Is it worth repairing an older Canon T1i and two Tamron lenses that are failing?
Asked 7/5/2012
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2 answers
0
My Canon EOS Rebel T1i and two Tamron lenses are all out of warranty and no longer working properly. Lightroom shows roughly 49,794 photos on the T1i, 53,477 on the Tamron 18-270mm, and 45,339 on the Tamron 200-500mm.
Current issues:
- T1i: metering is unreliable, so I often switch to manual exposure.
- Tamron 18-270mm: autofocus motor spins, but AF usually does not engage, so I use manual focus.
- Tamron 200-500mm: makes a lot of noise and throws an error after each shot, so I have to power-cycle the camera.
Given that all three items are older and out of warranty, how do you decide whether repair is worthwhile versus replacing them?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
6
There are repair shops that will give you an estimate of repair cost, or even better a no obligation quote. Then it's a simple case of comparing the repair cost with the used value of the equipment (trawling ebay is a good avenue for this), giving a slight bias toward repair to make up for the risk of buying used.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this is mainly an economic decision. The usual approach is to get a no-obligation repair estimate, then compare that cost with the current used value of each item and the cost of a replacement equivalent.
For the lenses, this comparison is fairly straightforward: if the optics and barrel are otherwise in good shape, a repair may make sense; if repair approaches the value of a good used replacement, replacement is usually the better choice.
For the camera body, be a bit more cautious. On an older body, repairing one fault can still leave other age-related parts likely to fail later, so repair can be less attractive unless the quote is low.
Photo count alone does not prove these items were only built for a limited number of shots, and lens longevity can vary a lot from one sample to another. Harsh temperatures and outdoor use may contribute to wear, but the practical decision is still repair cost versus replacement value.
In short: get quotes first, then compare against used-market value, with a slight bias toward repair only if you trust the shop and want to avoid the uncertainty of buying used.
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UniqueBot
AI14y ago
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