# Canon 5D Mark III Light Leak?



## Canon Rumors Guy (Apr 7, 2012)

```
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<strong>A light leak? Really?


</strong>A light leak issue in the 5D Mark III has been reported over the last couple of days. It seems the top side LCD may be to blame. I can confirm this is happening on at least one of the 5D Mark III’s I own (the rest are out for rent), I will look into the issue with more bodies in the coming days.</p>
<p><strong>Simple Test Procedure

</strong></p>

<ol>
<li>Put your body cap on the camera body.</li>
<li>Put the viewfinder cover that came with the camera over the viewfinder.</li>
<li>Set the camera ISO to 800 and put the camera in “P” mode.</li>
<li>Turn on the backlight for the LCD panel and watch the exposure change</li>
</ol>
<p>Below is a video showing the issue.</p>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=25Dgb2gbiwk
<p><strong>Other light sources cause the issue?


</strong>Yes, shining a flashlight on the top LCD causes the exposure to change, as does sunlight and bright overhead lights. All of which happen with the body cap on.</p>
<p><strong>Does this matter in the real world?


</strong>For the moment, I’m not sure. I haven’t noticed any issues with metering on the 2000 or so shots I’ve put through the 5D Mark III. I’m sure we’ll know more in the coming days.</p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://fstoppers.com/news-5dmk3-light-leak-issue-surfaces" target="_blank">FS</a>]</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
```


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## Etienne (Apr 7, 2012)

Has anyone ever tested any other cameras in this fashion? The Mk II, D700 ?
Or is this a brand new "test" demonstrating normal behaviour from all DSLRs?


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## omegavisuals (Apr 7, 2012)

I just tested this on my 1D Mark III and the same thing happens. Nothing new, I guess  If you're a pro photographer, I don't really see a reason it would get in the way.


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## yuxinhong (Apr 7, 2012)

Mine is doing same, but i don't think its a problem, in normal light condition, with lens on and cap off, i shine the flashlight on the LCD, no speed change.
for long exposure, just make sure don't leave that light on.


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## Viggo (Apr 7, 2012)

Crap, mine does that too! So this would seriously affect bright sunny exposures also? That could explain the underexposures....

Edit: 5d2 of mine does the same thing, and that's always underexposing.


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## tobiah (Apr 7, 2012)

It happens on both my mark 3's... would be interested to see how this develops but Im happy that the images are great...
It doesn't happen on my mark2's when tested.


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## mrmarks (Apr 7, 2012)

Does not seem to affect mine in P mode or other exposure mode


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## dmj (Apr 7, 2012)

I tried it on my 5DIII, it acted the same way. Tried it on my 5DII, it acted similarly.

Then I tried doing a 30 second exposure with lenscap on and covering the viewfinder in a dark room, only light was from the small display. No light have been leaked to the photo at least. If it can screw your metering I haven't tested enough to tell, but I think this might turn out to be a storm in a glass of water.


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## Canon-F1 (Apr 7, 2012)

lol... good that im not an early adopter. 
i know why i don´t preorder stuff.

my 5D mk2 does not show this.


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## hutjeflut (Apr 7, 2012)

so the main question is will the display turn off when taking a photo? 
if it does there really is no problem as your not supposed to mess with the screen when taking a shot anyway.
if it takes a few seconds for it to turn off its rather sloppy on canons side but most likely fixable in a firmware update (disable top screen led when taking a shot)


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## RichATL (Apr 7, 2012)

*5d3 light leak...Thoughts?*

so a buddy of mine pointed this out to me today...

http://fstoppers.com/news-5dmk3-light-leak-issue-surfaces

Tested my camera as described and got the same results... hitting the "backlight" button changed the exposure by 2/3rds .

I've noticed (in my one week of ownership) that the camera likes to underexpose everything by a stop or so... but I'm not sure how much (if any) this "light leak" issue really affects it.

What say you?


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## Viggo (Apr 7, 2012)

hutjeflut said:


> so the main question is will the display turn off when taking a photo?
> if it does there really is no problem as your not supposed to mess with the screen when taking a shot anyway.
> if it takes a few seconds for it to turn off its rather sloppy on canons side but most likely fixable in a firmware update (disable top screen led when taking a shot)



I tried on both the 5d2 and 5d3 now, and had the display turned off, but used the torch of Iphone 4s to the display and it went from 10 seconds to 8 seconds, so it's a small percentage, but what it differs in bright light, I'm not sure. But I constantly keep at least a stop over outside....


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## dmj (Apr 7, 2012)

I just tried taking some shots with and without the display on. It seems to be able to change exposure 1/3 of a stop when shooting in VERY dark surroundings (where the light should have most impact). So nothing that will screw anyone over. These shots would have been taken on a tripod using BULP anyway. I do however agree that Canon should just make it turn off the display light whenever you start metering/shooting to avoid.


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## planetMitch (Apr 7, 2012)

Have read this thread and thread over on dpreview forum... people have not shown that it impacts the image in any way. I'm sure people will do more testing and maybe someone will find something.

but for me, so far, this is a non-issue. And Canon engineers may have accounted for this to begin with.

Wake me when something major comes along


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## tasteofjace (Apr 7, 2012)

Non issue. Move along.


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## unclemat (Apr 7, 2012)

Non-issue? Really? :

I just tried my 5D3. Yep, same problem.

I tried my 5D classic. No issue.


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## altenae (Apr 7, 2012)

rushmore77 said:


> I can't believe how people call this is not a problem.
> If you shoot anything but the Manual mode all your exposure readings will be incorrect.
> 
> For example.
> ...



This not an issue the way you describe it.


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## risc32 (Apr 7, 2012)

so is the light leaking around the LCD from the outside, or is it the light from the LCD itself? I'll check mine when i can, but since i've had a pretty good time with the auto exposure system i don't know how worried about it i would be. But i do wonder how it might impact weather resistance if light is actually able sneak around the LCD.


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## rushmore77 (Apr 7, 2012)

altenae said:


> This not an issue the way you describe it.



5d mark iii light leak


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## tobiah (Apr 7, 2012)

looks like there is going to be a big recall...  hopefully they will be able to fix them quickly


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## tasteofjace (Apr 7, 2012)

rushmore77 said:


> I can't believe how people call this is not a problem.
> If you shoot anything but the Manual mode all your exposure readings will be incorrect.
> 
> For example.
> ...



Why are you taking 10 second exposures of your daughter?


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## Fleetie (Apr 7, 2012)

It just seems to leak through the back of the LCD itself; not round the sizes. 

I just tested mine with a VERY powerful (~50mW) green laser pointer, so I could try out different areas on the LCD. Pretty much anywhere on the LCD and down the exposure reading goes.

At ISO800, mode set to "P", I got 10s exposure with no light and 5 or 6 seconds with (A LOT!) of light.

I don't think it's a serious issue in real life. But I couldn't reproduce the behaviour with my 7D, though I didn't try very long, and didn't use the hella bright laser pointer for that.

When the lens cap is on and the VF cover is on, we are talking TINY amounts of light leaking to make the exposure reading change to 5s. Such a small amount of light would be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY swamped in any real situation, with a lens on. And remember, when the camera decides what exposure to use when the shutter is fired, it does so with the lens WIDE OPEN, *before* it stops down the lens and begins the exposure. So I think it would be hard to contrive a situation where the light coming in through the LCD would be anything other than negligible compared to the light coming in through the wide-open lens.


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 7, 2012)

The issue is the same on my 5D2 and 5D3. Seems to be amplified on my 5D3 though... humm.


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## HughHowey (Apr 7, 2012)

I can't believe they wouldn't have a solid backing on the other side of that LCD panel. Incredible.

Rushmore: thanks for the video.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 7, 2012)

unclemat said:


> Non-issue? Really? :
> 
> I just tried my 5D3. Yep, same problem.
> 
> I tried my 5D classic. No issue.



+1.... same here on my 5d III. Same test on 5D II - no problem.


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## altenae (Apr 7, 2012)

rushmore77 said:


> altenae said:
> 
> 
> > This not an issue the way you describe it.
> ...



So you also have the lenscap on when taking pictures of your daughter ????????
When the lenscap is removed the test can not be reproduced


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## Fleetie (Apr 7, 2012)

I think it is important to point out the following so that some people don't come away with an untrue impression of the scale of this problem.

*Looking at the above video with the sun and the orange paper, it would be easy to come away with the impression that exposing the LCD to bright sunlight would cause the exposure used in a picture to change down to a half of the value that would be used without the sun on the LCD.
That is NOT the case.*

Remember, in real life, taking a picture, a lens would be on the camera, and wide open. There would be no visible or significant effect on the exposure in that case; the light coming in through the lens totally dominates, and that coming through the top LCD becomes insignificant.


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## altenae (Apr 7, 2012)

Fleetie said:


> I think it is important to point out the following so that some people don't come away with an untrue impression of the scale of this problem.
> 
> *Looking at the above video with the sun and the orange paper, it would be easy to come away with the impression that exposing the LCD to bright sunlight would cause the exposure used in a picture to change down to a half of the value that would be used without the sun on the LCD.
> 
> ...



+1

Thank you. 
I was just telling this in my last post. 

What is it with this lenscap ON Photography these days ??????


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 7, 2012)

Fleetie said:


> Remember, in real life, taking a picture, a lens would be on the camera, and wide open. There would be no visible or significant effect on the exposure in that case; the light coming in through the lens totally dominates, and that coming through the top LCD becomes insignificant.



You are wrong. We are seeing the change from sunlight to shadow change the exposure by as much as 1/2 stop when the shooter moves from daylight to shadow in real shooting conditions. I can confirm this with a bright sunlit beach photo shoot yesterday.


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## altenae (Apr 7, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> Fleetie said:
> 
> 
> > Remember, in real life, taking a picture, a lens would be on the camera, and wide open. There would be no visible or significant effect on the exposure in that case; the light coming in through the lens totally dominates, and that coming through the top LCD becomes insignificant.
> ...



Yes, but the lenscap is on !!!!


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 7, 2012)

Fleetie said:


> Such a small amount of light would be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY swamped in any real situation, with a lens on. And remember, when the camera decides what exposure to use when the shutter is fired, it does so with the lens WIDE OPEN, *before* it stops down the lens and begins the exposure. So I think it would be hard to contrive a situation where the light coming in through the LCD would be anything other than negligible compared to the light coming in through the wide-open lens.



I suspect that misses the point. It's the metering that's affected - similar to leaving the VF eyepiece uncovered when metering on a tripod. Extraneous (non-TTL) light hitting the metering sensor results in an underexposed shot, potentially resulting in lost shadow detail. Not saying this is a huge issue in real-world shooting, just defining the problem. 

As for the severity, it's certainly true that leaving the VF eyepiece uncovered when metering on a tripod affects exposure - remember that often if there's a brightly lit subject, the camera is similarly brightly lit and the leak will still affect the metered exposure.


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## altenae (Apr 7, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Fleetie said:
> 
> 
> > Such a small amount of light would be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY swamped in any real situation, with a lens on. And remember, when the camera decides what exposure to use when the shutter is fired, it does so with the lens WIDE OPEN, *before* it stops down the lens and begins the exposure. So I think it would be hard to contrive a situation where the light coming in through the LCD would be anything other than negligible compared to the light coming in through the wide-open lens.
> ...



Have tried your 5D Mark ii ?
Some reported the same issue. 
Also on 20/30/40D


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 7, 2012)

altenae said:


> prestonpalmer said:
> 
> 
> > Fleetie said:
> ...




I can assure you my lens cap was NOT on during my beach photo shoot yesterday. Stepping under the shadow of the palm tree significantly changed the exposure of my subjects, who were quite far away, as I was shooting with a 70-200 wide open. When I stepped into the bright sun, (2 feet from my original spot) the subjects are dramatically underexposed. Nothing changed on my camera, or with my subjects, except the fact that bright sunlight was hitting the LCD on the top of my camera. I am testing this now.


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 7, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Fleetie said:
> 
> 
> > Such a small amount of light would be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY swamped in any real situation, with a lens on. And remember, when the camera decides what exposure to use when the shutter is fired, it does so with the lens WIDE OPEN, *before* it stops down the lens and begins the exposure. So I think it would be hard to contrive a situation where the light coming in through the LCD would be anything other than negligible compared to the light coming in through the wide-open lens.
> ...



It seems bright sunlight does indeed change the exposure significantly. I am testing this now. I can confirm this by theory with my bright light photoshoot on the beach yesterday. When I was in the sun, I had to bump the exposure by as much as 1 stop, then back it down as soon as I stepped into a shadow.


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## kbmelb (Apr 7, 2012)

I tested my 1Ds II and my 5DII and no changes in my exposures. My 5DIII definitely has this issue.


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## Viggo (Apr 7, 2012)

Blocked the VF completely, took one shot (in Av-mode) then put a very bright light to the top lcd, got the exact same exposure. So for me this seems only to be an issue with the body-cap on....


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## Radiating (Apr 7, 2012)

It seems that this is a an issue with the LED's of the LCD backlight leaking light onto the metering sensor. The amount of light that's leaked is so small that in most situations it would effect exposure about 1/100th of a stop which is *not noticeable to the human eye.* The light doesn't leak onto the sensor so that's a non issue.

The far greater issue is when bright sunlight strikes the LCD and leaks to the metering sensor, that could noticeably affect exposure. (this is unconfirmed though)

I just tried this on my 5D II and 20D and this seems to be an issue there too. Clearly this is a small enough issue that it took 10 years to find, and everyone still took great photos, but if the LCD actually does leak light onto the metering sensor that should be fixed, otherwise, it's a non-issue.


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## tobiah (Apr 7, 2012)

yep in av and P etc it doesn't seem to do it... with a book over the top of the top lcd and then with a spotlight on... didn't seem to change...

to the poster who posted the video - you are moving the camera - can you show us with this on a tripod? (not that I don't believe you)

thanks


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## Fleetie (Apr 7, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Fleetie said:
> 
> 
> > Such a small amount of light would be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY swamped in any real situation, with a lens on. And remember, when the camera decides what exposure to use when the shutter is fired, it does so with the lens WIDE OPEN, *before* it stops down the lens and begins the exposure. So I think it would be hard to contrive a situation where the light coming in through the LCD would be anything other than negligible compared to the light coming in through the wide-open lens.
> ...


I think that is an understatement in real-world situations.

The huge difference in quantities of (TTL light) and (extraneous/"leaked" light) with a wide-open lens on (certainly when holding the VF to the eye, anyway - and that issue is definitely outside the scope of the present discussion anyway) means that the LCD leak is a non-issue almost always, or always. IMO.

So I stand by my assessment of the scale of the problem.

That is not to say I don't think Canon messed up; I think they have done by not incorporating better light sealing.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 7, 2012)

Fleetie said:


> The huge difference in quantities of (TTL light) and (extraneous/"leaked" light) with a wide-open lens on (certainly when holding the VF to the eye, anyway - and that issue is definitely outside the scope of the present discussion anyway) means that the LCD leak is a non-issue almost always, or always. IMO.



What is unclear is the severity of the leak. I don't have a 5DIII to test (and hopefully the 1D X will not have this issue). I do know that with the sun at my back/over my shoulder, camera on a tripod, not covering the eyepiece can alter the exposure by a full stop or more (I hang the lens cap on the eyecup).


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## Alker (Apr 7, 2012)

Been testing inside the house (23:00 hours and pretty dark here)

With the VF covered and Lenscap on => Same issue as in the movie
With the VF covered and no Lenscap on => No issue
With the VF covered and a very very very strong led beam beamed directly on the LCd => No issue.

So in short....no issue (for me) without the lenscap.
Strange enough I never leave the lenscap on.


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## Viggo (Apr 7, 2012)

Alker said:


> Been testing inside the house (23:00 hours and pretty dark here)
> 
> With the VF covered and Lenscap on => Same issue as in the movie
> With the VF covered and no Lenscap on => No issue
> ...



Yup, same here.. I'll try in the sun tomorrow.


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## DavidRiesenberg (Apr 7, 2012)

Just tested in myself. With the lenscap on the issue is there (~2/3 stops) but uncovering the eyepiece has a much stronger impact (~2 stops). 
Without the lenscap there is no problem, even if bombing it from up close with a strong flashlight.


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## NAshby (Apr 7, 2012)

I tried this out on my 7D and didn't have an issue, although my friend said he had this happen with this 5D II and 5D II.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 7, 2012)

Viggo said:


> Alker said:
> 
> 
> > Been testing inside the house (23:00 hours and pretty dark here)
> ...



I'm California, right now is 2:17PM, temp at 82F, very sunny.

* Covered VF, with 50mm lens attached - NO ISSUE


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## sky87 (Apr 7, 2012)

I've just tested this with my mk3 and I have the same problem. 
Also did a quick test with the lens attached and pointed it to the lamp, half pressed the shutter to focus and take a reading then shone a flashlight against the lcd and that affected the exposure. 
Will do some proper tests in the daylight and see how it differs.
Its causing slight concerns with me, lets see if Canon do a recall. I'd hate to be without my camera!


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## Alker (Apr 7, 2012)

Dylan777 said:


> Viggo said:
> 
> 
> > Alker said:
> ...





> I'm California, right now is 2:17PM, temp at 82F, very sunny.



Lucky you......
Sometimes I have to wait days/weeks for a day with sunshine ....


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## prestonpalmer (Apr 7, 2012)

sky87 said:


> I've just tested this with my mk3 and I have the same problem.
> Also did a quick test with the lens attached and pointed it to the lamp, half pressed the shutter to focus and take a reading then shone a flashlight against the lcd and that affected the exposure.
> Will do some proper tests in the daylight and see how it differs.
> Its causing slight concerns with me, lets see if Canon do a recall. I'd hate to be without my camera!




This "issue" is exactly the same on my 5D2. Canon will not be doing a recall. I have taken tens of thousands of amazing wedding pictures with my 5D2's with the same aparrent problem. As far as I am concerned, this is a non issue with my 5D3.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 7, 2012)

Alker said:


> Dylan777 said:
> 
> 
> > Viggo said:
> ...



If this is a "REAL" problem - I can bring my down to Canon Service Center, Irvine - CA. Only 15mins driving for me.

STILL let's hope this is NOT a major problem for 5D III


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## AvTvM (Apr 7, 2012)

my 7D does not show this problem. 

it cannot be seen clearly, -> http://photorumors.com/2012/03/02/whats-inside-the-guts-of-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-camera/ but there seems to be a huge gaping hole in the magnesium chassis of the 5D III underneath the senseless top-deck LCD. 

I hope the problem turns out to be real and leads Canon to just abolish the totally unnecessary analogue-days-artefact top-LCD on all future digital cameras. That would be the best, easiest and CHEAPEST solution.


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## Alker (Apr 7, 2012)

> Canon to just abolish the totally unnecessary analogue-days-artefact top-LCD on all future digital cameras



Unnecessary ?
For you maybe, NOT for me.


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## Arkarch (Apr 7, 2012)

Yeah really,

I use the top LCD frequently.

Anyway, went outside in Phoenix AZ around 3:00 PM, no issue.

I suppose in the most light-tight situation, lens cap on, covered eyepiece, etc, maybe the LED could be a faint light source. 

Someone mentioned tripod placement - yes I would agree. Even slight changes of aim during a test like this may change the metering.


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## mmaher92037 (Apr 7, 2012)

My 5D III exhibits the "light leak" behavior when using both the LCD light and a flashlight. My 7D doesn't act the same way-- its meter is steady with and without the light.


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## RLPhoto (Apr 7, 2012)

This is why patience in adopting new equipment is always benifical. Impatience is an expensive commodity.


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## Smith (Apr 8, 2012)

It seems that this might be due to manufacturing variations instead of a "design flaw." Some people can reproduce this effect on both the 5DII and 5DIII while others cannot . There also seems to be a lot of variation to how much the exposure is affected. This is important for various reasons:

1) Manufacturing variations are much harder to fix than large obvious flaws which uniformly affect everyone. There might be some improvement as the manufacturing process matures but there's no guarantee. There will be no recall for something like this as Canon will just fix it under warranty.

2) There's no need to debate whether or not this is a "non-issue." For most people it isn't a problem. However, some people may have it worse than others. Based on how people are using the camera it may or may not be a problem for them. The fact that it doesn't affect you doesn't mean it's not a problem for someone else. 

3) If later units have less of a problem than earlier ones it will depreciate the value of the camera for people who buy now. Nobody is going to want to buy a 5DIII from the "faulty early batches." 

This issue reminds me of the light leakage problem on the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8. Although this really wasn't an issue for most people Nikon owned up to the problem and addressed it. Let's hope Canon takes the same action. IMO although it may not be an issue for many people it doesn't look good for your brand. This is a $3500 DSLR. At this price people expect a trustworthy tool that they can rely on. Intel had the division bug in the Pentium that would not affect most people. However, it just made people feel uncomfortable with trusting their results and that alone was a PR nightmare. Canon management needs to get in front of this issue and address it or the Internet community will create its own ugly conclusions.


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## canikon (Apr 8, 2012)

I have similar situations of under exposure when I walked around a hotel to shoot in an event, the light sources are varied, so it caused high rate of under exposures. my backup camera is nikon d7000, it seems working as normal as usual. my 5d3 has leakage condition as the forum reported. I did the similar tests. So I suspected the link between the LCD leakage and under exposures.


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## canikon (Apr 8, 2012)

more than agree with your statement. I will return my unit within the 30 day period and wait for the next batches. hopefully canon will recall or fix the issue as nikon did in 24-70.



Smith said:


> It seems that this might be due to manufacturing variations instead of a "design flaw." Some people can reproduce this effect on both the 5DII and 5DIII while others cannot . There also seems to be a lot of variation to how much the exposure is affected. This is important for various reasons:
> 
> 1) Manufacturing variations are much harder to fix than large obvious flaws which uniformly affect everyone. There might be some improvement as the manufacturing process matures but there's no guarantee. There will be no recall for something like this as Canon will just fix it under warranty.
> 
> ...


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## Fleetie (Apr 8, 2012)

Yes, I agree it does look bad for the brand.

I bet there are some very worried people at Canon's DSLR design department today. Brown trousers all round.

I still don't think it's a real-world issue, but it is slightly careless, and a potential marketing/image disaster.

I also predict that this is going to get used as an excuse for poor exposures by those who don't like to admit to making mistakes themselves! "IT was my 5D3 that screwed up!"

(The "Smite" feature is gone, so I can say it!)


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## kareldonk (Apr 8, 2012)

i did some tests with my 7d and here's what I found

case 1: 7d body with 24-70 f/2.8L, LENS CAP ON, VF BLOCKED, DARK ROOM WITH PC MONITOR ON.
in Av mode or P mode, the shutter speed changes (3"2 to 2"5 and back) when I half press the shutter button and change the orientation of the camera a little.

case 2: A DIFFERENT 7d body with 50mm f/1.2L, LENS CAP ON, VF BLOCKED, DARK ROOM WITH PC MONITOR ON.
in Av mode or P mode, the shutter speed changes (3"2 to 2"5 and back) when I half press the shutter button and change the orientation of the camera a little.

The LCD backlight doesn't affect the shutter speed/exposure when on. but why is the exposure fluctuating that much?


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## smithy (Apr 8, 2012)

I've tried this test on my 40D and 1V, and neither has the 'issue'.



kareldonk said:


> The LCD backlight doesn't affect the shutter speed/exposure when on. but why is the exposure fluctuating that much?


You need to take the lens off and just put the cover on the camera body. Lens caps are designed to protect the lens, not block out 100% of light.


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## JR (Apr 8, 2012)

Alker said:


> Strange enough I never leave the lenscap on.



funny man!


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## kareldonk (Apr 8, 2012)

smithy said:


> I've tried this test on my 40D and 1V, and neither has the 'issue'.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I did, same tests only in this case with body cap on (no lens attached). same fluctuations. why?


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## dturano (Apr 8, 2012)

Since this doesn't affect every situation, would this be a suitable temp fix?

If you in a situation where light, either moving from sun to shade, or anything that triggers this issue would applying a piece of gaffers tape over the top screen solve the issue?

For example the poster who was in the beach in and out of the palm trees and direct sun, would this issue be non existant if the screen was covered?

I know people are covering the viewfinder and body without lens to see if the issue occurs, in normal operation I was wondering if for certain situations simply blacking out the top screen would avoid any possible issues?

sorry if the solution sounds stupid, i dont think i fully understand the issue, i didn't have a chance to watch the video or test it myself. 

One thing is for sure, canon should not have waited so long to release this camera, being the overwhelming wait people are putting this thing through the ringer.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 8, 2012)

smithy said:


> You need to take the lens off and just put the cover on the camera body.



If that's an absolute requirement to demonstrate this problem, then it's not a real problem at all - at least, it's not for those of us that prefer to take pictures with lenses mounted.


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## dturano (Apr 8, 2012)

This reminds me of the amazon review, how the reviewer was much happier when he finally attached a lens to the camera, and suggested canon come up with a solution to the camera not taking great pictures out of the box.



neuroanatomist said:


> smithy said:
> 
> 
> > You need to take the lens off and just put the cover on the camera body.
> ...


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## JR (Apr 8, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> smithy said:
> 
> 
> > You need to take the lens off and just put the cover on the camera body.
> ...



Makes you wonder how this issue was found in the first place!


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## tron (Apr 8, 2012)

My 5DmkII does not have this problem


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 8, 2012)

prestonpalmer said:


> Fleetie said:
> 
> 
> > Remember, in real life, taking a picture, a lens would be on the camera, and wide open. There would be no visible or significant effect on the exposure in that case; the light coming in through the lens totally dominates, and that coming through the top LCD becomes insignificant.
> ...


 
I tried that just now, no change in exposure from bright sun to shade as long as my viewfinder was covered. Uncover the viewfinder, or hold it to your eye so even a little light leaks by, and there is a large change from very bright sun to shade (when focused on the same subject.)

Were you shooting in your tests with the viewfinder blocked so there was no influence from light leaking in thru the viewfinder??


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## Craig Richardson (Apr 8, 2012)

My 7D does not have this issue.


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## tron (Apr 8, 2012)

It seems that the real beta testing of the camera is taking place now...


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## planetMitch (Apr 8, 2012)

I'm constantly amazed at the reactions.

The problem clearly isn't understood totally yet... and still people already demanding product recalls and claiming this is a huge problem for Canon's reputation.

No product is perfect! EVER

No product is ever fully tested before it is released - it is impossible to test every situation in the lab. 

I'm not saying this shouldn't be investigated and potentially improved, but let's not over-react


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## ImageZone (Apr 8, 2012)

Geeeeez!
Now what is new??... Can't use the 70-200, can't use EOS Utility, now a light leak!! Canon has really shot themselves in the foot with this one. They need a major recall or offer a refund to all buyers. I sure am glad I didn't pre-order one of these lemons. $1,000 over the 5DII for two stops increase ISO sharpness...bend over here comes your cannon!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 8, 2012)

planetMitch said:


> I'm constantly amazed at the reactions.
> 
> The problem clearly isn't understood totally yet... and still people already demanding product recalls and claiming this is a huge problem for Canon's reputation.
> 
> ...


 
+1

Even with my eyepiece blocked, I could get a lot more light into the camera with a bright light than I could thru the lcd.

I tried several ways to get the leakage to change a real world shot to no avail. When holding the camera to your eye, far more light gets thru the viewfinderand does change the exposure when you go from shade to sun (wearing glasses as I do). Without glasses, my eye might get a better seal to block more light. I need to try that.


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## PhotoMoose (Apr 8, 2012)

OK, I have done a few tests on the two bodies that I have and they both fail this test. But, as long as I don't shot with the LED light on there is no problem that I can see. With a lens mounted in very low light or darkened room I can not get the meter to change when I put a flashlight to the LED screen, so it seems ambient light is not effecting the meter. I have tried this test inside and out under different lighting conditions and can not get the meter to change. That seems to be good news and explains why I have not seen any strange metering effects. I can see how this would be an issue if you are shooting in low light and using your top LED screen a lot, but the rear 'info' LED screen gives you the same information and for me much easier to read. This will be interesting to follow, and I look forward to hearing more on the issue. 8)


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## Ryant (Apr 8, 2012)

I dont think there is a light leak.

1. If I switch to P mode (never even knew I had a P mode, I am always in M)
2. With the lens cap on and I turn on the top lcd backlight I do see the change talked about.
3. If I take the lens cap off I dont seem to be having the same issue.
4. I shined a mag light at the top lcd screen and saw no change.
5. If you switch to A+ mode and I turn on the top lcd light even with the lens cap on I do not see any change in the evaluation from the camera.
6. I think that the fact that the case 1 and 5 are different suggest a software bug or something. Since my mag light does not seem to affect the exposure. I dont think there is a real leak at least from outside light. Anyhow who uses P mode? If you do why do you have such an expensive camera?

Ryan


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## Kingw (Apr 8, 2012)

Just tested my 5d3, it has the same problem, most noticeable under very dark environments with the top LCD light ON. The exposure changed dramatically, a few stops. 

I think this is related to a hardware design issue. I'm not sure how Canon can really "fix" this for the people who own the first batch of 5d3s by not doing recalls. 

As a user I can try not to use the LCD light feature as much as possible when making an exposure, especially in dark environments. I can live with this so I'm not too worried, but still, who doesn't like a perfect product? Especially the illumination of the top LCD seems like such an important feature because Canon even made a button specifically for it at the most comfortable and reachable place. lol.


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## willhuff.net (Apr 8, 2012)

I could only get it to happen with the lens cap on, so this won't be an issue for me unless I'm shooting in total darkness.


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## MeHoo (Apr 8, 2012)

Mine does it. It even changes a full second exposure if I tilt the camera towards the only light in my apartment that's on.. not much hitting the LCD...

I went out and did a shoot today, and I did notice some really weird metering issues. Coming from the 7D, I am already fairly used to the metering changes that Canon has been making, but some of these were telling me to expose drastically wrong in spot meter mode. I'm wondering if this really is a "non issue" as some are saying, or if this is a bigger issue. Regardless, we need to hear from Canon on the matter.

On another note, I also got an Error 80 today. That was fun.

Not all bright and fuzzy feelings anymore...


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## Steve Holmes (Apr 8, 2012)

I am seeing a 1/3-2/3 stop exposure change *with a lens* on both of my 5d3 bodies. This happens both when I have the LCD on and when I shine a small pen light onto the LCD. Will this affect me in the real world? Not really. I'll just have to remember not to turn the LCD on if I'm ever doing any night timelapse or other low light work in an automatic metering mode. The issue is definitely there for me, but it's not a concern.


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## Steve Holmes (Apr 8, 2012)

I only tested it when it was down.


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## esi32 (Apr 8, 2012)

dilbert said:


> Does the light leak when the mirror is up or just when it is down?



I tested with the mirror up shining a 3 D-Cell maglight at the LCD at point blank range, and get no appreciable difference between two 1s exposures at ISO 25,600. So I'm confident in saying that no, the light leak, at least on my 5D-3, doesn't seem to reach the sensor.

For that matter, with a lens on the camera even in a dark room (metering <1/4, f/4, ISO 6400 / or <EV0) I can't get the backlight to alter the exposure in any appreciable way. (I.e if it's teetering on the edge between 1/4 and 1/5, it does so regardless of the backlight state.) For that matter, I see more fluctuation in the meter due to subtle camera movements changing the framing and the orientation/positioning of my eye to the viewfinder than there is from turning the LCD backlight on/off in these tests. Likewise, shooting into the dark from under a light and shading the LCD is making no discernible changes to the meter for me.

I should note my 5D-3 fails the test as given in the article. Likewise, the shine a light on the LCD test, not only does my 5D-3 fail, but so does my 1D-3 and I've never had an exposure/meter issue with that in the 2+ years I've had and used that body. Moreover, they seem to meter near identically for the same scene, lighting and framing, at least within my ability to control for errors.


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## albron00 (Apr 8, 2012)

There is no such ea behavior on my 7D.
Whenever you're buying hard or software you become beta tester these days...


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## se7en (Apr 8, 2012)

This could potentially cause a real problem for those who routinely take photos with their lens cap on. Lets not take this lightly(No pun intended.)


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## Nassen0f (Apr 8, 2012)

No change on my Mk2  thankfully


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

Tried today outside with sun and shade. 

With lens cap on the same issue as on the video 

But WITHOUT the lens cap no issue. 
Whatever I tried no issue !!!!

Conclusion NO problem for those who take pictures without the lens cap.


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## dpinparis (Apr 8, 2012)

Tested and confirmed I have the same issue. I wonder if this will cause an issue with high ISO shots, especially at night with not many light sources.


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## MazV-L (Apr 8, 2012)

My 50D has this "problem" whereas my 5D classic does not.
Seems there must be some real Canon Haters out there that are going to all lengths to pick the 5Diii too pieces, who else would have dreamed up a test like this ???


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## DramaticIrony (Apr 8, 2012)

se7en said:


> This could potentially cause a real problem for those who routinely take photos with their lens cap on. Lets not take this lightly(No pun intended.)



 

Ah the lens cap! No wonder my photos all seem to have been underexposed!


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## xaviesta68 (Apr 8, 2012)

Mine is experiencing the same issue, too 
Made me worry for a while 
Then, I tested my D3s... the same issue showed up!!
Am I ******* or it's just a negletible issue?


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## magus424 (Apr 8, 2012)

Here are my observations: with the body cap on, I get shifts in exposure based on LCD backlight, or shining a bright light into the LCD.

With the Canon 50mm f/1.4 on, lens cap off, in place of the body cap, in the dim room I'm currently in, I can't make it change unless I shine a light into the viewfinder - no angle or brightness into the LCD makes any difference whatsoever.

To me, it looks like the leak is so small it has no impact unless the sensor is receiving no other light at all.

I can't even get a picture of the leak with ISO 25600, 30 seconds, and shining a bright light on the LCD (or using the backlight).


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## Hesham (Apr 8, 2012)

Probably it depends on what lens cap has been used! I searched the net and there seems no information on what lens caps are used most by photographers.. :

So please before you (i mean everybody) publish your test results, let us know the brand of the lens cap used, how old is it?..etc. Try using multiple lens caps and record your results (if possible)


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

xaviesta68 said:


> Mine is experiencing the same issue, too
> Made me worry for a while
> Then, I tested my D3s... the same issue showed up!!
> Am I ******* or it's just a negletible issue?



And the Nikon D300 also. 
Terrible now I can't take any good pictures with the lenscap on !!!!!


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## magus424 (Apr 8, 2012)

Hesham said:


> Probably it depends on what lens cap has been used! I searched the net and there seems no information on what lens caps are used most by photographers.. :
> 
> So please before you (i mean everybody) publish your test results, let us know the brand of the lens cap used, how old is it?..etc. Try using multiple lens caps and record your results (if possible)



If you're referring to the body cap, my tests don't care about that, I also wrapped the camera up in a T-shirt I had handy to further block out light from all external sources (I also had the VF blocked once I figured out that it made a difference)

Though FTR it was the official Canon cap, brand new that came with the camera


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## JR (Apr 8, 2012)

I was too curious now and tried it with my 5DmkII and found no issue. I don't think this issue would prevent me from buying a mkIII body since I usually shoot with the lens cap off!


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## ro-b (Apr 8, 2012)

I have also tried it with a lens (24-70 L) with lenscap on. And it was the same, also for av mode. And it was also when I pointed a flashlight on the upper lcd, while the rest was covered to be not influeced by the light...also the viewfinder was covered all the time!

I could only registrate that issue between exposuretimes of 1/13 and a few seconds (up to 10" or so)

cheers rob


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## fegari (Apr 8, 2012)

Hi all

First post here.

Tried that in my 7D and no problem there. I was courious as i'm interested in the MarkIII and can't believe a 3500USD camera has this problem. In my point of view is not acceptable. For example, that would have ruined some of my long exposure pics (ex Auroras) and I don't understand how so many people call this a non-issue. For a 500USD camera maybe but for a 3500USD one...?

On my side I guess I'll wait a bit more then before commiting to the MarkIII.

br


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## cinema-dslr (Apr 8, 2012)

indeed no problem on a 7d
could it be that they switched the amber backlight position from the right(7d) to the left next to the mirorbox?

when you look at the lcd at an angle you can make out the led.
i believe that one side of the lcd is mirrored off to reflect the backlight back.
the ledside isn't so sunlight can sliptrough and the ledlight itself will have a more profound effect when placed next to the mirror box

can someone check the position of the backlight led on the markIII?


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## bp (Apr 8, 2012)

altenae said:


> xaviesta68 said:
> 
> 
> > Mine is experiencing the same issue, too
> ...



Well, fortunately now people have something to blame underexposures on. I too was concerned at first, until I did a lot of testing in/out of shade while changing the variables (the biggest of which seems to be the viewfinder in my testing with a tripod, pointed at the same scene, and covering/uncovering various parts of the 5d3). 

Frankly I find this all ridiculous. Exponentially more light leaks in through the viewfinder, even with your eye up to it. I get no change in exposure with lens cap off and the viewfinder completely covered, and allowing sunlight directly on the LCD vs. in shade. However, if I uncover the VF, I see tiny changes - as with every other camera I've ever used.


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

fegari said:


> Hi all
> 
> First post here.
> 
> ...



Do you take pictures with the lenscap on or off ??????????


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

altenae said:


> fegari said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all
> ...



All these YouTube light issue on the 5D mark iii is with lens cap on !


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## Etienne (Apr 8, 2012)

Dan Chung reported that the 5DIII consistently under exposed by about 2/3 stop compared to the D800. Could this be why?


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## Fleetie (Apr 8, 2012)

Etienne said:


> Dan Chung reported that the 5DIII consistently under exposed by about 2/3 stop compared to the D800. Could this be why?


Very unlikely. Plus, what is "over/under-exposed" is very subjective.

Personally, I prefer to slightly "under"-expose relative to what my 7D and my 5D3 "think" is the correct exposure, because I think it results in better colour saturation. I find colours tend to "wash out" slightly at the exposure levels that the camera indicates when exposure compensation is set to 0.

IMNSHO, there's NO WAY that in real-life shooting scenarios, this effect could cause an exposure deviation as large as 2/3 of a stop.


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## bp (Apr 8, 2012)

Etienne said:


> Dan Chung reported that the 5DIII consistently under exposed by about 2/3 stop compared to the D800. Could this be why?



That's not entirely accurate. Saying it "underexposed" would imply that the Mk3 made a mistake, but that's not what he said. What he said was "To make it even harder to do direct comparisons the 5D mkIII seemed to be around a stop to 2/3 of a stop darker than the D800 at any given ISO setting." It's not really surprising that two cameras with different metering systems interpret the same scene differently - but he never inferred that one camera had it right while the other was wrong. Just that in comparison, one tended to darker than the other.

Also, one of the comments below the article, a user reports that in HIS comparisons, the Nikon tended to be darker than the Canon.


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

Read this elsewhere.

Read it and think about it.
This leak thing with cap on is BS.


These lens cap on tests are ludicrous beyond belief. 
They involve light levels far beyond the meter's range of operation. The meter is designed to produce an image that is 18% grey. Does anyone seriously think that the meter reading in these tests, with or without the LCD light, are registering 18% grey.

Add to that the fact that the EV scale is non-linear and it's hard to see how a rational, informed person could get so hysterical about this. The quantity of light required to shift exposure by 1 stop at these levels becomes a tiny fraction of a stop at real exposure levels - probably less light than leaks into the viewfinder past your eye - and much much less if you happen to look through the viewfinder wearing glasses. 8)


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## fegari (Apr 8, 2012)

altenae said:


> fegari said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all
> ...



Thanks for asking. I take most of them with the cap on, I like the look and avoids loosing time with post processing...but seriously, I've taken aurora pics where it was pitch black outside and used to check the time by lighting the LCD (while the pic was being taken). Likelly under that scenario there could have been some shift had I used the Mark3....just speculating.


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## chriswatters (Apr 8, 2012)

fegari said:


> altenae said:
> 
> 
> > fegari said:
> ...


When taking pictures under those conditions, do you use the camera' light meter to set the exposure, or do you set it manually? If you set the exposure manually, how would this issue affect you?

It sounds like this effect is only observed when there is so little light that the sensor is blindly guessing at the exposure. What is the "correct" exposure that the camera should be reporting when the camera has the lens cap on and viewfinder closed?


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## altenae (Apr 8, 2012)

> It sounds like this effect is only observed when there is so little light that the sensor is blindly guessing at the exposure. What is the "correct" exposure that the camera should be reporting when the camera has the lens cap on and viewfinder closed?



Exactly. 
+ 1


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## nikkito (Apr 8, 2012)

WHY CANON, WHY??? You did not release the 85mpx camera that i wanted and now you totally ruin it telling me that i cannot take pictures with the lens cap on??? 

I'm so switching to Kodak now!!!






;D


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## thure1982 (Apr 8, 2012)

nikkito said:


> WHY CANON, WHY??? You did not release the 85mpx camera that i wanted and now you totally ruin it telling me that i cannot take pictures with the lens cap on???
> 
> I'm so switching to Kodak now!!!



+8


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## nikkito (Apr 8, 2012)

thure1982 said:


> nikkito said:
> 
> 
> > WHY CANON, WHY??? You did not release the 85mpx camera that i wanted and now you totally ruin it telling me that i cannot take pictures with the lens cap on???
> ...



hahah thanks  I'm pretty sure many will blame Canon now for taking underexposed photos.


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## magus424 (Apr 8, 2012)

fegari said:


> Hi all
> 
> First post here.
> 
> ...



And how, exactly, would this affect your long exposure shots? I just explained that this has no effect when a lens is on instead of the body cap, so unless you're shooting with a cap on, it won't change a thing 




Etienne said:


> Dan Chung reported that the 5DIII consistently under exposed by about 2/3 stop compared to the D800. Could this be why?



No. See above.




fegari said:


> Thanks for asking. I take most of them with the cap on, I like the look and avoids loosing time with post processing...but seriously, I've taken aurora pics where it was pitch black outside and used to check the time by lighting the LCD (while the pic was being taken). Likelly under that scenario there could have been some shift had I used the Mark3....just speculating.



No, there would've been no shift.


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## Devinder (Apr 8, 2012)

so to help you blokes and my own sudden heartattack calm down. I ran two tests.

With lens cap off, (i believe this is how those things are meant to be used)

regular bright light from sun light room + and minus lcs (and a pen light to boot) --> no change 

all blinds down closed no lights in room vs lcd and then pen light! --> no change.

ps: i tried with lens cap on and almost gave my self a heartattached because well, in that setting your so called light leak does indeed happen.


So in conclusion, i don't see this as an issue. Just like a power (diamondtipped)chainsaw test failure on integrity isn't an issue.


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## AUGS (Apr 9, 2012)

chriswatters said:


> It sounds like this effect is only observed when there is so little light that the sensor is blindly guessing at the exposure. What is the "correct" exposure that the camera should be reporting when the camera has the lens cap on and viewfinder closed?


I don't think the sensor is blindly guessing - I think it has just stopped searching for a proper exposure setting. Heres my thoughts why:
I did this crazy test inside a neoprene bag with a lens attached and the lens cap on in a very dark room and got 10 seconds using Aperture Priority. I was truly expecting to see an under-exposed warning (>30 seconds) in such an extremely dark environment, not a repeatable 10 second exposure setting like others are seeing (see videos and CR Guys notes). Why didn't I get an under-exposure warning in such a low light condition? Why isn't the exposure time flashing at 30 seconds, but rather stopping repeatably at 10 seconds? So I started to think about the metering algorithm. My guess is the algorithm increases exposure time (2x) and look for some corresponding change in meter reading (2x) (as you would expect in normal use _(you know, some light, lens cap off)_ until it found the optimum exposure), and if it doesn’t get a reading increase change after a few increments it stops its search. 10 seconds at ISO800 seems to be the algorithm limit in the absence of light to the meter. At ISO6400, the time was 1 second. So it seems likely.


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## kwwalla (Apr 9, 2012)

The SCRUTINY continues! Be careful what you ask for!


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## itsnotmeyouknow (Apr 9, 2012)

This thread is a very good example of how forums can over analyse things. If you are doing shots where it is completely dark such as night sky and you are trusting any camera'a meter, then in my opinion you need to learn to shoot at an advanced level. I do some star trails photography sometimes in the countryside of Northern England, and I shoot only in bulb setting. You can use the back screen to show what aperture etc things are set at then press the display button again to turn it off before you press the shutter using timer or cable release. 

The nitpicking annoys me. You can find a way that any electrical item can produce a fault. Shoot something other than lens caps, and learn to make your own exposure decisions in manual mode. Shoot compare the histogram if shooting in daylight and reshoot if necessary. Simples.


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