Update: I also posted this fix on Instructables which somehow made it to the front page as featured instructable! Go me!
For lens with wide zoom range, it’s not unusual that lens creep will happen sometime in its life. This phenomenon occurs as zoom ring loses friction and cannot hold the weight of the large front element. Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM is one of those lenses that have this problem, and I just found perhaps the most basic solution.
Here is what lens creep looks like. As I hold the lens by its mount…
…the lens barrel starts to extend by itself.
Solution? Elastic hairband! Not just any rubber band can do the job as it has to be the variety that is very thin.
Now, slide the elastic band between the focus ring and the zoom ring and make sure the whole band stays within this gap.
Here’s the magic part. Slide part of the elastic band under the crack of the zoom ring and not the whole band as you may need to remove it later. This is why normal rubber band would not work!
Testing again…
Voila! No creep!
This is the lens extended to the maximum. Note that it stays like this and not collapsing.
I’m not sure if this technique works with other copies of the same lens, but I’m quite pleased with the result!
Tags: hacks, photography