Update: Video - Canon 6D turns itself off after a few shots with fully charged battery

[ddyourself]

Update: I uploaded my video to youtube, please comment:

http://youtu.be/3PNLUYd8g7A

TIA and pardon me for my English.

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I posted this originally at another forum, and somebody suggested me to post it here as well, to get more help.

Long story short, I purchased a brand new Canon 6D from B&H on Oct 24th, 2013. From early december, the camera starts to shut itself off randomly and displaying empty battery. I found the camera constantly shuts itself off after 20 - 100 continuous shots with a FULLY charged battery (right off charger, showing 8.23V using multimeter, and showing 98% in battery info).

The camera will just turn itself off in the middle of shooting, showing empty battery int the shoulder window. The solution is simple, open the battery door, then close it again, no need even to pull the battery.

So, I contacted Canon support, sent the camera to the VA service facility, waiting for it be repaired. As an engineer myself, I understand things fail, and I thought this is such an easy issue to reproduce, anybody should be able to repro it.

Couple of days later, I received a phone call to send my accessories in, no problem, debugging needs more info, that's normal. I sent my lens and stuff in. I unfortunately had to bear the cruel fact that I don't have a decent camera for the holiday, though I have a backup.

After a long wait, on 12/28the, the accessories were delivered at 9:35am. At 10am, they called me, they were sending the camera back. No issue at all. I was like, have you tested AT ALL? They didn't care, sending the camera back regardless. 

I received the camera on Jan 2nd, and saw the same issue on that day. Of course, it was NOT fixed at all.

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I googled really hard, somebody said he had similar issue but it was a defective battery, so I got a brand new Canon battery, unfortunately, the same issue pops up again.

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Ok, the only choice for me is to send it back again.  But this time I am totally amazed by Canon.

I sent the camera in again with my lens and battery. Also, a video showing the issue on a standalone CF card (I know 6D does not take CF, just to put the video on it).

Couples of days later, they called asking for accessories, I was like, what accessories, I don't have any more.

Then the camera sit in their facility for a few days for nothing. All of sudden I received a phone call on Monday morning, said it is ready. The camera has no issue at all.

I called, asked whether they have watched the video, they told me two technicians, including a senior one, was not able to upload the video to the computer. I was like, what the hell? why the heck you need to upload it to the computer, find a card reader, plug the card in, double click, how simple is that?

I talked to the service manager over the phone, he told me that there is nothing he could do, if their technician said so. They have decided to send my camera back, NOT fixed, again. I esclated the issue again, but haven't heard anything back yet.

Honestly, I am totally pissed, how stupid can they be? I included a letter with detailed steps on how to reproduce this issue. As an engineer myself, I know how easy to reproduce this issue. But what shocked me is that they don't even know or they didn't even bother to watch the video. In the same letter, I asked/begged them to contact me if they cannot reproduce the issue instead of just sending it back unfixed.

Guys, any other ways to get their attention? I already filed a BBB complaint. For a brand new camera of 3 months old, it has been in Canon's repair shop for almost a month. Leave to say that I missed the most importand holiday season in the year. This is simply not acceptable.

[ebiggs1]

That is a rough story. I am sorry you had to miss the holiday's.  Too bad it had to happen but just for my own curiosity and to refresh my memory, what exactly are the conditions and situations, when the camera shuts down.

You are positive you have good batteries?

[ddyourself]

I am positive that I have good batteries. In fact, I have two geniune Canon batteries, both from Canon directly, not third party.

The camera usually shuts itself off after 20-100 continuous shot, I mean, just keeps pushing the shutter button, and in the middle, I will find I cannot push anymore. At that moment, the camera loses all response, the shoulder LCD shows a flashing empty battery.

However, this getting more and more frequently, sometimes, as I showed in the video to Canon, I simply pushed the power dial from off to on, the camera died.
 

Another case, also in the video, I was flipping through the menu systems, just to show them the battery info, which actually says 92% power left, the camera just died.

But if these genius decide not to watch the video, I simply don't know how to show the issue.

[diverhank]

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@ddyourself wrote:

The camera usually shuts itself off after 20-100 continuous shot, I mean, just keeps pushing the shutter button, and in the middle, I will find I cannot push anymore. At that moment, the camera loses all response, the shoulder LCD shows a flashing empty battery.

But if these genius decide not to watch the video, I simply don't know how to show the issue.

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Do you really mean continuous shot like non-stop?  It's possible that the camera overheats and shuts itself off, even though the manual says nothing about this "feature".  Maybe the battery just didn't have enough juice to supply to the camera at its peak use...who knows.

It's definitely not cool for the support folks not taking a look at your video, though...Not a way to keep loyal customers.  Perhaps someone here from Canon can help.

[ddyourself]

The problem is that is the consistent way to reproduce it. As I said earlier, it could happen with no shot, 1 shot, 2 shots, or any number of shots.... For example, I watched my kids playing, the camera was in the standby mode, a good moment coming, 2 shots, the camera died.

I have been using an old Olympus E620 since 2009 before this 6D, never had such an issue ...

[ebiggs1]

"The camera usually shuts itself off after 20-100 continuous shot, ..."

By this you mean your are in continuous drive? You just hold the shutter release down until it stops shooting?

"... the shoulder LCD shows a ..."

What is the "shoulder" LCD?

Sorry for the extra questions but I am trying to understand exactly what you are going through and why Canon said it is OK.

Canon did not say it was all right if it is not.

You are, also saying, if you use the camera, just for a single snap shot, say several in a session, it is OK? Right?

It only shuts down when on continuous drive or video?

[ddyourself]

Sorry I was not clear, actually I was pushing the shutter botton again and again. Refocusing each time, but one after another.

The shoulder LCD refers to the LCD screen on top of the camera, the one on the back is turned off when it happens.

A single snapshot can trigger the same issue as well. It happened that I only took two shots before it died after a period of standby mode.

[ebiggs1]

" I was pushing the shutter botton again and again. Refocusing each time ..."

This could be understandable as you are simply reaching the capacities of the camera.

But certainly not on just random, spaced, shots.

As an engineer you probably understand mAh.  mAh ratings reflect how long a current can be drawn. Your continuous snapping of shots could be beyond the batteries capacity. But when you stop and take the time to open the battery door or some other coincidental motion, the battery recovers.

Some after market battteries have better (higher) mAh than Canon's own. They may seem to work better.

[ddyourself]

That's understandable, but as you said, random, spaced shots should not be impacted. I actually hit that issue as well, though not consistently.

In the 2-minute video I sent to Canon, the camera died twice without pushing the shutter botton at all. The first time, I simply turned the camera on, pushed the power dial from off to on.

The second time, I was going through the menu system, showing the battery info.

Again, the most consistent way to reproduce is to push the shutter around 40 shots.

[ebiggs1]

I am out of suggestions. Continuous use and battery drain were my biggies. I have no explanation as to why a few spaced shots would cause it.  I do hope you get it fixed as it is a very good camera and you will love it when it is operating correctly.

BTW, a thought, even 40 continuous shots in RAW could cause this???????