Canon 6d felt while taking a timelapse, camera isn't responding anymore

[samirop]

Hello Guys! 

An unexpected wind burst threw  my canon 6d while doing a timelapse =( Fortunately the lens dind't get a major scratch but I cannot say the same regarding the camera.. 

Right after picking it up, the camera showed an "err" message with no number after it. Then after a couple of rebootings, it started showing an empty battery sign and it never turned on again.. I've tried with different batteries which I know are fully charged, so that's not the problem. 

One strange thing I noticed is that the mirror won't come down and the sensor is hidden behind the blades. Is it possible that it went into a sort of "safe lock" state? 

My best guest is that the mirror's mechanical system is locked, taking too much power while trying to move it so the camera thinks that it runned out of battery.

I'm taking the camera to a canon service anyway, but I'm out of the city now so I'll have to wait around a week for it. I would like to know if you have any hints for diagnosing it beforehand, or if anyone experienced any similar problem. I'm an electrical engineer so I have skills for going a bit further in case there's a good reason for it.

Thanks in advance!  Wish me luck! 

Samuel

[Ray-uk]

There is no "safe lock" mode, it sounds as though something has broken or jammed.

You could try just pulling the mirror down gently with the tip of your fingernail in the faint hope that it might have just got stuck in the up position but I am inclined to think a repair is necessary.

[samirop]

Hi Ray, 

Thanks for your reply. I tried already moving the mirror as you said but it gets back to the upper position. I didn't go all the way through to avoid touching the mirror itself, but maybe that could "unjam" the mirror, I'll see if that helps later. 

Cheers,

[ebiggs1]

The 6D is not the most robustly built camera.  A fall can and probably did damage internally.  Call Canon support to set up a repair.  It is really the only way to go.  Don't mess around inside and make things worse.

[ebiggs1]

"Fortunately the lens dind't get a major scratch..."

I would also send the lens in, too.  

[samirop]

Thanks for your answer. I finally hand it in to canon a couple of days ago. I'm waiting for the diagnosis. Regarding the lens, I could test it properly with a friend's 6d and it works perfectly 😃 It just lowered its value for a resalling, but anyways it works.

I'll let you know what's the final diagnosis. Thanks for your replys!

[Davoud]

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@samiropSamuel wrote:

An unexpected wind burst threw  my canon 6d while doing a timelapse...

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The wind has been blowing somewhere in the Universe without remission for 13.799±0.021 billion years and on planet Earth without remission for ~4.5 billion years and you were not expecting it!? Really?

Never mind, it's OK. But don't let it happen again. Get some of these.

[Waddizzle]

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@samirop wrote:

Hello Guys! 

An unexpected wind burst threw  my canon 6d while doing a timelapse

Samuel

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Sounds like you could use a more robust tripod.  

The load ratings of tripod are almost entirely meaningless, IMHO.  Some manufacturers seem to be more conservative in their load ratings than others.  The same is true for tripod heads, whose performance can vary even more widely than tripods.

One thing is for sure, though.  Raising the center column lowers the load rating significantly, because you can raises the center of gravity until it is higher than the legs are wide, which is inherently unstable.  Many photo tripods allow you to change the angle of the legs, so spread them out for added stability.

I have developed a preference for video tripods, or photo tripods with a flat plate, instead of center column.  Video tripods tend to have a wider stance, and bigger footprint, compared to “photo” tripods.  They also tend to be heavier than photo tripods because they are designed to be stationary for lengthy periods of time.  Most photo tripods are designed to portable first, and stable second.

If you are shooting a time lapse video, then a VERY stable tripod should be used.  I recommend considering upgrading your tripod.  I think photo tripod with a flat base, or a video tripod with a 75mm bowl and flat base bowl adapter may work better than your current gear.