Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8 L USM complete disassembly for replacing the aperture cable with a new one

[@nativebmx]

you are an absolute beast, thank you for all of these videos! I have already cleaned and assembled two lenses thanks to you!

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

Happy to help!

[@digitalstormvideophoto7022]

Very informative and fully detailed in every step, but it's a real challenge. Thank you.

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

You're welcome!

[@mray365]

Thanks!

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

Thank you for the donation!

[@janzuidhof9646]

Many thanks for this excellent video. I have owned one of these lenses for about 6 years and bought it because of great reviews and much cheaper than 24-70. My budget was low so I bought mine from a pro friend. It was optically perfect but the front element was a little loose. It served the purpose well but it always irritated me that it rattled and felt sloppy. Your video gave me the courage to strip the lens down and see what the problem was. It was extremely straight forward and satisfying - I must say that I have been repairing and refurbishing cameras for many years as a hobby, but EF lenses seemed a bit scary. In fact, the lens had a hard life. The dust cover (the large barrel with distance window in it - looks a bit like a castle with 4 mounting posts on it) had 2 of the posts broken off, but still in place. This made the rear of the lens feel a bit loose and the zoom ring was wobbly too. The breaks were very clean so I repaired this part with superglue - no spares available. It is almost invisible. Finally I found the screws holding the front element were also a bit loose and one very loose. Tightened them and reassembled. It is now perfect and works beautifully, nice and tight and soooo much nicer than the 24-105 f/4 I have. Thanks again for "saving" my lovely lens.

[@4586johnc]

Excellent description of disassembly of this lens. I have one which has developed internal mould growth and hazing, so will put your instructions to good use. THANK YOU.

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nejckotnik]

Thank you so much! I'll try to fix it with your help. It is such a good lens and not many people talk about it.

[@igehring]

Amazing how simple it looks to disassemble, but placing everything back to place is a different story. My frontal glass has a little dust inside, wish I had the ability to make the job

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

There is an another video about cleaning the inside of the lens, between the first and the second lens element... that is much easier.

[@igehring]

@@CamerasLensesEtc thanks so much ! I will take a look

[@Max_I5]

great content, most helpful ty

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

Glad to hear it!

[@air90air]

Which flat head screwdriver are you using? I have small flat head but they are just damaging the screw. Is it a special one?

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

No, nothing special. The head of the screwdriver should be at least as wide as the screw. If it is smaller, then it could damage the screw.

[@mikes9688]

Can anyone tell me how to replace the af/M switch an cable? I have a replacement fixed barrel part, but it did not come with a focus mode switch or cable and I cannot seem to remove the one from the broken fixed barrel.

[@CamerasLensesEtc]

I don't know, I haven't done that before.

[@i.r.wayright1457]

I have one of these lenses. It has a problem that makes for foggy looking images. I contacted a repair shop that knows exactly what the problem was when I described it. They said that a sealant Canon used failed, which contaminated one set of lens elements. This two piece part needs to be baked in an over to take it apart and 5% of the time, this process will crack one of the parts, turning it into scrap. There are no spare parts for it available from Canon. The quote was for $425 to attempt a repair and then you get a 6 month guarantee, if it is repairable. I'll probably buy a new 24-70mm lens, then take this one apart for my own look see.

[@MohamedGamal-rq7zk]

Hello, I have the same exact issue and I am not sure how to fix, I was considering of doing so myself. Did you attempt it ? if so , how did it go ? any tips?

[@i.r.wayright1457]

@@MohamedGamal-rq7zk No. Even if they could repair it there was no guarantee how long it would last. Best advice is to shop for a used 24 - 70mm f2.8L. I did find one for $600 which was close to the cost to repair the old 28 - 70mm. There are version 1 and 2 of the 24-70, and they will be priced accordingly.

[@Kowabrass]

Same here, quite a common issue with this lens. Even if you buy a copy that looks perfectly clear it may develop that foggy coating on the internal lens elements over time after you have acquired it, and nothing you can do to prevent it from happening.