topic Re: New Camera/Help in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 02:09:44 GMT

Hello my name is Corey,
I wanted to get my steps into photography and have never owned a Camera. I just bought a used 40D yesterday that came with 2 lenses.(70-210 & a 35-135). It also came with a 2 GB Memory card, 2 batteries, a battery grip, and a case. Anyways.. Now to where I need help..

It will only turn on with the battery grip(With just one battery in the battery compartment it won't work. The Camera came with out a battery door unfortunately so I ordered a new one and hopefully that will solve the problem.

An additional problem.. To take pictures I can rarely get it to snap any pictures with the primary button(idk what it's called). How ever with the battery grip button it snaps pictures just fine. Could this be because the battery grip is attached? I have reset the camera settings, and turned off the battery switch and still nothing..

Thanks for your help and time!

Re: New Camera/Help

Peter — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 09:48:48 GMT

About the battery door. You have a micro switch there that will need a closed battery door or an attached battery grip. Else the camera will not power up.

Re: New Camera/Help

Ray-uk — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 10:32:32 GMT

The on-camera shutter button should work even with the grip attached.

It sounds as though you may have a faulty shutter button, it is quite common for these to get dirty contacts and become a bit erratic on all conon DSLRs not just the 40D. I would suggest that you try repeatedly pressing it while the camera is turned off in the hope that it might clear.

There have been some DIY fixes posted on the internet by squirting cleaner fluid into the battery compartment but I would be reluctant to try this because you could damage the top LCD.

If you bought this camera from a dealer then perhaps they might fix the problem for you otherwise you may have to pay to get the shutter button replaced.

Re: New Camera/Help

TCampbell — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 15:07:31 GMT

Most Canon battery grips have a spot where it hides the battery door. The long post that inserts into the battery bay may actually have your door hiding on the side of it (it would be easy to miss if you didn't realize it was there.)

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 01:54:44 GMT

Got yeah, thanks for confirming. I bought a camera door for it so that should hopefully fix that issue.

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 01:58:30 GMT

Oh wow thanks I found it! Hopefully I can cancel my order on the battery door lol. Thanks!

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 01:59:28 GMT

When I hit the shutter button it still focuses, but won't capture the picture. Could it be the button it self or something else? Thanks

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 02:00:33 GMT

Just to add.. The shutter button still focuses and activates the flash, but I can rarely get it to capture a picture.

Re: New Camera/Help

Peter — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 09:07:51 GMT

A quick search at Google tells me it's not an unfamiliar problem with the 40D. Search for 40d shutter button or Contact cleaning the shutter button in Canon 40D. Also Fix shutter release button not working Canon 30D 40D 50D.

The best is probably to open the camera up and clean the contact. The easiest is probably to put alcohol at the battery place holding the camera upside down. Don't forget to clean the battery compartment before. To get a 40D reparied costs probably more than the camera is worth.

Re: New Camera/Help

Ray-uk — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 09:49:32 GMT

The shutter button has 2 seperate sets of contacts, the first one turns on the metering and the focusing, the second one actuates the shutter so it is possible that it is only the second contact that is causing the problem.

The fact that it is firing the flash is a bit misleading because the intial flash that you see is probably the pre-flash that is triggered indirectly by the metering contact this is normally followed by the main flash that is triggered by the shutter mechanism. Normally this happens in quick succession and you do don't notice it flash twice. I wouls suggest that you are only getting the pre-flash because the shutter mechanism isn't moving.

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 06:36:13 GMT

I tried it and letting it dry over night. I'll let you know if it fixed it!

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 06:37:48 GMT

Thanks, that makes more sense to my now. Hopefully I can get the shutter button cleaned.

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 06:00:46 GMT

It's fixed! I used some WD40, and contact cleaner. I'm going to get a keyboard air duster, and some alcohol to clean it out better. Thank you!

Re: New Camera/Help

Waddizzle — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 07:17:08 GMT

@CoreyS wrote:
It's fixed! I used some WD40, and contact cleaner. I'm going to get a keyboard air duster, and some alcohol to clean it out better. Thank you!

I suggest that you quit while you're ahead. Introducing foreign objects and substances into what should be a "clean room" type of environment is never a good thing.

Cameras and lenses, cameras most especially, should be cleaned by professionals.

Compressed air can introduce frozen air moisture onto surfaces where it is sprayed, because they sudden drop in pressure is accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature. WD40 and electronics do not mix. There is really no such thing as "contact cleaner", because any solvent leaves residue behind.

Re: New Camera/Help

Ray-uk — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 10:14:05 GMT

Well done for fixing it, but in future do not even think about using WD40 on camera equipment it is not made to be a cleaner or a lubricant it is made to disperse water (hence the WD). Sometimes it can cause more problems than it cures because it dissolves some lubricants and can leave a nasty residue.

If you want to clean out the battery compartment use a little Isopropronal fluid on a brush otherwise as the previous post has stated "quit while you are ahead"

Re: New Camera/Help

CoreyS — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 16:21:29 GMT

I understand, there were a few times where the shutter button still didn't work so I want to clean it better. I understand that the WD40 was a bad idea won't be using that any more. I am going to try an isoproponal just once more and hopefully it fully fixes it.

Re: New Camera/Help

RobertTheFat — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:15:45 GMT

@CoreyS wrote:
I understand, there were a few times where the shutter button still didn't work so I want to clean it better. I understand that the WD40 was a bad idea won't be using that any more. I am going to try an isoproponal just once more and hopefully it fully fixes it.

Just remember that some (all?) alcohols form a constant-boiling solution with water, which means that you can't get pure alcohol out of an aqueous solution by simple distillation. So what they do is add some amount of an adulterant, notably benzene. That gets the water out, but can leave a trace amount of benzene in the "pure" alcohol. And benzene may not be something you want disappearing into the recesses of your camera. It's one thing to use alcohol to clean lens contacts (of questionable efficacy, but harmless) and another to pour it around the shutter button.