How "tough" are the Canon DSLR's??

My 20D was knocked off the cofee table by my hyperactive bulldog, and although the drop was only 16-inches, the sound it made when it hit the hardwood floor was blood-curdling!! If my dog hadn't cost as much as the camera I might have had to kill her (just kidding).

The camera appears to be unaffected, nothing is rattling, no cracks or chips to be seen...but I'm still concerned about unseen INTERNAL damage. What can potentially be affected when a camera takes a hit like this (mirrors, lens elements, etc)?? Are these cameras built to take a little punishment, or should I have it serviced?

Thanks,
Dave

First question for you is... how are the photos coming out?

I'd just use it heavily for a few days and see if you notice anything out of the ordinary.

Photograph some batteries or bottles that are slightly in a diagnol plane. That will help check for back or front focus. Also take your camera out on AI Servo and focus on some predictable action. See how fast it locks on focus and take some photos so you can review.

Will do.

Can you explain "diagonal plane"...I'm not understanding how to set up this shot.

Thanks


BTW... if I do have problems with one or both of the scenarios above, what exactly was damaged (lens, camera...BOTH)??

Stagger them. Left-most one at, say, 5 ft away, then each succeeding battery or bottle 3-6 in. over and 3 in. back from the previous one. You'll have a diagonal line of batteries or bottles across your field of view.

Jon wrote in post #2150797
Stagger them. Left-most one at, say, 5 ft away, then each succeeding battery or bottle 3-6 in. over and 3 in. back from the previous one. You'll have a diagonal line of batteries or bottles across your field of view.

OK, but what will that determine...I mean, if there IS something wrong with my lens, what should (or shouldn't) I see when capturing that shot? Do I need to make sure the aperature is set a certain way, or focus on a certain point in the line of bottles?

Sorry man, but I'm a total newb at SLR photography.

If you're using the center focussing point, the battery there should be the one in best focus. If one forward of that position or behind that position is sharper, your focus is possibly out. You need to be sure the batteries are far enough apart left-to-right, though. THe AF sensor positions actually extend beyond the little squares in your viewfinder.

OK, I'll try that tonight. Thanks

If the "focus" is out, that's a malfunction with the camera, not the lens...right?

The only way to tell for sure is put a lens on that did not get banged around and do the test again. If the focus is still off then it is the camera at fault not the lens.

Well, the camera is performing flawlessly (so far as I can tell). I've had NO issues with focus...or anything else for that matter. Guess I got lucky, or Canon builds a tough camera. I read on some of the other boards where people have dropped their EOS digitals from heights much greater than mine, and have even had visible damage to the exterior, with NO negative effect on performance.

I once witnessed a Nikon camera (can't remember the model... not mine) falling on the gravel from about shoulder height... The photographer was devastated as it wasn't even her own camera. She had borrowed it from a friend. It turns out the lense needed repair (200$ if i remember correctly) and the body was fine, aside from a few scratches.

So yes, they are more sturdy than we think. But of course dropping them is not recommended

I'm just meticulous about my equipment (to the point of being anal-retentive), I have silica packs in my camera bag to prevent moisture, I use hoods and UV-0 filters to protect all my lens glass, I'm routinely checking my neckstrap for loose ties (I wont even let my camera dangle by the neckstrap, I CONSTANTLY keep a hand on it to partially support the weight), and NO ONE touches my camera but me (well, my wife did, but now I hide it from her!!). So when I saw/heard it hit the ground I thought I was going to lose bladder control.

I called my homeowners insurance company today and added a policy for my camera gear!!

Point-N-Shoot wrote in post #2150618
My 20D was knocked off the cofee table by my hyperactive bulldog, and although the drop was only 16-inches, the sound it made when it hit the hardwood floor was blood-curdling!! If my dog hadn't cost as much as the camera I might have had to kill her (just kidding).

The camera appears to be unaffected, nothing is rattling, no cracks or chips to be seen...but I'm still concerned about unseen INTERNAL damage. What can potentially be affected when a camera takes a hit like this (mirrors, lens elements, etc)?? Are these cameras built to take a little punishment, or should I have it serviced?

Thanks,
Dave

Imagine the lens you could have bought to go with your 20D if you didn't spend it on the dog... Man, I won't even get into vet bills and dog food costs!

Just kidding, I'm a dog owner also. We got ours from the pound though.

Glad to hear your camera is functioning normally.

i dropped my 1dmk2n out of my lifted titan and it still shoots fine.

glad the camera didnt drop on the dog - then you will have two sick/broken things to worry about