# Canon 5d Mk III error 20



## Moze (Dec 8, 2012)

Today during a shoot I got error 20 on my canon 5d mk3, and form that moment camera is not responding, I have tried to remove battery, change the lens and sometimes it gives error 20, sometimes when I turn it on it is completely dead.
Anybody had a similar problem?
And if yes, is it repairable in a decent period of time or I will have to wait more than few days?
Best
T.


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## jonathan7007 (Dec 8, 2012)

Call the excellent help staff at Canon's Virginia call center: 800-828-4040. Follow the prompts for "Technical Support" and say the model of your camera.

Good luck, and please report back what they say the cause of an error 20 might be.

jonathan7007


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## Lurker (Dec 8, 2012)

Link to a discussion on the 5D II and error 20. Not sure it applies but it sounds like error 20 is a standard Canon error.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1139812


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## degies (Apr 27, 2014)

I recently had this error 20 come up on my 5D3 and it seems I have to take it in for a warranty repair

So for anyone else that might find it helpfull I found a link to Canon error codes

List of Error Messages & Solutions
Error code No.	Message	Solution
Err 01	Communications between the camera and lens is faulty. Clean the lens contacts.	-Clean the electrical contacts on the camera and lens.
-Use a Canon lens.
-If the instructions above do not solve the problem, please contact your nearest Canon Service Center. (*1)
Err 02	Card * (*2)cannot be accessed. Reinsert/change card * or format card * (*2) with camera.	-Remove and install the card again.
-Replace the card.
-Format the card.(*3)
Err 04	Cannot save images because card * (*2)is full. Replace card * (*2).	-Replace the card.
-Erase unnecessary images on the card.
-Format the card. (*3)
Err 06	Sensor cleaning is not possible. Turn the camera off and on again.	-Turn the power switch to <ON> to turn on the power again.
-If the instructions above do not solve the problem, please contact your nearest Canon Service Center. (*1)
Err 10,20,30,40,
50,60,70,80,99
(*4)	Shooting is not possible due to an error. Turn the camera off and on again or re-install the battery. -Turn the power switch to <ON> to turn on the power again.
-Remove and re-install the battery.
-Use a Canon lens.
-If the instructions above do not solve the problem, please contact your nearest Canon Service Center. (*1)
*1 Please refer the IMPORTANT below.
*2 A number indicating the location of the card slot appears in place of the asterisk (*).
*3 Please refer the CAUTION below.
*4 Details of the error codes are as follows.

Error Code	Error Details
Err 10	Malfunctions related to files have been detected.
Err 20	Malfunctions related to the mechanical mechanism have been detected.
Err 30	Malfunctions related to the shutter have been detected.
Err 40	Malfunctions related to the power source have been detected.
Err 50	Malfunctions related to the electric control have been detected.
Err 70	Malfunctions related to images have been detected.
Err 80	Malfunctions related to the electric control or images have been detected.
IMPORTANT
If the same error keeps appearing, there may be a problem. Write down the error code and consult your nearest Canon Service Center.
CAUTION
When the card is formatted, all images and data in the card will be erased. Even protected images will be erased, so make sure there is nothing you need to keep. If necessary, transfer the images to a computer, etc., before formatting the card.
To format the memory card, please refer to the Related information.

source:// http://kbsupport.cusa.canon.com/system/selfservice.controller?CONFIGURATION=1011&PARTITION_ID=1&secureFlag=false&TIMEZONE_OFFSET=&CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=49160


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## david72 (Apr 11, 2015)

Hello,

sorry to bring up again this old topic but I had the same issue with my 5Dmark3.
It was only 3 months old.
The context was: my 5Dmark having in the card slots both a SD card and an CF card coming from my old camera.
Verified:
- adding the Compact Flash card generate the error code 20
- removing the CF card avoid this error code.
Since, I have only SD card, and this error code have not appear any more.
Hope it can help.
Regards


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## JonAustin (Apr 11, 2015)

david72 said:


> Hello,
> 
> sorry to bring up again this old topic but I had the same issue with my 5Dmark3.
> It was only 3 months old.
> ...



Hi David,

You don't state how long ago you experienced this error, so I don't know if your 5D3 is still under warranty or not, but it sounds from your post like you're only using your 5D3's SD slot now, and avoiding using a CF card to prevent the error.

It's up to you, of course, but if I were in your shoes, I'd try formatting your CF card in another Canon camera (or a PC), and then try it in your 5D3 again. If that didn't work, I'd try a different CF card. And if _that_ didn't work, I'd send the camera in for service. 

The SD slot works fine, of course, but the CF slot is much faster ... an important feature when you're firing off rapid bursts. Also, without the CF slot, you're missing out on other great features, such as the abilities to:
- store duplicate images on both cards (automatic backup), 
- shoot different formats / resolutions of the same image to each card (i.e., RAW on one, JPEG on the other), 
- copy images from one card to the other

I hope you do (or did) get it fixed.

And finally, I found it amusing that Canon's Error Detail for Code 20 is stated as "malfunctions related to the mechanical mechanism" ... are there any other kinds of mechanisms?


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