SERIOUS, PLEASE HELP

[alexanderjba]

Okay, so I just swapped my regular CF card (Sandisk Exteme III) out of my camera (20D) and put in a 4gb Hitachi Microdrive. The camera is now acting EXTREMELY weird, like its broken...

When I turn it to "On" the top of the camera (in the LCD Screen) nothing happens. When I half-depress the shutter, it reads busy. Same thing happens when I turn to the other "on mode".

So I take out the battery and when I put it back in, before I even have it all the way in the shutter goes off automatically... WITH THE CAMERA IN THE "OFF" POSITION! WTF?

So I take out the Microdrive and put the CF Card in with the camera "off". When I turn the camera to "On" (in any exposure mode) the shutter automatically goes off, and then the top LCD flashes "Error 99" - which it is NOT the lens, I am using the 50mm 1.4, which has worked flawlessly. If I take out the battery to clear the "Error 99" code, when I put it back in the shutter goes off again - by itself. Then when I turn it to "on" - either on mode, the camera is totally unresponsive...

Did the microdrive fry my camera or something?!?!?

Please help! Has anyone even ever heard of this?!?!?

[alexanderjba]

Sorry, I thought I was posting in the "EOS Camera" section, not the lens section, though if there is one, can we put this thread in the "Guys who are actively about to cry" section...

[alexanderjba]

Additionally, when there is NO CF card or microdrive in the camera, and the battery is taken out and then put back in the shutter is trigger, and the camera is then totally unresponsive...

Anyone.... Anyone....

At least give me some advice on how to get this fixed if indeed its a hardware issue. I bought the camera off of FM, and have the unfilled out warranty card... What do I do?

[Bob_A]

Try taking out the small date/time battery found along side the main camera battery. Leave both it and the main battery out for about five minutes or so and then replace them, stick in your Sandisk card and see if the problem goes away.

It could be that the camera got "confused" and essentially needs to be reset.

[alexanderjba]

Nope, but good try, I had never even noticed the extra battery in there! Still malfunctioning though... Anyone, ever heard of this, and can a MOD please move this thread to the appropriate "EOS Digital Cameras" section of the forum... Sorry, in a panic I posted it here... Even I am currently having "Error 99"s...

[joeseph]

I'd be inclined to do a "clear all camera settings" and see what it does. What does it do with no lens on?
one of our members "Wazza" has a shutter problem a couple of months ago requiring hardware repair to sort (he's pretty heavy on the shutter usage... ;-) )

[alexanderjba]

I can't get the Menu to come up, the camera is totally unresponsive... Great, I guess its off to Canon for my baby...

[joeseph]

I can't get the Menu to come up, the camera is totally unresponsive... Great, I guess its off to Canon for my baby...
sorry, I'm an idiot. If you can't read it - you can't select it. :rolleyes:

hopefully they have a quick/cheap fix...

[Juan Zas]

Looks perfectly like some incompatibility with the Hitachi 4Gb MD. There are a lot of this MD cards developed for 3th parties and they are NOT compatible with Digital cameras, but they work fine with computer, PDA´s, etc.... I had to send back one after send an e-mail to Hitachi service and they answer me with this explanation after checking the S/N of it. Some people take out this MD from MP3 devices, etc and sell them on E-Bay.

Your case: Looks like the camera body did try to connect to the CF o MD (FAT32) to allocate image space, directory, resources, etc. etc. but did not complain and was corrupted/stuck. So the suggestion to remove ALL batteries, wait 1/2 hour and reinstall again to erase all info is good. Try ro reset to factory conditions if you can.

If this fails, Try to reload firmaware in the camera.

If this fails, too, I am afraid about Canon Service is your unique chance

Good luck.

[alexanderjba]

How would I go about reinstalling the firmware? Additionally, (and I am definately NOT criticizing your advise Juan) but why would waiting 1/2 hour or 5 minutes make a difference? Additionally, I had used this same microdrive before without incident... If it perhaps had at some point gotten damaged, and then put into the camera, could this perhaps be what happened?

Also, does anyone have a ballpark figure on what kinds of rates the sevice center generall charges for stuff in general. As I bought this camera used, I do not have the warranty card, so I will be paying cash for this service... Ballpark, like $100-200 bucks or could it be a situation where I would be better off buying another camera? (Hopefully they AREN'T that expensive)...

[lostdoggy]

Most likely you don't have a copy of the firmware handy so off to the canon site you go.
Download the latest firmware along with the instruction.
You'll be needing a CF card reader and if possible a formatted CF card handy.
If you dont have one then you need to buy a card reader and format it.
Copy the firmware as instructed and stick it into the camera and then turn on the camera. The Camera will read the firmware from the CF card and star the firmware load process. Oh make sure your battery is fully charged.

[Juan Zas]

How would I go about reinstalling the firmware? Additionally, (and I am definately NOT criticizing your advise Juan) but why would waiting 1/2 hour or 5 minutes make a difference? Additionally, I had used this same microdrive before without incident... If it perhaps had at some point gotten damaged, and then put into the camera, could this perhaps be what happened?


For your description I have imagine that it was the first time you fit in the MD. You didn´t mention you have worked with it in regular basis. Anyway a MD is a hard disk, bad sectors, etc . are posible.

The 1/2 hour is to ensure that all capacitors inside the camera are full discharged and for that reason all information in the backup memory is lost. I have a weather station with barometer, etc that when I have to replace the battery I NEED to leave 1/2 hour without it, if not when I put the new fresh batteries in, all digits still are flashing and doesn´t work. Today, the consume of the new memories and electronics devices are so low, that any residual voltage still are able to keep on the info. Just my experience and the advice of service people ( I work in a service deptm. BTW)

Good luck

[StealthLude]

try firmware, no probems at all with my 4GB microdrive.

[Jon]

I have a couple of Hitachi 4 GB MDs with no problems. I suspect that it's not the MD, per se, that's the problem. You can double-check this if you have a card reader on your computer (which you'll need to tryflashing firmware, anyhow). Most likely, though, if you can't get the menu to come upon the camera, you won't be able to re-flash the firmware. It's a menu option.

[MDJAK]

All right. Just calm down. As Mighty Mouse roared: Here I come to Save the day.

The stress that camera is causing you is obvious. I say, give back what the camera is giving you. Throw that camera out the window of a speeding car while traveling on a high bridge over a low body of water.


Then run, don't walk, to the nearest camera store and buy the 30D.

I guarantee your stress will be relieved and you'll be feeling a lot better in no time.:)

[hef]

Have you tried it with the lens off the camera and the card out of the CF slot. Remove the battery or try a different one, recharge the battery as a precaution.

The goal will be to get to the menu to do a reset.

[In2Photos]

Look into the door wher the CF card goes and make sure you didn't bend the pins inside.

[hef]

Look into the door wher the CF card goes and make sure you didn't bend the pins inside.

Another good point....

Also, i noticed that sometimes the contacts on the lenses get dirty and cause that err99.

[alexanderjba]

Well, despite the advice, I haven't yet thrown the camera out of the window and preordered a 30D... I've tried every combination of lens/no lens, CF card/no card/microdrive, battery swap, batteries out for an hour, camera on/off/other on position, doing it all with my left hand, standing in front of a mirror, turning in a counter-clockwise circle three times, chanting, reading from the Good Book, all in conjuction with each other, and whenever the battery goes in, the camera shutter flaps, and the camera is either totally non-responsive, or just gives 'error 99'... Looking inside of the CF compartment, it looks as though the two center pins are sticking up/out more than the others... They are not bent, just "taller" than the other pins. As I had never really looked in there before, is this normal?

P.S. The microdrive will not interface with any of my readers or card adapters either at this point...

I have gone ahead and already shipped it out to the canon service center, thoguh without the warranty card, I will be flipping the total bill... Anyone care to guestimate on what service with them generally costs? Anyone, like $100-$200 bucks or should I just start looking into a 30D? Are they generally reasonable?

P.P.S. Thanks Jon for moving this post to the EOS Camera page.

[MDJAK]

Hope you didn't mind my joking before.

I posted some months back about dropping my camera on a nyc sidewalk. It needed a new top, with all the things attached therein, new hotshoe, new focusing mechanism, and the grand total was only $525.00

Yours seems to be something much simpler

mark

[alexanderjba]

MDJAK, no man, I didn't mind the joking, I actually smiled pretty big when got it... Good to keep things light.

$525 for what sounds like a rebuild, huh, well that's reassuring... The camera wasn't dropped and the display on top works just fine, reading "error 99" just great, so hopefully it'll turn out to be something pretty basic (maybe the "tall" CF pins?) Will certainly keep you all informed. Thanks.

[hudsonch]

...I posted some months back about dropping my camera on a nyc sidewalk. It needed a new top, with all the things attached therein, new hotshoe, new focusing mechanism, and the grand total was only $525.00...

Well, if your camera is a 1DSMKII, $525 is not too bad. :lol: If it is a 300D, you better consider it a total loss.

[lostdoggy]

From the discription of the problem it sounds like the camera is stuck on a loop or the shutter button/switch is stuck. Nothing a good whack won't fix.

[Seefutlung]

Dude ,,, sit down ... I've just heard almost an identical story (but sans 4GB Hitachi) ... in that other case ... after exhausting all the above and more ... it turns out that - that is how the camera acts when the shutter gives up the ghost. I hope this isn't the case ... but the stories are awfully similar. Let us all know what happens... Good Luck.

[Seefutlung]

PS- Canon charged about $300 ... I think ... for the repair.

[alexanderjba]

Well, I really hope its not the shutter... Additionally, it would be an awful big coincidence that the camera worked one second, changed CF cards to the Microdrive, and then malfunctioned Immediately... I will certainly let you guys know how it shakes out... and if it costs $300 to get it back in good order... still cheaper than a new one.

Does anyone know what kind of warranty, if any, comes with having work done (outside of original warranty) from the Canon Service center?

[jbkalla]

From the discription of the problem it sounds like the camera is stuck on a loop or the shutter button/switch is stuck. Nothing a good whack won't fix.

Ack! A good whack?!? :D

[Woolburr]

The warranty on the repairs is 30 seconds or 30 feet from the Canon loading dock....whichever comes sooner. I was not happy with the repairs and my original warranty expired while they were doing the repairs...when I contacted them and advised them that the camera was acting up exactly as it had pre-repair....they pretty much told me "so what"...return it and we will estimate the cost of repairs

[Jon]

The warranty on the repairs is 30 seconds or 30 feet from the Canon loading dock....whichever comes sooner. I was not happy with the repairs and my original warranty expired while they were doing the repairs...when I contacted them and advised them that the camera was acting up exactly as it had pre-repair....they pretty much told me "so what"...return it and we will estimate the cost of repairsIt should have come back with a note that stipulated a 90-day (IIRC), or duration of the original warranty, guarantee on the repairs. Mine did.

[alexanderjba]

Thanks Jon, that is reasuring... It would seem to me that it would almost HAVE to come with some warranty on repairs (although it could be a very short warranty). Shoud hear from Canon about mid-week about my camera. Will certainly let you all know, or more likely complain and sob about it to you. You guys are great!

[alexanderjba]

Well, one week later and I have my camera back and in perfect condition. They cleaned the viewfinder and sensor, seemingly even gave the body a good once-over (as it looks factory fresh, and fixed the problem... Which apparently called for replacing the DC/DC PCB (whatever that is!). Seemingly the microdirve had failed causing the problem with the camera... So, rule of thumb, don't stick a faulty microdrive into a functional camera, or you'll have to replace your DC/DC PCB! Ha!

Oh yeah, the best part...
1) I shipped to Canon last Friday and picked up from FedEx TODAY (one week turnaround (including shipping) is AWESOME.

2) Even though the camera was out of warranty, they charged me exactly ZERO for the repairs... I was so happy, I went out and bought a lens hood for my newly acquired 10-22, and didn't mind paying the $30 for something that SHOULD come with it... For service like this, I don't mind pitching Canon an extra 30 bones.

3) When I called the Canon 800 number, I actually got to talk to someone IN THE UNITED STATES! For me, this was the hum-dinger, expecially after having such terrible experiences with Dell and their East Asian/Indian/whatever, wherever call-centers. - Not that those folks aren't knowledgable, but speaking FLUENT english should be a prerequisite for such a job, and it apparently isn't... Anyway, with Canon, I seemingly spoke to someone in the midwest, and then got transferred to a different department which I think I remember as being in Virginia (because I asked). Wow, actual people (not automated computer voices) and they were IN THE US.

I cannot convey how happy I have been with the service I received, I hope that all of you, should the need ever arise, have an equally good experience.

[MagentaJoe]

Did you get the note about the 90 day warranty on repairs? I had my 300d serviced here in Canada and got the 90 day note. Just curious.

[Woolburr]

Mine returned from repairs with no warranty, just a brief explanation of repairs. The original warranty expired while the camera was being repaired. I'm glad to hear that you have a successful resolution Joe.

[alexanderjba]

Thanks Woolburr, and yeah, I have a six month (what looks like standard language) warranty on all parts/things they worked on. I am very pleased, now I just need to figure out a plan to replace/get fixed the microdrive.... From now on though, regular CF cards for me, as if they fail, I can't see them messing up the camera.

[Molydood]

my 20d is suffering from exactly the same problem :(

although it isnt the CF card, that works fine via card reader, guess its off to canon then, major bummer :(