Atherton & District Amateur Photographic Society

Hi All

If you have seen this months on line competition - No 73 - Taken with a Compact. You will know my Canon 400D died on me whilst I was on holiday, I'm still traumatized by the whole experience and am seeking therapy to try and get over it

Does anyone know where I can take my Canon D400 to get it looked at. The problem with it is that it won't switch on, it appears to be completely dead despite checking and changing the fully charged battery and memory card. How long do bodies last for? I've had it since I joined the club, is that nearly 5 years ago? I've probably taken in the region of 20,000 photos with it. I'm just trying to work out if it was due to be replaced anyway? I was using the camera in the morning to take some sunrises but by the afternoon on my first game drive into the Maasai Mara the damn thing wouldn't come on - I was absolutely gutted to say the least. It has been as dead as a dodo since.

Is it going to be worth getting it looked at? If so, where?

Would it be better to just get it replaced?

What's the best Canon camera to get that will fit the lenses I currently have?

Does anyone know a good therapist?

Any help or advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Yours Depressingly
Tracey

Just lie down on the couch and tell us all about your childhood......

Seriously, Canon will have an approved repair house and you could send the body for a quote. However, technology has moved on and this could be a good opportunity to update. I'm sure the Canon users will catch up with this and be able to suggest the best upgrade option?

As far as a repair goes. Have a word with Alan, at A M Technical, he's very good. He just repaired on of my lenses, that failed. He will in the first instance, give you a diagnosis and approx costing, over the phone. Then you can decided on repair or replacement.

Alan Marlow
AM Technical Services
12 Burbidge Road
Shepperton
Middlesex
TW17 0ED

Tel 01932 247127. Mob/Txt: 07914 978105. E-mail: alan. marlow@talk21.com.

Now let's see...

The choises are between trowing a lump of cash at a 5 year old battered camera body or buy a brand new 18 mpx 600D at £573 from amazon.
mmmmm......... What are you waiting for?

If you have no EFS (or equivalent) lenses you could go full frame with the 5DmkII. Pricy but you could easily convince yourself that you would win many more comps with better equipment.

Theo

Yes, I agree with Theo, I think the time has come for an upgrade. A heck of a lot as happened in the development on DSLR's in the last 5 years, too many to list here, but one that might interest you is the ability to use higher ISO's with much less noise than you experience now.
Visit http://www.dpreview.com/ for info about most Canon's (and most other makes of course) and you can compare most models easily in a side by side format, which is extremely helpful when making any decision.
Remember you can't use your 10-22mm on a full frame body (5D II) body.
Lehmann LTD is a Canon Authorised Service Centre and is just down the road in Stoke-on-Trent, 01782 413611, http://www.lehmannsdirect.co.uk. you can usually book a time to take your camera, hang about for a couple of hours, and get an estimate then. There is absolutely no point in trying to guess the fault from your description, it could be a simple dry joint costing peanuts to repair to something requiring major surgery.
Hope this as been some help,

Regards, Tom.

Canon 400D won't turn on...
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=452283


Canon 400D won't turn on...
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1127881


Canon 400D won't power up...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/sho ... p?t=734459


Canon 400D dead...
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=29728

I don't expect, but could be wrong, that Tracey will be dismantling her camera, but here's some generalised ideas:

1. Remove battery for half an hour or so, then replace and try again.

2. Clean contacts on lens mount and body mount with a dry soft cloth.

3. Clean battery contacts on battery and also inside camera to make sure there is good contact.

My only other thought is that going full frame would add enormous expense, mean buying new lenses and would increase the bulk and weight of the kit. I wouldn't do that.

Tracey, gutted for you. I have a 350D you could borrow if you need a camera until you've got yourself fixed up.

I'd have it looked at at any of the places mentioned. I have no experience of getting cameras fixed, but I would probably add Real Camera in Manchester to the list as well.

If you do have to replace your camera, I don't need to preach to you again about how much I love my second hand Canon 5D Mark 1. It is full frame though, so your lenses wouldn't be as long, but high ISO's and less noise...

It is my opinion that if the camera costs you £80 to get fixed, then I'd do it, however, I'd lose a bit of faith in the camera and keep it as a backup.

If you want the camera from me, it's just sat in my bag as a spare, just give me a ring.

Hi Everyone

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Paul - I've checked out the links you sent me and learned that there is a small battery contained within my normal battery compartment, which I didn't know about, this obviously runs the date and time etc. I'll get a new one today, it can't cost much, it looks like a watch battery but bigger, so I'll give that a whirl first.

If that fails then I will ring Alan Marlow that StuB suggested to see if he can help.

If that fails then it's looking like a new one, I'll be picking all your brains this Thursday for your thoughts on best one to get. Either way, if I can get my 400D to work then I'm highly tempted to get a new one anyway and keep my 400D as a backup, especially for trips like I have just had.

Phil - Thanks for the offer of borrowing your 350D, I may just take you up on that if I'm in need of a camera before I can sort myself out.

Thanks again everyone - all your comments have been a big help, I'll let you know how I get on.

Tracey

Hi Tracey,
So sorry to hear what happed to you, I was so looking forward to seeing your pictures, I would see how much it would cost to repair your present camera if not to much get it repaired but after your experience I don't think you could trust it as your main body, keep it as a spare but invest in a new body, but even a new body could fail on a trip like you have been on, when I go on similair long haul trips I always take a second body it is the first DSLR I bought but is a good backup,
Welcome back,
Bert.

Hi Tracey, welcome back!

That's really terrible looking forward to a trip and then your camera letting you down.

I would be in tears of frustration too.

Hi Tracey,

You went all the way to Africa without a backup - only joking, but a 400D is probably only worth around £200 with the standard kit lens, when its working, ( I sold my copy for £275 at xmas, with extras battery grip etc).

Time for a new one, full frame are a bit pricey and as stated any efs lenses wont fit/work. So you have the choice of the xxxD or XXD cameras and the 7D. Personally i prefer the ergonomics of the xxxD series, and the 400D is part of that series. So, there's been the 450D (Canon's most popular sale by numbers sold), 500D, 550D and now the 600D. As already stated look at the specs, the 550D is somewhat cheaper now that the 600D is out. High iso and 18megapixel as the 600D, does full1080 video, and good larger lcd screen though not articulated like the 600D.

Dont think you can go wrong with any of them and they are all a step up from the 400D, the 600D is £70 dearer than the 550D body only at camerapricebuster, you probably wont be needing the lens kit. I only paid £475 for my 550D last summer via ebay, English retailer, but came with slightly different manual, so probably a grey import from somewhere, but labelled 550D not T2i as designated in other markets.

Time to empty your pockets.


Phil.

Hi All

I just wanted to thank everyone for all your comments and support over my tragedy and to update you on what has happened since.

After replacing the smaller battery, which is contained in the main bettery compartment, the camera still did not work so I contacted the chap StuB recommended and what a nice chap he was. He listened to my story of woe and said it was probably the fuse that had gone and that it would cost about £30 to fix, so I sent him my camera, he texted me two days later, confirming it was the fuse, I sent him a cheque on the Monday and received my camera back by the Wednesday fully restored to it's former glory. The very kind man, not only fixed it in record time but didn't even wait for my cheque to be cleared before sending it back, at his cost, he didn't want any extra for P&P so I highly recommend this chaps services to anyone who is in need of his help, I believe he works on all cameras and lenses, here are his details:

Alan Marlow
AM Technical Services
12 Burbidge Road
Shepperton
Middlesex
TW17 0ED

Tel 01932 247127. Mob/Txt: 07914 978105. E-mail: alan. marlow@talk21.com.

John - Is there somewhere we could put this on the forum for people to access easily for future reference.

Another kind man to thank is my hubby, for buying me a shiny new camera for my birthday - he has bought me a Canon 7D which I'm hoping will be delivered this week some time, so my 400D will be used as a backup.

Thanks again everyone - I honestly appreciate all of your comments, I seriously thought I was going to need councelling to get me through this tragic event but you have all pulled me though without the need of a shrink.

Lots of Love
Tracey x

Good result, Tracey.

So glad you are sorted now Tracey. I too have a 7D on order, I have been waiting on mine for 6 weeks now from Mathers, so I hope that yours arrives a little sooner Where have you ordered yours from?

Pauline