T1i (500D) LCD cuts out intermittently

[ickybuck]

Hi,

In a nutshell, my LCD doesn't work more than 90% of the time. I was on a trip to the mountains and half way through the shutter started firing at random. I pulled the battery and put a fresh one in later that evening. It seemed to come on intermittently, and the camera seemed to take pictures fine (which it did). The next day the LCD came on for a while (just in time to be able to use the timer for a group shot) and then promptly stopped working again. It has since come on a few times, but rarely. At one point, it seemed I could bump the camera on my wrist to get it to come back on, but it hasn't been able to do anything since.

Things it is not:

1. Lens cap is off (everyone seems to ask that question first, not that is has anything to do with the LCD)
2. Camera is on (camera will still take pics fine - I just have to use values seen at the bottom of the viewfinder)
3. "Disp" and/or "Menu" button has not been used to turn off the display
4. Nothing in the setup menu has been changed to disable the LCD

I'm assuming some kind of intermittent connection that powers the LCD. The camera was not bashed, bumped or abused as it was over my neck/arm the whole day. It was humid, but the camera seemed dry. Everything else works as expected, just the LCD.

Help?

[hsbn]

When using LiveView, it will turn off automatically after a period time. You will have to press the LiveView button again to reactivate it. I think this feature meant to save power and keep the camera from overheating. Unless you experienced something totally different.

[ickybuck]

I don't ever use Live View. The camera is just in normal operation mode, where settings are all that is displayed unless you take a picture (where the preview and histogram are breifly shown). The LCD is dead most of the time. It won't turn on for anything.

[ickybuck]

Hello? Any ideas?

[RobertTheFat]

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@ickybuck wrote:

Hello? Any ideas?

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Does the blue arrow work? If so, your problem sounds like some unintended combination of settings, in which case case you should try restoring the factory settings. If not, then it sounds like a problem with the camera which would probably require repair.

[ickybuck]

When the screen works, everything is normal. When it doesn't, nothing appears at all. Sometimes when I power the camera down the screen cleaning icon appears breifly, but then it doesn't work again if I power it back up right then. I can still use the camera, but must use the LCD indicator in the viewfinder.

[ickybuck]

Anyone have any clue? It still does not work most of the time.

It almost seems the dimming sensor is being falsely triggered. The sensor where the screen turns off as soon as you put your face to the view finder.

I was just paying with it again, and the screen seems to work fine if the camera has been left for a length of time, bus shortly after being on for a few minutes, it goes black.

[TCampbell]

I'm noting that you started the thread about 6 months ago.  Have you contacted Canon for service & support?

It sounds as if something in the camera is flakey.  If so, there's probably not much you can do on your own and it'll likely need to be sent in for repair.

Given the age of a T1i, it may not be worth the cost of repair -- however Canon does have a loyalty program that lets you trade-in the old camera toward a discount on a new camera.  The offers change and you have to call Canon service to find out what they currently offer. 

[RobertTheFat]

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@ickybuck wrote:
Anyone have any clue? It still does not work most of the time.

It almost seems the dimming sensor is being falsely triggered. The sensor where the screen turns off as soon as you put your face to the view finder.

I was just paying with it again, and the screen seems to work fine if the camera has been left for a length of time, bus shortly after being on for a few minutes, it goes black.

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You've tried a different battery? That last symptom sounds almost as though the voltage maintained by the battery is only marginally able to light the display.