# Brand new Canon 6D M2 unresponsive



## schmidtfilme (Dec 29, 2018)

Hello, 

I have got an brand new Canon 6D M2 ( 4 weeks old ). Yesterday I was using it in cold but dry conditions, around 0°C. Suddenly the camera stopped reacting to any button press including trying to turn it off. What helped for a little while is taking out the battery and putting it back in. 

Question is what to do with the camera. Bought it from Amazon and I can send it back or is this a know issue maybe caused by a weak battery and the camera is fine in the end. I do not want to sent it back if it is not caused by the camera. 

Thanks!


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## YuengLinger (Dec 29, 2018)

schmidtfilme said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have got an brand new Canon 6D M2 ( 4 weeks old ). Yesterday I was using it in cold but dry conditions, around 0°C. Suddenly the camera stopped reacting to any button press including trying to turn it off. What helped for a little while is taking out the battery and putting it back in.
> 
> ...


First, if the camera is already four weeks old, can you still return it to Amazon?
What do you mean by "helped for a little while"? The problem happened again soon after removing and replacing the battery?

Sounds like a battery issue, but if any doubt, and you are within the exchange time, move quickly.

Check the manufacturing date on the battery. Does it seem new enough to be in a brand new camera? Are you sure you bought from Amazon directly and not a third party?

Might be hard to recreate the same conditions. Do you have another battery for it, maybe an older one from another camera? Try that in cold weather too, but consider the return deadline.

Oddly, Canon's own specifications (link below) regarding operating temperatures seem contradictory. Under "Power Source", they say that it can get 1100 shots at 0°C, but under "Operating Conditions," the same temperature is the very bottom of the range! They really seem to be covering their own behinds in this case.

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/...lr-and-mirrorless-cameras/dslr/eos-6d-mark-ii

Sounds frustrating.


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## Don Haines (Dec 29, 2018)

I recently spent 4 hours outside with my 6D2 on a tripod, shooting astrophotography. The temperature was -15C. The camera took it quite well, but battery life SUCKED! Fortunately I carried three (warm) spare batteries. 

Batteries hate cold weather, particularly old batteries. I agree with Yeung, check to see how old your battery is. Quite possibly, you have a new camera and a old battery. It should be an LP-E6N battery, not an LP-E6.


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## schmidtfilme (Dec 29, 2018)

The battery in the camera was an old one and not the one that came with the camera. I had a 5D M3 before and couple of extra batteries. The battery was fully charged but nevertheless some years old.

Amazon gives a return window until end of January. I can ask for replacement or money back. I do not want to return a good working camera with just some batterie issues. On the other hand I do not want to keep a camera that might has an issue with soldering or something that showed now in cold conditions.... 

Basically when I removed the battery then the camera turned off. Once I put it back in it worked for a little while and then froze again. What was really disturbing that I couldn‘t turn off the camera. Or better when turned off the display still showed the same. If it is just a bad battery turning off the camera should turn it off. Could also be firmware. 

Today I tried again but its about 5°C warmer today. No issues today. Also I put in the new battery today.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 29, 2018)

Sounds like the battery, they can exhibit odd behaviors when nearly discharged. What's the health status of the old one (tools menus, battery info)?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 29, 2018)

Li-On Batteries, as well as others lose potential power output in cold weather, so older batteries that seem fine in warmer weather may fall flat when it gets cold. I'd reserve that older battery for indoor shooting, it may be useful for a few more years.


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## Don Haines (Dec 29, 2018)

Contact the seller, ask about the old battery. You should have gotten a LP-E6N, I had one of the first 6D2 cameras in Canada, and mine came with the N battery. If they refuse to ship you a new one, return it!


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 29, 2018)

Don Haines said:


> Contact the seller, ask about the old battery. You should have gotten a LP-E6N, I had one of the first 6D2 cameras in Canada, and mine came with the N battery. If they refuse to ship you a new one, return it!


Don, the OP stated that the old battery was from his 5DIII.


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## Don Haines (Dec 29, 2018)

neuroanatomist said:


> Don, the OP stated that the old battery was from his 5DIII.


Oops!

I thought that the seller had swapped in an old battery (possibility by mistake)...... My mistake!


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## 7DmkI (Dec 29, 2018)

Sound like you put in the old battery from 5Diii, the problem appeared while you put in the new battery (presume came with the camera) had no issue, right? Then most likely the problem is with the battery.

I have 2 LP-E6 from my old 7Di (about 5 years old), one third party new LP-E6 and one new LP-E6N, all work fine with my 6Dii under cold weather conditions. I feel the LP-E6N definitely has longer lasting power than the others.


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## AlanF (Dec 29, 2018)

This thread seems a waste of time. The problem arose when he used an old battery and not the new one that was sold with the camera. All he has to do is to see whether the new one that came with the camera works before asking questions.


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## Rockskipper (Dec 29, 2018)

AlanF said:


> This thread seems a waste of time. The problem arose when he used an old battery and not the new one that was sold with the camera. All he has to do is to see whether the new one that came with the camera works before asking questions.


Given the bad press the 6DM2 has gotten, it would make me paranoid also. Nothing wrong with asking if it's a battery problem or not. He could theoretically put in a new battery only to have the same problem reoccur after the return window, so better to ask and see if others have had the same problem.


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## AlanF (Dec 29, 2018)

Rockskipper said:


> Given the bad press the 6DM2 has gotten, it would make me paranoid also. Nothing wrong with asking if it's a battery problem or not. He could theoretically put in a new battery only to have the same problem reoccur after the return window, so better to ask and see if others have had the same problem.


it's not theoretical at all. Just put the supplied battery in and see if it works. If it does then fine, if it doesn't send the camera back.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 29, 2018)

AlanF said:


> it's not theoretical at all. Just put the supplied battery in and see if it works. If it does then fine, if it doesn't send the camera back.


Yeah, it's sort of like, "I bought a new SUV and now my new car won't start in the cold. Did I buy a lemon?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention earlier that I swapped out the new battery for the one from my 2003 sedan?"

Providing relevant information with the question certainly helps!


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## Ozarker (Dec 29, 2018)

Rockskipper said:


> Given the bad press the 6DM2 has gotten, it would make me paranoid also.


What bad press is that?


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 29, 2018)

CanonFanBoy said:


> What bad press is that?


Low sensor dynamic range leading to unexpected failures with old batteries installed. Don't you read DPR?


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## Don Haines (Dec 29, 2018)

CanonFanBoy said:


> What bad press is that?


There were a lot of very negative statements about the 6D2 on the forum, mostly because the sensor is not the one that these people wanted.

With a 6D at work and a 6D2 at home, I find that everything about the 6D2 is noticeably better, with the exception of the sensor, which is more or less the same as its predecessor.


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## Ozarker (Dec 30, 2018)

That's what I thought.  I don't trust many things from the DPRK press.


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## YuengLinger (Dec 30, 2018)

The thread's title is misleading. When I responded, I did it, I _assumed _he had tried the new battery from his "Brand new" camera.

A better title might have been, "Old battery causing problems in 0°C."


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## YuengLinger (Dec 30, 2018)

Rockskipper said:


> I was simply referring to the criticisms of the dynamic range and limited focal points that were all over the net when the 6dm2 came out. It’s a fine camera, but all the negative reviews made me a bit jitterish at first. (Jitterish = jittery + skittish)


Pretty big leap from limited focal points, a design decision, to "jitterish" in terms of reliability. I don't see the connection.


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## Rockskipper (Dec 30, 2018)

Go back in time and read some of the reviews. Some were pretty scathing. How unbiased? Who knows, but like I said, it’s a fine camera. I love mine. And I never mentioned reliability, that I recall. I don’t think a new camera would be considered either way, since that’s a test of time.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 30, 2018)

YuengLinger said:


> A better title might have been, "Old battery causing problems in 0°C."


With an appropriate subtitle such as, "I released an apple in mid-air and it fell to the ground," or, "Water is wet."


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## Don Haines (Dec 30, 2018)

Rockskipper said:


> I was simply referring to the criticisms of the dynamic range and limited focal points that were all over the net when the 6dm2 came out. It’s a fine camera, but all the negative reviews made me a bit jitterish at first. (Jitterish = jittery + skittish)
> 
> It wasn’t just DPR, but seemed to be the fashion to deprecate it for awhile. Not having much money, I didn’t want to buy a lemon, but I’m now more familiar with the evil that lurks beneath on the interwebs.



Yes..... The DR was essentially the same, but many hoped it would be significantly better. To me, that was the only disappointment of the camera.

The focus points were more and better spaced than the 6D, with a CONSIDERABLY improved set of AF settings. You are limited by geometry as to how much of the sensor can be covered by the AF sensor. There is only so much space between the mirror and the sensor and short of designing a whole new set of lenses with an increased flange distance, this is it! Pay a whole lot more money for a 1DX2 or a 5D4 and you get marginally more coverage, while those crop shooters, because of the smaller sensor size, can have AF points almost to the edge of the sensor.


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## schmidtfilme (Dec 30, 2018)

Everyone, 

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I cannot tell what caused the camera to crash, hang-up. What worried me is that I couldn‘t even turn it off. When I switched off the display showed no change, still displaying the same information. Basically the camera hang and that repeatedly. So I could remove the battery, put it back in. Then I could use the camera for some shoots and than it hang again and I couldn‘t even turn it off. 

It could be the old battery that’s correct and hopefully it is. I was simply wondering if someone experienced a similar issue or if there is a KNOWN issue with the camera. 

BTW - I found that there is a issue that seems to be exactly what I found with live view and firmware older than 1.04 Just that I didn‘t use live view and I already have 1.04 so that doesn‘t explain it. 

The weather is now about 5°C warmer as it was yesterday. I used the camera yesterday with the new battery outdoors for about 2 hours and it just worked fine. Within the next week the temperature shall drop again. So I will try then to reproduce the error. If I cannot I blame the old battery and will not return the camera. 

Thanks again!


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## Valvebounce (Dec 30, 2018)

Hi Folks. 
I think there is a distinct of a lack of ‘good will to all’ going on here, in fact there are some downright spiteful comments being posted! 
We should remember that a fair proportion of the posters here are not native English speakers, or English as a second or third language, the op is from Germany, perhaps that explains the misunderstanding? 

Cheers, Graham


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## AlanF (Dec 30, 2018)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Folks.
> I think there is a distinct of a lack of ‘good will to all’ going on here, in fact there are some downright spiteful comments being posted!
> We should remember that a fair proportion of the posters here are not native English speakers, or English as a second or third language, the op is from Germany, perhaps that explains the misunderstanding?
> 
> Cheers, Graham


Are you implying that you have to be a native English speaker to understand that using a clapped out old battery instead of the one supplied with the camera might be the cause of a problem?


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## mikekeck (Dec 30, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Are you implying that you have to be a native English speaker to understand that using a clapped out old battery instead of the one supplied with the camera might be the cause of a problem?


Alan,
I think Graham (and I) don't see the need for spiteful comments. The number of people that post spiteful comments on this list is very small (which is one reason I like the list), but I wish we could get it to zero. There's just no reason to be rude--no matter how stupid you think a post is, or how much smarter you think you are than others. Just please be kind to others.


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## AlanF (Dec 30, 2018)

I fully agree that there is no room for spiteful comments. But, there is a difference between making forthright comments without malice, which is not spiteful, and deliberately using malicious adjectives and phrases to describe people - that is spiteful.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 30, 2018)

It's not spiteful to point out an obvious gap in information. The OP stated the temperature, so he was aware of the effect of low temperatures on battery performance. But he initially left out the critical fact that he was using an old battery at the time, in his question positing the camera itself as the likely source of the problem. He even initially suggested a 'weak battery' might be the cause...again, omitting the information that he very likely _was_ using a weak battery, rather than the one that came with his new camera.


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## schmidtfilme (Dec 30, 2018)

The battery is from 2014. I did not re-charge it. Attached the battery info.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 30, 2018)

schmidtfilme said:


> The battery is from 2014. I did not re-charge it. Attached the battery info.


I'd have expected worse, but not necessarily. Multiple factors affect Li-ion battery health, including number of charge cycles, age, and temperature. I believe the Canon 'meter' reflects only the first. Storage of a battery in high temps (e.g. a closed car in summer), especially with a full charge, can kill a battery fast. 

Regardless, I'd certainly recommend trying with the new battery on an upcoming cold day.


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## AlanF (Dec 30, 2018)

Those 3 bars don't seem to have much meaning. I have new batteries drop rapidly to red and still remain good in the red state and others stuck on 3 green bars and give fewer shots than those on the red.


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## dak723 (Dec 30, 2018)

Valvebounce said:


> Hi Folks.
> I think there is a distinct of a lack of ‘good will to all’ going on here, in fact there are some downright spiteful comments being posted!
> We should remember that a fair proportion of the posters here are not native English speakers, or English as a second or third language, the op is from Germany, perhaps that explains the misunderstanding?
> 
> Cheers, Graham




Alas, it is the same old story - many folk here find it almost necessary to be rude and impolite. I guess people coulnd't understand a legitimate question form someone who did not say "Canon is *******."

Personally, I have had battery issues - and have had cameras unresponsive for no apparent reason (and ultimately, there was a reason) - but I have never had a camera that continued to display when turned off. So the questions seems quite legitimate - and even if the answer is obvious (which it most definitely is not based on the actual experience of the OP) that's no reason to question the purpose of the thread or mock the OP.


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## dak723 (Dec 30, 2018)

AlanF said:


> Are you implying that you have to be a native English speaker to understand that using a clapped out old battery instead of the one supplied with the camera might be the cause of a problem?



The fact that it MIGHT be a problem does not mean it is the problem. I'm sure virtually everyone here on this forum that has multiple batteries has used older batteries with a newer camera. And I think it is quite unlikely that many - if any - have had the specific issue that the OP describes.

Quite frankly, it was your post that questioned the purpose of the thread that started the rude and impolite remarks. You owe the OP an apology, but I'm pretty sure none will be forthcoming.


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## AlanF (Dec 30, 2018)

I hereby apologise for my two posts that led to this storm of outrage.



AlanF said:


> This thread seems a waste of time. The problem arose when he used an old battery and not the new one that was sold with the camera. All he has to do is to see whether the new one that came with the camera works before asking questions.





AlanF said:


> it's not theoretical at all. Just put the supplied battery in and see if it works. If it does then fine, if it doesn't send the camera back.


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## Don Haines (Dec 30, 2018)

Keeping things on track, I have now been outside for 3hours at -10C, with the battery that came with my 60D, taken about 50 shots, and the camera appears to be working fine. I will add the picture of the battery display when I get home and warm up


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## schmidtfilme (Dec 30, 2018)

Hello guys, 

Again thanks to everyone for replying. I didn‘t want to create such a controversy. Actually the reason I posted the thread is that sometimes there are well known issues like the one with the current Apple MBPs keyboard or for the 6D M2 with older firmware than 1.04 the camera could freeze, more or less what I experienced and usually people on forums dedicated to a certain brand usually know those issues. 

In my case this doesn’t seem to be the case and of course I do not expect that the issue can be debugged even if I describe it very well. Only Canon Engineers could debug the issue. I agree that there is some kind of indication that it might be related to the battery but I am not so sure because I use Canon cameras since 2010 (before Nikon) and of course had plenty of times with dying batteries. I cannot recall that if I switched off the camera the display stayed on in a frozen state. For illustration purpose I added to pictures. Those I did not take during the incident. 

What I am worried that there is something wrong with the hardware like a bad solder joint or something similar which could get worse over the years. Again I do not expect anyone being able to debug this from far away. Only Canon engineers with actual access to the unit that does reproduce the error could do that. 

BTW - I love the camera and I hope to use it for many many years.


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## AlanF (Dec 30, 2018)

You could try to mimic the conditions where it failed previously by putting the camera in a sealed polythene bag in a refrigerator and see if the fault returns with the new battery, and if it doesn't repeat with the old one.That will save you a delay in waiting for cold weather again.


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