20D Firmware upgrade killed my camera

[louiea]

Followed the instructions to the letter. Went through it twice before actually doing it.
My camera ended up dead. Doesn't power on at all.
Then I find in various forums that it happened to a lot of people to.
And I have a shoot in a few hours.
Thanks Canon!!!

[drisley]

That is too bad.
However, you happen to be amoung a very small minority.

[Jesper]

Are you a professional photographer? Don't you have a backup camera? It's not smart to do things like firmware upgrades when you know you need the camera a few hours later.

Did you try removing and replacing the batteries / battery grip? Did something strange happen while you were updating the firmware (for example, you shut off the power / the battery was empty while it was busy)?

[Whaler]

Thought mine was dead too. Remove the CF card and try powering it up.

[louiea]

Are you a professional photographer? Don't you have a backup camera? It's not smart to do things like firmware upgrades when you know you need the camera a few hours later.

Did you try removing and replacing the batteries / battery grip? Did something strange happen while you were updating the firmware (for example, you shut off the power / the battery was empty while it was busy)?

Yes, I am a pro.
Yes, I have a backup camera.
But, I intended to use the 20D with its higher resolution since some clients are picky and always want the highest resolution.
And I think its smart to try a firmware upgrade to correct a camera that hangs... and occasionally produces files that are somehow corrupted. Besides, I chose to trust Canon.

I followed everything to the letter. Nothing strange happened. Everything went as described in the instructions. Except in the end, when the batteries were replaced and the power was turned on - the camera was dead.

If you check on some other forums, there are many who have experienced the same problem.

What's disturbing is that I went to Canon to bring my camera in and they said they have no idea when it would be fixed. And they even remarked that they are not sure if it would be covered by the warranty because I updated the firmware at my own risk. I was so upset by this but held my temper back lest I suffer another heart attack. How could that be 'at my own risk.' Did not Canon Japan release the firmware? Did they not give instructions for anyone to follow? If they did not want us to update it ourselves and preferred that it be done at the Canon service centers, then they should not have made it available.
A lot of photographers here are waiting and seeing how Canon is going to solve this problem. My camera isn't even 3 weeks old. This problem happened as a result of some flaw in the camera. Everyone is saying it should be replaced. I have no word yet from Canon in that regard. So I will soon find out if my trust in Canon is worth anything.

[Hatem Eldoronki]

If it is at your own risk, then you should return that camera where you bought it from, then buy a Nikon.

That's ridiculous!

[evilenglishman]

it could be that the file you downloaded could have been corrupted in the transfer. All firmware updates for hardware are at the end users risk.

Asking someone if they have a backup camera isn't the issue. A firmware update is 99.9% of the time made available because of manafacturers errors.

If the file did become corrupt then its still more or less canons fault as they could/should have included something to validate that the file was 100% okay. If they didn't do this then they should be doing this.

Judging by all the complaints/problems/quirks/errors I've seen with the 20D to date I'm certainly glad I didn't buy one.

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Judging by all the complaints/problems/quirks/errors I've seen with the 20D to date I'm certainly glad I didn't buy one.

With all due respect, I don't think it's fair when you state something like this. We 20D owners are not idiots either, and if the 20D had had no quirks, you would have possibly stated the opposite of what you state now.
Plus, I don't think that Canon will risk its own reputation over an entry level DSLR, do you?

[ssim]

I think that you are a little to sensitive here. I didn't see where he called 20D owners idiots. He was simply stating that he was happy he didn't buy one given the all the hype over some users problems. If you checked any of the forums after the release there was an influx of complaints but yet people continued to purchase them.

I shot beside a 20D all weekend and watched several hundred images go through his 20D without any problems.

[Hatem Eldoronki]

Maybe I am overreacting in defense of 20D owners, but I respect everyone on this forum...I'm not like mad or anything, and I have no problems (other than the flash ec) on my 20D..So evilenglishman, I hope that you are not mad at me..I still stand by my statement, in a non-angry/non-volatile/non-flaming manner :)

[Mark Kemp]

Well as i said on another thread I updated the firmware on mine no problem. It all went as the instructions said so there is not always a difficulty.

Sorry to hear you had trouble, hope they fix it soon mate.

[pmarz]

Well Canon just pulled the firmware update from their website. What does that tell you.

[evilenglishman]

Judging by all the complaints/problems/quirks/errors I've seen with the 20D to date I'm certainly glad I didn't buy one.

With all due respect, I don't think it's fair when you state something like this. We 20D owners are not idiots either, and if the 20D had had no quirks, you would have possibly stated the opposite of what you state now.
Plus, I don't think that Canon will risk its own reputation over an entry level DSLR, do you?

It isn't an issue of my statement being fair, its just my opinion. Maybe the first batches of this camera have issues that canon will work out on newer models.
With the amount of problems being reported it makes you wonder if canon are giving these cameras to the wrong people for testing. I'm sure many people on here could test new bodies just as well, if not better than these guys.
I make no appologies, I'm glad I haven't bought one.

[defordphoto]

No one called anyone an idiot. And I was considering buying one, but am now holding off until this is resolved or I get some killer deal on another 1-series camera. There are some very serious problems with the 20D and Canon looks to be chomping on some crow on this one.

Many cameras have consistent lockups and the fix was pulled off the shelf in less than 24 hours.

And none of this has anything to do with anyone who purchased one. In hindsight, I am (also) glad I did not purchase one.

Yet.

However, once this is all resolved I am confident it'll be one kick-butt little camera like the rest of the Canon line.

[Torcidas]

I don't have any problems with my 20D no lockup no problem with firmware upgrade nothing.

I guess i'm lucky one.

[tekgik]

Followed the instructions to the letter. Went through it twice before actually doing it.
My camera ended up dead. Doesn't power on at all.
Then I find in various forums that it happened to a lot of people to.
And I have a shoot in a few hours.
Thanks Canon!!!


Sad to hear that Louie!

BTW im just wonderin if ur my kababayan Louie A. ?

[louiea]

Followed the instructions to the letter. Went through it twice before actually doing it.
My camera ended up dead. Doesn't power on at all.
Then I find in various forums that it happened to a lot of people to.
And I have a shoot in a few hours.
Thanks Canon!!!


Sad to hear that Louie!

BTW im just wonderin if ur my kababayan Louie A. ?

Yes, I am from the Philippines. Where are you based?

The good news is Canon already called and said they would replace the unit and also lend me a service unit in the mean time.

[tekgik]

Hi Louie!

small world isnt it? =) Im Regie Fernando of phphoto! =) Yep im glad that Canon Philippines addressed your problem, specially that your the first Filipino to encounter that. Kudos to Canon PH =)

Followed the instructions to the letter. Went through it twice before actually doing it.
My camera ended up dead. Doesn't power on at all.
Then I find in various forums that it happened to a lot of people to.
And I have a shoot in a few hours.
Thanks Canon!!!


Sad to hear that Louie!

BTW im just wonderin if ur my kababayan Louie A. ?

Yes, I am from the Philippines. Where are you based?

The good news is Canon already called and said they would replace the unit and also lend me a service unit in the mean time.

[cmM]

I expected this to happen, and I expect a lot more of this to come. Canon will eventually fine tune the 20D with firmware updates, or maybe a recall.

I too am glad I did not buy one. I totally respect and thank 20D owners however. No matter what, problems will be solved. I just don't want to go through the frustration of having to solve them myself.

[wendsong]

:roll: Oh, dear. I just got my EOS20D. What are firmware updates? I went on their website and was invited to download an update, I thought to my software. However, it screamed that I would do it at my own risk and I decided not to risk it.

Will my camera still work without it? What fixes are in the update?

[Aylwin]

Hi Louie!

small world isnt it? =) Im Regie Fernando of phphoto! =) Yep im glad that Canon Philippines addressed your problem, specially that your the first Filipino to encounter that. Kudos to Canon PH =)


Hi guys! Nice to see some fellow Pinoys out there. :) I just got my 20D today myself. Haven't tested it yet though.

So far, my only concern is the supposed higher noise levels at lower ISOs compared to the 10D. I'm not too worried about this lock up problem since the conditions that cause it appear to be known. As for the firmware, I'll just wait for the next release. It's nice to hear you're getting your problems sorted out.

[Jesper]

Hi Louie,

Try again with firmware version 1.0.5, which Canon has just released. There's a new release because there seemed to be a bug in the firmware installation problem, which maybe could have caused the trouble you had with your 20D.

See this thread: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=44703

[Morden]

If his 20D has been "killed" by the 1.04 firmware bug, I doubt that he can power it up to install the 1.05 version! :?

[robertdrake]

I'm wondering what is with quality control at Canon? This 20D came with the lockup bug, how did they miss that? Then released a firmware that killed many cameras. And if you look through other forums, people have had their lens mounts fall off, lens release buttons do the same (check your out, I can certainly see how this would happen), exposure difficulties using a built in flash, and problems using AF even when centre focusing. I've used Canon gear for over thirty years, and my old A-1 is better built. Maybe they should have built a bit better camera and charged a bit more for it. A bit disappointing, but I do like mine all the same (only had the lockup bug, nothing fallen off yet).

They dropped the ball on this one, I only hope I can still get a good price for it when I upgrade to the next verison in about a year :wink:

[CoolToolGuy]

I'm wondering what is with quality control at Canon? This 20D came with the lockup bug, how did they miss that? Then released a firmware that killed many cameras. And if you look through other forums, people have had their lens mounts fall off, lens release buttons do the same (check your out, I can certainly see how this would happen), exposure difficulties using a built in flash, and problems using AF even when centre focusing. I've used Canon gear for over thirty years, and my old A-1 is better built. Maybe they should have built a bit better camera and charged a bit more for it. A bit disappointing, but I do like mine all the same (only had the lockup bug, nothing fallen off yet).

They dropped the ball on this one, I only hope I can still get a good price for it when I upgrade to the next verison in about a year :wink:

Maybe you should switch brands...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=307588&is=USA
:wink:

Have Fun,

[robertdrake]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I need an SLR. Not ready to change brands just yet either, just hope they get their act together and produce the same quality of cameras they did in the late 70s and early 80s. I won't, however, just jump into a new camera again without seeing how well it works for others first.

[tekgik]

Hi Louie!

small world isnt it? =) Im Regie Fernando of phphoto! =) Yep im glad that Canon Philippines addressed your problem, specially that your the first Filipino to encounter that. Kudos to Canon PH =)


Hi guys! Nice to see some fellow Pinoys out there. :) I just got my 20D today myself. Haven't tested it yet though.

So far, my only concern is the supposed higher noise levels at lower ISOs compared to the 10D. I'm not too worried about this lock up problem since the conditions that cause it appear to be known. As for the firmware, I'll just wait for the next release. It's nice to hear you're getting your problems sorted out.

Wow a kababayan too?! :)

[PacAce]

Wow a kababayan too?! :)

Let's see if I can manage this without messing it up:

Kamusta kayong lahat taga Pilipina? Good to see some members from the Pearl of the Orient Seas. :D

[phili1]

I am sure you followed teh instruction to the tee but maybe you forgot teh I. The original 1.0.2 some people had problems with lock up caused by lens incompatabilty in the firmware. I had the incompatabilty but not the lock up.

The first firmware upgrade left out the fact is you have to have your lens removed and this caused some cameras to shut down but mine was ok even with the lens on it.

The second firmaware update said remove the lens.

Now I followed the instructions to the letter but when I started to update I said wow did you put it on Program and my heart stopped, so we can overlook certain details.

I am Glad that Canon is taking care of you.

[JX]

I am having problem with a new Canon lens, it is locking up every time I switch on IS. I understand your frustration with the 20D. Below is the address and names of all the top corporate officials at Canon US. If everyone were to write to them it just might do some good.

Canon U.S.A., Inc.
One Canon Plaza
Lake Success, NY 11042
Kinya Uchida
President and CEO
Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Ryoichi Bamba
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Imaging Systems Group

Seymour Liebman
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Administration, Regional Operations, and Credit and Accounts Receivable

Yukiaki Hashimoto
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Consumer Imaging Group

Tod D. Pike
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Sales Marketing and Administration, Imaging Systems Group

William Reed
Senior Vice President and General Manager
Subsidiary Division

Masahiro Haga
Vice President and General Manager
Finance and Accounting

[Cadwell]

If everyone were to write to them it just might do some good.


It might... on the other hand it might just get refiled in the trash can by their PAs without them even seeing it. That's the more likely scenario.

[JX]

Cadwell Wrote:
It might... on the other hand it might just get refiled in the trash can by their PAs without them even seeing it. That's the more likely scenario [/quote]

I think you under estimate the power of the consumer, and the power of this forum. Canon profits come from the people who bought their product. If were not happy, then they should be concerned.

[berto]

hmm, i was planning on getting myself a 20d but... i mighthave to hold off onit for a while. thanks for your advise(s)...

by the way. nice to see fellow pinoys as well. i just came from manila from a 3 months vacation. took the advanced class held at Fort santiago park - from photoworldmanila and won a couple of contests. not bad.

berto

[SuperFly]

Hi Guys,

Just read this thread while searching for similar problems that happened with my 20D while upgrading the firmware from 1.1.0 to 2.0.0

Earlier today I had an Err 99 appear on the camera, so i decided i'd upgrade the firmware. Everything went as smooth as the instructions, until the progress indicator bar of the upgrade screen reached 94%, the process appeared to hang.

I left it for about 10 minutes, stayed the same :rolleyes:

Started pushing buttons, even switched the on/off button to the OFF position, nothing happened, the screen was still there, hanged at 94%.

So, held my breath, and pulled the battery out, opened the CF compartment (dunno why, but i think it was a subconcious action), when i put the batter back in, THEN i closed the CF compartment, the screen now said that sentence about requiring a CF card with the firmware on it, and nothing happened for a few minutes.

Decided to pull the battery back out and then back in, but didnt touch the CF compartment.

It booted up and now the screen changed from the previous statement to asking me if i wanted to upgrade the firmware from 2.0.0 to 2.0.0 :rolleyes:

I selected YES and followed the process right through until 100% this time, I am writing this post now about 15 minutes after the whole thing and so far the camera seems fine, taken a few pics and things appear ok.

I noticed that the last posts here relating to the 20D and its problems are at least 4 months old, so i hope that my camera is ok after this latest firmware update.

[BillH2]

I echo you question wendsong, I keep hearing about firmware updates and haven't a clue what is being talked about. Anybody want to help us out here? Bill H

[PacAce]

I echo you question wendsong, I keep hearing about firmware updates and haven't a clue what is being talked about. Anybody want to help us out here? Bill H
Can you be a little more specific and tell us what is it that you don't understand or know about firmware updates? Are you saying that you have no clue what a firmware update is and what it's for? Or are you saying that you don't know how to upgrade your firmware? I'd be more than happy to answer whatever questions you may have about it. :)

[lancea]

I echo you question wendsong, I keep hearing about firmware updates and haven't a clue what is being talked about. Anybody want to help us out here? Bill H
This thread is so old I guess a new one should be started for the 2.0.0 update. But anyway - digital cameras all contain a computer which controls everything. The program for the computer is contained in memory. It's a special kind of memory (usually called "Flash ROM") that doesn't loose its contents when the power is off, but which can be reprogrammed when needed. This reprogramming is called a "firmware update". It's called "firmware" because the program is stored in the Flash ROM, in contrast to "software" which is usually lost from memory when the power is off.

The beauty of Flash ROM is that the program that runs your camera can be updated whenever the manufacturer wants to add a feature, or fix a bug. With some cameras you still have to get the firmware update loaded by a service centre, but (thankfully) Canon is one of the many that lets you do your own - at your own risk of course :) . There is a danger that the update won't complete, but many owners chose to accept that risk and follow Canon's instructions very very carefully ...

I'm guessing you have a Canon 20D, since this thread is relating to the 20D, so if you want if update your firmware go to the following link consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=DownloadDetailAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=10464 , read the instructions very carefully (preferably print them out) and cross your fingers. I think the most important steps are to (1) use a fully charged battery; and (2) remove the lens beforehand.

[Dante King]

I must say that I have had no problems with my 20D. Did not update the firmware either, and now I am glad. All in all I am quite pleased with my 20D.

[Medic1]

If you buy a 20D in the near future, what is the 20D's turnover rate on shelves (say, at a reputable, big camera shop that does alot of business)?

I guess what I am asking is what are the chances a 20D bought in a month will have updated firmware? Does Canon even update its firmware on the assembly line when new updates come out?

[Moments]

As I have said before when it comes to firmware updates, unless it does solve a problem that I have, I'll wait. I don't need the language updates and have not seen the other problems that the 2.0.0 was fixing with my 20D. Running 1.0.5 since the day I bought it and it's fine.

[glangston]

Well Canon just pulled the firmware update from their website. What does that tell you.

Sounds like I was lucky in a way. The Mac version I downloaded just wouldn't show up to the camera. The Canon center even said at first that I had the latest firmware until I told them it was 2.0 and they checked and got a copy downloaded for themselves.

No problems anyway.

[Az2Africa]

I posted a problem I had with the update a few days ago and was basially told it could not happen. Well it did!! What I found to be the problem in my case was the 128meg pny card I used must have corrupted the firmware files a bit. It downloaded, but the camera freaked out and gave BUSY and Error99 messages or would take 1 or 2 shots and lock up. I formatted a Sandisk Ultra card and redownloaded and everything went perfect.

[robertwgross]

I guess what I am asking is what are the chances a 20D bought in a month will have updated firmware? Does Canon even update its firmware on the assembly line when new updates come out?

Typically, at a factory, they will release the new firmware code into production before the same code is offered to existing customers in the field. Basically, they can use those new production cameras as a final quality test bed for the new code.

---Bob Gross---

[Medic1]

Typically, at a factory, they will release the new firmware code into production before the same code is offered to existing customers in the field. Basically, they can use those new production cameras as a final quality test bed for the new code.

---Bob Gross---

Interesting...so a 20D bought a month from now, should (unless its been on the shelf for a while) have the new firmware? I would imagine with the company I deal with, it would not have been on the shelves all that long, they do alot of business across the country.......

Thanks for the info

[Adam Hicks]

FWIW I installed the FW tonight with no problems on my Sandisk Extreme 512mb card I had laying around. I have some 2Gb cards but knew the 512mb was 'safe.' All went as expected.

I don't know why he was saying they pulled it from the sites earlier... it's on both the US and JP sites.

Adam

[atch]

FWIW I installed the FW tonight with no problems on my Sandisk Extreme 512mb card I had laying around. I have some 2Gb cards but knew the 512mb was 'safe.' All went as expected.

I don't know why he was saying they pulled it from the sites earlier... it's on both the US and JP sites.

Adam

I think because the thread is pretty old now, and canon probably fixed the FW already;)

[robertwgross]

Interesting...so a 20D bought a month from now, should (unless its been on the shelf for a while) have the new firmware? I would imagine with the company I deal with, it would not have been on the shelves all that long, they do alot of business across the country.......

It would be possible that it will still be old firmware, but rather unlikely. Further, even if it is old, updating it is no big deal.

We don't know how fast any given dealer moves its stock. I would expect that a big dealer who moves a lot of them gets the new stuff shipped pretty quickly. Some small dealer may have 4-month-old stock on the shelf.

---Bob Gross---

[HMetal]

I've done all three (3) firmware updates on the 20D. I followed Canon's instructions to the letter. Removed battery grip, removed lens, fully charged battery. Did firmware update and then removed battery for 30s.

All went without a hitch.

I also received a new 100-400 IS/L lens as a replacement for a faulty one, after a whole year of usage.

Count me in the "VERY happy with Canon" category!

[autograff]

Pmarz,

I do not understand what you are talking about? Firmware is still available on Canon's site.

[Mark_48]

Pmarz,

I do not understand what you are talking about? Firmware is still available on Canon's site.
As someone else noted this is an old thread.

The date the poster stated this was 10/5/2004 which probably refers to the 1.0.4 firmware dated 10/4/2004 which did have problems. The current 2.0.0 is still available.

Mark..........