in they told me the element inside had been scratched and damaged from rattling around so they just sent me a brand new lens! Wow, I don't believe Canon would do that.

 

[VanDyck]

When I was down at the beach shooting yesterday a big gust came up and blew a fine mist of sand on me and my camera. At the time I had my R7 with my Tamron 18-400mm lens. It now makes a crunch grinding sound when I zoom in and out. So I just packed it up to send into Tamron in NY for service. Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg. Paid $650 for it in 2019 and it looks like that is still the price. It's been an overall good lens. If the repair price is too high I might just make a claim on my camera insurance policy.

Sorry to hear about this.
In recent years, I've mostly used EF L lenses and never worried too much about weather conditions. Now, that I'm moving toward light weight and unsealed RF lenses, your situation is an example of potential concerns when outdoors. I've started to look at lens coat options as a low cost 'weather sealing" option.

 

[VanDyck]

Does sand in your lens make the photos grainy? (Sorry, bad joke.) I was planning on going to Great Sand Dunes a few years back (never made it), so I bought a Vortex Media Pro Storm Jacket Cover just in case. I think I should use it down on the beach should a situation like yours arise.

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This is a much higher quality option than the low cost clear plastic options I was looking at recently. It's now on my list!