5d help, won't turn on

stirinthesauce

Was shooting a wedding today and during the reception, I was changing CF cards. I had an off brand (Targus) battery grip attached to my Canon 5d. As I popped in the card (a Hitachi 4gb Microdrive) and tried to turn the camera back on and it was dead. Took the battery grip off and put a battery in. Nothing. Used my backup body the rest of the night but now I am back in the hotel room and still with a freshly charged battery it will not turn on. Any thoughts? Do I just need to send it in to Canon for service? Thanks for any and all help.
-Jon

Matthew Saville

Is this some sort of prank forum post? Or did you ACTUALLY shoot a wedding with a microdrive, in 2011?

If you plan on shooting another wedding, ever, message me privately and I'll spend $40 to buy you a solid state CF card if you don't already have one. I'm absolutely serious, if you are...

Sorry if I sounded like an ass. But a microdrive is just not an acceptable form of image storage, especially for a wedding. I'd rather shoot film than use a Microdrive, to be honest.

As far as the camera goes, my policy is that even if you are able to awaken the camera somehow, it still needs to go into service. You just can't trust it to work perfectly now, not if it randomly shuts off. Unless the issue becomes very obvious and easily avoidable.

The actual issue with the camera not turning on is nothing I've heard of before. You can try cleaning the contacts on the battery, and of course shine a flashlight down the battery receptacle to look for corosion. Also try turning the camera on without that microdrive inserted, and also check to make sure the mirror hasn't fallen out if it's an original 5D that hasn't had that mirror recall service performed yet.

Other than that, again, it's time to send it in anyways.

Now, please tell me you do have other, reliable memory cards and you were only using that Microdrive cause you like to live life on the wild side or something...

=Matt=

[edit] Wait a minute. Where did you buy that 5D, and were you shooting with anyone else? Something is fishy about this whole thing...)

Overfocused

I had this issue with the 5D Mark II a month ago. The power supply croaked. $220 total including shipping both ways insured, plus they clean the camera and calibrate the AF system. That's if it's only the power supply.

And not to be an ass either, but just to be honest I second Neil on the 'what the heck are you thinking using a micro drive' topic

Get a CF card! Much more stable and no moving parts. Who knows what the power draw on those things are and how it could affect the delicate circuitry in a camera like that... and being mechanical... that's just ick. icky ick.

stirinthesauce

I have 24+ gigs in cf cards. It was a long (LONG) day of shooting and was into the final part of the night. I had another cf card but grabbed the microdrive (first thing my hand grabbed in the bag). Didn't realize so many people hated those old, nostalgic pieces of storage. Never once had an issue of any with that microdrive in the past 6 years or so of using it. I have had problems with cf cards at times.

Anyhow, lets hope it is the powersupply. Looks like it is headed back to Canon. Thank you for the replies.

stirinthesauce

UPDATE, 20d and 5d dead by microdrive
So, grabbed the backup 20d to go out for a stroll at the local park. Just to check to see about the above mentioned microdrive, I inserted it, turned on the camera, immediate err 99 message. Turned it off, dropped the battery out and re-inserted the battery after removing the card. The camera just fires away in the off mode. Now this has me wondering, what the heck has happened to both cameras? The culprit is obviously this microdrive (yeah, yeah, I know, it is going in the garbage). On the 20d I have removed the date/time battery as well hoping that it would reset itself. No luck. Yes I can get them repaired but in a bind. Going to the Grand Canyon next week and don't want to shoot film for 9 days. Any ideas on how to reset these cameras?

ziggy53

Remove the main battery and CMOS backup battery and leave it out of the camera for at least 5 minutes. Also, turn the 20D on during the 5 minutes.

After the batteries have been out for a while, turn off the camera and reinsert all the batteries.

Turn on the camera and hope for the best.

stirinthesauce

ziggy53 wrote: »

Remove the main battery and CMOS backup battery and leave it out of the camera for at least 5 minutes. Also, turn the 20D on during the 5 minutes.

After the batteries have been out for a while, turn off the camera and reinsert all the batteries.

Turn on the camera and hope for the best.

Thanks Ziggy. Trying it now. Fingers crossed.

Matthew Saville

stirinthesauce wrote: »

I have 24+ gigs in cf cards. It was a long (LONG) day of shooting and was into the final part of the night.

If you're considering yourself a professional on these wedding jobs, I would try and double that number, and do it entirely with reliable, lifetime warrantied cards. You owe it to the people who pay you money to photograph their (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime event...


(Just trying to help prevent an image loss disaster!)

=Matt=

stirinthesauce

On 2000 images I shot I used 17 gigs of space. Don't see how doubling storage capacity will solve my problem listed above.

Lets keep the replies to the question I asked.

Thanks

Jon


In response to Ziggy, last nights results were very odd. After trying your suggested method, after inserting the battery the camera fired. Turned it on and it stayed on "busy." Top LCD was lit up with the appropriated icons however all I was getting was the busy message. Would not turn off either. Removed both batteries, waited, and could not get it to turn back on. Still just fires when turned off. Sometimes it does not. Off to call Canon.

Art Scott

were the cameras off or on when the Microdrive was inserted?? It really should not be the Micro unless there is a short circuit inside it........it could all just be coincidence .....

stirinthesauce

Art Scott wrote: »

were the cameras off or on when the Microdrive was inserted?? It really should not be the Micro unless there is a short circuit inside it........it could all just be coincidence .....

Thanks Art. They were both off. May just be coincidence. Canon tech support helped me troubleshoot this morning. No avail. Sending both cameras in for service work today.

Art Scott

Good luck....hopefully not too expensive to get repaired...it really sucks and
shows that even with 2 cameras that may not be enuff for a working pro.

stirinthesauce

Art Scott wrote: »

Good luck....hopefully not too expensive to get repaired...it really sucks and
shows that even with 2 cameras that may not be enuff for a working pro.

Yeah, thankfully I have a check in hand from the shoot which will offset the costs. Just part of doing business. And your right about 2 may not be enough. Had 2 film bodies in the car with plenty of film. Glad it didn't come to that though.

Thanks Art.

JimKarczewski

Well, if you ever upgrade to a 5DII you'll see 17 gigs fly by in a HEARTBEAT.

104GB of CF cards now. Reliable Kingston Green Cards, 32GB (which even support video.. Shhh.. Don't tell anyone..) are $89.

sara505

My 40D went dead on me once right after changing cards. I discovered later that I had not clicked the hatch all the way closed.
I'm not saying that's what happened to you - just throwing it out there.

stirinthesauce

sara505 wrote: »

My 40D went dead on me once right after changing cards. I discovered later that I had not clicked the hatch all the way closed.
I'm not saying that's what happened to you - just throwing it out there.

Yeah, tech support started there as well.

Jim, still enjoying the 12.8mp files. Large enough for substantial enlargements but not to large to eat storage. Images just sing on the old 5d classic. Heck, I've got 20x30 prints that look pretty darn good off the lowly 8.2mp 20d. Looks like I will stick around longer with the classic seeing as how I am getting it repaired. Upgrade will be further down the road.

JimKarczewski

I still use my 5D and occasionally 20D. Only reason I prefer the MkII for primary is I can go above 1600 without thinking about it, all the way to 6400. Just something I can't do on any other camera I own.

joeyhcmc

Hi there StirInTheSauce, it is 2018 and I think we are the only 2 guys who had experienced this in the whole world. You are not alone! 'Coz today, I got the same problem as you did back in 2011. Bought a 3rd Generation EXTREME CF Adapter for $30 USD and inserted it with a 128 GB microdrive SD Card. Guess what happened... It ruined both my Canon 5D and Canon 20D. I was not even able to get a single shot from that CF Adapter because after inserting the in into the 5D and 20D, power won't turn on in the 5D and on the 20D, it is exactly as what you had described - firing up when it is switched off while battery is on and only the top LCD works, abnormally.

Did you find out what was the causing all these symptoms? Were you able to solve your problem after sending them to Canon for repair? What did they find out and say to you?

How can a 128GB microdrive SD card + CF Adapter ruin the internal board of these cameras. I just want to find out why the both cameras were ruined that way.

Cheers!

Joeyhcmc

ziggy53

@joeyhcmc said:
Hi there StirInTheSauce, it is 2018 and I think we are the only 2 guys who had experienced this in the whole world. You are not alone! 'Coz today, I got the same problem as you did back in 2011. Bought a 3rd Generation EXTREME CF Adapter for $30 USD and inserted it with a 128 GB microdrive SD Card. Guess what happened... It ruined both my Canon 5D and Canon 20D. I was not even able to get a single shot from that CF Adapter because after inserting the in into the 5D and 20D, power won't turn on in the 5D and on the 20D, it is exactly as what you had described - firing up when it is switched off while battery is on and only the top LCD works, abnormally.



Did you find out what was the causing all these symptoms? Were you able to solve your problem after sending them to Canon for repair? What did they find out and say to you?



How can a 128GB microdrive SD card + CF Adapter ruin the internal board of these cameras. I just want to find out why the both cameras were ruined that way.



Cheers!



Joeyhcmc

To answer your last question, improper electronics can cause severe current draw, and that current draw can cause a "brownout" situation of low voltage to the circuits of the host device. High current and lowered voltage causes an increase in heat to circuits, especially power control circuits. When the power control is pushed beyond its design limits, any number of effects can occur and damage can occur to associated circuits.

stirinthesauce

Wow, haven't been on this site in a long time bit got an email notification. I never figured out the problem but never used the micro drive again. I got both the 5D and 20D repaired at Canon way back when this happened. I have since sold the 5D and sold the 20D but ended up buying another 20 D that is now my wife's camera. Still rocking an old 5D Mark II currently. Mainly shoot film these days so I don't break out the digital stuff that much