EOS 3 failures

[harry_ziman]

<p>Many years ago I bought a new EOS3 body. In late 2005 we went to US on holiday on holiday (we live in the UK) and found it had died - a BC error. I hadit repaired at considerable cost by Canon in the UK. It died totally in 2008 - stone dead electrically. Anyway, I bought another one second hand and have just got this out of the draw to find it too was stone dead - not even the LCD display lights. In contrast an old EOS630 works perfectly and had been stored in identical conditions (a drawer in a dresser unit in the house, nothing damp or unusual).</p>

<p>Has anyone else had similar experiences with EOS 3 bodies? Neither had heavy use or were abused. I cleaned the contacts etc. Obviously I am not going to buy another one or have these repaired, but I am frustrated to have lost a lot of money with the expense of repairs and a replacement.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>I've never used any of those cameras -- but are you certian it isn't the battery?</p>

[chad_hoelzel1]

<p>I had an EOS 3. Was a very dependable camera. It is the next model down from their flagship 1v (last film model). Might just be a bad battery.</p>

[joe chan]

<p>My EOS 3 seems to drain the battery over a period of a few months even when it's not used. Years ago, I had an EOS 10 that did the same. I don't know if this is by design or if I was unlucky but I now keep a battery grip with AA batteries on my EOS 3 instead of using the more expensive 2CR5 battery. I don't have this problem with my 1V.</p>

[mark_pierlot]

Harry, my EOS-3 and 1V have always worked flawlessly. Perhaps yours is the one-in-a-million case of getting two lemons...

[jay a. frew]

<p>I've never had a problem with my EOS 3. I use the battery grip with rechargable AA's most of the time. But, it always works just a well with the 2CR5 installed.</p>

<p>Cheers! Jay</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Never had those problems with my EOS-3, but the battery did die-out on me without notice on more than a few occasions. </p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>The only EF Canon film camera I had a bad time with was the EOS 650. My EOS 3, my EOS 1NRS and both my EOS 1Vs work fine and I have never had any issues. One of the 1Vs is attached to the HS grip but the other is without the grip and just has the 2CR5 (same as the EOS 3). I think you may just have been unlucky. Both the 1V and the 3 are fairly heavy on 2CR5s when you use them.</p>

[stamos]

<p>My EOS 3 is still working perfectly. It is one of my favourite cameras. Never had any kind of problem with this camera and I used it a lot for many years. Never had problem with battery. For me it was and it is a perfect camera.</p>

[paul_russell1]

<p>I am a happy EOS 3 user.<br>

I did have a problem similar to what you describe, a few years back, with a 1000fn.<br>

If the lens is left on the body the slight current between the two caused the contacts to oxidate.<br>

With cameras of this generation, even including the 3, if the small mounting switch is set (a small tab at 10pm on the inside of the mount knocked when you mount a lens) and the camera cannot communicate with the lens then the camera assumes a fault.<br>

For the same reason you will have difficulty using lens adaptors and T2 mount lenses on a 3 or older bodies.<br>

However the solution is to clean the electrical contacts on the body lens mount, alcohol spirit & emery paper, and do the same for the lens.<br>

However for future reference when storing the 3, or indeed any camera, remove the battery and the lens.</p>

[thomas_hardy1]

<p>I have one that has the bc error also. Seems that the mirror gets stuck when trying to flip up. If I gently lift the mirror up the camera will work for a while then it will do the same thing again. I bought it on a whim but let it sit around for a long time before using it again. </p>

<p> </p>

[derek_stanton2]

<p>No problems with my EOS3. Although i've had it for nearly ten years, i rarely use it, but the batteries never drain.<br>

I did just have a battery drain problem with a newly repaired Bronica RF645 6x4.5 rangefinder. After the viewfinder was adjusted by a technician, the batteries drained twice, while the camera was switched off and stored. I'm hoping that can be fixed....</p>

[jonas_adelin]

<p>No problems here neither - I have used my EOS 3 in the years 2000-2005 in humid and hot conditions, ice storms and dust, in South Asia, Africa and Northern Scandinavia. Not a single issue till now - a couple of zooms have been worn out but no malfunction so far in the camera itself. I wouldnt hesitate to by a second used EOS 3 if I thought I needed it (I dont).<br>

Best, Jonas</p>

[matt_smith25]

<p>I have an EOS 3 that I have had for about 10 years, and I an getting the "bc" error (the camera has hardly been used and is in like-new condition). When I put on a lens (any lens - I have tried over 6 different ones) I can adjust the camera settings, but the camera won't engages the lenses' autofocus. If I manually focus then take the picture, the mirror locks in the up position and the "bc" error starts blinking. If I take the lens off, then turn the camera off then bakc on, the lens drops back down and the error goes away. Switching to brand new batteries makes no difference. The same things happens when I attach my PB-E2. Any ideas? I want to switch to digital, but the cost of having Canon repair the camera would probably be more than I could sell it for.</p>