bill_johnson16 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I am on vacation in China with a 5D DLSR loaned to me by a friend. I have a 28mm-135mm IS lens. I was shooting this morning, pressed the shutter release button and the viewfinder went blank. I cannot determine what went wrong. Fresh batteries, new CF card, if I depress the shutter button halfway, the camera appears to be taking proper readings. Forgive me if this is a simple fix, I am total newbie. Any help would be appreciated. On vacation for 2 more weeks and don't want to be left with a small point and shoot as my only option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btmuir Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 try rebooting the camera by removing the battery for at least 5 seconds and reinstalling. the battery IS charged fully, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_smith6 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Usually viewfinders go blank in SLRs when you take a picture... Could you explain what do you EXACTLY mean? Was the same thing happening before? Do you mean that the viewfinder gets blank while you fully press shutter? Maybe "bulb" is set in manual mode? Maybe you turned on time release with mirror lock-up? Reset camera's settings and try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_lawson1 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Thats the live view kicking in. Must be one of the new 5DmkII's that havent come out yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Has the camera been set somehow to aperture priority or one of the other advanced settings and therefore the exposure time is long, making the viewfinder dark since the mirror is up? Try setting the thing to 'program' setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjoseph7 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Sounds like the mirror is stuck in the up position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 This happened to me with a fairly new 5D. The LCD went blank but the camera was still able to shoot and save good files. It wasn't a simple fix. I sent it to Canon to fix since the camera was under warranty. Either the LCD back light went out or the LCD itself. I'll never know since the camera 'disappeared' on the way back to me. If you can still shoot files, you can still use the camera--you just won't be able to see the files immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjoseph7 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Sorry I got confused. I just happen to have my Canon 5D manual on me and it lists the viewfinder as that square little hole you look through before taking your picture. It lists the LCD Monitor as that 2.5" inch screen that you use to blayback the pictures you have already taken. I know, it gets confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hmmm...my bad--I guess you're right, Harry. I jumped to the conclusion that the LCD was bad when the post clearly states the viewfinder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjoseph7 Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 "I jumped to the conclusion that the LCD was bad when the post clearly states the viewfinder." I got a feeling he meant the LCD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuppyDigs Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Maybe the reflex mirror fell off. Do you hear something large 'n loose in the mirror chamber? Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see. - Robert Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_langfelder Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Ummm... if you can see alright through the viewfinder before pressing the shutter button, but not after, check custom functions (No. 11 I believe) for mirror lockup. If it is enabled, disable it and your camera will be as good as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmeade Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 If the viewfinder goes blank, this can only be because the mirror has flipped up and the camera is making an exposure. If it's blank for a long time, that's got to be because it's taking a long exposure. When this sort of thing happens to mine it's because the exposure time has been set to a large value; such as when in manual mode and the and the wheel gets moved, or when shooting with flash and forgetting to change over to manual first. Rechecking the shooting mode ought to cure this. Well, I hope so. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 MLU? I`d carefullt rake the lens off and see where the mirror is sitting. I have heard of 5D mirrors falling away.. fingers cossed :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_johnson16 Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. Lost the internet connection in the hotel last night and just getting back online. I have double checked battery level, new CF card, I have cleared all settings. I have contacted Canon tech support and they have offered the same initial steps as those here. I will be visiting a local Canon dealer to see if they can offer some insight. I am a bit nervous to take the lens off, might muck it up worse and that might strain the friendship with the owner. Again, from this newbie, Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuppyDigs Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 If the mirror fell off, it's a fast fix at a service center. Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see. - Robert Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Take the lens off and see if the mirror pops out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffm Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 We'd all appreciate some feedback when you find out what it was, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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