# Error 01: Clean Contacts. Help?



## YellowJersey (Jul 27, 2015)

Using a 5D mkIII and went to put my trusty old 24-105mm f/4 IS on and have had nothing but trouble with it. I keep getting Error 01 saying there's a communication error between the lens and the camera and to clean the contacts. My 17-40mm f/4 works just fine. 

I've never had this issue before. 

Any tips on how to properly clean the lens contacts?


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 27, 2015)

The clean contacts is just a suggestion. Personally, I think its a waste of time, but its worth trying, since it doesn't cost anything, and won't hurt anything unless you start putting cleaner or alcohol on them. Very rarely, it solves the issue, and when it does, it usually means corrosion, and it will happen again, getting more frequent.

I ran a lab in a aerospace company specializing in electrical parts, particularly contacts and their issues. Sone electrician was always coming up with a contact cleaner that he would swear by. We tested them side by side, and also checked the ingredients. We never found one that worked any better than a wipe with a soft cloth, but we did find plenty that caused harm. A quick check of the internet will tell you that they are still out there singing the praises of harmful pastes and gunk.

Wipe the contact surface on the rear of the lens with a soft cloth, you do not need anything else. Same with the pins on the camera. Hopefully, that will fix it, if it does, you've won the lottery.

Most likely, its a damaged or broken flex print inside the lens that won't make the connection. Its possible to buy a replacement and DIY, or have a local camera shop do it.


----------



## Valvebounce (Jul 27, 2015)

Hi YellowJersey. 
What Mt Spokane said. 
I had the broken ribbon on two EF-S 17-85 lens, they would give Err 01 then I think it progressed to Err 99. They would work ok at 17mm and wide open, it was the iris ribbons that had failed, but would Err at any other aperture or zoom setting, try yours at a few zoom and aperture settings and see. I paid £40 via eBay to have one fixed, the other I bought the ribbon for £2 and I did it myself. (The lens was essentially free with my £50 20D so nothing to loose, not sure I would venture in to an L.)

Not sure where you are geographically speaking, here is a link to the company I used in the UK, it sort of shows how common this fault is when people are set up like this to deal with it. 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CANON-EF-24-105mm-L-LENS-REPAIR-SERVICE-/181815329342?hash=item2a5509c23e
This company were superb to deal with, I had a bit of dust and asked about it and they assured me it would be gone, it was nice and clean when I got it back. 

Good luck. 

Cheers, Graham. 

Edit, the contacts are gold plated so do not generally have anything to remove other than airborne contaminants and possibly finger grease if you accidentally touch them. I do not like the recommendation to use an eraser, it is abrasive (they have clay added to the mix) and could cause more harm than good, go with the soft cloth as Mt Spokane said.


----------



## arthurbikemad (Jul 27, 2015)

I repaired my 17-85 EFs for my 40D, got the ribbon from eBay 2.35, it's a fair job and as screws are lock tight in place you need quality drivers to undo them, not for the faint hearted but guides on you tube show you how to strip the lense so you have an insight into hidden screws etc, I do a fair few phones and the skill level is much the same, defo the ribbon as the others have said.


----------



## Jules (Jul 28, 2015)

YellowJersey said:


> Using a 5D mkIII and went to put my trusty old 24-105mm f/4 IS on and have had nothing but trouble with it. I keep getting Error 01 saying there's a communication error between the lens and the camera and to clean the contacts. My 17-40mm f/4 works just fine.
> 
> I've never had this issue before.
> 
> Any tips on how to properly clean the lens contacts?


Hi,
Like others, i had the issue with my EF-S 17-85 ... diaphragm ribbon broken ... 
Easy way to check that it is the same stuff (and then send it for repair or order the parts): use the DoF preview button in Av, look at the lens from front and see if diaphragm closes when you change aperture settings ... usually it works at tele but get stuck at wide angle ...


----------



## Valvebounce (Jul 28, 2015)

Hi Folks. 
I know I muddied the waters initially by mentioning the EF-S 17-85, but let's not forget the initial question was about the EF 24-105L, I'm sure the OP would appreciate more/better info on that lens if anyone has it. That's not to say some of the info, test techniques don't apply, just that fixing the 24-105 will likely be very different from the 17-85. 

Cheers, Graham.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jul 28, 2015)

arthurbikemad said:


> I repaired my 17-85 EFs for my 40D, got the ribbon from eBay 2.35, it's a fair job and as screws are lock tight in place you need quality drivers to undo them, not for the faint hearted but guides on you tube show you how to strip the lense so you have an insight into hidden screws etc, I do a fair few phones and the skill level is much the same, defo the ribbon as the others have said.



You need JIS Screwdrivers. Trying to do it with Phillips is a exercise in futility. Many do not realize that a Phillips does not properly fit those screw heads and can strip them or damage them.

You can find good jis screwdrivers at Microtools along with a few other handy lens repair tools and supplies. Moody tools are the ones to get, US made and high quality.


----------



## sanj (Jul 28, 2015)

I have experienced this a few times with different bodies/lenses. Solved it very easily by wiping the contacts on the lens with a cloth. Don't remember if I wiped the contacts on camera or not.


----------



## YellowJersey (Aug 6, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> The clean contacts is just a suggestion. Personally, I think its a waste of time, but its worth trying, since it doesn't cost anything, and won't hurt anything unless you start putting cleaner or alcohol on them. Very rarely, it solves the issue, and when it does, it usually means corrosion, and it will happen again, getting more frequent.
> 
> I ran a lab in a aerospace company specializing in electrical parts, particularly contacts and their issues. Sone electrician was always coming up with a contact cleaner that he would swear by. We tested them side by side, and also checked the ingredients. We never found one that worked any better than a wipe with a soft cloth, but we did find plenty that caused harm. A quick check of the internet will tell you that they are still out there singing the praises of harmful pastes and gunk.
> 
> ...



I tried wiping the contacts with a microfibre cloth. I'm still getting the error, but not as often. I think I might have to take the lens in to a shop to have it looked at. Fortunately, there's a Canon depot in my current city. 

Thanks for all the advice, guys! Fortunately, my uncle let me borrow his 70-200mm f/4 in the meantime.


----------



## Bennymiata (Aug 6, 2015)

There is a ribbon wire in the 24-105L that goes hard with age and eventually fails.
This ribbon is constantly pulled and pushed during zooming and some of the fine wires in the ribbon can break.

Unless you're willing to throw it away if you can't fix it yourself, I would advise getting it professionally repaired, which will cost around $250 or so.


----------

