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20D Shutter: Possible Class Action


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Canon EOS 20D Alleged Defects Investigation

 

"The Canon EOS 20D Digital Camera was initially launched by Canon U.S.A in

September 2004 as a high-end consumer and professional level digital camera. The

national law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is currently

investigating consumer complaints concerning the Canon EOS 20D digital camera.

The complaints include allegations that the Canon EOS 20D model prematurely

fails either right before or right after the one-year warranty period ends.

 

We are reviewing complaints concerning problems with the shutter system of the

digital camera. Specifically, the camera shutter of the EOS 20D digital camera

allegedly begins to fire repeatedly until the camera battery is removed. Once

the shutter problem arises, the only way to resolve the issue is to send the

camera to the manufacturer for repair at the cost of the consumer."

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>>> The complaints include allegations that the Canon EOS 20D model prematurely fails

either right before or right after the one-year warranty period ends.

 

Nah, mine's going on three years and works great. However, one end of the camera strap

looks like it could

start fraying in a year or two. Perhaps that could be a worthy allegation for a new complaint?

www.citysnaps.net
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"The complaints include allegations that the Canon EOS 20D model prematurely fails either

right before or right after the one-year warranty period ends."

 

I guess I got a good one as it's way past the warranty period.

 

Looks like these lawyers are hungry, desperate and need deep pockets really bad. I hope it

gets

thrown out and those lawyers find something meaningful to do with their legal skills.

Otherwise we'll be paying extra for that shiny new 40D or Elan Digital...

 

""The Canon EOS 20D Digital Camera was initially launched by Canon U.S.A in September

2004 as a high-end consumer and professional level digital camera. "

 

I don't think Canon ever said the 20D was a pro model. It's the DSLR equivalent of the Elan,

i.e., a prosumer or advanced amateur model. Pro demands on a prosumer rated body

might prove to be too much. It's not uncommon for some guys to belt out 50,000 shutter

cycles in a year (I'd just get a video cam).

Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see.

- Robert Hunter

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Geeze Wizz, i HAVE TWO 20d's, am i in double trbl?

 

I have taken many pictures and no trouble so far! These are great little cameras. If Canon needs help with their lawsuit, they can call me anytime. I am on Canon's side.

 

I would be interested in a class action lawsuist against Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein!

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"The complaints include allegations that the Canon EOS 20D model prematurely fails either right before or right after the one-year warranty period ends." Either "before" or "Right after", Must be POLITICAL lawyers! Covers all bases!
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I agree that a lawsuit is going way overboard on this issue, considering that likely very few people have suffered any serious financial loss due to 20D shutter failures. That said, I do think Canon needs to revaluate the life expectancy of the shutters in all of their entry to mid-levl DSLR's, not just the 20D. My 30D shutter failed with only two weeks to go on the warranty, so I was lucky there, but I had taken less than 8000 images with it. My camera's shutter failure was not the err99 one, but was the fairly common arc-shaped light stripe through the middle of the image. When I researched this on photo.net and the internet, I was unpleasantly surprised to find that the same failure had been occurring on every model from the Digital Rebel to the 30D! Despite the good fortune of the majority of Canon DSLR users, premature shutter failures do seem to happen more often with digital SLR's than they did with film SLR's. I still have four film SLR's that are between 5 and 35 years old, and none of them have ever had a shutter failure. I just hope the 5D I just bought will last at least a few years before developing any serious problems. Either that or fail before the warranty runs out, if it's going to fail at all.

 

Of course the lawyers may be right in pursuing a law suit if a significant number of people were financially impacted by this situation, particularly any working professionals who may have been depending on the camera for their bread and butter. I know many say the 10/20/30D line are mid-level cameras, comparable to the Elan film cameras, but considering a new 30D costs almost as much as an EOS 1V, it's no wonder many professionals, especially those who are just starting out in the business, choose to start with a mid-level model.

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"premature shutter failures do seem to happen more often with digital SLR's than they did

with film SLR's."

 

I suspect the DSLR shutters are as good or better than their film forefathers. However,

DSLR users tend to shoot way more pictures. You 8000 exposures is equal to 222 rolls of

36 exposure film. Back in the day, not too many amateurs shot more than 50 rolls a year.

Most folks were lucky to shoot a dozen rolls. My wife ran 2-3 roll per year through her

Elan 7!

 

Incidentally the shutter in my 1991 Elan failed in the 90s with only about 50 rolls through

it.

Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see.

- Robert Hunter

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Puppy Face - I agree, the 8000 exposures in one year is way more than I put through one EOS 3 body in 5 years, but what I am referring to is the possibly inflated specifications, like a shutter life of "100000" shutter cycles. I am still not clear if that should read "an average of" or "up to" 100000 cycles. If it is an average, then there should be far fewer failures below 10000 cycles than I am seeing, but if it is "up to," then it might represent the upper end of the bell curve, placing the true average around 50000. Then a failure at 8000-10000 cycles doesn't seem quite so bad. I know a lot of statistics are quoted in a way that supports marketing a product, but since many photographers use their cameras to make a living, I think it's important that any camera manufacturer use the statistics that give a truer picture (no pun intended) of the life expectancy of their product. I suppose it also depends on how you define "failure." In my case, the shutter still functioned and produced a correctly exposed image, it was just an unuseable image due to the light stripe down through the middle of it.
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<p><i>DSLR users tend to shoot way more pictures.</i></p><p>You can say THAT again! My 20D is well over a year old. It has paid for itself, and the lenses I have with it, several times over.</p><p>Maybe if we made frivolous lawsuits a felony, attorney fees wouldn't cost an arm, leg, and a spleen.</p>
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Canon possibly test in an ideal enviroment, inside a lab at the correct operating temp, I wonder if they put world wide conditions like cold & heat humidity and other factors as well as various speeds or even with a lens attached, I suppose its like anything bought which is mass produced, everything usually comes in packs of 2 at least, maybe digital cameras should aa well.:)
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Normally lifetimes are given in terms of MTTF, which is Mean Time To Failure, or MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure). This is not really the same thing as the average unless the failure distribution is symmetrical, which is often not the case. It's also clearly not a guarantee that the device will last that long.

 

There will always be some failures well before the MTTF and well after the MTTF. That's just the way things work. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

 

I do not believe there is a systematic problem with any of the shutters used in any of the EOS bodies. Sure, some fail early and some fail late, but that's statistics, not negligence. These are consumer devices, not something designed to be flown on a spacecraft. If you want a mil-spec space certified reliability of a guaranteed 100,000 cycle life, you'll probably pay more for your camera than you did for your house.

 

If you don't quite need that, pay $4000_ for a 1d MkIII and get a camera with a shutter rated at 300,000 cycles. It might still fail at 10,000, but the odds of it doing so are far lower than for a shutter rated at 50,000 cycles.

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