Sony 100-400mm GM Lens Creep

[Snerkler]

I have the 100-400mm GM lens and it suffers from lens creep when used on a sling strap with the lens pointed down even when the zoom is in the tight setting, and from reading around I have seen this is a common issue/complaint. Why Sony chose this option and not a lock is beyond me.

Anyway, has anyone sent their lens back to Sony, or know of someone who's done this to increase the resistance when in tight setting or can this not be done?

[Piscie]

I would say that it's better to reach out the Sony reps directly from here, if this is a lens fault they will definitely assist you

[Snerkler]

Thanks. I don't believe it's a fault per se as it's a common complaint, I think it's a poor design from Sony. However, I did wonder if they could tighten it on request. I'll try the link you posted thanks.

[coffee_king]

Its the same with most super zoom lenses by any brand I'm afraid.

The worst lens Ive ever had for this was a Canon 24-105. You'd look down to review the image you just took and the lens would zoom completely changing the distance. It was an absolute pain in the bum for trying to retake a photo again.

[Snerkler]

I've had it with other lenses where there's not been a lock or any way to change the stiffness of the zoom, but this is the only lens I've experienced this with that has a 'stiffness' setting. It's slightly disappointing that they didn't add a lock on a £2k+ lens, but I'll forgive it as the IQ and AF is excellent

[Strampke]

I once had a Sigma lens and lens creep was the first sign of a slow progression towards it's last breath.

[Pentium_Gladio]

This usually occurs with super zoom lenses; however, I'd recommend contacting the Sony support team as well to check into details if it is within specifications of the lens or not.

Regards,

[Snerkler]

I have contacted Sony but their response didn’t exactly fill me with confidence, they said to check that the firmware was up to date and check it on a different camera body 😕

[Joe_Dohn]

That sounds like they're trying to better understand why the issue is happening rather than saying "there's no issue, update it and try a different camera".

So I'd go with their suggestions and see what they reply with after you give them some feedback.

PS: Do let us know what they reply with as I haven't quite seen this before to be honest and I'm a little curious.

Hope this helps!

- JD

[Snerkler]

Thanks for your reply. The reason for my previous comment is that the zoom tension is purely mechanical and as a result is not influenced by firmware or using it on a different body. Unfortunately I believe that I have been dealing with somebody in customer services that does not understand the product and is likely following a 'script' for general problem solving.

To be fair I did question that with them and they have responded asking to see a video of the issue. I'm going to struggle as it's something that happens over a period of time whilst walking with the camera and lens on a sling strap but I'll see what I can do.  

P.S. If you google Sony 100-400mm lens creep it appears to be a common issue/complaint. Apparently Canon use a similar smooth/tight setting rather than an actual lock and some of their big tele zooms suffer the same. I do wish they'd used a lock like Tamron and Sigma do, seems an odd one to me.