Please Help. Something fell out of my 5D 2

[Seriche]

In a nutshell, something fell out of my 5D 2 this afternoon. I can think of two reasons why that happened, and only one is my fault, but both are too embarrassing to relate

I've identified it as my focusing screen. At first I thought one of the tabs was broken, but looking at a spare part online shows that one is shorter than the other anyway.

I love that camera, and apart from feeling as if I've lost an arm, I don't want to lose a leg too, so I need to know if I can replace the part myself. I've never had any repairs done before, but have heard scary tales of how much Canon can charge. I'm happily broke from buying photographic gear, so would appreciate any advice on the wisdom of replacing the part myself.

I'm very good with delicate jobs like this, and have all kinds of small electronics tools which might help. I'm kind of hoping you're going to tell me I can just slip it straight back in, but I'm not touching it until I get expert advice

Cheers,

Seri

[Odille]

I have heard of this happening before, and I think I have read of people doing it themselves. Try the Canon POTN forum, it is Canon dedicated and the most likely place to find advice. And I have an idea Canon may have a fix for this but whether or not it would be v=covered by warranty I don't know.

[ilovelucydog]

No advice for you, Seri, but sending wishes and keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

[inkista]

The 5D's focusing screen is meant to be user-replaceable. I swapped mine for the super-precision matte the week I got the Mark II. It's just a little hinged door. You probably accidentally depressed the switch that holds it in place. If you scratched up the old one, a new focus screen only costs about $40, and comes with a tweezer-like tool so you can avoid touching the focus screen surface. It should take about five seconds. The 5Dii can take three different focus screens: the Eg-A (standard matte), Eg-S (super-precision, made for faster lenses and thinner DoF, it's darker), and the Eg-D (has a grid on it). The 5D classic's screens are named Ee instead of Eg. The 5Dii's have extra tabs you can grind off and use in the classic if you can't find the Ee ones.

This Youtube video demonstrates how the focus screen is replaced.

[Seriche]

I have heard of this happening before, and I think I have read of people doing it themselves. Try the Canon POTN forum, it is Canon dedicated and the most likely place to find advice. And I have an idea Canon may have a fix for this but whether or not it would be v=covered by warranty I don't know.

Hi Odille,

It turns out you were absolutely right. These screens were made to be replaceable by us mortals

Thanks for the mentioning POTN as a good resource for such things. You're right there too. POTN is a brilliant site, full of excellent information. I was there for a short while, still go back now and then to look at the images, and still keep in touch with the friends I made there. POTN is huge though, and feels like a city to me. I like visiting cities, but I'm a country girl and much prefer living in the CiC village right here

Cheers,

Seri

[Seriche]

The 5D's focusing screen is meant to be user-replaceable. I swapped mine for the super-precision matte the week I got the Mark II. It's just a little hinged door. You probably accidentally depressed the switch that holds it in place. If you scratched up the old one, a new focus screen only costs about $40, and comes with a tweezer-like tool so you can avoid touching the focus screen surface. It should take about five seconds. The 5Dii can take three different focus screens: the Eg-A (standard matte), Eg-S (super-precision, made for faster lenses and thinner DoF, it's darker), and the Eg-D (has a grid on it). The 5D classic's screens are named Ee instead of Eg. The 5Dii's have extra tabs you can grind off and use in the classic if you can't find the Ee ones.

This Youtube video demonstrates how the focus screen is replaced.

Hello Kathy,

I feel much better after getting the replies from you and Odille. I can definitely do what was shown on that helpful video.

Through taking Odille's advice to check it out on POTN, I now have a fair idea of what caused the accident. I'd earlier been having a friendly argument with someone who insisted that one of my EFS lenses could fit on the 5D II. I said "No way" but he made me promise to try it. So I did, very gently, but a peculiar noise made me stop. Later, when looking down the viewfinder, most of the view was blocked off, and when I took the proper lens off to investigate, out fell the view screen

The screen looks to be in perfect condition, but as it's been out of the camera, do you think I should clean it first, and if so, with what?

All I need to do now is to make sure the cradle hasn't been damaged, then make a substute holder (like the tool you mentioned as shown in the video)to install the screen with.

Thanks for the extra info on focusing screens. I had no idea there was a choice. Very interesting.

I'm feeling a bit peaky this morning, for some unknown reason, but I'll perform the operation later today and report back here on how the patient fared

Now, if you can just tell me how I can temporarily remove those pesky little focus points which paradoxically drive me nuts when I'm trying to focus manually on macro subjects, I'll be your slave for life

I've heard it's not possible, but I so wish it was...

Thanks again,

Cheers,

Seri

[Seriche]

No advice for you, Seri, but sending wishes and keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you.

Thanks for the welcome empathy, Mary Cars don't interest me, but it only took that screen to fall out for me to understand how people feel about their cars. I'm going to be extremely slow and careful when doing the operation this afternoon, no matter how simple it is. Feels like I'm wedded to that camera. Well, at least, I would have to call it love

Cheers,

Seri

[Donald]

Through taking Odille's advice to check it out on POTN, I now have a fair idea of what caused the accident. I'd earlier been having a friendly argument with someone who insisted that one of my EFS lenses could fit on the 5D II.

As well as the learning you have undertaken in relation to the technical matters, I think a learning point for the future is to precede discussions with others who might offer such advice with, "Do you actually know anything about what you're talking about?"

From Wikipedia - "Canon designers have taken steps to ensure it is physically impossible to mount EF-S lenses on EF-only cameras."

[hcp474]

Whilst on the topic of focussing screens, non-OEM ones are available with split prisms and micro prisms. I replaced the one in my 550D (which is not designed to be user changeable, but is in fact very simple to do) it behaves very well when manual focusing,
whilst using my set of older M42 manual lenses with it. I have stopped using the kit canon lens as i cant get the same control, and it feels to light / plasticy. The only downside is the centre AF sensor gets blocked by the split, but the surrounding ones all work fine.

David

[Colin Southern]

I'd earlier been having a friendly argument with someone who insisted that one of my EFS lenses could fit on the 5D II. I said "No way" but he made me promise to try it. So I did, very gently, but a peculiar noise made me stop. Later, when looking down the viewfinder, most of the view was blocked off, and when I took the proper lens off to investigate, out fell the view screen

Unfortunately, the "S" in EF-S stands for Short-back-focus - which means that the back of the lens is physically closer to the sensor - and on non-EF-S compatable cameras, the back of the lens hits the mirror.

Hope it hasn't damaged the mirror or the back of the lens

Did you try to take a shot?

[Seriche]

Hi,

Anyone there to help me out?

I'll reply properly later, but for now I'm stuck at the last fence.

The screen holder won't lock back into place. Everything seems fine in there and I think the screen is properly seated in the holder, but although I can push it up, nothing happens to secure it in place.

I don't want to press too hard in case the locking mechanism is damaged. How would I tell?

Any advice would be very much appreciated

Cheers,

Seri

[FrankMi]

Hi Seri, how about walking into a camera store that sells Canon and say "I can't seem to get the screen holder to stay in. Could you take a quick look at it?" After it is installed you could say "I wonder why it wouldn't stay in for me." This should help the folks by giving them an opportunity to be friendly and helpful to their customers.

[Seriche]

Thanks, Frank,

Good idea . My daughter will take it into Town for me tomorrow if I can't sort the problem out for myself by then, but I hate to admit defeat with everything else going so well up to now.

I'd like to get a better look inside. I've got a really strong torch I could use. Is there any reason why I shouldn't shine it inside?

But if the worst comes to the worst my daughter will have lots of fun flirting with the sales boys

Cheers,

Seri

[inkista]

You do have to press the latch in to get it to hold (watch the hook end of the tool in the video). It does take a little bit of pressure to get it to latch back in and you should hear/feel it click. Also, check that your screen is seated properly. But simply pushing the door up won't do it--you have to push in on the latch to get it to catch and hold the door in place.

The screen looks to be in perfect condition, but as it's been out of the camera, do you think I should clean it first, and if so, with what?

I'd recommend just blasting it with a bulb blower, and avoid touching the surface. The matte surface rubs/scratches VERY easily. Always handle it by the edges. This is also why the tweezer thing is so useful.

Now, if you can just tell me how I can temporarily remove those pesky little focus points which paradoxically drive me nuts when I'm trying to focus manually on macro subjects, I'll be your slave for life

Sorry. No can do. They're embedded into the glass layer that's above the focus screen...

[Katy Noelle]

Feels like I'm wedded to that camera. Well, at least, I would have to call it love

Cheers,

Seri

I've 'heard' you talk about how much you love photography, before, Seri, and, I have to say, I relate completely. Absolute love! Actually, for a year, the subheading on my photo journal blog was "it's kind of like a love story".

I hope your baby's okay, now.

[FrankMi]

Ah, LOVE! It makes living so worthwhile!

[Ron Allner]

I have a 5D mk1 and the same happend to me this is a known fault by canon and they will fix it free of charge

[Colin Southern]

I have a 5D mk1 and the same happend to me this is a known fault by canon and they will fix it free of charge

Hi Ron,

Off memory (and I could be wrong), but the known fault for the original 5D was the mirror coming unstuck (which Canon fix for free) - from what we understand from Seri, this is just a focusing screen though.

[Seriche]

As well as the learning you have undertaken in relation to the technical matters, I think a learning point for the future is to precede discussions with others who might offer such advice with, "Do you actually know anything about what you're talking about?"

From Wikipedia - "Canon designers have taken steps to ensure it is physically impossible to mount EF-S lenses on EF-only cameras."

Ah Donald. I know.......I know.........

But you see, he's a very old and dear friend whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the world never ceases to impress me. He takes prize-winning photos around the world and he's very rarely wrong about anything.

He also does a perfect impression of the Rock of Gibralter when he believes he's in the right. So this time, nothing I said to the contrary could persuade him that EFS lenses should not be mounted on the 5D II.

I knew it couldn't be done because I'd read so much about it, but the only thing left for me to do was to try it and prove to him that it wouldn't work. I had no idea that it could actually cause harm; I just thought it wouldn't lock into place.

Lesson learned

I'm not really blaming him though. He's only ever had EF lenses. It was my action that caused the damage. He's taking me out on another walk and shoot this morning and is even giving me a medium-long Canon lens on extended loan (and I haven't even told him about the accident yet). It's a *white* one, and I've never used one of those before

I blame Frank for that, with all his charming American ways He's persuaded me to try taking wildlife, but as we don't have any wild mammals bigger than a rabbit here the waders will be my main target

When I started learning photography I thought that I'd only stick to certain genres, but I seem to be seeing more and more things as possible photos as time goes on....

As the song goes in 'Blue Alert' : 'bits of beauty everywhere'

Cheers,

Seri

[Seriche]

You do have to press the latch in to get it to hold (watch the hook end of the tool in the video). It does take a little bit of pressure to get it to latch back in and you should hear/feel it click. Also, check that your screen is seated properly. But simply pushing the door up won't do it--you have to push in on the latch to get it to catch and hold the door in place.

Kathy, thank you so much for coming to my aid again

You gave me the final piece of the puzzle. For some lights-on-nobody-home reason I'd been pressing up on the middle of the actual screen instead of the screen holder (with a finger wrapped in clean lens cloth). When I applied a small bit of pressure to the central bit of the holder at the front instead, it easily clicked back into place without me having to fiddle with the latch, though I imagine that would have been the better way to do it.

I'd recommend just blasting it with a bulb blower, and avoid touching the surface. The matte surface rubs/scratches VERY easily. Always handle it by the edges. This is also why the tweezer thing is so useful.

Thanks. I'd gone ahead and used a brush, but that caused static which attracted more dust, so I ended up using a new lens cloth extremely carefully to take care of the particles. Your tip about the blower sounds much better.

I only touched the edges with my fingers. And since I wasn't replacing a screen, I didn't have the special plastic tool, but made one of my own from a small pair of flat jaw electronic pliers with the ends covered in art masking tape. The ends matched the width of the holding tab perfectly

As you and Odille said, it's a simple job once you know how to do it, and I'd be very confident about replacing the screen now if necessary.

Sorry. No can do. They're embedded into the glass layer that's above the focus screen...

Oh, but that's what everyone says! I was hoping you'd have some magic solution to it I really don't understand what autofocus and all those annoying red blinking squares are for. They just get in the way and never seem to be accurate enough to be useful. I just like to use manual and my eyes ..........bet I'll find out I'm doing something wrong with autofocus though

Thanks again, Kathy, you're a star!

I've just done some test shots and the camera is working just fine.

Cheers,

Seri