Buyer returning the 1DX2 I sold him...

I recently sold a 1DX2 and the buyer was unhappy. I used the camera for a couple years and never had an issue. The buyer states that when indoors the auto ISO in AV mode generated over-exposed images. Manual ISO is fine but he doesn't use that. All other functions are fine. As a wildlife guy, I don't shoot indoors much (I have taken photos of my pets for example) but I never use auto ISO whether inside or out.

Has anyone ever heard of this issue? He did note that auto ISO in AV mode works well on his 70-200 indoors but not on two other lenses he owns.

The buyer also was disgruntled because the sale did not include a cable to transfer images to a computer although my for sale ad made it clear that it was not included. Furthermore, I asked if we could open a thread here and FM and see what other people think could be the issue, to which he simply replied, "I need your return address."

I just figured I would ask you guys in the hopes the problem can be diagnosed. Hope it isn't a pricey fix (although with shipping it is already costing some darn money!).

birder_herper wrote in post #19441662
I recently sold a 1DX2 and the buyer was unhappy. I used the camera for a couple years and never had an issue. The buyer states that when indoors the auto ISO in AV mode generated over-exposed images. Manual ISO is fine but he doesn't use that. All other functions are fine. As a wildlife guy, I don't shoot indoors much (I have taken photos of my pets for example) but I never use auto ISO whether inside or out.

Has anyone ever heard of this issue? He did note that auto ISO in AV mode works well on his 70-200 indoors but not on two other lenses he owns.

The buyer also was disgruntled because the sale did not include a cable to transfer images to a computer although my for sale ad made it clear that it was not included. Furthermore, I asked if we could open a thread here and FM and see what other people think could be the issue, to which he simply replied, "I need your return address."

I just figured I would ask you guys in the hopes the problem can be diagnosed. Hope it isn't a pricey fix (although with shipping it is already costing some darn money!).

I'm not sure it's anything more than user error. Any auto exposure is subject to bias depending on the metering pattern and the amount of lights and darks in a given image. Indoor shots are often tougher to meter because they often have less consistency across the whole image than a shot outdoors. They wouldn't have exposure comp if the damn things were perfect. The fact that his tele lens worked better than a wider lens tends to confirm this in my mind as wider shots would would often include more diversity in tones than a tight shot.

Sounds like he's got buyers remorse and is looking for a way out..

user error (probably metering), sold as seen, no refunds.

Thanks, fellas. User error was exactly my thoughts as well. What really irks me was that immediately after receiving the camera he opened up a Paypal case without even contacting me first. Oh well...there are bigger worries in life so I'll just shake this one off

birder_herper wrote in post #19441726
Thanks, fellas. User error was exactly my thoughts as well. What really irks me was that immediately after receiving the camera he opened up a Paypal case without even contacting me first. Oh well...there are bigger worries in life so I'll just shake this one off

Maybe he realized he purchased an expensive camera, but it didn't immediately make his photos better. The rest becomes nit picking.

Perhaps! But I sort of think the buyer doesn't realize it is likely user error. Maybe I just have different morals, but if I bought something and regretted spending the money I would just resell. I wouldn't have the seller go through the hassle because I made a purchase on a whim. I thought I gave him a good deal and he could have easily used it for a while and then resold for little loss (or even a slight profit?).

I am just glad so far everyone seems to agree this sounds like user error, and the seller's unwillingness to listen to reason seems only to strengthen my stance. As it is, I am accepting the return and will have to resell.

Thanks again, everyone. I will test the heck out of it upon return before relisting.

Birder, you are taking the high road on this one and that means more than suffering the loss of shipping $$$. Respect. If it turns out the camera does have a flaw then you are doing the right thing. If it turns out the camera is fine and that buyer has a flaw then you can sell it again with confidence. Either way you sleep better.

Respect from me as well….

It is very clearly a user error as auto ISO is pretty much all software, and everyone’s 1dx2 would do the same thing with the same lens, settings, and same firmware.

The user should go to M mode with auto ISO and use it that way instead of having the camera managing two of three exposure values. Throw in the fact that safety shift could change things and the ISO min/max settings control the range and you have a disaster with someone not familiar with all of that.

Ps....reset the camera to full original settings.

chuckmiller wrote in post #19441923
Ps....reset the camera to full original settings.

I told him to do this but he never mentioned doing so. I honestly wonder if he knows how to use any mode other than a green box!

I would imagine user error as well to be more likely than a faulty camera.

The setting that came across my mind while reading through this topic, is the "anti-flicker" settings. Artificial lights flicker at a frequency that can result in different lighting at capture time in comparison with metering time. But that still leaves 2 questions:
1. Why only over-exposed images, as flicker would tend to go both ways (over and under)?
2. Why not on the 70-200?

For 1 I can imagine that an underexposed image is more expected given the darker environment, whereas the over exposure shows more brightness where it was not expected. That may provide a bias towards recognizing over exposure. I do not know specifics on flickering of lights and maybe the brightness peaks are just more prominent than darker moments. Also you may be stretching to get enough light in, that a sudden increase in light would just be more harmful for overall exposure.

For 2 I can imagine that the narrower field of view of a 70-200 result in a smaller area for which the illumination comes from less light sources, whereas a wider focal length may result in the shot being influenced my multiple lights, each with there own flickering.

I'm not too familiar with flicker or the anti-flicker settings in de camera, but just threw the element in this topic as a potential cause/ aspect, because the phenomenon mentioned at least too large extent resembles what I understood of flickering.

birder_herper wrote in post #19441947
I honestly wonder if he knows how to use any mode other than a green box!

Since there is no such thing on a 1DX Mark II, maybe you should send him one.

I also find it amusing the buyer was unhappy that a $7 usb cable wasn’t included, when they are so readily available, and tried using that as additional leverage for the return.

It would be nice to know what their previous camera was. Probably something like an 80d, where auto ISO could very well work differently.

Haha, that might be the simple fix we are looking for!

apersson850 wrote in post #19442377
Since there is no such thing on a 1DX Mark II, maybe you should send him one.

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Can NOT believe no green box mode on a camera that expensive. For shame Canon, for shame