Hi everyone, just in the mood to relief my shock a bit by talking to fellow photographers. I was on a photo-outing yesterday with Andreas Resch when the mirror of my 5D went off from the plate where it is attached to. This is a known problem for the 5D - Canon will replace/repair this for free according to statements on the official Canon site. As annoying this is, it is good to know that Canon acknowledges a design flaw and it will get repaired.
Of course this happened at the beginning of our outing, and I was not aware at that point of time that this was an acknowledged problem, so I tried to fix it my own - glueing the mirror back to its place with "pattex" glue (available at the cabin where we stayed over night). Did not work, it went off a second time during the first shot the next day.
Too bad - as I dismounted the lens (EF 24-105mm) the loose mirror scratched the rear glass element of the lens! I could have avoided this easily - by zooming to 105mm during dismounting. The rear element moves away and there would have been enough clearance, but I only learned this afterwards.
So, now not only my 5D is damaged, also the lens is damaged as consequence I hope Canon will solve this to my liking.
Anyone here's who's 5D mirror went off as well? Quite a few stories on the net actually.
Aside from this incident being crazily annoying it really sucked that you didn't have a camera for the two days up there.
I hope that Canon will stay with their promises and get your gear back to the state that it was before.
Sorry to hear that, I had no Idea the 5D had this problem, hopefully they fixed it with current bodies. Is the scratch on your 24-105 damaged enough enough to where it shows up on photos. Maybe they can replace that part also?
Thanks David. I hope they will repace the rear element as well. I am not sure how it affects the images - I could not test that properly, although I shot a few images without a mirror. I have not noticed something though.
I think since Canon is aware, I assume they changed something in the construction in later and current models. At least on their website they list the 5D to be the only camera to have that problem.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on July 18, 2010 at 1:20 PM
I've actually heard of this happening to other photogs and have seen quite a few references to this problem. Bummer for sure.
When you contact Canon, be sure to explain that your lens was damaged as a direct consequence of the failure of the mirror. Canon service always did right by me back when I was shooting 35mm, so hopefully they will repair or replace your lens without cost.
Sorry to hear about your problem, and the resulting loss of productivity. Let us kow how this works out for you.
Yes, this happened to one of my 5d bodies years ago. Canon (or at least the tech I talked to "off the record") admitted that a substandard glue was used in this model. They will mostly likely replace your rear element too. Try to remove traces of your own glue before you send it in.
Update: After only one week in service I have my 5D and the lens (24-105mm) back. Repair of both items was for free! I am very happy!
Not sure if the whole lens was changed, or only the rear part. Whatever was done, the date code on the returned lens now reveals that the lens (or the rear part on it) I have now was made in 2008. The original purchase of my body and lens was in 2006.
Thanks Preston! I agree, such service is rare these days. This experience refreshes my confidence in this company (which never faded actually). The fix of the mirror issue is extremely well done. They did not just simply glue on a new mirror on the plate. The mirror is now clamped on each side between the plate and two new re-enforcing bars. These two bars are directly connected to the mechanism that moves the whole mirror/plate. Canon obviously re-developed and updated the concept of the mirror attachment. Very good engineering and design work imo.
Discussion
11 repliesOf course this happened at the beginning of our outing, and I was not aware at that point of time that this was an acknowledged problem, so I tried to fix it my own - glueing the mirror back to its place with "pattex" glue (available at the cabin where we stayed over night). Did not work, it went off a second time during the first shot the next day.
Too bad - as I dismounted the lens (EF 24-105mm) the loose mirror scratched the rear glass element of the lens! I could have avoided this easily - by zooming to 105mm during dismounting. The rear element moves away and there would have been enough clearance, but I only learned this afterwards.
So, now not only my 5D is damaged, also the lens is damaged as consequence
Anyone here's who's 5D mirror went off as well? Quite a few stories on the net actually.
Regards
Dietrich
I hope that Canon will stay with their promises and get your gear back to the state that it was before.
I think since Canon is aware, I assume they changed something in the construction in later and current models. At least on their website they list the 5D to be the only camera to have that problem.
When you contact Canon, be sure to explain that your lens was damaged as a direct consequence of the failure of the mirror. Canon service always did right by me back when I was shooting 35mm, so hopefully they will repair or replace your lens without cost.
Sorry to hear about your problem, and the resulting loss of productivity. Let us kow how this works out for you.
--P
The fact that I tried glueing it back bugs me now. I will see if I can remove it.
Not sure if the whole lens was changed, or only the rear part. Whatever was done, the date code on the returned lens now reveals that the lens (or the rear part on it) I have now was made in 2008. The original purchase of my body and lens was in 2006.
Regards,
Dietrich
Excellent! Thanks for the update.
Good service beyond the sale is a rare commodity these days, so its refreshing to hear about good experiences.
--P
Dietrich