Canon repair question

I am looking for a little advice on a problem.

I have a Canon 7D whose focus has shifted abruptly. Most of my lenses used to microadjust between -5 to +3 and now they're all around +20 with some (like my Tokina 11-16) no longer able to find optimal focus anymore. While it is still usable for most lenses that I have, I have been pondering whether to send it back in for adjustment or invest the repair cost towards another body (perhaps a 6D). The shutter count from CanonEOSDitgitalInfo says that I have 15K on the shutter which is still pretty healthy. Since all of my lenses have shifted about the same amount in microadjust, I believe that the issue must be in the body. Is there a way to have Canon adjust the body rather than the lens (because if they match the lens to the body rather than the other way around, this will be a pointless endeavor...)?

What kind of cost will be involved and is it a reasonable investment in a 7D mark I? I don't want to drop $500 on this problem when that is about what the camera is worth, but I don't know how deep the rabbit hole goes at this point. Are there cheaper, reliable 3rd party repair outlets compared to going through Canon direct? Any other questions that I should be asking?

Thanks in advance.

If focus has changes that drastically abruptly, I would be concerned that the AF module has shifted or come loose. Any hard knock or drop recently? Usually the AF sensor is pretty attached to the body and doesn't change. As to cost, Canon won't give a quote without seeing the camera so minimally it will cost you shipping to find out and I think their minimum is 1 hour. I can't remember exactly what that cost was but $150 sticks in my head and that's the bare minimum.

I sold my 7D over a year ago for $425. I'd seriously question the wisdom of putting any money at all in this camera.

Sounds like you'll almost certainly end up spending more to have the 7D fixed than its worth, plus you'll be without it for some time while they work on it. If I were in your shoes I would cut my losses and invest in a new body.

-Joe

TreeburnerCT wrote in post #18414364
Sounds like you'll almost certainly end up spending more to have the 7D fixed than its worth, plus you'll be without it for some time while they work on it. If I were in your shoes I would cut my losses and invest in a new body.

-Joe

The turnaround time is very reasonable. The OP would probably have the camera back in his hands in two weeks or less. While the repair cost could be prohibitive, 15K actuations makes it practically a new camera. I think its worth the shipping investment to send it in and have them look at it. If the cost is too high, he doesn't have to get the work done. But, if it ends up costing say $250 or even $300, he would have to consider if that money could be better spend elsewhere. The original 7D is still a great camera and a few hundred it might cost to fix it certainly won't be nearly enough to get him anything better.

Before you send it off give it a good blow out with a rocket blower(or equivalent), paying particularly close attention to the mirror assembly. It is possible that a piece of lint or dust on the mirror is interfering with the transmission through the main mirror to the secondary AF mirror and AF assembly.

If you go the repair route, give the people at United a call. They are very reasonable compared to Canon and I've found them to be reliable although I wasn't dealing with a 7D.

http://www.unitedcamer​a.com/store/item.aspx?​ItemId=134

I concur. The 7D is kinda old technology, however 15k is absolutely nothing (I'll shoot that much next week alone). Pay for the repair and keep it as a second camera. Canon won't do anything until they send you a repair quote. If you have enough Canon gear you can join Canon Professional Services. It's $100 a year but gives you faster turn around time on repairs, discounts on repairs, free return shipping, and you can send items (cameras/lenses) for a free cleaning which they normally charge around $90 for a cleaning.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It is much as I had suspected. There have been no drops recently (and no one else has used it), but a shift in some focus element was my first suspicion as well. However, after a month of travel through Europe, it seems to be holding steady in its current state. I will have to think about what to do, but it is an option to keep using it with the lenses that it can still microadjust with as a somewhat untrustworthy second camera to keep at work or something. The repair investment would net me a camera that I am comfortable with, but has age on it. Putting those few hundred dollars towards another camera body such as a mark I 6D, would open up some new options for me since my photography hobby has shifted from more sports to more portraiture with a job change since I purchased the 7D. I will likely call United to get a ballpark quote if they'll do such a thing since their website didn't really offer an option like what I'm looking at.