Back to the hospital for sick cameras and lenses ....

[Donald]

or as it's more often called, A J Johnstone the authorised Canon repair centre in Glasgow!

Some folks will remember me starting this thread, about seeing how high a 5DS with an 11-24 f4L would bounce if you dropped it on the pavement.

Well, there's been a bit of a problem since I got it back. Sometimes I get an Error 1 message (Connection between body and lens is faulty). And at other times I don't. When I try to induce the message to appear, it never does. When I don't want it to appear, it does. I knew it must be the lens rather than the body, as when I put on any of my other lenses everything was okay.

So just home from a quick run to Glasgow.

The guys at Johnstone's believe there must be a problem with the the encoder (he writes, as if he knows what he's taking about!) But it's amazing what a quick Google search teaches you. I never knew there was such a thing as an encoder in the lens. The guys were also saying that this was a problem that was seen with quite a number of the old 24-105 L lenses.

Whether it's a consequence of the damage I caused to the lens, I don't know. I'll check that out, because if it's not it will still be covered by warranty. But I suspect it is.

Anyway, got the body home, but the lens is now resting prior to surgery in the next few days.

[Ndukes]

Gear with an intermittent fault is definitely the most frustrating kind. I have been that soldier, years ago with a Canon lens also. We all strive to train ourselves to just concentrate on the artistic considerations when shooting in the full confidence that expensive gear is faultless and 100% reliable, which it should be at its price. We should also enjoy the same confidence in repair carried out by authorised agents which also is not cheap. Hope you get an early and satisfactory resolution to this one Donald.

[Rita]

What a shame Donald. Hope your lens has a speedy recovery.

[Mike Buckley]

I wonder if the potential for the problem was always there and that the fall exacerbated the situation to the point that it finally became apparent.

[Donald]

We all strive to train ourselves to just concentrate on the artistic considerations when shooting in the full confidence that expensive gear is faultless and 100% reliable, which it should be at its price.

Indeed. When it first happens you're just thrown a bit and not able to work out what's going on, It takes a couple of minutes for it to register that you have a problem. Or maybe I'm just slow on the uptake!

I wonder if the potential for the problem was always there and that the fall exacerbated the situation to the point that it finally became apparent.

Mmm, there's a point. Must do some asking.

[DanK]

Intermittent problems are the most frustrating. It sounds as though you found someone who can fix the problem anyway, but often, techs end up saying everything is fine because they can't replicate the problem. In one case, when an intermittent problem occurred, I quickly recorded it with my iPhone camera and sent that to the techs.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Donald I'm getting the same error message as yours with my Canon 70D body and my Tamron and Tokina lenses from time to time especially in humid weather after using my camera for a while. I never had such a problem when I used my Canon 1100D with the same lenses in the past. I thought Canon 70D was a more sensitive camera than Canon 1100D and that's why I was getting such messages. I'm suprised to find out that it is a problem related to the lens. If so why don't I get any error messages with my Canon 1100D body and the same lenses?

BTW. I haven't dropped my Canon 70D at all, so it is not a damaged and repaired camera.

[Donald]

Binnur

It is not necessarily only to do with the lens. It is in my case. It could be the camera body or the lens, or both. Indeed, in your case, it may well be the body.

The first advice is to gently clean the contact points on the lens and the body. Do this with a VERY clean, lint-free cloth. The contact points are the small, brass coloured metal strips you see on both the body and the lens. Dirt on those can cause the problem. If they are clean and therefore not the cause, then it is recommended to take the camera and lens to a service centre.

[bnnrcn]

Thanks Donald It only happens at winter time , in very humid weather (usually just before it rains ) I exactly do what you suggest and wipe the contact points with a clean and dry cloth. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't work and my camera starts shooting properly again after I get back home where the air is dry and warm. So may be the problem is not related to the cleanliness but the humidity.

I will call the technical service tomorrow to ask for their opinion. Thanks for warning me about the matter

Binnur

It is not necessarily only to do with the lens. It is in my case. It could be the camera body or the lens, or both. Indeed, in your case, it may well be the body.

The first advice is to gently clean the contact points on the lens and the body. Do this with a VERY clean, lint-free cloth. The contact points are the small, brass coloured metal strips you see on both the body and the lens. Dirt on those can cause the problem. If they are clean and therefore not the cause, then it is recommended to take the camera and lens to a service centre.

[Dave Humphries]

Thanks Donald It only happens at winter time , in very humid weather (usually just before it rains ) I exactly do what you suggest and wipe the contact points with a clean and dry cloth. Sometimes it works but sometimes it doesn't work and my camera starts shooting properly again after I get back home where the air is dry and warm. So may be the problem is not related to the cleanliness but the humidity.

I will call the technical service tomorrow to ask for their opinion. Thanks for warning me about the matter

Hi Binnur,

Before you do that - if I were you - I'd try to replicate the fault with a Canon lens fitted - e.g. when the conditions are right, can you try the 70D a kit lens on, if you have one?

As soon as you mention Tamron and/or Sigma lenses, they may well lose interest in helping you, saying they cannot guarantee correct operation with a third party lens. WE both know the problem doesn't afflict the 1100D with those same lenses, but the cynic in me suspects they may be looking for a reason not to play ball, especially if you want it done free of charge/under warranty.

Also, if you do need to send it away, you can do so with the kit lens fitted instead of one of your favourites, which you'll still have available to shoot with the 1100D.

HTH, Dave

PS - Donald, obviously I'm sorry to hear you have another problem with your fav lens

[bnnrcn]

It just occured to me that may be the cloth I used for cleaning the contact points weren't that dry because I use the same cloth for cleaning my lenses and I might have used it to wipe some rain drops or some waterdrops from a waterfall on my lenses Anyway I will talk to the technical service about the matter tomorrow.

[bnnrcn]

Thank you very much for the suggestion Dave When I first read your post it was very silly of me to think that I don't have a kit lens for my 70D Of course I have a kit lens for my Canon 1100D which I don't use anymore and it fits to my Canon 70D too. It is a good idea to try the Canon kit lens when I get an error message next time. May be my thinking is right and Canon 70D is a more sensitive camera than Canon 1100D and that's why the connection between the lens and the camera doesn't work properly with third party lenses . Even so, I will call the Canon technical service tomorrow to ask for their opinion and share their answer in this thread so that it might be helpful for other members.

Hi Binnur,

Before you do that - if I were you - I'd try to replicate the fault with a Canon lens fitted - e.g. when the conditions are right, can you try the 70D a kit lens on, if you have one?

As soon as you mention Tamron and/or Sigma lenses, they may well lose interest in helping you, saying they cannot guarantee correct operation with a third party lens. WE both know the problem doesn't afflict the 1100D with those same lenses, but the cynic in me suspects they may be looking for a reason not to play ball, especially if you want it done free of charge/under warranty.

Also, if you do need to send it away, you can do so with the kit lens fitted instead of one of your favourites, which you'll still have available to shoot with the 1100D.

HTH, Dave

PS - Donald, obviously I'm sorry to hear you have another problem with your fav lens

[bnnrcn]

Hi Donald and Dave

I called the Canon Technical Service this morning about the connection problem with my camera and the lens. They were very friendly and helpful, I think it is because they are used to the customers who use third party lenses with Canon bodies, because a lot of people in Turkey prefer third party lenses as they are cheaper.

They said that problem is not related to my lens being a third party. Even if I use a third party lens , the connection between the camera and the lens has to work properly if there is no problem with the camera and/or the lens. They also said that the problem is usually on the lens side rather than the camera side but to make sure they can control my camera with their special equipment and with their lens set.

I asked them if I could control it on my own by replacing my third party lens with my Canon kit lens if the problem repeats again. They said it is logic but not everything is logic always in photography and the best way to understand the problem is to check the camera connections properly. They can't do anything about my lens though as it is not a Canon . Because my camera is still under warranty they recommended to send the camera to them before the warranty expires. Well I have enough time for that and I will send my camera to them for a check soon.

Thanks for starting this thread Donald. I thought I have a very sensitive camera and now I know that I might have an ill camera

[Donald]

I am very glad that you've had a positive and helpful discussion with the Canon Technical Service. Hopefully they can at least help you isolate what the problem is, even if it is the lens and they cannot fix it themselves.

[wilgk]

Golly! Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all parts & pieces!

[John 2]

Intermittent problems are the most frustrating. It sounds as though you found someone who can fix the problem anyway, but often, techs end up saying everything is fine because they can't replicate the problem. In one case, when an intermittent problem occurred, I quickly recorded it with my iPhone camera and sent that to the techs.

There is nothing more frustrating than a repair shop saying (in my case it's the car) ".......it's clearly intermittent. Next time it happens, bring it in so that we can see what's happening." ...but it's intermittent and of course when you do take it in, there's no sign of the problem.

Hope the surgery does the job Donald. Getting it to Glasgow can't be easy and multiple trips are a pain.

[royphot]

In Donald's case, he is fortunate that AC Johnstone are independent repairers and can fix any make, provided they can get the parts. For Warranty work they might be required to send the equipment back to Canon, which can cause a delay.

[Mike Buckley]

not everything is logic always in photography

How true!