5D4 ... Repair it ??

Nice James! When I was trying to decide to do it myself or have someone else do it, I searched the forum for this issue and found the video, but don't think I found a post where someone actually performed the repair. Curious, how long did it take you and was there ever a point where you thought .... "maybe this wasn't such a great idea, but no turning back now"? For others faced with this issue in the future, your response might help them decide. For reference, Canon charged me right around $500 for my repair.

BTMFL82 wrote in post #19503856
Nice James! When I was trying to decide to do it myself or have someone else do it, I searched the forum for this issue and found the video, but don't think I found a post where someone actually performed the repair. Curious, how long did it take you and was there ever a point where you thought .... "maybe this wasn't such a great idea, but no turning back now"? For others faced with this issue in the future, your response might help them decide. For reference, Canon charged me right around $500 for my repair.

Whenever I tackle something I have not done before, on top of finding some Youtubes, I also document everything screw by screw. That way when it comes to putting together time, if there is ever any doubt, I have something to refer to.

I really didn't want to spend the money for Canon to repair nor the local camera shop. That, and when I got the part delivered yesterday...I didn't want to spend time dropping the camera off and not having it for several days. So those two items were my motivation. I also went into the repair knowing if I effed it up I'd end up shopping for a mirrorless camera and taking in comfort that I didn't have a choice. My lovely rationale.

No the first thing I did was kick the cat out of my office. I absolutely didn't want the furball jumping up on my desk scattering screws everywhere and risking one of his nine lives. And knowing he would meow incessantly to communicate his undying desire to be let back in, I put on some noise canceling headphones and listened to Lofi on Youtube via a second Chrome tab.

With everything now ready I started the Youtube tutorial and followed slowly step by step. I placed some paper on my desk and as I removed the screws, I documented where they came from and laid them in a similar orientation to how they were in the camera. I figured the tutoiral, the documenting, and the orientation would minimize any mistep on my part...and it worked.

Once I replaced the dial, I again took my time and followed everything in reverse order. This meant clicking the YouTube timeline in a reverse order and sometimes watching parts a couple of times to ensure my actions were correct. After it was reassembled I turned the camera to check power. Then I took a few pictures using the LCD display and ensure everything was in working order.

I did have one screw up and it was me being a dumb ass. I'm near-sighted. So when I screwed in the diopter and looked through the viewfinder...it was blurry no matter what I did. I tried adjusting it several times only to realize I needed to have my glasses on. I laughed and was relieved that was the issue after had gone through everything to repair the camera.

All in all, it took me a couple of hours to complete the repair and that was due to me being overly cautious. I wouldn't say it was difficult, just have to be organized and not rush any steps. And be mindful of the screws. Hand tighten, but don't man handle tighten them. They are small and delicate.

So for me, it was 100% worth me doing the repair myself. A $41 part and a couple of hours being intimate with my camera! lol!

The only thing that had me feeling uneasy was what if a screw wouldn't come out easily and I stripped out the head. I would be dead in the water with no way to get it out and no replacement. I had 2 or 3 that resisted and I had to use a good fitting flat head tip rather than the appropriate cross tip.

The part that I don't like is peeling back the grip to get to screws. Do they really just stick back in place? Seems so unlikely, at least with my luck.

AntonLargiader wrote in post #19504035
The part that I don't like is peeling back the grip to get to screws. Do they really just stick back in place? Seems so unlikely, at least with my luck.

Mine did. You can't tell they were ever removed. I could stop right here and be fine but I do want to replace the rubbers. They are available.

I have an iFixIt tool kit which had the perfect sized tip to get the screws out.