20D and Error 99

[Bsmooth]

I've had my 20D for about 2 weeks now and yesterday I got a flashing Error 99 and the camera froze up.I shut the camera off,removed the flashcard and put it back in.The error was gone,however I lost 2 or 3 pictures.Does this happen frequently and what can I do about it?

[eosster]

What lens are you using?

[eosster]

Faulty lens or contacts maybe dirty.

[marvpf]

That happened to me two weeks ago with my 20D. I was shooting bald eagles with a 100-400L and a 1.4X converter. I tried turning the camera off and then on with no effect and later removed the battery and replaced it with another one. That seemed to work. I haven't had the problem since. I don't know what caused it, but ever since it happened I've only got 1.8GB available on my 2GB card after formatting it. Maybe something happened with the card. Does anyone have any experience with losing card capacity? I was shooting with an Ultra II flashcard.

[johneric8]

I just sent my 20D back to get a new one because of that problem. Mine kept happening all day the other day when practicing. I did it with 2 different lenses...It might be the lens but thats not for certain.

[JamieH]

Used to happen to me alot when i first bought the 20d with canon 28-135. I upgraded the firmware and have had no problems since.

[Mark_48]

Used to happen to me alot when i first bought the 20d with canon 28-135. I upgraded the firmware and have had no problems since.
It would seem that whatever caused the Err99 may not have been a mechanical issue with the camera in this case, but possibly software/firmware related. I would be wondering if the cameras programming may have gotten corrupted somehow and if reloading the even the same version firmware may get things back in order.

[Reminisce]

if you've had your camera that short a time, chances are you dont have the latest Firmware update which solved a lot of the earlier Err99 plague problems people were getting with there 20Ds. I haven't had one since 1.05 (we're on 1.1 now), so see if that will help you.

[JSolie]

I have had one Err99 on my 20D. I had the 17-85 EF-S IS lens on the camera, and BiG-Ed. I wasn't doing anything particularly interesting at the time...taking some pictures of my son trying on a school costume, I think. IIRC, I was taking a picture portrait orientation (using BiG-Ed), and nothing happened. I looked at the top and saw "Err99". I turned the camera off and back on, and it's been fine since. I didn't have to remove the battery to clearn the error either.

The 20D came with the latest firmware, 1.1.0.

Strange. Is "Err 99" the equivalent to a "General Error" You know, the type where the device thinks there's an error of some kind, it just doesn't know what...

-- John

[Bsmooth]

I'll have to check which version firmware I have.Where in the menu do I see what version I have?

[lmelendez]

I'll have to check which version firmware I have.Where in the menu do I see what version I have?
It is the last option of the main menu.

JSolie,
You said you have version 1.10. I have version 1.1.0... either you are missing a dot or I'm missing a lot of upgrades :). Can somebody please confirm the latest firmware version for me? thanks in advance.

[rfreschner]

Can somebody please confirm the latest firmware version for me?

1.1.0 is the latest.

[pierrot]

No one knows where it comes from actually. Not from the firmware, anyhow, but more probably from the body-lens communication flow or from the CF card write process.

It happened to me last night, as I was shooting with the "nifty-fifty". I had to shut down the 20d, remove the BP511 and the 2Gb CF card, put everything back and then it was OK again. I went on shooting and everything was fine (I was able to review the pictures on the LCD, delete some, etc.)

This morning when I downloaded the card into my PC, I got only the pictures made before the err99, not a single one from those I had taken afterwards (although I had seen them from the CF card on the camera yesterday night).

I had to use a CF recovery software to make an in-depth analysis of the card and I could get back everything, apart from a dozen of pics with gray (missing data) areas. But of the 150 I had made after the default occured, I got 90% back.

I have no idea why this did happen, as I was making absolutely nothing special. It just happened between two shots with no apparent reason.

[JSolie]

It is the last option of the main menu.

JSolie,
You said you have version 1.10. I have version 1.1.0... either you are missing a dot or I'm missing a lot of upgrades :). Can somebody please confirm the latest firmware version for me? thanks in advance.

:o Looks like I missed a "." :o

-- John

[Bsmooth]

Yea It looks like Canon might have a problem too. Its not just a few isolated incidents,I've seen it on quite a few of the forums.Its also with people having the already "fixed" updated software. Maybe we need a new fix!

[LENJR]

I got the error 99 message and resolved it by taking our my battery and replacing it. When I looked in the manual that is exactly what it said to do. No problems since.:lol:

[Chuckpic]

I've had this error a couple of times using 20D and 17-85. I have latest firmware 1.1.0 and problem resolved by turning camera off and back on. Have no idea what caused it.

[T-REX]

I'm getting some of the same symptoms as those above.

My menu only goes to up to the word "Format" (in the yellow section). I don't know why I can't seem to find anything further. How do I find info on firmware , and if I need an update, on my 20D?

[robertwgross]

I'm getting some of the same symptoms as those above.

My menu only goes to up to the word "Format" (in the yellow section). I don't know why I can't seem to find anything further. How do I find info on firmware , and if I need an update, on my 20D?

Hmmm. On mine, "Format" is in the blue section. The Firmware version is the very last item in the menu, at the bottom of the yellow section.

---Bob Gross---

[T-REX]

I can't find it anywhere. Is there something I should've installed when I first got the camera or something? It's not here.

[Mark_48]

There are a number of menu items that don't display while the camera is set to the Basic modes. Try putting the camera into one of the Creative modes (P, Tv, Av, M, A-DEP) and see if it shows then.