Lol… well, maybe not a literal heart attack, but certainly a close call! Saw a couple of beautiful young buck mule deer this morning and jumped out of the truck to get some shots with my F4L 70-200 lens that I just had refurbished by the Canon repair shop. But it would not focus. I have my camera set up for “back button focus”, but I pushed the focus button in vain. Finally I gave up and was on my way.

Of course too late I remembered that the lens can be set to manual, which I surely could have done if I had thought of it. Then I had to work all day at my day job… And it was so hard to concentrate with the love of my life on the blink again! Now the lens is over 10 years old and has served me faithfully for tens of thousands of captures so it certainly has the right to wear out, but I’m not ready!

We have been having tremendously wet weather for Colorado this summer and this week was one of the rainiest, coldest and most humid of the entire summer, making me suspicious that perhaps there was interference in the contacts between the camera and lens electronics. So when I finally got the chance I warmed up the lens, especially the contacts area and gave it another try. I was so relieved when the lens correctly responded and snapped to focus upon usage of the back button focus selector. Going to go to bed now after an extremely long and difficult week, but I will sleep well knowing my baby is healthy again 🙂

Steve Krull is a prolific sports and nature photographer selling prints and stock images online as S.W. Krull Imaging at various sites and agencies. Click this link to view all the products and services offered by Steve Krull and S. W. Krull Imaging. Additional services include, wedding photography, portraiture and model portfolios, and event photography. Additional products include fine art stock imagery, prints and gift items