7D won't hold settings

[LauraGay]

Hi,

I have a 7D that will not hold settings. It used to without any problem. Canon installed the most recent firmware update and I now seem to have problems. I don't know if the update caused the problem or if the timing is coincidental. ISO, f stop, exposure, C.Fn. 3 (1and 2), AF mode, Drive Mode all will not stay set if the camera is turned off. This is a real pain. ISO reverts to 640. fstop reverts to 6.3. Exposure reverts to 1/40 sec. Cfn 3-1 reverts to 0. CFn 3-2 reverts to 0. There may be others but this seems suffecient do demonstrate a problem.

I don't get error messages indicating that I need to change the clock battery. I can't find anything about this in the manual. I'd appreciate help if anyone can offer some guidance. Thanks.

Sincerely Laura G.

[hsbn]

Did you use Custom Shooting Mode (C1, C2, C3)? If it is, may be that the function Auto Update Shooting Mode has been turn off (I'm not sure if you have this one in the latest firmware of 7D or not but check).

[LauraGay]

Thanks for responding.

No, I didn't use these custome modes at all. When I go to "Clear All Camera Settings" I get a screen that says "Cannot clear camera settings. Select a shooting mode other than C1, C2, or C3." I get the same thing for clearing Custom Functions.

I always shoot in manual and select what settings I want at the time. I've only set up Cfn 3-1,2.

[TCampbell]

Does it retain the date/time?  The clock battery is a CR1616 "coin" battery.  Canon claims it has a service life of about 5 years.  The 7D was introduced about 4 years ago (but I realize your camera may be much newer).  

It seems like it should not need replacement yet, but this sure does sound suspicious.

Page 251 of the 7D manual shows the location of the coin battery and how to swap it.  It hides in the side of the main-battery compartment, near the compartment door hinge.

[LauraGay]

Thanks Tim, yes, it does hold date, time, my copy right settings, and lens information. So it's a bit strange. I've only had the camera for a couple of years. I read in the manual about the clock battery replacement, and that is why I wondered if my problems may be early symptoms. Thank you for adding that info. It's odd how certain settings revert to exactly the same settings every time. It also doesn't seem to matter where I change these settings, in the Q menu or on top.

[cicopo]

Try a hard reset. Remove BOTH batteries & leave them out overnight.

[LauraGay]

My understanding of a hard reset is that EVERY setting in the camera will have to be reentered. Is this correct?

[cicopo]

I've never needed to do a hard reset but I'd guess it reverts things back to when it left the factory which likely means any & all custom settings will be gone.

[LauraGay]

I can give this a try. I'll post results and go from there.

Thanks to all respondants. I appreciate the assistance.

[LauraGay · Accepted solution]

Things seem to be working now. Fortunately settings such as copy right and lenses remained intact. Thanks again.