Decentered DA 16-50, worth fixing?

ruggiex · 05-24-2017, 01:08 PM

I recently dropped my DA 16-50. Mechanically it's fine but I noticed that decentering has gotten worse. There used to be very slight decentering before. However, now the left 1/3 of the image is unusable at if aperture is wider than f4 otherwise it pretty much goes away. Is it worth sending it in? I have heard that fixing decentering is iffy and I assume I'll lose the weather sealing after a repair which makes me want to replace it instead.

I've never sent anything to be repaired. How does billing work? When I go to Precision Camera it shows a base charge. Will they charge more, depending on the problem and bill me again?

Last edited by ruggiex; 05-24-2017 at 01:47 PM.

**clickclick** · 05-24-2017, 02:07 PM

I recently sent a badly decentered 14mm into Precision, and they in turn have sent it back to Pentax in Japan. I had a 16-85 die under warranty, and it got sent back to Japan. I believe another member on the site also had his lens sent by Precision to Pentax in Japan, so I'm going to give you a guess your lens would go back to Japan as well. Expect a 5-6 week turn around. I would think it would get fixed right by the factory, and having a really nice copy of that lens, I'd get it fixed. From my experience and a friend who's had a couple 16-50s, if you have a good one, they can be great. So with that in mind, I'd take this as a chance/hope to get it dialed in just right and have a sweet lens back in your hands for much less than new. And yes, if the repair is more than the flat rate, you will be contacted by Precision with the amount to authorize it before repairs are made.

**SunValley** · 05-24-2017, 02:17 PM

If you can find a shop that is accredited by Pentax to handle warranty repairs, you can bet they have all the expertise to handle the job. That's what I do here in Canada. Last year my 16-50 got knocked when fully extended and became a 25-50. I sent it, they had a look at it, told me the price, took my payment and two weeks and 160$ later it came back as good as new, AW and everything. For such a lens, repair is definitely a good option imo.

mee · 05-24-2017, 05:33 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ruggiex

I've never sent anything to be repaired. How does billing work? When I go to Precision Camera it shows a base charge. Will they charge more, depending on the problem and bill me again?

You fill out the repair sheet, send in the lens with it, pay via their website or over the phone with them, they will charge the base rate at minimum. If the repair warrants costs outside of the base rate, they will contact you saying such to make arrangements for the further payment.

For decentering.. I think it is hard to tell.. they could get it fixed in the base rate. I suspect they are simply going to replace the decentered lens element(s) so it really depends on the extent of the damage internally. They'll make sure to let you know if they want more money.. don't worry about that.

**UncleVanya** · 05-24-2017, 10:10 PM

For decentering you might also reach out to Brian @DCShooter.

ruggiex · 05-25-2017, 03:13 PM

Ok thanks for all the inputs.

05-24-2017, 01:08 PM	#1
ruggiex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: East Bay Area Photos: Gallery Posts: 811	Decentered DA 16-50, worth fixing? I recently dropped my DA 16-50. Mechanically it's fine but I noticed that decentering has gotten worse. There used to be very slight decentering before. However, now the left 1/3 of the image is unusable at if aperture is wider than f4 otherwise it pretty much goes away. Is it worth sending it in? I have heard that fixing decentering is iffy and I assume I'll lose the weather sealing after a repair which makes me want to replace it instead. I've never sent anything to be repaired. How does billing work? When I go to Precision Camera it shows a base charge. Will they charge more, depending on the problem and bill me again? Last edited by ruggiex; 05-24-2017 at 01:47 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
hd da 70 2.4 limited- decentered?	raf7	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	3	07-24-2016 09:05 AM
Shootout #2 - DA 15 Ltd / Tamron 17-50 @17 / DA* 16-50 @16 / Sigma 10-20 @16	EarlVonTapia	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	4	06-23-2013 10:17 PM
Bought a decentered 16-45...what to do :/	zosxavius	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	16	05-04-2013 09:25 AM
another decentered 50-135 :-(	Torphoto	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	12-24-2008 07:17 PM
DA 16-45 decentered?	sewebster	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	23	10-17-2008 06:08 PM

05-24-2017, 02:07 PM	#2
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	I recently sent a badly decentered 14mm into Precision, and they in turn have sent it back to Pentax in Japan. I had a 16-85 die under warranty, and it got sent back to Japan. I believe another member on the site also had his lens sent by Precision to Pentax in Japan, so I'm going to give you a guess your lens would go back to Japan as well. Expect a 5-6 week turn around. I would think it would get fixed right by the factory, and having a really nice copy of that lens, I'd get it fixed. From my experience and a friend who's had a couple 16-50s, if you have a good one, they can be great. So with that in mind, I'd take this as a chance/hope to get it dialed in just right and have a sweet lens back in your hands for much less than new. And yes, if the repair is more than the flat rate, you will be contacted by Precision with the amount to authorize it before repairs are made.

05-24-2017, 02:17 PM	#3
SunValley Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Montreal, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 573	If you can find a shop that is accredited by Pentax to handle warranty repairs, you can bet they have all the expertise to handle the job. That's what I do here in Canada. Last year my 16-50 got knocked when fully extended and became a 25-50. I sent it, they had a look at it, told me the price, took my payment and two weeks and 160$ later it came back as good as new, AW and everything. For such a lens, repair is definitely a good option imo.

05-24-2017, 05:33 PM - 1 Like	#4
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by ruggiex I've never sent anything to be repaired. How does billing work? When I go to Precision Camera it shows a base charge. Will they charge more, depending on the problem and bill me again? You fill out the repair sheet, send in the lens with it, pay via their website or over the phone with them, they will charge the base rate at minimum. If the repair warrants costs outside of the base rate, they will contact you saying such to make arrangements for the further payment. For decentering.. I think it is hard to tell.. they could get it fixed in the base rate. I suspect they are simply going to replace the decentered lens element(s) so it really depends on the extent of the damage internally. They'll make sure to let you know if they want more money.. don't worry about that.

05-24-2017, 10:10 PM	#5
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,412	For decentering you might also reach out to Brian @DCShooter.

05-25-2017, 03:13 PM	#6
ruggiex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: East Bay Area Photos: Gallery Posts: 811 Original Poster	Ok thanks for all the inputs.