Canon 5d mark ii: Control aperture in M mode

[thangpt88]

I just go a canon 5d mark II from ebay and a new 85 mm f/1.8 lens from adorama. However I can't control aperture in Manual (M) model even after turning the on/off knob to the highest level (marked by a white line). is there any thing wrong with the camera or with the lens? Thanks.

[Waddizzle]

It could be either, but most llikely the camera.  The lens is new.  Try a different lens on the camera.  Try the lens on a different camera.

[Waddizzle]

Wait a second.  Are you saying that the aperture works in other modes, but not when the camera is in Manual mode?

[jrhoffman75]

Describe exactly what you mean by "can't control". Do you mean the AV on the display doesn't change or that the aperture won't close if you take a photo or press the DOF preview button.

Set camera to "P" and take an exposure reading; note the Tv and Av.

Set the camera to "M" and dial in the Tv and Av. Take a photo. Is it exposed correctly?

[RobertTheFat]

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@thangpt88 wrote:

I just go a canon 5d mark II from ebay and a new 85 mm f/1.8 lens from adorama. However I can't control aperture in Manual (M) model even after turning the on/off knob to the highest level (marked by a white line). is there any thing wrong with the camera or with the lens? Thanks.

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If you're doing what I think you're doing, you're setting the aperture wheel to "lock", not "on". That's not an on/off switch; it's a switch that allows you to ensure that you won't accidentally turn the wheel.

Disclaimer: I don't own a 5D2, but that's how it works on a 5D3. If what I said above doesn't make sense, just ignore it.

P.S.: If you didn't get an instruction manual, you can download one from the Canon Web site.

[jrhoffman75]

Its a different setup; like the 1D Mark IV.

[RobertTheFat]

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@jrhoffman75 wrote:

Its a different setup; like the 1D Mark IV.

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And the 50D. I'm surprised; I'd have guessed that the 5D2 and the 1D4 were beyond that.

[diverhank]

To eliminate the possibility that your control wheel doesn't work (broken) , try Av and see if you change the aperture.  My guess would be that this camera has been customized to work differently from default (not sure how, though - does this have Magic Lantern?).  I'd reset it back to factory settings and try again.

As other has mentioned, you need to make sure the On button is at the top, with the line (you mentioned that you did this).  For what it's worth, here is the excerpt from the manual:

[TCampbell]

We need to establish whether your rear dial actually works.

I still have my 5D II.

In "Manual" mode, the front dial (near the shutter button) adjusts the shutter speed and the rear-dial will adjust the aperture but the rear dial will ONLY work to adjust aperture if the on/off switch is set to the position where the line connects it to the wheel (the notch above the "on" position).  If in the "on" position (but not the line) the rear dial only works when using menus.

If the camera is in Manual mode, press teh "Q" button... this is done by pressing in the 8-way navigator stick (near the upper-right corner of the LCD screen).  Using the navigator like a joystick... navigate to the aperture adjustment on the rear LCD screen.  Now... ROTATE the rear dial (it should work regardless of whether it is in the "on" position vs. the line because you are using a menu.

Also... when you press the "menu" button, the front dial will move between the various category (tabs) at the top of the menu, while the rear-dial will move between selections (rows) within each category.   Again... this will work regardless of which mode the power switch is in (on vs. the line... just so it's not "off" the rear dial will work this way on a 5D II).

If you find that either of these things does NOT work when you use the rear dial on your 5D II then the rear-dial is broken and you should contact Canon service (or the seller if you've only just received this camera.) 

[thangpt88]

Hi all,

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

1) By "can't control the aperture in M mode" I meant even when I set the on/off switch to the third level (indicated by a white mark line some people here showed in their attached pictures) and dial the rear wheel (the big one with Set button on, and right next to the LCD screen) I can move f-stop up/down. I've read the manunal and spent hours searching on the internet but it still didn't work that way. That's why I put my question here.

2) Someone mentioned try to reset the camera to the factory mode. How could I do it? I went through every tabs in Menu and reset camera settings and functionality setting but it didn't help. Is there any "stronger" reset?

3) While the camera is in the Av mode, I can control the aperture, with the front wheel (close to the shutter stop button). The rear wheel didn't work in this case. With the Q button (multifunction joystick) when I move to Aperture in the main Display screen, I can change the aperture with the rear dial, but at the same time I can't see it in the viewfinder. I believe for 5D2, if everything works properly, in M mode and the on/off switch changed to the third level I can independently control shutter speed (by using front wheel) and aperture (by using rear wheel) while looking throught the viewfinder. Please correct me if I am wrong. My problem is I can only do that for shutter speed, and everytime in order to change aperture I need to look at the big LCD screen and using the Q joystick.

4) I will bring my lens and mount it on a new camera today. Thanks for the suggestion.

Do you have any further comments/suggestion?

Many thanks,

TP

Berkeley, CA.