filters - Front element shattered, can I have my lens repaired?

Can I send in for repair a lens that has a shattered front element?

UPDATE: The front element was not shattered, it was the UV filter. Factory diagnosis: Lens assembly had been impacted; cleaned and checked. Helpful notes by Crowley, David Richerby (x2), Michael Clark (x2), and mattdm (on element price vs UV filter).

Canon cleaned and checked my lens back to like new quality for $179 labor, no parts, not including shipping.

Jim Garrison answered my question, but Crazy Dino has the best info all around for a lens element shatter.

Original Question:

I recently opened my camera bag to find a shattered front element on a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM lens. There are a lot of micro glass shards on the second element. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Some of the following are questions I have:

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  Can I get it repaired?

  
  
  


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  What will the cost be roughly?

  
  


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  Will the lens ever work the same and have a good image quality?

  
  


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  Should I ship it as is, or attempt cleaning it with air?

  
  



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  Where is the best place to cry a little?

  
  

Thanks, any good info on this would be appreciated. I will never rest a lens on another lens, I nearly lost a 24-70mm L that shattered a UV filter also. Good reason to have a UV always, never thought it could happen to me.

Update: Looking at it more it looks like maybe just the front ring came undone and the UV filter broke? I can't remember what it looked like exactly before.

I threw away the glass shards (polished sand) in the Nevada desert.

UPDATE: Primary reason for thinking more than just the UV was broken, UV filter split into two rings, depositing the locking collar into the lens barrel.

Answer

I have the same lens.

From your photo it looks like only a protective filter (UV?) broke. Notice the letters saying "16-35mm". They are printed on the outside of the lens, not behind the front element. It appears the filter mount ring is still attached, making the front of the lens look a little deeper than normal.

All that happened is some pressure got applied to the filter and it shattered, probably protecting the lens in the process. The front element is quite thick in comparison to a filter. If it had shattered there would be large chunks of glass, not a bunch of "micro-shards".

Your lens looks completely intact to me. Put it back on the camera and take some pictures, you'll see it's working fine.

Here's a picture of my lens for comparison: