Last week-end, while using my year-old Canon 40D, I encountered several Error 01 and the screen displays “Communications between the camera and the screen is faulty. Clean the lens contacts.”
I thought my camera got broken and I remembered last week the camera bag dropped after going thru the airport X-Ray scanner in Singapore. I switched lenses from the default Canon EF 17-88mm to the wide angle EF-S 10-22mm and it worked flawlessly so it must be in the lens.
I Googled about it and found tons of similar problems:
- Battery problems — needs to add battery grip as IS uses more power to operate. This doesn’t make sense since the 17-85mm has IS but have been using it for more than a year. I was also using a battery grip with two fully-charged original batteries in it.
- Lens contacts need cleaning. Took a pencil eraser and cleaned the contacts in the lens (the gold-plated part inside) to no avail. I did the same with camera body. Both contacts look like they’re in pristine condition with no hints of oxidation or whatever.
- IS motor problem. Tried turning off IS and set the lens to manual and still the same. Then, I discovered that when the lens is half to fully extended, it works fine but when set at about 17mm to 35mm, the problem occurs.
- Loose screws. Check the entire lens and all the tiny screws in it but everything is intact.
I’ve exhausted all possible solutions and quick fixes so all I can do now is send it to Canon’s Service Center. This is on top of that Speedlite EX430 flash I had sent for repairs 3 weeks ago (chipped shoe mount).
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Hmmm.
Are you having doubts with Canon build quality?
I am.
I am a proud owner of an ancient, but altogether wonderful 300d. Somehow (without using it heavily, I’m a leisure photog), the thing stopped working. I mean, at the price point I bought it at, I wouldn’t expect it to just break down on a whim.
I haven’t heard of a Nikon just deciding not to work just because…
@Ton – not really, this is my second Canon dSLR and the old 350D which I sold to a friend still works fine until now (3 years old). I was wondering if the problem was also due to my carelessness sometimes. The camera and lens have had its shares of bumps, drops and tumbles.
try also to upgrade its firmware. it might help.
latest firmware version for 40d is v1.1.1 (20 January 2009)
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/eos40d/eos40d-firmware-e.html
Not really keen on Canon gear but I hope this won’t happen to me any time soon. I’m worried about the costs of sending a Nikkor lens for repairs.
A former office mate just joined the dark side (Nikon). The force was too strong for him to resist.
I used to have friendly debates with him on which one is better Canon or Nikon.
@yuga
if its any consolation, those canon guys are pretty good with service, ill give them that 
come to think of it, I am a proud recipient of a zero-charge CMOS-recall those guys did a year back. Good times.
oh well then, maybe its just my unit
@Gwapito
Those canon-nikon debates, sir, had cost me not a few dinner drinks on end. Its one of those “mines better” kind of things. Dark (aka Nikkor) side IS becoming more attractive nowadays though…better packages too…. ahh, if only jedis had discounts at hidalgo…
you are right – it probably has more to do with the lens than the body (in fact, you can bet your house it is a lens error).
*try shooting portrait vs landscape – if the error is present on one orientation and not on both, it most likely has to do with connection errors with the IS mechanism/electronics.
*try setting it to manual focus and try to take a shot – if you can still take a shot on MF, then it was the focusing mechanism that got “jolted”.
*if you can still manage to see the settings with that lens on, does the f-stop say 0 as oppposed to 5.6 or whatever? if so, that is the lens’ way of saying “please, bring me to canon philippines na. i need my spa treatment.”
in any case, there is an apparent communication error between the body and lens, and the lens will not cooperate – let the canon technicians give him a beating. if you ask me, i’d get rid of that lens and stick with the 50/1.8 and be done with it (or better, like a 50/1.4, 85/1.8 perhaps). zooms always give me the creeps (pun unintended).
Be careful at buying at Hidalgo’s. Used cameras are sold as brand new. Even the popular “H” store is doing it.
same thing happened to my EOS 40D a month ago, immediately after the 1-year warranty expired. brought it to the service center, worked for three months, and now the body cannot read the CF card naman.
so yeah, now i’m having doubts with Canon’s build quality. my first slr was a Nikon, it’s three years old now and it’s still working perfectly. *sigh*
My 17-85 has done the same thing on my 40d body, I sent the lens in and it is R1650.00 to repair! |Which is think is rediculous since it is also just gone past its guarantee and is in pristine condition, but what other choice is there but to repair???
I have owned my EOS 40D Cannon for over a year, within the first few months, I started having the Error 01 problem, I have to turn the Camera on and off to try to get it to work right, I am very disappointed, especially since I paid 1700.00 for what I thought would be a quality Camera. It takes great pictures when I can get it to work right. This is unacceptable and I am reading that there are many people that have had the same issues. This is a design flaw and there should be a class action lawsuit against the Cannan manufacturer. We should not have to take it apart a turn it on and off, when much cheaper cameras function flawlessly without any trouble. I would like to hear from others who feel the same way. magy1@aol.com
well, ihave a 1 year old 40d, not that i have shot a tons of photo with it…but a thousand i had. so far so good as the old saying goes. but i am wondering guys, if these would happen, what is the best things to do? anyone please?
ed hallar
Im getting an error 99 (instead of error 01)
17-85 IS USM on my EOS 350D.
Got it 2nd hand.
Tested for a few days. No problem.
Except yesterday. I left it in the car.
Around 20 hours.
Mounted in the 350d body and in a bag.
When I took it out, the error appeared in
the 17-30mm range. But ok up to 85mm.
Tried almost everything. Now my question would
be the cost of having this repaired.
Any idea guys? Thanks!
I encountered the same problem with my 1 1/2 year old 40D camera. The strange thing was, it happened to my friend’s 40D and her 17-85 mm lens first. We have a same unit bought at the same time early last year. She then hooked my 17-85 mm lens to her 40D body for test and the same problem occurred after working properly for less than 2 hours. I do not believe the same problem will occur to two identical lens after hooked up into a same 40D body on the same day! This is very suspicious.
I went to canon yesterday and demand for answer. They told me the diaphragm was damaged. Same to my friend’s lens. I queried the canon so called trained technician how this occurred and how to prevent this from happening again. To my surprise, there was none who is qualified to even explain how the diaphragm works mechanically and electronically.
I will make a complain even if I have to go to Canon in Japan. This is obviously manufacturer’s fault. Two lens damaged at the same time is totally unacceptable. The 40D body is also causing the failure. I have another Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 IS USM lens. And if this 40D causes the same failure, it will cost me a bomb. How can I trust Canon anymore? Canon should not exploit the consumer by producing sub average product and let the consumer pay for its lousy product without proper justification.