Canon – Foxes Den

Canon EOS 1D MkIV

Two late production Canon EOS1D MkIV cameras, both heavily used ex-syndicate sports photographers cameras. Do they work? Can they be repaired?

I’ve been approached by an old colleague who used to be a syndicated sports photographer, he had a number of items he wanted to “get rid off” as they were just taking up space in his new house. “Would you be interested?” You betcha, so as a result I’m now the owner of a complete Bowens lighting system, two Canon EOS 1D MkIV cameras and a Canon EOS 5D MkII camera.

My days of fussing and farting about with lighting rigs has now long passed, so I know a youngster starting out in the business who is a very talented young fellah, I have donated this equipment to him and he will certainly have a use for this lighting setup. He has been approached and accepted the offer, I think he is quite happy with his new acquisition, here’s hoping his talents continue to flourish.

However the cameras are mine as no one wants this old stuff anymore 😂

Having already in the past, repaired a film version of the EOS 1 here: Canon EOS1 N HS I have now become the owner of two Canon EOS 1D MkIV versions, the digital upgrade of this superb camera. This post covers the assessment of the 1D’s the 5D can be found here: Canon EOS 5D MkII

To test these two beauties I’m going to have to invest some money into my equipment store. These cameras take a battery that neither came equipped with, an EP4 battery that currently costs around £19.00GBP per unit. On top of that a charger is required costing approximately £23:00GBP so there will have to be an outlay of approximately £42:00GBP just to get these units tested. Is it worth it? Yes, I think it is, I will then have a spare battery and charger for future use, and if the cameras don’t work? I can then sell them on or use them for spare parts as they have cost me absolutely nothing. When I go through the assessment and repair of these cameras I will refer to them one camera at a time. The camera that has stickers on the top of the camera pentaprism area will be referred to simply as “One” whilst the other will be “Two”. Nice and uncomplicated.

But first here is a little bit of information regarding this camera, the Canon EOS-1D MkIV.

The EOS-1D Mark IV is a professional 16.1 effective megapixels digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) camera body produced by Canon. The EOS-1D Mark IV is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and was announced on 20 October 2009, just four days after Nikon announced the D3s. It used to be the only Canon APS-H format DSLR to feature HD video recording at 1080p resolution.

It was discontinued in mid-2012 with the introduction of the Canon EOS-1D X, which replaced both the EOS-1D Mk IV and the EOS-1Ds Mk III.

It received a Gold Award from Digital Photography Review.

Features:

27.9mm × 18.6mm; 16.1 effective megapixels APS-HCMOS sensor

Dual DIGIC 4 image processors

Canon EF lens mount (excludes EF-S)

New autofocus module (45 AF points with 39 cross-type AF points)

Integrated sensor cleaning system

1.3× crop factor

100–12800 ISO speed equivalent (expandable to L: 50, H1: 25600, H2: 51200 or H3: 102400)

30–1/8000 sec. shutter speed and bulb

Shutter unit tested to 300,000 cycles

Auto Lighting Optimizer

Magnesium Alloy weather sealed body

Eye-level pentaprism viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage at 0.76× magnification

Live preview mode

3.0 in, 920,000 dots Clear View II TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor with 160° viewing angle

10 frames per second continuous shooting (Large JPEG: max. 121 frames, raw: max. 28 frames)

Dimensions (W×H×D): 156 × 156.6 × 89.9 mm

Wikipedia

Assessment:

I’ve had to bite the bullet and purchase a battery and charger to be able to test these cameras. Look at it as an investment. As promised the assessments will include exactly the same checks, but they will be done individually.

I want to check shutter counts and firmware versions, but to carry out these tests I really do need power in the units. Clock backup batteries are installed on these cameras and these will need to be checked to see if they are still effective as I’ve no idea how long ago they were changed.

Camera one:

Here are the pictures:

I can pretty much pinpoint the last time this camera was used, as in the CF card slot there was a 16GB card installed and when downloaded there were six photos on the card, below you can see two of these images.

The photos show a football ground, it’s the Queen’s Park rangers ground in London, and you can see the Stanley Bowles stand just to the right. The photographer is in the usual position where you would find sports photographers attending a football match. The exif data in the photo gives the date as 30th August 2022, and if you check records you will see that QPR were Playing Hull City that evening, and QPR were the winners 3-1. We have a date that informs us this camera was last used almost four years ago. Interesting isn’t it?

So of the two cameras this one seems to have had the hardest life, I very much suspect this one is the older camera (it is I have checked the Canon database and it’s construction date is June 2013, the second camera is October 2014) This date may seem contradictory due to the fact the production run officially ceased in 2012, It is very possible for a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV to have a 2014 manufacturing date, even though the camera was officially withdrawn in late 2012. Professional cameras often have long production runs that continue well after their retirement date. Cosmetically it appears the most beaten up and used, with a number of old press pass stickers in the pentaprism area. There are no signs though of deep gouges or cracked and damaged metal so I’m confident this camera has not been dropped. It has had a tough life. It’s a tough camera though.

The CF card and SD card holders are both in a good condition, both accept cards without having to use any force and all pins are in a good condition, I’m confident there are no issues in the memory card area.

The clock battery is accessible at the point where the main battery fits in to place.

The battery is a CR2025 lithium coin cell. When tested the battery has a value of 3.028V. This is a sufficiently good charge for its purpose and is good seeing that this camera has not been used for the last four years.

Moving on I’m looking in the lens barrel and the pentaprism and both mirror and viewfinder are extremely clean and clear. The rugged, bruised exterior has protected the delicate, clean and tidy interior. It certainly is a very well constructed camera.

The next thing I do is test the actual workings of these cameras, however that can’t be done until later today when the battery and charger that I ordered a couple of days ago arrives.

The battery and charger has arrived:

First thing I have done is to put the battery in its uncharged state, into the cameras just to see if there is life and the news is good with both. This Camera, number one has the following information.

It was the most beat up camera and it does have the highest shutter count at 283,976 actuations, the shutter life cycle of these cameras is 300,000 actuations as tested by Canon, so it is a very high count but still has a bit of life in it before it reaches the potential shutter count ceiling.

The good news is that this actual camera does have the latest firmware update of 1.1.5 so at least that doesn’t have to be downloaded and installed.

Battery now fully charged I have finally been able to put this camera through its paces test wise. And hells bells I’m so impressed. It was already set in quick fire mode so when I pushed the shutter button I was shocked to see just how quick this camera responded. It was rattling off shutter actuations at a breath taking 10 frames per second, wow, the sound was amazing!

10fps mode….impressive

It’s not hard to see why you can get such a high shutter count on these cameras with such shutter activity, it absolutely makes sense why these cameras are used in high speed activities such as sport and wildlife photography.

All displays are working as normal, all button actions and dials are doing exactly what they should be doing. This camera is in a good healthy condition.

As an older camera it is packed to the rafters with settings and possibilities, there is so much to learn around its operation, its capabilities and settings. It’s built like a tank, weighs a ton, makes a lot of camera noise that I relate with the good old days and I just absolutely love it.

Even the shutter bumper foam is in good condition and does not require replacing yet.

Camera two:

Here are the pictures:

Camera two is only 16 months younger than camera one, and you can see that difference in cosmetic condition immediately. The wear and tear on this model is considerably less than that found on its counterpart. This camera had no CF card inside so there was no way of putting a last used date on this one.

As with camera one there are no signs of the camera being dropped, no damage to the metal casing being cracked and no sharp dents visible. The Cf card and Sd card holder both take cards without any force having to be applied, and all pins are in a good order. I’m confident there are no issues in the memory card area.

The clock battery reading is a very low 4.5mV it is very dead. I have therefore replaced this with a CR2025 3V lithium coin battery reading a lot healthier 3.30V.

Again as in camera one, the viewfinder and mirror are both very clear and the lens barrel is very clean, having been protected by the rugged camera exterior.

Weird face in the mirror – it’s clean though

With the new battery that had just arrived installed, it kicks into life and I am then able to get the following information from the camera.

This camera in comparison to Camera one has a really low shutter actuation count of 72,186. The tested shutter count by Canon is 300,000 actuations, so this camera still potentially has a lot of life left in it.

The camera firmware will need to be updated to the latest firmware of 1.1.5 as it currently has a slightly older firmware installed of 1.1.0.

Ok, I’ve downloaded the firmware file and extracted it to the CF card I’m using in the camera. Let’s get it installed.

The camera firmware is now updated.

As in camera one, with the newly charged battery installed the immense high speed of the shutter is highly impressive. All buttons, dials and switches function as they should and all displays are clear and sharp in appearance.

All serviceable parts remain in a good condition, even the mirror bumper foam is in a good state and does not require attention yet.

Repair:

I’m now going to condense this section into a mix of both cameras. It’s a bit of an anti climax for anyone wanting to see a meaty repair post as that’s just not going to happen here. Both these cameras, though used and in one case extremely highly used, have both been maintained and looked after during their life. So for me my job has been easy, and going forward I will just maintain them in a similar manner.

I see absolutely no point in tampering with them now, they are working just fine and are in a perfectly good condition. Their construction is so solid with their metal weather sealed bodies, that the last thing I want to do is compromise that construction and security just to fill space in a post..

All I’m going to do at this point is polish both cameras. Camera one with its beaten up body and press pass stickers is just going to stay like that, I want that to remain as a constant reminder of its use, and its purpose as a high usage press photographers camera, it’s a work of art in itself and that’s how it will stay. Camera two, again will jut be polished, it’s the more acceptably presentable “Cosmetically” camera and with its lower shutter count and will probably be the unit i will concentrate on using myself.

A few pics from the two of them:

I’m only using very basic test lenses on these units and I must admit, even with basic optics the visual returns are quite impressive. The colours are so rich, and I love that there is also the setting to do some pure black and white shots if you so wish.

This is my new (Old) favourite camera. Why do I just fall in love so easily ❤️

When these cameras first came out they were commanding a price of around £4,000.00GBP and people were more than happy to pay that cost.

Here I am a few years later and I have been gifted two of them for the grand old price of…..Nothing.

I’m a lucky old fellah I’d say.

Result:

I present to you, two wonderfully heavy, cumbersome, noisy and beautifully constructed pieces of photographic history, and both are an absolute joy to behold.

My new long term relationship has just begun (Don’t tell the wife 😂) and I am so looking forward to getting these cameras out to a sports or wildlife watching event. To many, I know they will say, why do you want to carry one of those around, why not go mirrorless? Well, I’ve got that gear as well but I hardly use it. I’m an old 80s-2000s guy who loves the old technology, just like I love old noisy aircraft, I love to hear a camera working, it puts a smile on my face. And the chances of me owning one of these beauties when they first came out was an absolute zero. Now I have two, and I have some serious catching up to do.

Thanks for passing by, as always it’s very much appreciated.

Stay safe.

Canon EOS 5D MkII

My second chance at reviving a DSLR from 2008, the Canon EOS 5D MkII. Will I have a little more success with this one?

My days of fussing and farting about with lighting rigs has now long passed, so I know a youngster starting out in the world who is a very talented young fellah, I have donated this equipment to him and he will certainly have a use for this lighting setup. He has been approached and accepted the offer, I think he is quite happy with his new acquisition, here’s hoping his talents continue to flourish.

However the cameras are mine as no one wants this old stuff anymore 😂

This post focuses on the repair of the Canon 5D MKII, the repair of the EOS 1D MKIVs can be found here: Canon EOS 1D MkIV There is also a link to my first attempt at a Canon EOS 5D Mk2 and here is the actual assessment of that camera and the issues experienced with it Canon EOS 5D MK2 assessment and repair, I failed with this repair due to it having sensor issues, so sold it on at a small profit, i’m hopeful that this new attempt at the 5D will bring better results.

Let’s hope this camera acquisition comes with a better outcome. Whereas the other two 1D cameras i received in this package have required me to to purchase a new battery and charger, I do already have a number of LP-E6 batteries and a charger in my possession, so there is no initial outlay required to test this camera. We are off to a good start here and should be easily able to diagnose any issues fairly quickly.

Anyway, before we assess the camera, here is a little bit about the Canon EOS 5D MkII.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a 21.0 effective megapixel full-frame CMOS digital single-lens reflex camera made by Canon, the first Canon EOS camera to have video recording capabilities. It succeeds the EOS 5D and was announced on 17 September 2008.

On 2 March 2012, Canon announced the camera’s successor, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. On 24 December 2012, Canon Japan moved the camera to their “Old Products” list, effectively discontinuing the camera.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a full-frame camera and requires Canon EF-mount lenses. It is not compatible with EF-S lenses (which are for APS-C crop sensors).

Features:

21.0 megapixels (5,616 × 3,744 pixels), compared to 12.8 megapixels (4,368 × 2,912 pixels).

DIGIC 4 image processor, compared to DIGIC II.

100 to 6400 ISO (expandable to L (50), H1 (12800), H2 (25600)), compared to 100 to 1600 (expandable to L (50), H (3200)).

3.9 frames per second continuous shooting (78 JPEG or 13 Raw in a single burst), compared to 3 frame/s (60 JPEG or 17 Raw).

Small Raw modes: sRAW1 mode (10 megapixel/3861 × 2574 pixels), sRAW2 mode (5.2 megapixel/2784 × 1856 pixels).

98% viewfinder coverage with 0.71× magnification, compared to 96% coverage.

Larger 3.0-inch (76 mm) LCD with 920,000 pixels, compared to 2.5-inch (64 mm).

1800 mAh LP-E6 battery, compared to 1390 mAh BP-511A.

New features

Movie recording full HD at 1920 × 1080 and SDTV at 640 × 480 resolution.

Monaural microphone for audio during video recording, speaker for playback and microphone jack for external stereo microphone

Live preview with ExpSim LV “exposure simulation” live preview (full exposure preview control utilizing ExpSim LV, a first for video in a DSLR)

Live preview with contrast-detect autofocus

HDMI video output for live preview or playing clips and images on an external monitor via Type C MiniHDMI port

Dust reduction system to perform automatic sensor cleaning

Battery management software

Key Lifespan Factors:

Shutter Rating: 150,000, though this is considered conservative by users.

Real-world usage: Many cameras show failure rates increasing closer to the 100,000–150,000 range, but many exceed it significantly.

Longevity: Some, though rare, individual cameras have recorded over 2 million shots.

Repairability: The shutter mechanism can be replaced if it fails, which may extend the camera’s life further.

Component failure: Other parts, such as the power board or rubber grips, may fail before the shutter.

Common Issues:

Rubber grips: Rubber grips can become loose over time.

Button/Dial functionality: Buttons and dials may wear out over long periods of use.

Sensor maintenance: Regular sensor cleaning is needed to maintain performance.

The 5D Mark II is the first camera in the EOS line to provide video recording functions. Still photography during video recording is possible, but the camera suspends recording video until the final still frame is captured.

The lithium-ion battery for the 5D Mark II (LP-E6) has an 1800 mAh capacity. Each battery contains a microchip with a unique identifier for reporting charge status and battery health for display on the camera. The 5D Mark II’s “Battery Info” screen can track battery health and shooting history for up to six LP-E6 batteries.

The camera has native ISO values of 100 multiplied by a power of 2; other ISO values are obtained by a digital exposure push (ISO values that are multiples of 125) or digital exposure pull (ISO values that are multiples of 160). The digital exposure push ISO is 1/3 stop greater than the native ISO, and a digital exposure pull ISO is 1/3 stop less than the native ISO. The digital exposure push ISO settings produce more noise than the native settings with a reduced dynamic range, and the digital exposure pull ISO settings produce less noise than the native settings.

Wikipedia

Assessment:

The camera has arrived and here are my first thoughts. But first some pictures.

Just holding the camera and looking around it, you can see it has been well used over the last eighteen years. There are chips and scuffs, but nothing excessive, and certainly no “hard” dents that would indicate it has been dropped at anytime. The top LCD panel has a scuff on it, but this doesn’t stop any information being read.

The battery contacts are clean and there is just a small rubber cover missing on a connection that is on the base of the camera. All switches and buttons appear to operate as intended, everything is there and the exterior appears to be used, but in a good condition.

The lens barrel appears to be clean, the mirror and focus screen have a little dust and dirt on them however this is an easy clean. The shutter is closed underneath the mirror ensuring the sensor stays isolated from the outside world. I won’t be able to check how this is until I have a battery installed.

Batteries. As I have stated above I do have compatible batteries for this camera. This camera has a battery management system installed that communicates with the original “Canon” batteries that report back on their charge status amongst other information. However my batteries are not Canon originals and are in fact third party ones that don’t have the ability to communicate as original batteries would. That said, they are more than capable and usable. I just know that the very second I put the battery in and turn the camera on, it will show some kind of battery communication error on the rear screen. It’s ok though as we can opt to ignore that warning, click ok, and just get on with things, with no issues to the general operation of the camera.

Let’s do a little digging around. I’ve downloaded a little program that appears to be quite popular, to try and find exactly how many times the camera shutter has been activated in its lifetime, (still photo count – not including video). Here is that count.

I guessed the count would be high as it was the previous camera of a syndicated sports photographer, I just wasn’t quite expecting this high. But who am I to complain when I have received this camera for free. if you read the camera specs in the paragraphs above, the expected lifespan of the shutter is around 150,000 actuations, however the photographic community tends to question this figure. Some cameras have gone into the millions with shutter counts, however this one will plod on with me on much lower figures, if I get it working. I don’t know its service history, it’s a rugged built heavy use camera, that will go on for years if looked after properly. And that’s what I intend to do with it.

Another piece of information that can be obtained from the piece of software above is the firmware version. The current installed version is 2.0.7 and that was installed sometime in 2010. The latest and last version is 2.1.2 that was released in 2012. I will attempt to update this cameras version of firmware to the final updated one.

I think I’ve had a good assessment with this camera, I know what needs looking at so let’s get on with giving it a little TLC to ensure it will go on working for a few thousand more shutter actuations, I’ve got to try and get this camera to the 1/4 million mark at least!

Repair:

The first thing I want to do, is to look into why, when you input a date into the camera, the information disappears as soon as the camera is turned off and turned on again? This is a simple issue, easily located and soon rectified. These cameras normally have an additional battery buried somewhere in the camera that acts like a cmos battery in a computer. It simply supplies a small charge that maintains dates and program settings when the camera is an a sleep mode, instantly reinstating the correct information when the camera is switched on again.

And this camera is no different.

A single coin cell CR1616 battery is what does the job in this camera, its life span is usually around five years. So let’s check this one out as I suspect it has failed. It is located on the bottom of the camera on the opposite side of the main battery chamber, below two rubber accessory panels.

The CR1616 battery is a 3v lithium coin cell. Using a multimeter I was able to confirm that this one was well and truly depleted as it was only holding a charge of 99.3mV. The new battery cell was holding a much more acceptable charge of 3.3V.

With the new coin battery in place, I’ll reset the date values and test that the battery is doing its job, by powering the unit up and down a few times.

As you can see in the picture above, I’ve managed to update the settings, and when the unit is shut down and restarted the information remains. Hence the new clock/cmos battery is working fine.

Next let’s try to update the firmware to the latest release. This small video below shows how easy this task can be. This particular file in the video is for an earlier, older update, however the principle is exactly the same for all camera updates with Canon.

Updating firmware on a Canon Eos5D MkII

Following the recommendations in the video above I have downloaded the latest firmware update file and extracted its content to the freshly formatted CF card for the camera.

The whole process was followed exactly as laid down in the instruction video, and it went as expected. The update was successful.

The camera is now correctly updated to the most recent firmware. I can now progress to doing some final checks in the lens barrel area prior to moving on and checking the functionality of the camera with a lens in place.

The mirror bumper felt is in good condition and does not need replacement. I have blown out the barrel and inspected the sensor and that is clean and needs no attention.

Final touch is that I have printed off a cover for the hotshoe flash holder.

Time to get the battery installed in the camera, along with a formatted CF card, and I’ve also put a stock 28-80 EF lens on the front to test. And here are some of those pictures taken to test, just around my garden.

And I am so damned impressed. It’s only a basic lens but the tonal quality, sharpness and colour has really shone through. The camera has worked perfectly, I’ve used it in auto mode, shutter priority and aperture priority and all works fine. When I use the video mode, all is fine but the basic lens when you telescope, can be heard throughout the video, not really an issue just an observation, hence why people invest in the higher end optics. For testing purposes though, this lens has performed perfectly. I’d be more than happy to venture out for a picture session with this setup.

Every setting on this camera has been tested and it has passed with flying colours. My job here is done.

Result:

A far better result than my last attempt on this specific type of camera. This time around the sensor has performed perfectly and remains in good order, hopefully for quite a time yet. It would be good to see it go through the 250,000 exposures count, and seeing that it’s only about 6,600 exposures away I don’t foresee it being a hard to achieve target. I’m going to get some good use out of this camera, I’m currently looking at taking it to a local nature reserve to see what can be photographed. I’m quite looking forward to that.

The finished camera in all its loveliness

A final polish and this project can now be put to bed. Onto the next one.

Many thanks for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated.

Sometimes, but very rarely, “AI” may just work in your favour.

I’m fixing this lens and came across this broken part. But what is it called? Does Chat GPT know the answer? It seems it does.

Please do not for one minute consider this an endorsement for AI, it’s not. I very rarely ever use it, and to be totally honest I keep as far away from it, as i possibly can. The only issue is, is that it gradually sneaks through the back door unannounced in pretty much any application or program that you now use. There is no escaping it really, even here on WP this week I received an invite to start using AI to write my posts and to control their content and SEO compatibility, whatever that is. Straight in the bin it went, no thanks, not interested.

I know my grammar and punctuation leaves a lot to be desired, and sometimes it is very poor, but hey! That’s me and I don’t want to suddenly appear to be a fully functioning and academic genius, as that’s just not me. I’m a Comprehensive educated drop out, that has managed ok thank you, and I don’t need some computer to portray me as something I’m not, or am likely never going to be.

Rant aside, let’s get back to the story that is based around the item in this picture.

I’m currently carrying out a repair on a Canon EF 28-200 lens from around the year 2000. Whilst dismantling this lens, the above part became the item of interest as this is a piece that controls the zoom of the lens, hence this lens never really worked due to it’s inability to focus or zoom, and the item above appears to be the guilty party.

It’s broken, that is clearly obvious to see, it’s made of an alloy, possibly aluminium, and is not repairable by soldering due to the immense high temperatures that would be required. I can’t achieve such temperatures as I don’t have the equipment available to do such work. I could try forming something from scratch, that is an option but I don’t really have the time or patience to be honest to spend such time on such a tiny piece of metal. The whole piece is no bigger than 2cms long at its longest point. It really is tiny but essential for the smooth operation of this lens.

This is where the AI help comes in.

Having looked at many repair manuals belonging to Canon, I have an immense list of code numbers but nothing at all explaining what this item is or if there are any still available. I’m kind of lost and at odds as to what I should do.

In desperation, I type something similar to this request into Chat GPT:

“Long angular aluminium piece, working the telephoto element of a Canon EF 28-200 lens”

And this came back as an option:

Bingo – Courtest of Barrell Y Store – Ali express

Wow. That looks familiar!

And it is in-fact the part I am looking for, on the Ali Express site, our friends in China have one left in stock – “Click” that’s purchased and is now on its way to me.

I am now also fully aware of what it actually is, apparently it is called a “Zoom guide pillar, zoom lever, electric brush lever for a Canon 28-200 zoom lens”

Well there you go, it appears AI is good at deciphering the ramblings of a frustrated and confused 60 something. And in this case it did very well. When this arrives I’m going to give it to one of the tool makers at work to get him to make a few copies, I’m even going to see if I can get a few printed out 3D wise to see how the plastic version holds out under the demands of the lens. I don’t foresee any real issues as long as the lens isn’t mistreated in any way.

Well. That’s my major frustration of the week, and my first real face to face involvement with AI.

It can only get better, or can it?

Have a super day. Stay real.

Canon Snappy 50 automatic 35mm camera

A compact Canon 35mm camera from 1982. It doesn’t work, so let’s make it work!

What the listing stated:

In generally good condition but does not power up
Sold as spares or repair

EBay

I came across one of these a few weeks back and was just taken by the shape and aesthetics of it. However i wasn’t going to pay a high price demanded by the seller, so i just hung around and waited for others to come on the market. I have just purchased this camera with free postage for a total of £1:13GBP. I’m confused, the seller will basically be paying me to take it off his hands as postage will be at least twice the value of what I have paid today. Let’s wait and see if this sale gets suddenly cancelled, as I suspect it may well do.

Anyway here’s a little bit of its history:

Released in July 1982 and based on a new concept, this is a fully automatic 35mm Lens-Shutter compact camera.

The camera height was reduced by about 30 percent, giving the camera an oblong and unique form.

The camera uses active autofocus with a solid-state near-infrared beam. EE and the aperture are controlled electronically with a program. Metering range is EV 8.6 (f/3.5 at 1/30 sec.) to EV 15 (f/9.5 at 1/350 sec.). The shutter speed is set within a range of 1/20 sec. to 1/500 sec. to suit the film speed.

There is only two film speed settings. ISO/ASA of 100 or 400.

The built-in flash (Guide No. 11 at ISO 100 in m) must be turned on manually with a switch when the camera-shake warning lamp lights in the viewfinder.

Canon

I’ll just wait now to see if it turns up. I don’t know what the problem with it is, it’s just listed as a power up problem.

Well I’m shocked, I’ve received a postage notification so it is definitely on its way. Next stop…Assessment.

Assessment:

Well, it arrived, I’m shocked. It’s got to be one of the best packaged items I’ve ever received, never have I seen so much bubble wrap protecting an item that cost just £1:13GBP.

On top of that the sender has spent £3:45GBP on postage and charged me nothing. God I feel guilty now, least I can do is give him some glowing feedback.

Right, back to the camera. For a 44 year old camera it really is in beautiful cosmetic condition and needs nothing but a slight dusting to finish it off. But first I put in two AA batteries and can confirm it is dead. No life at all. Also, the film door is flapping about (So there was another issue!). I’m going to have to get inside this unit to see what is wrong. To be honest the unit is such a basic one, I suspect there isn’t a lot that can go wrong with it.

Repair:

The film door issue is a simple one, and if I didn’t have a ton of spare parts spread around the place, I’d be quite annoyed to say the least. It would have been either a case of making a new catch for the door or building some Heath Robinson contraption to secure the door, looking completely out of place. However, I just so happen to have a complete rear door for one of these cameras so hopefully it should be a simple swap out of parts.

But before I do this simple replacement, I need to get the top and bottom off of the camera to check where the electrical issues lie.

Taking the bottom off of the camera, the problem presents itself quite clearly. At the bottom of the battery chamber the negative wire has detached and needs soldering back into place.

Negative wore detached from battery chamber

I put the base back on and put two batteries into the chamber and the rewind motor instantly kicks in. We now have power. The shutter works and the winder motor operates as it should. When the rewind button is depressed the rewind motor kicks in as well, all seems to be good…..until!

The live supply to the flash was detached

I try the flash, and nothing. Not even the usual sound of the flash capacitor charging. Damn, I hope that capacitor isn’t dead! So now I have the top off of the camera and another problem presents itself just as clearly as the first. Not a problem here as I need the top off to replace the rear door.

The live supply to the flash had broken loose and this also needed re soldering, in fact I re soldered about eight wires in total as it seemed that the solder joints in these critical areas could possibly be fairly. They may not be failing, but whilst I’m inside why not just do this simple task to prevent anymore premature failings?

Batteries back in, flash turned on (it’s manual on this camera) and the check light illuminates. This camera is now fully operational.

Result:

I’ve had a fairly simple repair here with some soldering and luckily, some spare parts available. These cameras are quite tricky to repair due to their compact build. Normally when you detach one part you have tiny springs and other parts that fly out, leaving you with a head scratching puzzle to add to your issues. However having dealt with these cameras in the past and having learned my lesson previously, I was very careful and took my time ensuring nothing occurred that would cause me any issues further along in this fix. I also open these cameras in a box, so if anything does fly out, it doesn’t fall onto a carpet disappearing into the pile, it just falls into the box, saving me the embarrassment of looking for a tiny piece of camera, that could be just about anywhere on the floor of that room. You learn from previous mistakes, I have, and i now have procedures in place to prevent such issues happening again.

We now have a lovely example of compact 35mm photography, rejuvenated, repaired and ready to get back to doing what it was designed for, creating memories.

And long may that last, another one saved from landfill, repaired, recycled and now with many more years of purpose.

Many thanks for passing by 🙏

Canon EOS D60

Who would have thought a button the size of a grain of rice could declare this camera defunct and dead. Let’s have a look at it and see if we can get it working again.

What the listing stated:

The Canon EOS D60 DSLR is a digital SLR camera body offered here for parts or repair, ideal for those seeking components or a restoration project.

This digital camera has been tested and does not power on. It is being sold as faulty, for parts or repair only.

Cosmetically, the camera body and battery grip show typical signs of use, such as surface marks and wear. Functionality has not been restored, and no further testing has been performed beyond confirming it does not power up. The battery grip (BG-ED3) is included but requires two batteries for operation; only one battery is supplied. No charger, lens, or additional accessories are included.

Accessories Included: BG-ED3 battery grip, 1x battery (no charger).

EBay

I’ve purchased this camera kit for the princely sum of £14:24GBP. An absolute bargain, even if it doesn’t work. It’s worth more than that to me, even for spare parts if I can’t get it working, however let’s not go down that route just yet. This camera also comes with a BG-ED3 battery grip that on its own currently retails on the auction platforms for around £20-£30 so before we start I’m on to a winner.

Here’s a little bit about this camera that was released in 2002, don’t get it mixed up with the later EOS 60D that was released in 2010…a different camera entirely:

The Canon EOS D60 is a discontinued 6.3 megapixel digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera body, announced by Canon on February 22, 2002. It is part of the Canon EOS range, and accepts Canon EF, TS-E and MP-E lenses, but not Canon’s later digital-only EF-S lens range.

The EOS D60 sits in the prosumer (professional-consumer) line of digital SLR cameras. It succeeded the three megapixel EOS D30 and was replaced by the improved, six megapixel EOS 10D.

The EOS D60 features:

22.7 x 15.1 mm CMOS sensor (APS-C)

6.3 megapixel effective (6.3 megapixel total)

Max resolution 3072 x 2048

FOV crop (1.6x)

Canon EF lens mount (excludes EF-S)

3-point auto focus

100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 ISO speed equivalent

30 to 1/4000 s shutter speed and bulb

TTL 35 zone SPC metering: evaluative, center weighted, partial

Exposure compensation -2 EV to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps

Auto White Balance (plus 5 positions & manual preset)

Eye-level pentaprism viewfinder

1.8 in (46 mm) color TFT liquid-crystal monitor

E-TTL flash mode

3 frames per second continuous shooting (max. 8 frames)

Dimensions (WxHxD): 150 x 107 x 75 mm (6.0 x 4.4 x 2.9 in)

Weight (body only): 780 gm

Wikipedia

So, as usual let’s await its arrival so we can carry out a full assessment of the camera and related equipment.

Assessment:

The package has arrived, and wow, this is a lot of camera for a very small price.

The condition cosmetically is fantastic, I’d call it almost mint but the seller thinks otherwise, he certainly has some high standards, I’m pleased I know him if it means I can purchase items such as this. The only thing that is missing is a small rubber cap that covers the digital and video out ports, not an issue for me, and definitely not detrimental to the operation of the camera, this can be replaced but it really isn’t worth the bother or the extra expense.

The camera has come attached to the power winder and has a Canon dust cap over the lens mount/body aperture. There is a single battery and this does have some life still in it.

There is a good quality camera strap attached, and when the battery grip is taken from the body and checked, all battery connections are clean and free of any contaminants. There is no damage to the CF card reader pins within the CF card port. An added bonus is that the body battery cover is tucked away on the power grip handle, and all connections are good, these little battery cover doors normally end up being thrown away so that you end up paying some pirate on the internet an absolute fortune to replace a battery cover door, that in theory is only worth a few pounds. Yes there are many robbing bandits out there! (That’s the polite, non sweary word version)

The camera listing stated that the camera grip needs two batteries for operation, this is not technically true as one battery will still operate the camera whilst using the grip. The option for two batteries just extends the usage of the camera, hence saving you the aggro of changing out batteries when you have a longer camera session planned.

And that one battery does have life in it as I stated earlier.

I know this, because I plugged it into the camera grip, I turned the operating switch on and hey presto, there is life

So to further test I have removed the grip, and gone back to using the camera with its original battery cover, and then…it doesn’t operate. How strange!

So I then go back to the power grip and everything works fine!

Back to the original battery cover. Nothing again.

I won’t ruin your reading at this point, as to be totally honest if I tell you what was wrong here, I will have nothing to put in the repair section below. Just read on, I can assure you that you will not be impressed. It really is that mundane and boring, you will probably just roll your eyes and question why I have even called it a repair. But a repair is a repair, no matter how insignificant and minuscule it may be, and if it gets the camera working then we are on to a winner.

Repair:

Thanks for staying with me.

Have a look at the three pictures below.

The issue was with the tiniest of buttons. It wasn’t working.

A small tab on the inside of the battery door presses this button when you lock the door. If that tab is broken, or if the switch itself is damaged, the camera may act like the battery is dead or not installed.

The tiny blue button (or sometimes black/white) located inside the battery chamber of a Canon EOS camera is a safety micro-switch that detects whether the battery door is properly closed. It ensures the camera has a solid connection to the battery and that the door is closed to prevent damage. It acts as an instant cut-off switch to prevent data corruption (e.g., if the door opens while the camera is writing to the CF card).

If this switch is not engaged, the camera will not turn on.

And this appears to be the problem. The battery cover was not putting enough pressure upon the little blue switch, the switch also appeared to be a little stiff but soon loosened up when it was cleaned with some IPA and activated a number of times using plastic tweezers. It appears that when the grip was installed and fastened into place there was sufficient pressure to operate the switch, hence the issues I experienced when changing from one battery mode to the other, earlier in this post. Now, when either the original battery cover or the power grip is used, power continuity is restored, and the cameras screen and activities all appear to be working as they should be.

However, we need to now install fully charged batteries, a CF card, and need to get a compatible lens on the front to ensure all the dials, and buttons function and do as they should be doing. I know the flash is definitely working, as this popped up and fired when I was testing the battery earlier, I’m fairly confident we have located and dealt with the underlying issue, though it doesn’t hurt to do a full test of the system just to confirm our findings and to ensure that there is nothing else lingering around, just waiting to be found out.

I’ve now installed a charged battery and a CF card into the camera, no issue here and all systems seem to be operating ok, no error codes or faults showing. I’ve put on one of my test lenses, a Canon EF 28-80 1:3.5 -5.6, and again everything is good, auto focus and manual focus, all works fine and all settings on the function dial are working just as they should. This camera is doing just what it should be. And appears to be working extremely well in all aspects of operation.

Result:

I’ve taken a few pictures in and around the house and everything appears to be working and functioning as expected. I can confidently state that this camera is working perfectly. It’s not the greatest of lenses as it’s just a test one I use for my cameras, but it proves the point though, that the unit is working and communicating well with all points of the camera.

This is a fantastic camera, I only paid £14:24 for a lot of camera dating from 2002, less than the cost of a couple of pints of beer or three coffees, and from my point of view it is an absolute bargain. And it was all down to a little button comparative in size to a grain of rice.

Just a few random pics around the house to quickly test

So I am super pleased with how well this repair has gone, such a simple issue that totally killed the functionality of this unit, easily repaired, all it took was a good bit of investigation, probably taking no more than 20 minutes of my time. I must admit it helps to know a little about how these units function. It always amazes me though, that these sellers could make a bigger return on their items if only they had someone to give these units the once over before declaring them dead and fit for spares and repairs only.

However I’m not complaining as i get to add a superb item to my collection for a very reasonable price. Just browsing the sales sites shows that the basic version of this camera without the power grip is commanding a price of between £140-£150.00GBP, I only paid £14:24. I think I’m the winner here.

There are bargains to be struck out there, if you are willing to give a little time and patience into getting them back up and running. Recycling works.

Many thanks for passing by, it is always very much appreciated.

Canon power winder “A”

A very corroded Canon power winder “A” from the 70s

This is what it looks like externally, looks fine, but as this post goes on, you will notice a very marked deterioration in quality. It’s a horror story of battery acid contamination.

This unit is part of a bundle that was donated to me by my good friend Jon, see here: Cameras…i need more!

It was part of a Canon AE1 combo, the Camera i have previously posted about here: Canon AE1 35mm SLR, however the batteries within it had been left for such a long time that they had started to dissolve into the unit, leaving quite a restoration project behind. Here’s some history about this unit:

The Canon Power Winder A was originally introduced with the Canon AE-1 camera in 1975 but it also can be used with all the A series models (in fact, it is applicable to use the Winder A with the professional class Canon F-1(n) system SLR camera but without power rewind feature). It is an automatic film winder which greatly increases the automation and mobility of these manual focus cameras. Its exceptional versatility, due to its compact design provided by the principal control circuit built into the electronic circuitry with most of the electronic models such as AE-1, A-1 or AE-1 Program etc, and allows it to be attached to any models mentioned earlier and provides for its use without any special adjustments.

Winding Speed: Approximately 0.5 seconds.
Operation: When the shutter button on the AE-1 is pressed, the winder will function.
Shutter Speed Coupling Range: 1/50 to 1/1000 second for continuous photography. “B”, or 2 to 1/1000 second for single frame photography. (When the winder is set at “B”, AE photography cannot be performed).
Film Counting: Is performed by the frame counter on the AE-1.
Automatic Cut off Circuit: When the film roll is completely wound up or if the batteries should run out, the winder will automatically stop and the warning lamp (LED) will light up.
Power Source: Use 4 size AA batteries. (In normal temperatures they can take more than twenty rolls of 36-exposure film).
Attachment: Take off the winder coupler cover on the bottom of the camera, and mount the power winder using the tripod socket.
Size: 141 x 42 x 34mm (5-9/16″ x 1-5/8″ x 1-5/16″)
Weight: 3009 (including batteries) (10.9/16 ozs.)

Mir.com

I already have one of these winders on my A1 that I am currently repairing, however that’s away in storage at the moment until I get get my workspace back up and running when we eventually move home.

Im aware that these winders can take a max of two exposures per second if the lighting and conditions are right, meaning you could crack out a 36 exposure roll of film in under 20 seconds! They don’t do auto rewind either, you still have to do it manually, it would be a couple of years yet before that option became available. The red light on the case indicates one of two things, the battery is low, or the end of the roll has been reached, time to rewind!

They are quite reasonably priced if I wanted to buy one, but why would I do that? The purpose of this site is to repair and recycle, so that’s what I will attempt to do. It will be quite a task with this one I think.

Assessment:

As stated above, and from the outside, all looks well.

Outside, cosmetically, no signs of a problem

However there are a couple of giveaways that alert you to the immediate issue. Firstly there is an aroma, a kind of metallic musty smell that instantly alerts you to “Corrosion”. Secondly near the switch there are some “blue” granular stains that confirm corrosion.

We start to open up and find signs that all is not well

It’s pointless even putting batteries in here yet as they will not work, the damage is too extensive for the batteries to work. To be honest we now need to do a good clean and decontamination before we can even start to look at the extent of the contamination.

Repair:

First we have no choice but to get rid of the corrosion, this will involve brushes, a pencil grinder, and copious amounts of isopropyl alcohol. Let’s get started.

I attack the contact end of the winder with a sonic brush and some IPA. After about 10 minutes and multiple applications, using a small scraping tool i was able to remove the corrosion that had started to eat away at the chrome on the contacts, a small rub with some fine sanding paper restored the metal as best I could. I’m not going too over the top here as the corrosion could have well gone past this point into the internal workings, I’ll tidy up once I can get it working as it should.

The battery compartment was cleaned using a similar process. However the contact end that used to have springs mounted for the batteries, have all rotted and the springs have had to be removed. I will replace the springs later, it’s not required for testing purposes just yet. All this contamination and blue staining has to be removed completely, if you leave contamination behind, it can start to attack the unit again at a later date, take your time and ensure you get as much off as you can. Clean, clean and clean again. It’s a boring part of the process but essential for long term results.

With everything cleaned and left to dry, I put some power across the winder power contacts and nothing happens. No noise, not any sign of clicking or of any movement at all. Just as previously feared i think the corrosion has gone further. Let’s get it opened.

Leatherette removed to access internally

And as expected the corrosion has made its way inside, the picture above shows a wire at the contact point rotted due to corrosion, in fact the second wire fell off just after removal, the contamination has eaten the cables and is rotting the connections. The good news is that it seems that the issue hasn’t gone beyond these contacts.

I’ve now cleaned and polished the contacts at the rear in preparation for being re soldered, the issue here is that I may have to extend the cables slightly as they are quite short. This may aid my testing of the unit prior to reassembly, let’s wait and see.

I have now soldered both contacts back into position, without any extra wire, hell, it was really fiddly and I doubt it would be able to be opened again without these wires being extended a bit further. I have also thoroughly cleaned throughout the internal workings removing all signs of contamination. I have reassembled the unit and it now sits in one piece. I have taken a dentist tool to further scrape down the contact point within the battery barrel area.

Further cleaning of the contact in the battery barrel area

Using a little wire wool and IPA to clean the area I now have two good points of contact. Using the multimeter confirms we have continuity over the contacts that we didn’t have previously.

Reading the section above, you will remember that I had to remove the two springs on the battery case as they had totally corroded and broken away. I have some new ones but they are in storage, so for now I will just have to compromise until I can get to the new ones and solder them in place. Here I just obtained an old spring from a waste metal box, split it in two, added a small washer one end for the positive contact and just left the other as it was. Both springs were put in place, just being held there by the four AA batteries. As I stated this is purely for testing purposes and will be corrected once I have confirmed the unit works.

The battery holder was attached and then switched on. Nothing. Then I remembered I have to simulate the signal from the camera and this can be done by putting a metal short across the two raised pins at the power switch end. This worked, and the motor did its quick burst as expected. See the small video below.

The winder, now working. And shorting the pins to simulate the cameras signal

I’m pleased with this, as all the work I have done has been worthwhile. I just need to get the new springs soldered in place, give the whole unit a thorough final clean, ensure the leatherette that was removed is stuck back down and that the on off indicator is stuck back into place. And then we can put it onto the Canon AE1 to see if it works as it should.

On / Off switch plate glued back in place

Today I have taken out the battery spring connector and I am about to put the new spring contacts in place. I’ve found even more corrosion behind this plate so this will need to be cleaned before reassembly.

More corrosion found behind the battery spring contact plate

I’ve now fixed the new permanent springs in place, they wouldn’t solder so I’ve had to use a combination of using the old clips that were originally there and weaving the spring though the holes where some clips used to be but had corroded away. Either way it has worked well and both springs are quite solid, and don’t look out of place at all, they probably look better than the originals.

With the battery pack contamination removed I can now reinstall the battery contact back into place.

I know that the pack works, and now the final touches have been added, this winder is now back into a good working order, and fit to go back to work doing what it was originally designed to do.

Result:

This is an item you can readily buy on the auction sites at a very reasonable, some would say even very cheap price.

The complete, cleaned and reassembled, working winder

Is it worth the repair you say? Well yes, it is. The trouble is, it is so easy to throw stuff away these days, that in reality, can be given an extended life and purpose for pretty much no cost apart from your time and patience. On top of that, getting these items apart and reassembling them is a great learning circle, and you can never stop Learning. You are preserving the past, and that’s always a good thing.

A very brief video showing it working

As you can see above in this small video I have taken today, here I have my Canon AT-1 with the winder attached, doing what it is meant to do and sounding so retro with that motorised winding sound. Don’t you just love it? I most certainly do.

Thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.

More camera odds & sods

Another bunch of photographic waifs and strays have arrived at my door. Can they be saved or are they beyond redemption?

What the listing stated:

Job lot of 5 slr film camera bodies

Canon ae-1 program, Olympus om10 x 2, Pentax me super, Fujica stx-1

Sold as spares and repairs only, all have some sort of fault

Please see photos for condition

EBay

I’ve just purchased a job lot of old cameras all requiring repair, god knows what the real issue with them is, however they all do seem to have all knobs and buttons available which in many cases is quite a rarity. I’ve paid a grand total of £40:00GBP so if you break it down to a total of £8:00GBP per camera then I’m quite happy with that. Even at this price, i get some good spares, should that be all they are useful for.

My intentions here are thus. The AE1 program is the only Canon camera I need to complete my “A” series collection so my main focus will be on that. The two Olympus OM10s I will be looking at repairing then selling on as I already have a good example of this camera. The Fujica and the Pentax I will possibly look at adding to my collection as I do not have either of these.

I have my fingers crossed that there’s nothing seriously wrong with this purchase, and i will be featuring their respective repairs over the coming weeks. Firstly I’m going to carry out a very basic assessment on their arrival, just to see whether or not I have purchased a collection of proverbial Christmas Turkeys.

Quick assessment:

Canon AE1- Program:

This is the one I’m most excited about as it could possibly be my last piece of the puzzle for my Canon “A” series collection. Cosmetically it’s ok, it’s grubby, it has a broken battery door and a missing winder cover from the base. All dials, buttons and levers are working as they should, and when a battery is installed everything is as it should be. The battery check audio is fine, all indications in the viewfinder illuminate as they should, the camera fires (with a little camera cough) but other than that all seems well. The mirror and prism need cleaning and there is possibly some ingrained marks on the prism but this will not affect picture quality. All light seals need replacing and a good CLA is required.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 no it isn’t. I’m convinced this camera will soon be back in good working order.

Olympus OM10 – No:1:

In really good condition, battery terminals have a slight corrosion due to old batteries being in place. However new batteries work fine and shutter fires and viewfinder is clean. To be honest, this camera is in a better cosmetic condition than the one I currently have. This is an excellent camera that requires little attention.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 ? Most definitely not.

Olympus OM10- No:2:

As with the first OM10 this is cosmetically a nice camera just a little more grubby, and missing the battery cover on the base. But it has a nice Nikon neck strap – strange. The battery chamber looks as if it has had some minor battery leakage but nothing too serious. Using the battery cover from No: 1 camera I’m able to test all the electricals, and there is no issues here, with the camera displaying the exposure in the viewfinder correctly, and the self timer and battery check all as they should be. Again a good CLA of the camera should have it back and working in no time at all.

Is it a Turkey 🦃 it most definitely isn’t. This is a good camera just needing some TLC.

Pentax ME-Super:

Again, cosmetically in good condition but missing the battery cover on the base. I was able to overcome this and load some batteries and had movement in the metering via the viewfinder. It’s quite dirty and the function dial on the top is jammed, I couldn’t get the shutter to fire. I suspect it needs a good CLA, and will make a good little project .

Is it a Turkey 🦃 ? I’d say not at this stage. It needs attention on the bench. It’s promising.

Fujica STX-1:

The batteries were dead but the chamber was free of any contaminants. New batteries in place and the light meter in the viewfinder is working fine. Everything works, the shutter fires and winder operates without issue. This camera is in a good but grubby condition. Will require new light seals and a good CLA, but nothing beyond that.

Is it a Turkey 🦃? Absolutely not, this is a good sturdy camera just itching to get back to taking photographs again.

Conclusion:

So out of five cameras, I’m exceptionally pleased that every single one of them can be brought back to a working condition, with very little intervention. every single one of them will need a Clean, lubrication and adjustment (CLA) and also new light seals as the majority of them have turned to a dusty residue that gets everywhere. I need to buy some replacement parts, so I will get on with sourcing those items, and then I will also get some body caps to protect the cameras when I’m finished.

I will create individual posts to cover these repairs, and they will be delivered here on this site over the coming month or two. I’m in no real rush and to be honest, time is a rare commodity at the moment as I will be working as one of the “Orange army” (It’s a railway term) over the Christmas and New year periods, and on top of that we may also still be moving home, fingers crossed 🤞 in early January 2026.

Thanks for passing by. It’s most appreciated.

Canon EOS 7D

Can I get this classic EOS 7D operational again? It has damaged card reader pins.

I received this camera from a good friend who is a professional photographer, a few weeks back in a bundle of cameras and photographic equipment he no longer uses, he has kindly donated them to me to get working again. You can see that post, and just what was donated here: Cameras…i need more!

I’m in a situation where I don’t have my repair gear with me at the moment, as it is all packed and in storage awaiting our impending house move. Hence the reason I am racking up a whole load of draft posts that I can’t complete until I have my workspace back in use. Therefore any work I can do is severely restricted to inspection, cleaning and preparation with the only maintenance being attempted on the outside of the camera.

Let’s have a brief history on the Canon EOS 7D:

The Canon EOS 7D is a high-end APS-Cdigital single-lens reflex camera made by Canon. It was announced on 1 September 2009 with a suggested retail price of US$1,699, and was marketed as a semi-professional DSLR camera.

Among its features are an 18.0 effective megapixel CMOS sensor, Full HD video recording, its 8.0 frames per second continuous shooting, new viewfinder which offers 1.0X magnification and 100% coverage, 19-point auto-focus system, movie mode, and built-in Speedlite transmitter.

The EOS 7D remained in Canon’s single-digit APS-C model lineup without replacement for slightly more than five years—the longest product cycle for any EOS digital camera. Its successor was the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, announced on 15 September 2014.

Wikipedia

Structurally and cosmetically this is a beautiful camera in very good condition. However it would not have been donated to me unless it had problems. Let’s now put my detective hat on and go looking for clues.

Assessment:

As stated earlier, cosmetically there is nothing at all wrong with this camera, it even has the plastic screen cover in place. Mirror looks clean and curtain looks fine no issues here. All electrical contacts such as HDMI are in good condition with no visible damage to the ports.

Everything is fine, cosmetically, externally.

One last place to check and I now believe this is where the problem lies. This is the CF card door, and when opened it reveals one possible big issue.

Bent pins on the CF card reader. These pins are quite small and only millimetres in diameter, in a very restricted space about 8 cms deep and 6cm in width, it really is quite a small aperture. There are two options here, one I try to gently coax these pins back into place with a fine point tool, however the pins are minuscule, and brittle and prone to breaking. I can see potentially 7 pins that are out of position, not an easy or expedient option. But I’ll have to give it a go. Option two is to purchase a new CF card reader replacement, this option carries some expense and quite a complex dismantling of the camera to achieve said replacement. Needless to say I will initially attempt the pin bending procedure. Pending on success or failure, i could venture into step two. Read on to see what occurs.

Repair:

With a fine point set of tweezers, I’ve decided to have the first attempt at seeing if I can straighten the pins. Using a bright LED torch I angle the beam slightly so I get a bit of shadow on the pins, and this allows me to see how many are bent. I can see seven pins in total that are bent, and two of these seem as if they have been forced down to about half their height. This is quite normal when people go in a bit heavy with the CF card, if these pins go down too far there is no option but to go inside the camera and push them out from inside, or replace the card reader completely. I kind of hope that I have been able to pull them out far enough for them to work. I won’t know though until I get the CF card and batteries out of storage.

I’ve spent about an hour, bright lights, little subject matter, and now have very tired eyes. I’ve been breathing slowly just like a surgeon heading into a part of an operation that requires the utmost concentration, and precise and very delicate movements. I think I’ve done a good job. Only testing will tell.

Speaking with my friend Jon, who this camera came from, he has stated that he rather foolishly lent this camera to a ham fisted colleague who hammered the card into the camera, causing the issues that I am dealing with today.

If we have to open up the camera, I will probably be looking at about 3 hours of work, as there is an awful lot of dismantling that has to occur, and I believe there are around 30 screws to remove just to get under the skin of this camera. It’s built like a brick, weighs about the same and is just packed with electronics.

Fingers crossed 🤞 let’s hope option number one has been successful.

Well, today I went to the lock up and dug out a small 2GB CF card and the two Canon batteries and a charger. I came home and Put the batteries in that surprisingly still held a little charge, sufficient to turn the camera on. I gently inserted the CF card only for the following message to appear on the screen, “Card cannot be accessed. Reinsert/change the card or format card with camera.” Aww shucks I thought, it hadn’t worked. I tried to format the card and the format failed, at this point I thought the pin maintenance had not worked. Damn. I was a tad annoyed.

So I removed the card and checked the pins, they were ok. I reinserted the card and the same fault appeared, however this time when the option came up to format the card it worked. I was so shocked I tried it again and forced another format, again it worked!

Right it was now time to get a lens on the front and test the camera to check to see if it would write to the card, it’s only a stock lens, nothing special but absolutely fine for testing purposes. Just walking around the house I put the unit into auto, the flash popped up and I proceeded to rattle off a few random shots. And it worked, the results all came up on the rear screen.

To say I was pleased at this is an absolute understatement. The work on the pins has worked and I now have a perfectly well working example of quite a top end camera. There’s no doubt that in the future the camera will require a replacement card reader, but for the moment it’s been given a new lease of life, and whilst I remember to be gentle with the removal and placement of the CF card, let’s just enjoy the camera and its capabilities until that time comes. In the meantime here are just a few, “Randoms” taken to test the card and camera in and around my home.

Result:

Time to give this camera a little buff up. (Clean)

This unit only appears to have taken 1,860 pictures. It is completely unused, and in perfect condition. And it now works. To be honest I feel more confident with this camera than I do with the mirrorless Sony that my wife purchased for my birthday. This was going to become my number two camera, however it’s just been promoted to my number one, as long as that card pin issue and repair holds up, and I have no reason to doubt that it should be a long time before any issues arise. I am confident that my repair has longevity as they say.

I want to give it a good test in daylight conditions in all modes rather than auto. I want to get a bigger CF card maybe a couple of 8GB ones, I don’t see the point in going for the bigger cards just in case there is a read/write issue in the future. It’s just an OCD thing for me, you know what I’m like.

So overall I’m really quite happy and satisfied with this camera. Of all the cameras I was gifted by my good friend Jon, all have been repaired apart from one that was beyond economic repair, even that has been broken down into it component parts, every screw recovered and will be used for spare parts. Nothing, and I mean nothing has been disposed of from this collection of cameras and accessories.

That’s what I do, I don’t waste anything. Ask the wife!

Many thanks for passing by, it’s always very much appreciated.

Canon Speedlite 199A flashgun

Can I bring a dead Canon 199a flashgun back to life? You betcha!

I love working with flashguns, but believe me they are highly dangerous and potentially deadly pieces of kit, once you get under the skin otherwise known as its protective casing. I inherited this one from a good friend of mine who is a professional photographer, the post regarding what he passed on to me can be found here: Cameras…i need more!

Now please do not go delving into the back of these things unless you know what you are doing. Yes they might only be powered by 6-9v of power from your batteries, however in the process of getting to the point where they unleash a lightning flash for your photographic opportunity, they have passed through a component called a flash capacitor, this component greatly amplifies the voltage from that measly 6-9v from your batteries up to what is now between 3-400v for the flash. Yes, you read right right, 400 VOLTS.

That can kill, and if it doesn’t, you have been very fortunate, but you will probably bear an entry and exit burn where you made contact with that very component. If it goes across both hands it’s probably going to go right through that pump in your chest that keeps you alive – your heart, and that can be fatal. You have been warned – take heed!

I must admit I’ve done something here I don’t usually do, and that is clean before searching for the problem. This unit had two or three old company stickers on it that I have now removed. I then gave it a quick clean and a buff and I must admit it has come up very well. I will give it another clean when i have finished, as well as a final polish with some cockpit cleaner.

Production of this flash unit commenced in 1978 for use with the Canon “A” range of cameras that were being produced around this time. It can also be used with some other camera ranges. Before we get into exactly what is wrong with this specific unit, let’s look at some information regarding the spec of this flashgun:

The Canon Speedlite 199A is a dedicated, thyristorized flash unit designed for operation with Canon “A” series cameras. The Speedlite 199A features a high Guide Number of 98 with ISO 100 film, three automatic flash ranges plus Manual and automatic bounce flash capability. The most powerful shoe-mount Speedlite in the Canon line, the 199A is recommended for use with the Canon A-1 or any “A” series camera with motor drive or Power Winder A due to its high power and very rapid recycling time.

Technical Specification: –

Type: High-powered shoe-mount flash; automatic, thyristor type
Guide Number: 98 (ISO 100, feet), 60 w/wide adaptor
Recycling Time: 10 seconds with Alkaline-Manganese batteries 6 seconds w/Ni-Cd batteries
Number of Flashes: 100- 1000 w/Alkaline-Manganese batteries 50-500 w/Ni-Cd batteries
Auto Flash Ranges: 3
Auto Apertures: (ISO 100) Red-f/2.8 Green-f/5.6 Yellow-f/11
Bounce:Yes
Flash Coverage: For 35 mm format, covers angle of view of 35 mm lens; covers 24 mm w/adaptor
Color Temperature: Daylight
Power Source: 4 “AV size Alkaline or Ni-Cd batteries
Dimensions: 3-1/8 x 3-1/4 x 4-1/2 in.
Weight: 1 lb., 1-5/16 oz.

Mir.com

Asssesment:

As you can see in the photos above, and as I stated at the beginning, I’ve gone arse about face on this one and cleaned it prior to diagnosing what the actual issue is. Please forgive me as I was in a cleaning mood at the time, and if I’m in that mood everything gets cleaned.

It runs off of four AA type batteries that fit in to a cassette that sits in the side of the unit. All contacts are clean and there is no sign of any battery leakage. You can see the cartridge in the photos above. The flash unit comes in a Canon branded leatherette pouch that is in absolutely perfect condition. Inside the pouch is a diffuser / wide angle lens that slides over the actual flash head. The whole unit looks fantastically clean and tidy, with no signs at all of any damage or wear.

Put the batteries in though, and turn on the switch. And nothing. It’s dead. Kaput.

With these old flash units you were always used to hearing that family high pitched whistle when you turned it on. That was the system telling you that the capacitor inside was taking a charge and getting ready for business. Over time, the capacitor can loose its effectiveness, it semi retires if you like, and on occasions it retires fully, it dies a death. I very much suspect this is what could possibly have happened here, I just hope ours is in a deep sleep and can be woken up.

So as we move on to what we are going to do, the only issue here is that it’s simply not accepting a charge, and we will then discuss the two options on how we may now breathe life into this geriatric flash gun.

One thing that always annoys me when I search for possible ways of approaching the repair, is the attitude of people who have grown use to us all being consumer driven, the attitude stinks. These units can be purchased for very small amounts now and they loudly advise,”Just buy a cheap replacement and throw that one away!” This annoys me as you well know, because that’s not what this site is about, if I can repair something, no matter how inexpensive it is, I will. There is no need for this continuous throw away attitude. It’s a good way to learn just how things work.

Rant over, let’s move on….

Repair:

One of the easiest and least invasive, and therefore safest ways to start investigations, to look for a remedy, is to first get a nice fresh batch of alkaline batteries. With these in place within the unit, turn the flash power switch on and just leave it like that for anywhere between 2-8 hours. It has been known in the past, to act like a trickle charge as that flash capacitor has not been active for god knows how many years, it kind of revives it. It sometimes works, more often than not it doesn’t. But it’s worth giving it a try. So here goes. If this doesn’t work then our only other option is to get the unit opened up and to replace that beast of a flash capacitor.

I’m just coming off of a night shift and will shortly be heading off to bed, what better time to try this method out. So I’ll see you in a few hours 👋

And so the wait begins. Fresh batteries in place and turned on at 06:20….

I’ve arisen from my pit about five hours later, and what do you know….

Well, it’s only gone and bloody well worked hasn’t it?

Sometimes it’s the simplest of procedures that can bring old equipment back to life, and when the fix is non invasive, going no where near those dangerous internal components, it can only be a good thing can’t it? And to think this was just placed in a box for disposal. Well it’s got a new lease of life now.

It really is working

I’m really pleased with this so let’s move on to the final stages and get this little beauty polished and presented.

Result:

And yes it is a result, a result of patience and perseverance and thinking outside of the box as they say, in office inspired corporate management speak.

In a number of these “repairs” it’s best to exhaust all other options prior to getting the screwdrivers out, just like a surgeon explores all options prior to getting the knives out. I’m in no way comparing myself to a surgeon, you wouldn’t want me anywhere near you with a scalpel! I’m just using it as a pretty poor comparison, so I guess it’s best I shut up now and just get on with whatever I’m supposed to be doing.

So that’s another little repair put to bed, and another piece of electrical detritus pulled from the arms of the scrap man. I always feel a great sense of accomplishment when I mange to get these old bits of kit working again. It frightens me to think just how much salvageable tech equipment gets discarded when it could quite easily have its life extended with the minimal amount of intervention.

My plan is to add this flash to my Canon “A” series collection as that is what it was originally designed for. And I may well add a link here, when I get to use it whilst testing any new “A” series cameras that just happen to come my way, as they invariably do, that require my attention.

As always, thanks for passing by. It’s always most appreciated.

Canon Eos 10 test shots

Learnings from testing an old camera with expired film stock

Earlier in November 2025 i repaired a Canon Eos 10 camera from the 1990s and then took it out to test it with a roll of Kodak 400 asa film. You can find the repair here: Canon EOS 10

The caveat is that the film expired in 2005, 20 years ago. As a result I have overexposed it at 200 asa to compensate for the deterioration in sensitivity from such a long storage period. It may work, it may not, previous tests on a 200 asa film showed that a one stop over exposure was quite sufficient. Fingers crossed 🤞 on this one.

I don’t expect anything much, I expect quite a bit of grain and a definite colour hue over the entire roll. Who knows there may be nothing on it at all 🤷‍♂️

I’ve sent the roll off to our local photo guys in Leicester : Classic Photo Supplies and hopefully something will be on the medium res scans that i have requested. If there are pictures below, then there was some success, if not, enjoy the blackness.

Well, the scans are back and to be quite honest this one is a bit of a disaster. As stated the film is over 20 years out of date and there appears to be two problems here. Underexposure is one issue, I over exposed this by one stop but I don’t even think that is enough. If I’d overexposed at 2 stops though I might have improved the brightness, the already heavy grain would have been even more exaggerated. I think it’s fair to say this 400 asa old film stock I have is passed its time and not really fit for use.

Look at the grain at plus one stop overexposure

So. Though the results were not good and I have now realised that this old stock film is probably best for me to use as test film only. There is heavy grain, a distinct cast over the film and a quite obvious shutter curtains sync issue. These frames above a shutter speed of 500 seem to be the issue, and that is where the shutter speed has not synced the curtain, it’s definitely running slow. The film has been beneficial in identifying an issue in this part of the camera. I will now do a CLA on this camera shutter assembly to try to remedy this issue. I wasn’t using flash here, it was a dull cold English Sunday afternoon.

This is an old camera that has been sitting idle for many years, it may sort itself out after a few more rolls of film, however I can do something about it now. And this is really a lesson to be learned for anyone buying old film cameras, they do need that little bit of tender loving care to get them back into a good working condition.

I’m pleased I’ve highlighted this issue, I will get the work done to improve the shutter sync and then run another roll of film through it.

Maybe now is the time to buy a shutter speed optical tester. That may save me a bit of expense on processing costs and will also allow me to make these checks before committing to film.

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