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T4i camera completely locking up in the ON position?

bigguy841
Apprentice

I have had my Canon T4i for about 4 months now, use ita few times a week as a hobby. Every couple weeks I will turn on the camera and adjust the Ap/Sh/ISO settings to prepare for a shoot and the camera will just freeze or lock up in the spot. None of the buttons or dials trigger any sort of response from the camera and I am not able to take a picture or do anything. Even turning th camera to the 'OFF' position does nothing and the camera remains on with the LCD still lit up but not responding. The only way I am able to get the camera working again is to remove the battery and then put it back in and power it up, at which point it usually works normally. The only time I've had this happen more than once in a day was over Thanksgiving when it happened about 3-4 times throughout the day.

 

I contacted Canon support and was told to first try resetting the camera to default settings, which I did, and if that doesn't work to remove the battery and memory cards and using a pencil eraser to clean off the contact surfaces of those items, which I have not done yet. If it continues to happen, I am supposed to send it in to let them inspect it and decide if if needs repair or replacement. Since it seems random and spread out, it's hard to say whether it's 'fixed' since it did it last week before I re-set the settings.

 

Has anyone had this problem? If so, did you do either of those methods to solve it? If you sent it in, were they able to determine the problem and handle it? I don't want to send it in and be without my camera for weeks only for them to tell me it worked fine for them and there is no problem, since it works fine 98% of the time as of now.

 

Any help would be great!

 

40 REPLIES 40

jhodgesatmb
Apprentice

We purchased this t4i in late November and started learning its functions right away. About the first time we put it in live view mode it froze up as described. The battery was fully charged and the sd card was a brand new 64 GB sdxc card. Removing the battery worked to get the camera working again. The problem seems to be associated with live view because when I put it into movie mode it also often freezes. I have not tried cleaning the battery terminals but, like others have mentioned, it seems an unlikely problem on a brand new camera.

 

It is quite disconcerting to spend as much time researching cameras, and to finally make a purchase decision and buy a camera, to find such a huge problem with the camera. I hope that Caonon will replace the camera, or perhaps Amazon, since I just bought it a month or so ago.

jpturner
Apprentice

Lockup in liveview.  Camera will not turn off, all controls are non-responsive.  Only soultion is to remove the battery.

 

Now let me ask... I've only had the camera a few days but been using it pretty heavy in order to get familiar with it.  Should I return it and roll the dice that I just got a bad unit or wait for a firmware update.  Do Canon engineers read this forum or is this just a playcation by Canon to vent frustrations?

Yes, return it. We returned ours, got a new one, and haven't had a recurrence of the problem.

Well my camera just came back from Canon service for an unrelated issue  and went through all the quality checks and today it locked up after going to movie mode then later in the day it did it again after going to movie mode and the only way to shut it off was to remove the battery. Camera Firmware Version is 1.0.1 and the lens attatched was the 18-135 IS STM Lens firmware version 1.5.0. Camera was purchased in November 2012.

Bob


IMG_9314.JPG

"Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do."

Hi Bobakman,

 

I recommend you contact us via telephone or email.  For contact options, please click here.

Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.


@Richard wrote:

Hi Bobakman,

 

I recommend you contact us via telephone or email.  For contact options, please click here.


Thanks I am currently in an E-Mail support conversation and am using a different SD card to see if it may be related to the specific card.

 

Bob

"Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do."

I just found this thread which appears to confirm that the "lock up" issue is highly probable due to a firmware bug.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/50191572

"Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do."

I was further troubleshooting with my camera and with continuous auto focus enabled was able to re-create the lock up if I moved the lens AF switch from manual to Auto and turned the camera on going directly to movie mode (My mode dial being in MANUAL "M".) I got it to lock up several times still intermittent but repeatable. And this was with a different memory card so it appears that the card is not an issue.
I also observed that with the camera OFF and the lens AF switch is moved in either direction the memory card red led will blink several times as if it is communicating with the camera anyone else have their camera doing the same?

Thanks, Bob

"Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do."

Mine is currently at the VA USA Repair facility. I called in today to check up on the repair status details and was told that "no problems were found and that my camera is within canons specifications." Needless to say I was not happy and explained that this was an intermittent issue. I was transferred to a supervisor who listened to my explanation of the defect and she told me that she would escalate my repair status for further review hopefully before my defective camera is sent back to me. I to believe that a lens issue may be part of the problem since it has so far only occurred with my 18-135mm IS STM lens and not my 70-300 lens. Since the STM lens’s are pretty much “focus by wire” using the stepping motor it has no mechanical manual focus like my 70-300 lens. Rather the manual focus is VIA controlling the stepping motor electrically through the focus ring. Just my thoughts.
I told the canon supervisor to just do a search on Google or Youtube for "T4i Lockup or Freeze" and others with the same issue will be brought into light.
Not Happy at this juncture with Canon. :>(

"Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do."

I haven't looked at comments for a while, especially since our camera has not had a single issue since it was replaced. Before it was replaced (body and STM 18-135 lens) I had the problem with both of the lenses I'd bought (also the IS 50-250), so I don't think it is a lens related issue. I also have been using a 64 GB SD card from the get go, and it works fine in the new body, so I don't think it is the SD card. I have used the camera and switched from manual focus to automatic focus and back on my 60mm macro and never had a lock up. I now also have a 50mm f1.4 prime and also no problems.

 

I have no idea why Canon wouldn't replace the body if you are having lock ups. I consider myself lucky that I bought ours from Amazon, that it happened so quickly after we bought it, and that we returned it inside the return window. I wish the same had happened with everyone else but Canon should stand behind their camera one way or another.

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