Need Help ON Canon Rebel XTI

Katmitchell · July 12, 2009

Ok,,, I have had this camera for a year now and
I have taken very good care of it..

Last night all of the sudden, the pictures came out 1/3 black, I did some research and found it had to do with the secondary window shutter getting stuck, they said to set the camera to clean so that the window would flip up and then I could get in there and manually flip the shutter back up into the main mirror, so I did this and the consequences of this are now that the auto focus refuses to function. I looked on the NET and found it is a very common problem with canon rebel xti because the plastic pin that holds this secondary window gives out under wear and it is a 200 dollar problem to fix..

I am kind of disappointed. I know it is not the highest end camera but I spent 800 bucks new for it and crap..... my canon point and shoot lasted for 8 years with no problems whatsoever, and I buy this higher end canon SLR to replace the point and shoot and it breaks within a year..

bash:bash:bash

Has anyone else had this problem? does Nikon gear give out this fast? I am thinking of switching to Nikon if their stuff is better built, especially the internals and I would rather do that now before I get into the heavy investment of glass.

Any advice is appreciated...

Kat

dragilores · July 12, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

does Nikon gear give out this fast? I am thinking of switching to Nikon if their stuff is better built, especially the internals and I would rather do that now before I get into the heavy investment of glass.

Any advice is appreciated...

Kat

I can't help you on the others, but maybe I can help on this one. I had a Nikon D40 and I took about 1500+ pictures with no problem. I had it for less than a year, and I sold it.

I am using a D200 now and took about 1500+ pics also, no problem. *knock on wood*
D200's shutter is said to last about 200k actuations.

How many pics did you take with it?

Katmitchell · July 12, 2009

oh.. I am well over the 1500 mark.. My best guess is that I am around 3500 ish..

I did not know until now that it is common for the shutters to break down after a certain amount of shots.. I wonder why point and shoots don't wear out like this.
I had a canon point and shoot I paid around 480 for 8 years ago and it still works no problems and it has even been dropped on cement. I just don' get why the SLR are so much more sensitive..

dragilores · July 12, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

oh.. I am well over the 1500 mark.. My best guess is that I am around 3500 ish..

I did not know until now that it is common for the shutters to break down after a certain amount of shots.. I wonder why point and shoots don't wear out like this.
I had a canon point and shoot I paid around 480 for 8 years ago and it still works no problems and it has even been dropped on cement. I just don' get why the SLR are so much more sensitive..

Based on my knowledge about SLR and digital camera,

- digital camera uses electronic shutters
- SLR still uses mechanical shutters, which will fail after some number of counts

That is the reason why SLR is more sensitive, but still, the Rebel shouldn't break down that fast. IT should fail after 50k of shots at least.

Is it still under warranty? Try contacting Canon if it is.

ziggy53 · July 12, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

oh.. I am well over the 1500 mark.. My best guess is that I am around 3500 ish..

I did not know until now that it is common for the shutters to break down after a certain amount of shots.. I wonder why point and shoots don't wear out like this.
I had a canon point and shoot I paid around 480 for 8 years ago and it still works no problems and it has even been dropped on cement. I just don' get why the SLR are so much more sensitive..

Kat,

Sorry you are having problems. Are you for sure beyond the manufacturer's warranty? Be sure to check to see if you might have an extended warranty through your charge card/credit card. Some cards give an extra 1 year warranty with the purchase using their card.

As to why dSLRs are more prone to shutter and mirror box failure; it's because a dSLR has a mechanical shutter and a mirror that flips out of the way. These are moving parts that many P&S cameras do not have. That is part of the reason why P&S cameras can cost less.

Do contact Canon and tell them your problem and they may have other suggestions as well. At least you will have documented the problem.

Unfortunately all dSLRs have a shutter box and a mirror box mechanism. This gives dSLRs considerable advantages over P&S cameras, but it makes all dSLRs more prone to this type of failure.

BTW a Canon XTi is presumed to have a shutter actuation lifetime of around 50,000 actuations, which is pretty good for an entry level camera. If you are just over the warranty and if Canon confirms a very low shutter count, they might cut you some slack (no guarantees though.)

Good luck,

DsrtVW · July 12, 2009

Ouch Kat I hate when that happens. Any device no matter brand can fail.
My D300 had to go back 2 months after I bought it complete fail. It has not missed a beat since.50000+ actuations now. My D50 has never given me any problems I need to get that oPanda software so I know how many is on that one.
Now this is just my personal feelings I have always like the feel and build quality of the Nikon DSLR products all my P&S have been Canon because I like them.
My D300 has survived 2 drops one to concrete and the other when the tripod fell. It is a well built unit.
SO sorry you are having problems check on the warranty. Hope the shakes of withdrawal are not to severe while you are not able to shoot with it.:D:D:D

Flutist · July 12, 2009

You mean like this?

I had this happen on a shoot, my only camera body, and got so frustrated I wanted to throw my camera out......needless to say it wasn't a paying customer, it was my husband and his band.

But....lesson learned, I'm on the hunt for a second body....

Katmitchell · July 12, 2009

Thank you very much for the great responses everyone..

Ziggy a wealth of information.. thank you. I had no idea.. I do have a question for you. Why do the mechanical parts in a DSLR make it better than the digital or electronic in the point and shoot.? It seems this problem did not crop up until a week ago when I went into the settings and for the first time set the mirror to "lock up" to try and practice in getting super crisp and sharp images.. after that, it wigged out on me. I will definitely contact canon on this...unfortunately I purchased it on a circuit city card which we paid off but circuit city went out of business. I will have to call canon and see what my options are..

Yes, Flutist.. that is what they look like, but worse, only 1/3 of the shot shows up, the rest is black. I was able to fix that by telling it to flip the mirror up for cleaning and then I carefully pushed the autfocus mirror back up into the larger one like they said to do on the website. SO it takes normal pictures now, but I am left only with manual focus.

Well, Chris... yes, I am bummed, I had an awesome shoot set up for the contest, took all night to stage the setting, then once i started to shoot it I noticed the issue and then today it rained and ruined the entire prop set up that took a full day to dig and prepare.. so bummed yes... Lucky for me we still have a couple weeks..

Thanks for all the help and support everyone..

Kat

ziggy53 · July 12, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

... I do have a question for you. Why do the mechanical parts in a DSLR make it better than the digital or electronic in the point and shoot.? ...

Starting with the mirror box. The benefits:

Optical view through the lens. No delay like you have with a P&S.
Mirror design allows "Phase Detect" autofocus. Much more accurate and faster than the Contrast Detect system used with other camera types.
The combination of reflex mirror and shutter in the camera allows interchangeable lenses.

The benefits of the mechanical shutter:

Protection of the image sensor, again allowing interchangeable lenses.
Also protecting the sensor against accidental sun exposure (or other extremely bright light sources.)

While there have been a couple of fixed lens digital SLRs, the only other interchangeable single (viewing) lens design for digital photography is the Micro Four-Thirds design which still uses a mechanical shutter.

jdryan3 · July 12, 2009

Flutist wrote:

You mean like this?

I had this happen on a shoot, my only camera body, and got so frustrated I wanted to throw my camera out......needless to say it wasn't a paying customer, it was my husband and his band.

But....lesson learned, I'm on the hunt for a second body....

You sure this wasn't caused by flash sync rather the shutter failure?

jeffreaux2 · July 12, 2009

Were you using flash...and if so...what was the shutter speed?

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

ziggy53 wrote:

Starting with the mirror box. The benefits:

Optical view through the lens. No delay like you have with a P&S.
Mirror design allows "Phase Detect" autofocus. Much more accurate and faster than the Contrast Detect system used with other camera types.
The combination of reflex mirror and shutter in the camera allows interchangeable lenses.

The benefits of the mechanical shutter:

Protection of the image sensor, again allowing interchangeable lenses.
Also protecting the sensor against accidental sun exposure (or other extremely bright light sources.)

While there have been a couple of fixed lens digital SLRs, the only other interchangeable single (viewing) lens design for digital photography is the Micro Four-Thirds design which still uses a mechanical shutter.

Thanks Ziggy... That clears up a lot of questions.....:D...Thanks for taking the time to explain...I appreciate it.

Kat

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Were you using flash...and if so...what was the shutter speed?

Not sure if this question is for me or for flutist, but to be sure it was not the flash sync I shot several in auto mode to make sure it was not my settings and it still came out 1/3 black.

So I am pretty sure it is the secondary autofocus mirror, because I not longer have auto focus now that I flipped that mirror back in place, however, at least now there is no more black and I can still shoot with manual focus.

Kat

20DNoob · July 13, 2009

I'd take it around to a proper camera shop if you have one in the area, probably a decent amount cheaper than sending out to Canon Irvine/Jamesburg and having them fix it. Heck your down by Georgia, give KEH a call and see if they can help you out.

ziggy53 · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

... So I am pretty sure it is the secondary autofocus mirror, because I not longer have auto focus now that I flipped that mirror back in place, however, at least now there is no more black and I can still shoot with manual focus.

Do you get focus confirmation in manual focus?

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

ziggy53 wrote:

Do you get focus confirmation in manual focus?

No.. I just pulled it out to check that when I saw your post, and as a matter of fact, I even purposely blurred it out of focus and it still let me take the shot and when I bring it in to focus, no beeping sound or light for focus confirmation, non at all..

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

20DNoob wrote:

I'd take it around to a proper camera shop if you have one in the area, probably a decent amount cheaper than sending out to Canon Irvine/Jamesburg and having them fix it. Heck your down by Georgia, give KEH a call and see if they can help you out.

Thanks Christian,

I may have to end up doing that. I live out in the country, but I am an hour from Nashville, so I may be able to find a place there.. I have no idea who KEH is

20DNoob · July 13, 2009

They're out of Smyrna Ga., generally speaking the go to place for used gear. I've yet to get anything from them but from everything I've read about them on various forums they seem to underrate their used gear.

http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx

Best of luck sorting it out.

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

20DNoob wrote:

They're out of Smyrna Ga., generally speaking the go to place for used gear. I've yet to get anything from them but from everything I've read about them on various forums they seem to underrate their used gear.

http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx

Best of luck sorting it out.

Thanks for the link.. I will check that out..

Kat

ziggy53 · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

No.. I just pulled it out to check that when I saw your post, and as a matter of fact, I even purposely blurred it out of focus and it still let me take the shot and when I bring it in to focus, no beeping sound or light for focus confirmation, non at all..

I agree that it sounds as though the secondary mirror which services the AF has become inoperative.

It does sound like time for some sort of repair/service.

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

Thank you Ziggy and Everyone..

Yes, it looks like some repair is in order, and that camera repair Christian posted looks trust worthy.. I am thinking to myself that it may be worth putting out for a higher end camera eventually...

Again thanks for all of the great support..:D

Kat

divamum · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

Thank you Ziggy and Everyone..

Yes, it looks like some repair is in order, and that camera repair Christian posted looks trust worthy.. I am thinking to myself that it may be worth putting out for a higher end camera eventually...

Again thanks for all of the great support..:D

Kat

KEH are very highly regarded, Kat - I hadn't heard of them before dgrin, but once I started reading the glowing reports figured I'd give them a try. I've just bought two used lenses from them and they are outstanding (far better than described). I can imagine that their repair service is just as good.

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

Thanks Diva,

That is reassuring... I find is difficult to stick it in a box and ship it off. I am a little nervous about that , not to mention I am going to have major withdraws being left without a camera

.. So, I appreciate the comment.

Kat

dlplumer · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

Thanks Diva,

That is reassuring... I find is difficult to stick it in a box and ship it off. I am a little nervous about that , not to mention I am going to have major withdraws being left without a camera .. So, I appreciate the comment.

Kat

Time for the 50D

dnie · July 13, 2009

Kat,
Be sure to contact Canon before anything. I know of a freind who had his camera about a year that had very good results from them when his broke. I may see him tomorrow. If so, I will let you know the specifics.

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

dlplumer wrote:

Time for the 50D

Well how is your 50 D holding out Dan? that new sensor size does sound yummy..

There are so many mixed reviews between canon and Nikon it will make a person's head spin. I found from searching the net that they have issues too and sometimes early on too as Chris mentioned. I guess I will have to accept that I will need a separate savings kitty for repairs, no getting around it..

I am rather spoiled to canon's interface.. I will say that...

Kat

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

dnie wrote:

Kat,
Be sure to contact Canon before anything. I know of a freind who had his camera about a year that had very good results from them when his broke. I may see him tomorrow. If so, I will let you know the specifics.

Thanks Donna... what happened to his?

I have found that this secondary mirror failure is more common than I thought in the rebel XTi...

Kat

Katmitchell · July 13, 2009

Ya know... It occurred to me today after my research and after reading the posts here, since repairs seem to be a necessary evil anyways, no matter what system or brand, then maybe it is best to buy a much higher end camera system, but at refurbished costs?

scratch

Kat

ziggy53 · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

Ya know... It occurred to me today after my research and after reading the posts here, since repairs seem to be a necessary evil anyways, no matter what system or brand, then maybe it is best to buy a much higher end camera system, but at refurbished costs?scratch

Kat

It's always best to buy what you need. Buying more than you need tends to be expensive.

You might consider an extended warranty to help buffer the cost of possible repairs.

DsrtVW · July 13, 2009

Kat I was walking through Costco Nikon D5000 with 2 VR lenses 999.99:grim
Come over to the dark side
Of cousre Canon has the XTI same outfit 949.99 I dont think does the video.
If it were me I would go D90 or even D200 & 300
But then you are already invested, I could not switch over now to another system with what I have in Nikon unless I start making seriuos money at it.

dnie · July 13, 2009

Katmitchell wrote:

Thanks Donna... what happened to his?

I have found that this secondary mirror failure is more common than I thought in the rebel XTi...

Kat

I can't remember for sure. If I don't see him in the morning I will email him.

Need Help ON Canon Rebel XTI

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