Error 99 ?

[Mike Healy]

I just bought a new EOS digital rebel
It works great with the lens that came in the kit but when i use my quantaray cnaf 70-210 MM , 4-5.6 lens it won't let me take a picture it comes up with the err 99. Every once in a while it will let me take a picture but very seldom. The manual says to take out the battery and then replace. I have and it doesn't work

What can I do to be able to use this lens?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!!
mbhpgapro

[Jon]

The Quantaray's probably a very old design. I believe Sigma made them back then, and older Sigma lenses for the Eos cameras have needed to be upgraded to work with the newer cameras. Unfortunately Quantaray won't/can't do this. So your only options are to use it wide open (only) or replace it. There are doubtless those here who will tell you that the Err 99 is doing you a favour due to the relatively poor optical quality of the Quantaray line. Not having any, I can't say.

[Mike Healy]

Thank you very much. I guess that I need to buy another lens. What would you recommend for a good zoom lens?

[Jon]

Price range? I assume in the same focal length range. The Canon 70-200 f/4 L is very nice, and a $25 rebate, but that's still around $550. That's a constant f/4, by the way.

[robertwgross]

Let me clarify Error 99.

The camera posts that message to mean "Error, I don't know exactly what!"

What does that mean?

It could possibly mean about anything. It could mean that there was some intermittent problem inside the camera that came and went before it could really log it. However, in a majority of the cases, it means some kind of mismatch communications error either with the lens or in the lens mount. If any Canon or Sigma or any other brand has bad/intermittent communications between the lens and the body (around the gold contacts), then it is a problem. It could be a lens mount that is worn out and loose.

What does that mean?

It could be an older lens design that is not fully compatible with the Canon spec (which is not an open spec). Some of the old Sigmas were that way. Some older lenses can be brought up to the modern spec and then work. Some can't. Some lenses were sold so cheaply that the vendor can't rationalize spending the money to upgrade them, so the customer suffers.

My understanding is that it has to do with what happens when the lens goes wide open. There is supposed to be almost constant communications between the camera body and the lens, and when one (i.e. the lens) says something that the other (i.e. the body) can't understand, then the body posts Error 99. That means that the lens might work fine for a while, and then fail miserably for a while.

My personal opinion is that I would not have one. I would return it to the retail store.

If you got it from eBay, then that makes a case for doing business elsewhere.

---Bob Gross---