 Bunny Snow |
aperture setting/visibility disappeared Something strange has happened and I haven't a clue as to the reason or where I go from here. I have a Canon EOS 20D, which I was using without problem. After the battery went dead yesterday, it was changed. Placing a new battery in the camera was without incidence. However, while I can move my shutter speed, the aperture (regardless of the setting) has 00 --no numbers. It seems not to matter whether I'm in DEP, Manual, Av, Tv, Program or where it is, there is no aperture numbers. I cleared the camera settings in Menu. But, still no aperture numbers. I bought the 20D new in 2005, but it wasn't used much until 2008 after recovering from a total hip and total knee replacement. This year it has been used almost daily. The camera has not worn out, it's just not functioning correctly. Help!
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Pete H |
Bunny, I do not own any Canon products, but I would suggest doing a full reset to factory defaults. The proceedure should be in your manual.
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
One possibility: Turn the power off, remove the lens, then put it back on. Also make sure your lens apeture is set on "A".
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Bunny, I have seen this before so check the power switch. The 20D has a 3 position power switch, make sure it is switched to the top ON setting. Carlton
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Bunny Snow |
When I cleared the settings in the menu, everything changed to default. So, that wasn't the problem. I removed the lens, placed it back on. There is no "A" setting. I've never used Auto, I'm beyond that. But, I tried putting it in green mode and nothing read except an error message, which should not have occurred. The shutter sounds like it is going off in green mode, when I haven't touched the shutter button. What does Err 5 mean? Carlton, it worked for a moment when I turned the power switch to the top ON setting. And, then just as fast, it stopped working. Thanks for your feed back. I'm frantic! I've just started a class and now, no camera. Bunny
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Alan N. Marcus |
The 20D has a battery pack and a coin sized battery (2016)that keeps the time and date. I advise removing the coin battery and the battery pack. Allow 15 minutes to elapse and re-install. Hopefully the interruption of all power might re-boot the camera’s CPU when power is restored. Best of luck, Alan Marcus
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Sharon |
Hi Bunny, Have you tried a different lense? Also since you got it in 2005, you might also want to check if the firmware is up to date as well. Worst case is you got some dust or debris in the mechanism of the camera. Try googling it to see what you come up with as well. But i'd probably just call Canon & ask them. And the Err 5 means there's a problem, I believe, with the pop up flash. I hope this helps & you get it up and running again :)
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Bunny Snow |
I tried another lens, and at first the result was the same. Then, in Creative Mode, I was able to see the aperture, but with a new problem. The "needle" for the aperture kept moving back and forth across the area without stopping, even though the green circle came on. It was the speed of the movement that was so striking. And even when I tried to hold that aperture, it kept on moving. However, I was able to capture an image of the manual in pdf on the computer screen in between movements. This is weird! The green mode is still totally erratic! Marcus, I removed Battery Pack BP-511A and placed it in the charger, while looking at page 35 of the Canon 20D manual, which cites the (coin size) CR2016 battery, but I cannot see how even a coin size battery could fit behind that plate even if I could remove the plate. Additionally, it has only been 3 years, whereas the battery (wherever its location) is suppose to last 5, according to the manual. When reading the manual, it said to avoid areas where there are strong magnets. Is there is a magnet underneath the chassis of the car floor board? Because that's where my camera was placed for a short period while I was in traffic. And, if that is the case, I may be in for an expensive repair or a new body. I'll call Canon on Monday. Thanks Allan and Sharon for your feedback. I feel sick! Bunny
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Bunny Snow |
This is really weird! I took off the 24-105mm lens and replaced it with the 100mm macro and the problem went away in the Creative Zone, but not Basic Zone. About an hour later, I replaced the 100mm lens with the 24-105mm lens and at first the problem returned, and then, just as quickly it left. Now all zones are working fine! I don't have a clue what happened or the reason for the occurrence. From now on a padded camera case is coming with me whenever I'm traveling. I just wish I knew the reason my camera was acting so strange. Thank God, I'm no longer a professional. Thank you everyone for your ideas. Bunny
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Alan N. Marcus |
Not being a experienced with this model, I can only offer suggestions. Modern cameras are marvels of miniaturized electronics. They contain a central process unit CPU and peripheral circuitry. In other words, they are a miniature computer. Under rare circumstances the computer malfunctions and goes to never-never-land. Sometimes if we are very lucky we can cause the computer to re-boot. Boot is the slang term for initiation at start-up whereby a computer is given its initial operating instructions. Likely a re-boot is possible via an unpublished sequence. Thus the only way we can cause this opportunity to occur is by removing all power sources and allowing all residual electric charges to dissipate. All I am saying is, likely a re-boot will occur if all power is removed and then re-installed. It’s worth a try. The coin size battery is removable. If it were my camera I would first remove all batteries and allow the unit to sit overnight. Then I would re-install and hope for the best. The next step is to send it out to a factory repair station. Don’t take removing the coin battery lightly, you have nothing to lose. Best of luck, Alan Marcus
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Bunny Snow |
When I talked with a former instructor, a local pro, he said the exact same thing happened to him last night with two cameras, which he was using. He went through the same routine as I, including removing the batteries, changing lenses, (but he said not to remove the coin size battery, which he felt was placed in its location for tech people to remove because the camera would have to be taken apart to remove it). He also changed his camera to default. Then, a couple hours later, his cameras began working again and without problem. Danny said he also had no idea what caused the problem, but it happened once before to him and both times he had a "shoot". All he could do is remove the batteries and wait a couple hours and then try again. Perhaps, I should remove the battery occasionally and just let the camera rest overnight. Maybe that will solve the problem. Never having had the problem before, I don't have much experience with this. However, I really appreciate all of your help, Alan and Sharon. Both of your suggestions seemed to have helped. I just didn't know it at the time. Bunny
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Samuel Smith |
hmmm
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Well Bunny, I am relieved it is working again and the only other thing I can think of right now is that you may need to clean the battery contacts on either the battery & in the battery compartment. There may be an slightly corroded connection and this would be an easy fix with a Qtip. Temperature changes also affect batteries especially on cold mornings. BTW, the manual suggests to remove the battery when the camera is not being used and I used to do this but now I am lazy and just leave it in (since I use my camera daily anyway) and I have read other threads where older batteries lose power and the ability to hold a charge.
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Bunny Snow |
A former instructor recommended cleaning the battery contacts with a pencil eraser making certain that all portions of the eraser are removed before reassembling into the camera or charger. I image the Q-tip would be the same. My worry is that something would be left behind and cause a greater problem. I can understand where gold mornings may be a problem. But, here in South Louisiana, when I'm generally out, it's not that cold. In fact, the day this occurred it was 76 degrees F. Often I do take the battery out if I don't anticipate using the camera for a week or more. And, if it's been a long time between usage, I recharge both sets of batteries prior to usage. This just occurred out of the blue, and the interesting thing is that it occurred to a former instructor's Canons at the same time, as I learned when he returned my telephone call.
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