A cheap fix for a broken Canon 580EX flashgun.

I thought I'd share a tip I discovered last week for repairing a broken Canon 580EX flashgun and saving aproximately £90+ postage costs too.

Whilst hurrying back to the boat on Skomer Island recently I stumbled and my tripod-mounted 5D, 100-400mm and Canon 580EX hit the deck. The camera and lens were absolutely fine but the flashgun snapped at the foot where it attaches to the camera's hotshoe.

I was a bit annoyed as I envisaged a £100 repair bill, which, on top of the fuel costs of a 500 mile round trip would have made it a rather expensive day out That'll teach me to watch where I'm going.

Anyway, just before sending it off for repair I thought I'd do a very quick Google search just to confirm the repair costs. I'm pleased I did because one of the first sites I came across was THIS ONE illustrating a do-it-yourself repair job. I phoned Lehmann's, ordered the part, total price was £11.75 inclusive of v.a.t. and postage. It arrived the following day.
Just eight screws to undo and the repair was completed in less than ten minutes (five of which was spent looking for my screwdriver ) for a total cost of £11.75.

Just thought I'd share this in case anyone encounters the same problem in the future.

thanks for the tip Justin, I'll bear this in mind. My 580 has already had a splash in a muddy puddle but so far the foot has remained intact

Matt

Thanks Justin. I have a wounded 550EX that has a broken foot so will look into this fix. I have a 580 as well so wasn't going to spend lots on the 550. This looks good.

Rob

Cheers Justin a very useful bit of info - John