Error 80 on Canon 7D

[Geoff F]

While shooting today I was reviewing and deleting some images when the screen went blank and Error 80 was displayed on the top camera panel.

Have charged the battery. Removed the small battery as well. Changed the CF card. But still can't get the display to work.

I can get the camera to zoom and focus but as soon as I touch any of the display buttons it goes wrong and the Error 80 reappears.

At one time I've had a mixture of lines and other strange effects on the screen.

The CF card downloaded with a card reader without any problems and works in my 40D.

I'm about to start looking for further information on the Canon website prior to sending the camera to a repairers tomorrow.

Any suggestions appreciated.

[FrankMi]

Hi Geoff, I was able to locate this but as it is for a D30 it may not be the same as your 7D. On the other hand, it is likely a problem with the shutter as the same error codes are usually used from model to model.

"NOt sure if it's the same on the 7D, but as Omar mentioned, here is an excerpt regarding error 80 on a D30 (it's likely Canon uses common error reporting across its line):

ERR 80: SHUTTER

DESCRIPTION: This error occurs in the following conditions. 1) When the EOS D30's self-check system detects that the shutter has not been fully charged (ready to shoot). 2) When the EOS D30's self-check system detects that the shutter operation sequence has not been completed correctly. 3) When the built-in flash cannot be recharged after the E-TTL preflash but before the main exposure. REMEDIAL MEASURE: Try clearing the error by turning the main power switch OFF and then back ON. If this does not solve the problem, have the EOS D30 examined by a qualified service technician."

[Geoff F]

Thanks Frank.

From what I've been able to discover through the 7D manual, which doesn't give much information about problems, it appears to be a main switch problem.

I will try it again now that it has had a bit of a 'rest' with the battery removed but have already sorted out a box and address label ready for the repairers tomorrow.

I was shooting with flash but that was an external unit and the camera appears to be OK until I try to use any of the display buttons. I was actually reviewing images when the problem occurred.

So it looks like I'm going back to the 40D tomorrow. A good job I got it fully overhauled after it went wrong last year.