Well, I can't help you on the age question, but I can tell you about
my experience with Canon service. I had a chip out of the front ring
on my long zoom, and also wanted a sensor cleaning. The lens was
less than a year old. It was out of warranty. They didn't want to
admit that a chip in that front ring really shouldn't be happening to
any professional quality lens, but I pulled the "compare with other
brands for umpty ump years" routine on them and decided that I could
have the cleaning for free and pay for the lens repair.
I didn't think a whole lot of that solution but accepted it. They
actually quoted $185 for the cleaning and I thought that was
outrageous.
After a summer of shooting sailing I need a cleaning again. While we
have all this rain, and since fall is nothing this year in New
England, I'll think I'll try my local camera repair place. The
technician has 35 years experience with maintenance and definitely
doesn't charge $185 for a cleaning.
--
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxx
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races, press photography
http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf/
