7D issues...

So my 7D is sitting at the post office waiting to be shipped to Canon Canada to be looked at.

I've done a bit of searching on this issue. My 7D won't recognize a compact flash card, alerting me to format or replace the card. It won't format my card or any other card for that matter. Got the "Card cannot be accessed. Reinsert/change the card or format card with camera." error.

I went to a local shop where I picked up the compact flash card and they can read the Lexar card I use and order prints. I also tried a Sandisk Ultra card but no dice. I popped out the battery and waited about 10 mins and still nothing after. No problems if I remove my card (ie it will still shoot and what nots).

So we'll see what Canon does and if they charge me for the repair. I bought the camera from a debt collector's office so there wasn't the option to go to a camera shop to swap.

Not the best day I've had

Perhaps the previous owner broke or bent one of the pins in the CF card slot?

It is easy to do if one attempts to insert it incorrectly.

Good luck with your repair.

Did it ever work or did you buy it without trying it? I didn't even know someone could buy from a debt collectors office heh. I learn something new everyday.

Sounds like a bent CF pin...

It was brand new in box, I inspected it on purchase. Nothing had been touched previous to my opening the box lol.

Had used the 7D for about 3 weeks now, only time I had opened the CF area was to put in the card the one time. It just stopped working yesterday night, had been shooting at a car lot while my car was in for service. Checked the pins, all in order (given I had never even taken the CF card out after I put it in 3 weeks ago).

I've been trying to figure out what happened but I have no ideas. Put about 700 shots on it up to last night. Hadn't dropped the camera, its my baby (although I don't really wanna say that cuz it's partly dead and in a box covered in bubble wrap).

WARNING - This is a Horror Story (and it may happen to you)!

I've just discovered a bent pin in the CF slot of my EOS 7D!

I got this camera on the 7th Nov 09 and have used it daily ever since. Last weekend I got some shots of a great sunset and on Monday decided to transfer the RAW pics onto the Mac ready to upload to Flickr. So I popped out the 4GB (SanDisk Extreme III) and slid in it's identical twin brother - I have rotated this pair of cards since day one. Anyhow I went to my studio (shed) down the garden, sparked up the Mac, stuck the card in the reader and - nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero. Doh! I must have switched the cards earlier and then forgotten (after thought: it should still have mounted even if blank!). So I try the other card, same result. O.K. that will teach me! Spend heaps of cash on cameras and lenses, then get a cheapo 17 in 1 card reader, wadaya expect? Simple solution - read the cards SOOC. Oh dear! First card creates error - cannot be read, please format etc. Right then, go for the reformat - it gets part way through and it stalls and says this card cannot be used. Great - try the second card. Oops, this does a similar thing, only it seems to complete the formatting then pops up a message stating "cannot create folder". What the ****? This is just insane!

Time to look inside the beast. Grab a Maglite and shine it into the CF slot and what do I see? Ho Lee Sheet! One single corner pin squished and bent. How the heck is it possible to bend a single pin? I don't think I am "ham fisted" and I treat this camera like a puppy. I thought Canon had consulted hundreds of pro-photographers prior to ceating this model. So I'd like to know which design genius came up with idea of using CF cards - I've never had any problems using SD cards with my 450D. For the time being the 450D is out of hibernation, the 7D will be in for major surgery, I will have to trash a couple of 4GB cards who's pin slots are probably mangled from using a nasty cheap card reader. The card reader will be used for target practise while I re-align the "red dot" sight on my pistol.

It appears that the lesson here is - get the biggest capacity, fastest card available and leave it in the camera and download the RAW files directly from the 7D - that should avoid damage to the pins!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR​RRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG​G!

quiksilver_ice

Doghouse Studio
Digital Design Consultant and Mac Pre-Press Artwork Services

There is nothing wrong with CFs? And no, Canon did not contact hundreds of photographers on this, you must be thinking about the 1D4. It is not particularly easy to bend one pin, but it can happen. It could be the memory card, it could be the CF track, it could be the alignment of the pin assembly to that track.

The cards have a metal sleeve inside each port, and if that sleeve sticks out just slightly, it could catch the pin just right and if you just always "snap" the card into place, you will bend that pin. You might be able to bend that pin back, but they aren't the strongest things around, and metal fatigue has already taken place, so it will never be quite right. Chances are it will have to be sent to Canon for repair, or a repair center of your choice, or you may be able to replace it if you are handy.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #9766213
And no, Canon did not contact hundreds of photographers on this, you must be thinking about the 1D4.

Actually, Canon did claim to do a lot of market research on the 7D.

As for the earlier question fo who came up with the idea of using CF cards, Every xxD model and both versions of the 5D use CF cards so it should be obvious why they decided to stay with CF cards for the 7D. CF cards are also used by Nikon on their higher end cameras. CF cards have historically been faster and available in higher capacities than SD cards which is why they are used.

krb wrote in post #9766281
Actually, Canon did claim to do a lot of market research on the 7D.

Yes agreed, but I believe the advertised claims of getting many photographers' input was made by Canon regarding the 1D4 around the AF performance. I don't remember any market research that was made in regards to CF slot issues as alluded to by ice.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #9766361
Yes agreed, but I believe the advertised claims of getting many photographers' input was made by Canon regarding the 1D4 around the AF performance. I don't remember any market research that was made in regards to CF slot issues as alluded to by ice.

Yeah, definitely nothing about the card slot. Nothing about any one specific feature actually, just a lot of hand waving about asking photographers what they want.

quiksilver_ice wrote in post #9766146
So I'd like to know which design genius came up with idea of using CF cards

Actually CF cards have been used from the beginning D30, D60, 10D, 300D, 1D, etc. The XXXD series started using SD cards for space savings in that small body.

I have been using CF cards since my purchase of a S30 in 2002. I bought a card reader with that S30 and have never used the camera to download images, I don't even know how to. That means my cards have been in and out of my cameras hundreds, and probably thousands of times. I've never had a bent pin, I've tried once or twice to insert the card wrong, but I've always felt the problem immediately and stopped.

The CF card is fast and has excellent storage capacity. I think the SD card is the future in that it's more fool proof and the storage capacities are finally caught up to the CF card, but the format has been very reliable.

As to the OPs problem. It sounds like a firmware problem to me. I would try reinstalling the firmware.

krb wrote in post #9766374
Yeah, definitely nothing about the card slot. Nothing about any one specific feature actually, just a lot of hand waving about asking photographers what they want.

I want that mug! Now that it is on sale in Canada, maybe we can get this in the states! I'd wave my hand wildly for that!

TeamSpeed wrote in post #9766459
I want that mug! Now that it is on sale in Canada, maybe we can get this in the states! I'd wave my hand wildly for that!

You and me both.

casaaviocar wrote in post #9766400
That means my cards have been in and out of my cameras hundreds, and probably thousands of times. I've never had a bent pin, I've tried once or twice to insert the card wrong, but I've always felt the problem immediately and stopped.

I'm with you. Literally thousands of times pushing that card in the camera, for the past 7 years really in various camera bodies... no issues with CF cards.

I would like to ask the folks who have bent a pin... how do you store your cards? Are they always in the little cases they come with or do you just throw them in your bag? The only thing I can think of that would bend pins is if you got something foreign stuck in the tiny hole for the pin. I use good quality cards and store them sealed.

Pins are obviously more susceptible to damge, though I haven't experienced it personally, however I do download via USB and only remove cards rarely. There should be no difference in speed as the pins are only the connection method, and SD would seem to be a more logical step for reliability in this regard and I wonder why the change wasn't made.