Canon 5D Mark II Viewfinder Display Not Working

[Usualamateur30]

Hi all,

I just got a used 5D Mark II and I discovered that the only issue with the camera is that the small neon green display at the bottom of the viewfinder is competely black. After doing two total resets of the camera, charging the battery, making sure the firmware was up to date, and changing settings (maxing out the LCD brightness, changing around focussing screens, etc.), nothing had improved. Is there a simple way to fix this, or is it a serious problem? This camera was listed by a reputable Ebay seller as being in excellent condition, yet without the viewfinder display, the camera is basically almost useless. I have had experience with many cameras, including the Canon Rebel G, Canon T2i, Nikon D7000, and Nikon D700 and nothing like this has ever happened to me, so I'm really not sure what else to do. It doesn't seem like this is a very common problem (I only found three other threads, one on a D750, a D90, and a 5D Mark II with a dim viewfinder screen), and I'm not really sure what repairing it would entail. Thank you all for your help!

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

I suggest you return the product. Clearly not in excellent condition.

[Usualamateur30]

Hi John,

Thank you for your advice! I returned the camera last week and the seller was helpful in the process. I just ordered another 5D Mark II so fingers crossed!

[Krblankenship92]

This same exact thing just happened to me! Bought a “new” EOS R from an eBay seller and the lcd screen isn’t working. Can I ask who you bought yours from? Wondering if this is going to start becoming more common- especially with all of the looting that has occurred the past year. 

[Usualamateur30]

Hi,

I bought mine from a seller on Ebay called "amfour_201810", although it could have been likely that the camera got damaged in shipping as well, which could also be the case with your EOS R, although it is questionable. I hope everything works out for you!