Dropped my 580 exII speedlite

Okay I dropped my Canon 580ex II speedlite from about 5 feet off the ground.
I put the batteries back in and it turned it on and all the lcd functions work except it wont flash it looks like the flash tube is cracked.Does anybody know if this is something you can replace yourself or should I ship it to canon for repair any advice?
Alan

Amarinelli wrote in post #11483552
Okay I dropped my Canon 580ex II speedlite from about 5 feet off the ground.
I put the batteries back in and it turned it on and all the lcd functions work except it wont flash it looks like the flash tube is cracked.Does anybody know if this is something you can replace yourself or should I ship it to canon for repair any advice?
Alan

There's very high voltage involved in the operation of a flash unit so, unless you know what you're doing, it would be safer for you to just send the flash off to Canon for servicing. Otherwise, you might be in for a real shock of your life, literally.

I once took a flash apart, as I had worked on high voltage components on other consumer electronics under the supervision of my uncle, including replacement of TV CRTs (in the days before LCD). And while I could do the work without giving myself quite a shock, I learned that in small items like flash units, getting the thing so that it reassembled and fit within the case, and so that various position sensing switches and interlocks all functioned properly, could be very challenging. In this particular case, I finally gave up!

Thanks for the replies I just contacted Canon for my repair estimate form.

Alan

Good Luck! Hopfully they're cheaper to fix than replace....

HarleyHuffman wrote in post #11485533
Good Luck! Hopfully they're cheaper to fix than replace....

Having insurance (personal articles policy) is the something everyone should have.

I shipped to the Canon factory sevice center with ups tonight they said it will be delivered on Wednesday.I"ll repost my repair estimate once I get it.

Alan

update?

exekiel23 wrote in post #14451558
update?

Back from the dead!

what was the estimate? price paid? thanks!!

Like the OP, I dropped my 580 EX II several weeks ago, but the only damage seemed to be a broken flip-down diffuser. It seemed to operate OK.

I got an online repair quote from an authorized Canon repair center, but decided to send it to Canon and get it done with genuine parts. Mine went off to the New Jersey repair center. They quoted a 'standard' rate of $147, I think it was, + $9 for shipping. I got it back all fixed and fully checked-out, 4 work days after I authorized and paid for the repair.

I suspect that for a broken flash tube, though, parts would be somewhat more pricey.

i have the same problem dropped my 430exii and now it turns on but wont flash, will take it down to canon and find out how much its gonna cost.

Reading this thread, I must have been lucky. I dropped my 430EX from 5ft last week and there's no damage at all and it's still firing fine, phew!

My 430EXii fell from about 7 feet when a gust of wind blew it over (umbrella attached). I didnt realise how lucky i was that the umbrella took most of the knock and saved my speedlight. I didnt realise how fragile they are

I've experienced this many times,
Canon will replace the bulb for around usd90,
if they don't charge you for replacing mainboard A, B, C, bla bla bla ...

this is one of the reason I don't like using Canon flash line up