A70 Flash - Smoking

[Patsplace]

Howdy Folks,
Two questions.
Is a very, very small amount of smoke, visible in the right light, normal for an A70 camera. Done it since it was new, 9-10 months of fairly heavy use.

The second is to do with pressing the button to fire the camera and it taking quite a long time for the flash to operate. Is this just batteries getting weak? This takes place in dimly lit areas and usually after several pictures taken quite quickly.

Great camera for what I do with it. (Marine Surveyor)
Thanks,
Pat

[stduc]

Point 1 - No. Set camera to ISO50 Manual mode 1 sec f8 screen off no focus assist no flash and take a picture at night inside a black bag with the lights off. Picture should come out uniform black. If it does I guess you have a dirty lens.

Point 2 This is normal behaviour for dry cells but not NiMH. You don't say what batteries you are using.

[Patsplace]

Sorry that I didn't make it clear about the smoke. It's real smoke that comes off the camera. The flash goes off and there's a tiny puff of smoke visible to the naked eye, noticeable if the background is dark, then the smoke shows up.

The batteries are Nickle Metal, Radio Shack is one set and the others are Sunpak that I bought at the time I bought the camera.

Thanks for the info. on checking for a dirty lens. I'll try that one just 'cause I can.
Pat

[stduc]

I should perhaps have added - if it doesn't, you have a noisy CCD and should get it changed. I was assuming the smoke was actually CCD noise.

If you have a flash that produces a puff of smoke every time you take a flash it suggests that you have a fault with the flash. Several things could be wrong, such as faulty insulation (the flash uses a very high (megavolt) voltage to fire). So I would get it fixed ASAP. Before your camera either catches fire, or elecrocutes you!

On the point of batteries. If there is not much light the delay might be in getting a focus lock - or if your flash is faulty, it might be taking longer to charge than it should.

[stopbath]

Send your camera back for repair. No smoke should emit from the flash unit. They can test recharge time after repair is completed.

[Patsplace]

Thanks folks,
Just called the shop that I bought the camera from and they said to bring it in for repair before the warrenty runs out.

Any idea of what the usual turn around time is for Canon repairs in Canada?

Pat

[stopbath]

Patsplace wrote:
Thanks folks,
Just called the shop that I bought the camera from and they said to bring it in for repair before the warrenty runs out.

Any idea of what the usual turn around time is for Canon repairs in Canada?

Pat
Canon may be able to get a camera you dropped off ready for pickup in a week or two. If you ship it to them, add one or two weeks for delivery, handling, shipping, and transportation time etc.

If you take it to your dealer for them to ship, add another week or two.

[Patsplace]

Thanks for the help with the smoking flash. Took the camera in to the shop that I bought it at and they were kind enough to loan me an A40 with my rechargeable batteries and 16 meg. card swapped over. Nice little camera except that I didn't get the Canon digital cameral solutions disc from them when I picked up the camera. Oh well, back to the store to get it. Downloaded the drivers but still need the disc. Such is life. Lots of pics to download when I get the disc.

Nice of them to loan me the A40, seeing as I use it for work on a daily basis. They told me that it would be about 4-6 weeks at this time of year till I got my camera back.

Pat

[stopbath]

Glad you got a loaner. This is not very common occurance. Sounds like a good store. Make the wait more bearable! :)

[Patsplace]

stopbath wrote:
Glad you got a loaner. This is not very common occurance. Sounds like a good store. Make the wait more bearable! :)

Certainly is a good place. The loaner is certainly well used but it does the work that I need to do with it, now that I figured how to get the download to work. (You have to click on the English portion of the download, once it's resident in your computer to actually get it to load the camera's info.)

All fine now.

Once again, thanks all. I'll let you know how it works out with the repair.

Pat

[Patsplace]

Howdy folks,
Picked my A70 up from the shop last week and it seems to work just fine with no smoke when the flash cycles. I asked the shop what was done but they're just a dealer and have no record of the work performed by Canon on a warrenty claim.

The A40 was just fine to use for my work but when I got the A70 back in my hands it was much nicer to use. The swivel LCD of the A80 would be nice for those strange documentation photos that I have to take. Oh well, got it back and all covered by warrenty.

The shop that did the good deed with the loaner while my camera was out for repair is a place in Campbell River, BC. called Photo-Tech. Really nice folks.

Pat
Powell River :D

[stopbath]

Glad everything worked out...

It is odd that they say that there is no info on what work was done. Canon should have reported something on the work order (but not likely the packing slip.) The work detailed is likely generic like "repaired flash" or "replaced part ?????"

[Patsplace]

That was exactly the info. that they had. I would imagine that they had to seal the flash unit but I'm not sure of the process. Oh well, I got a loaner and so had no down time and thats a good thing.
Pat

[Patsplace]

Well the problem is back. Little curls of smoke from the flash. Noticed when the camera is held against a dark background. As in a dark cuddy on a boat with the wheelhouse filled with sunlight. That and vertical streaking on the screen when taking a picture in dim light. The streaking does not show on the picture, but its sure disconcerting when you look at it. The camera store told me they were going to contact Canon and ask for a replacement with a 75.

Will keep you posted.
Pat :(

[Patsplace]

Well the Gods of Canon have smiled on Pat. My smoking A70 is being replaced with a new A75 tomorrow.

Don't know that there's a difference in the two, but I will find out if there is.

Pat

[stopbath]

Way to go!!! Hopefully smoke free photographing!

[Patsplace]

:D Smoke free! Indeed. Picked up the camera today, brand newbie with no scratches on the screen. Guess who bought a little cleaning and screen cover kit? Looks like I can cut each of the screen covers into 4 and that gives me about 12 tear off screen shields. Should have done that with the first one but didn't realize just how fragile they are.

Havn't checked this one for smoke but from what I've heard, there're reasonably bullet proof little cameras.

Regards,
Pat :mrgreen:

[Patsplace]

Well I've used the A75 for a week now and I'm thinking that the A70 that I had, had more problems than just the smoking flash. Seems that the pictures are sharper with this camera, especially when the camera is within 2' of the subject material.

Anyway, I'm a very happy guy and sing the praises of Photo Tech in Campbell River, BC. for going the distance and pressing for me to get a new camera. I didn't even ask, they told me that that was the way to go.

A good thing,
Pat

[Patsplace]

Howdy Folks,

Here's the deal. I've got a new A75, really like the camera, does all that I need a small digital to do BUT... this one makes little puffs of smoke too!!!

The smoke in question is not a major amount of smoke, it's not even something that you can see unless the conditions are just right and I'm not sure that it does it every time I use the flash. When I've found that it's doing it is when I hold the camera up in a well lit. (read sunlight) area (read wheelhouse) and I'm taking a picture of a darker adjoining room (read cuddy or fo'cle). There's a small wisp of smoke that comes off the top of the camera, right at the flash.

I mentioned it to the store that replaced the A70 with the A75 (Great service) and they mentioned that Canon has NEVER had a complaint of this type...ever. And here I am with #2 Canon that is doing it. I don't care if it does it, as long as it's supposed to do it. Keeping in mind that you have to have the exact right conditions to see it, could I get a few of you A70 & A75 users to check out your cameras and see whether yours does it too?

If it's normal, I could care less. If it's not, then I've got that one to deal with.

Thanks in advance,
Pat Patrick
P.R. Marine Surveyors. :?

[Patsplace]

Here's the latest in the "Smoking Flash" saga. I returned the A75 and the owner of the show was suggesting that I might want another type of camera ((3 in a row that smoked). Well I've gotten used to the A70/75 and thought that I'd try one more.

Turns out that this one is from another shipment to the store. Cycles faster, much quieter, no smoke and I'm a happy camper.

Here endeth the saga. (I hope)

Regards,
Pat

[ahsm57]

Hey Pat! At least you're happy. I have the same problem, I have a PowerShot A75. And sometimes I see smoke coming out from it took, just like you said, it has to be perfect conditions, and I'm not even sure it does it all the time. I just hope the camera won't catch on fire or something like that. I guess I'll bring it in to the store to get serviced. They normal service times are 1-3 weeks. And I called the service shop and they don't give loaners :( Hope your cam stays fine, Pat!

Best wishes,
Andrew

[Acadien]

Read all of your post and made me want to check if my A70 had smoke comming out, nope checked and nothing, hopefully you'll get a better chance with your other camera now.

Mine is my second, the first one had a power problem...they didn't ask no question and exchanged it for a new one, but that was in November 2003 when it first came out. Good Luck!!