patflynn Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 My Canon EOS 5D suddenly died and I'm trying to figure out why/what to do. Here are the details: I was shooting in Nova Scotia last weekend and had been using the 5D for a solid week there with no issues of any kind - full normal functionality, same as ever. I was using it on a clear sunny day of high pressure when it died. It was tripod mounted at the time. I had just shot a scene with one lens and decided to switch lenses, so turned the camera off for the lens switch. Changed lenses, turned the camera back on, and nothing. No lights, no readout, no functionality of any kind - nothing. The camera was just dead. I put in new batteries, and got the same null results. Switched back to the original lens in case somehow it was a lens problem - but still null results from that. I then verified battery capacity on a 20D and further verified lens functionality on a 1Ds - all these extraneous elements were proven to be fine through these tests. I use the BG-E4 battery grip on the 5D and figured that may be the problem, but pulled it off and replaced the original mechanism/single battery and still got no results. So the problem appears to be with the 5D only. I originally bought this camera in January 2007 and have never had any problems. There was once a slight bit of impact damage to the outer plastic cover on the display screen on back, resulting in a noticeable 1cm scratch there, but that was half a year ago and the damage is totally superficial with no functional consequences ever noted. I believe this detail is insignificant but don't want to leave it out here. I'm at a loss. There were no environmental stresses on this camera body, no recent impact or moisture, no unusual shooting circumstances, and perhaps most importantly, a great deal of normal functionality which includes months of extensive use AND several successful shots about thirty seconds before this sudden death. I am hoping for hypotheses on what happened and suggestions on how to deal with it. Recommendations of a good diagnostic and/or repair center would be great. Thanks for any insights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher hartt dallas Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Cameras do die. Even the 5D. Environmental issues (and in my mind, October in Nova Scotia IS an environmental issue), transport issues, handling, and extensive usage all add to the "died" equation. Get another 5D, or, up your chances and get a Series One body. If you like neither of those options, just send the body to Canon for rehabilitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Call Canon and arrange for them to look at it. There's not much else you can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickArnold Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 I don't know about your camera, but as an old broken down AF pilot I know what WTF stands for. Send it to Canon is all I can say. Their minimum charge is pretty high but I sure don't trust anyone local with my digital stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Hotel Siera: I agree just sent to a repairer :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_bryant1 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 LOL, I had to look up Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot. The words go together for me because my dad was a ham radio geek, and Whiskey-Five-Tango-Foxtrot was part of his callsign. So seeing that title was a bit of a surprise. Too bad about the camera. I'd guess Canon is the best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phyrpowr Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Pull out the battery for the date time thing first, no experience first hand but apparently that can bollix things up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Maybe the on/off switch is the problem? Off topic: is there some advantage to turning the camera off for lens changes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelchristensen Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot ! .. we say that alot in the Air Force .. first time was sitting in my patrol vehicle a little to close to the F16 blast ... and, thereafter just about any unpleasant situation of which there were many. LOL .. now, in civililan policework it's William-Tom-Frank .. nah, just doesn't work that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 >> is there some advantage to turning the camera off for lens changes? << Not sure, I turn the body off as a precaution because there are a few contacts that may short or be read incorrectly by the body as the lens is turned in the mount :) I don`t know the cct tho, maybe 1st contact disengages the body & lens ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhut-nguyen Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Someone said remove the time/date battery, I second that. Same exact thing happened to my 40D, I removed the time/date battery and the camera went back to life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian_lowe Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I second the idea of the cmos battery....failing that, if its insured....see if it can swim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_myers Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Definitely pull the little silver memory battery, along with the main batt(s), to let the camera completely reboot. (Yes, cameras are computers now!) Leave all the batteries out for 1/2 hr to 1 hr., wipe them down with a clean cloth, maybe dampened slightly with a little isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to be sure you haven't gotten finger oil on them. Then reinsert and see if it comes back to life. Rebooting like this will reset all the menu and custom function settings to factory default, so plan to go through them and set up your preferences again. Shouldn't be necessary to turn off the camera to change lenses, but it's not a bad habit either (the only thing you might wear out is the off/on switch). While cleaning the batteries, you might wan to also check the lens-to-camera contacts and the contacts up inside the battery compartment, plus those on the tip of and inside the BG-E4. There are a lot of electronic contacts and it only takes a little "something" to interrupt the low voltage flows. If the "reboot" doesn't do the trick, it's likely off to the service department. They'll probably find a faulty power switch or issue with one of the IC boards in the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phule Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 [[Off topic: is there some advantage to turning the camera off for lens changes?]] I don't think I've ever seen any specific test of this, but the theory is that an exposed sensor that's on (i.e. has power) will attract more dust than one that's off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillbound Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I'd say that it is more than theory - just like your TV attracts dust due to the static charge I think the sensor does as well... point is it doesn't take more than a half second to turn it off... JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patflynn Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 THANKS for the advice to pull out the CMOS battery - I did not discover this advice in my other research and I can't wait to try it. Unfortunately I won't be able to try until tomorrow but I certainly hope this works. I'm very encouraged that it has worked for others. In case it doesn't work - can anyone recommend a POC for Canon? Bob Atkins and others recommended contacting them…got a phone number or e-mail address, by any chance? Mendel, et al, I always turn off my camera for lens changes because the system holds a circuit charge while turned on. This will inevitably attract dust, much of which could end up on the sensor. The curtains are visible behind the mirror when the lens is off, and if dust landed there then it is easy to imagine this dust getting tossed onto the hi-pass filter (effectively, the image sensor) during the high-speed shutter action of an exposure. So I always turn my cameras off for lens changes, even though a) I guess it may wear out the on/off switch a bit more (hadn't thought of that before) and b) I have to admit that I get a lot of dust on my sensors anyway! Thanks again to all for the help and for any suggestions you may have for a POC at Canon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhut-nguyen Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Here's the one in Irvine California, 15955 Alton Pkwy Irvine, CA 92618 (949) 753-4200 and in New Jersey 100 Jamesburg Road Jamesburg NJ 08831 (732) 521-7007 They will clean your censor for you too, good luck on getting the camera fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mendel_leisk Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 "I guess it may wear out the on/off switch a bit more" Yeah, that's where I was going. Hmm: if you have the camera "switched off", and then do something like remove and insert a CF card, doesn't the activity light flicker for a moment. I've got a hunch the camera is *never* off, the the on/off switch just serves as lock-out against inadvertant button pushes. Also, it seems to me with the sensor behind a shutter and the mirror, it doesn't make a lot of difference to sensor dust. And I don't know about this static charge issue. I've heard both sides of the argument. Anyway,I just leave mine on, all the time. I do get dust, but I don't know that it's more or less. So, good luck with your repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I believe tou may be right Mendel that the camera is not fully off, problably that may account for the quick startup? AFAIK the only time the sensor is fully desensitized of static (well most of it)is when in `sensor cleaning modes` which is a good reason not to clean in `B` setting as I have heard done. I suppose any switch could wear out, my wife turns the camera on & off between venues and shots to avoid straying fingers in niteclubs and events, possibly 30~60 times/night depending how much work. this habit dates back to `01 & D30, all my bodies still work fine but YMMV..cheers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photographicsafaris Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Sierra Hotel India Tango. Nova Scotia isnt exactly within the boundaries of normal operating temperatures. I have a suspicion that you may have fallen foul of condensation on the internals of the camera and continued replacement of the battery is only helping to fry things up a bit more. Is it possible that you were moving in and out of warm-cold areas, such as from outside to inside without pulling your camera into a zipolock bag first? Theres reason #2 for the 1d series. Insurance. Cheers G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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