M6 Mark ii Main Dial Random Changes

[Barry3]

Is anyone having problems with the main dial (the one around the shutter button) randomly causing setting changes (always in the "down" direction) with just the slightest touching of the dial? For example, even just having my finger on the shutter button and not meaning to turn the main dial at all. 

[Helkamoore23]

Hello Barry3, Volley in Pickleball

I am very sorry to heard that but You have to try to ensure the dial is clean or check the physical damage. Then update your firmware and adjust your dial sensitivity. 

It may your help.

Thanks. 

[Barry3]

Thank you for your response. How do I adjust dial sensitivity? 

[wq9nsc]

There is no sensitivity adjustment for the dial/knob controls of the M6 II, the only sensitivity adjustment is for the touch screen.

The dials are standard encoder controls with mechanical steps.  Do you hear/feel clicks as you rotate the dial?  You should.  Is the selected exposure value changing without the dial clicking?  If either of these are happening then the encoder control is defective.  You should feel regular solid detents as the dial is rotated and nothing should happen between these steps.

No attempt should be made to clean this control, it can only be serviced by opening the camera and that is something that shouldn't be attempted by the typical owner.

Rodger

[Barry3]

Thank you.

"Do you hear/feel clicks as you rotate the dial?"

Yes

"Is the selected exposure value changing without the dial clicking?"

Yes 

"There is no sensitivity adjustment for the dial/knob controls of the M6 II, the only sensitivity adjustment is for the touch screen." and "No attempt should be made to clean this control, it can only be serviced by opening the camera and that is something that shouldn't be attempted by the typical owner."

This is unfortunately as I expected. Thanks for confirming. I have read of this happening to a few other people with the M6 Mark II, so I am wondering if this is common and a defect in design or manufacture. My camera is well out of warranty, but as an occasional use hobbyist it has not seen much wear and tear, so this is disappointing.

[wq9nsc]

Barry,

I agree that type of failure is disappointing.  I bought an EOS 650 (film 35mm EARLY in the EOS era) and my daughter used it 5 years ago when she was learning photography as a young teen.  I wanted her to learn the discipline of film instead of the "machine gun" approach so common to digital.  It functioned then as well as it did almost 40 years earlier.  My 1D Mark II from 2005 is flawless as was my 1DX from 2012 before I gifted it to the school priest earlier this year.  Neither of my 1DX II or 1DX III models have ever had a glitch or fault and they have seen some severe service shooting sports.  But I wouldn't expect this type of durability from recent models where light weight and "features" appear more important than Canon's legendary reliability.

Although it is an annoyance, as long as you can continue to use the camera at least it hasn't turned into a paperweight.  In electronics, a felt washer is often used to provide a little drag and cushioning for rotary controls.  If it gets worse and the quoted repair expense becomes impractical for a discontinued body, you might investigate whether the dial knob can be easily removed and if so then slip a felt washer between the dial and body sized so that it is flush or just shy of the diameter of the dial.

Rodger

[Barry3]

Thanks again Rodger. Despite Canon’s claims to the contrary, I realized there was a good chance it was a dying model series when I bought it. I like the camera. I’ll probably get it fixed. It seems to work better for awhile if the dial has been vigorously rotated back and forth a few times. I’m hoping to get through the summer as is, and then I’ll look at repairing it. Unfortunately, if it becomes a frequent enough occurrence, then the camera is essentially useless to me. I might have a 1/60 second exposure set, and if that main dial is set to control shutter speed, just from brushing the dial to press the shutter button, if that main dial does its wonky thing my shot is taken at a 30 second exposure. I can fall back to my old SL1. Obviously, I have lower end equipment. I very much enjoy the mirrorless experience over the dslr, and the better focusing and burst speeds of the M6. And of course my M series lenses won’t work on the SL1. But I can make do if I have to. The SL1 has many more shots on it than the M6 and everything still works fine on it.

[Hmnish]

Yes, some users have reported issues with the main dial registering unintended changes, especially in the "down" direction, even with slight touches or when resting a finger on the shutter button. [Removed 3rd Party Link]