# I dropped my 40D with EF 35L attached. Help pls!



## myone (Apr 9, 2012)

Hello,

It was unfortunate for me today to have dropped my came from about 4 feet straight down to some metal bars sitting on hardwood flooring. Now the camera is giving me Err 99 battery error. 

So my questions:

1) any idea what this means? I already remove lens, card, battery (including the small clock battery) & nothing seems to help. What could be possibly wrong? And cost to fix ?

2) my 4 months old EF 35L suffered a ding on the side, about 1/2 inch from the lens edge behind the UV filter. When I tried plugging it into another body, pictures are no longer sharp especially below f/4.0. At f/1.4, it used to be really sharp, but now it's blurry. I am thinking to bring it back to Canon in Irvine but for this kind of problems, can it be fixed 100%? I really like the sharpness at f/1.4 & if after I fixed it, I'm really afraid it will not be the same anymore. Any inputs? 

3) since my lens is still under warranty & I dropped it, would warranty cover the fix? 

I appreciate your inputs. Any past experiences & knowledge sharings are welcome. It just sucks that I'm at Vegas for vacation & I am worried about my gears at the same time.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 9, 2012)

Bummer!!! 

1) Err 99 is the Canon equivalent of 'it's broke' and really doesn't offer more details than that. The body needs to go to Canon for a fix.

2) Yes, it can be fixed to 'like new' and in fact, may even be sharper when you get it back.

3) No, the warranty covers only defects, not damage. You'll have to pay for the repairs.


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## myone (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks Neuroanatomist. 

I'll be heading to Irvine tomorrow to drop them off for repair. I'm sure the bill is going to be costly.


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## elflord (Apr 10, 2012)

myone said:


> Thanks Neuroanatomist.
> 
> I'll be heading to Irvine tomorrow to drop them off for repair. I'm sure the bill is going to be costly.



You could luck out. I had a 50mm f/1.4 get dinged up (AF mechanism damaged) because my two year old daughter dropped a camera with it on. It was under warranty. Canon fixed it up free of charge, no questions asked.


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## wickidwombat (Apr 10, 2012)

bummer sorry to hear it

check your home insurance contract quite often there are certain $ limits that can be used for miscelaneous items like the repairs for this you might be able to claim something

good luck


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## myone (Apr 13, 2012)

Just picked up my camera and lens.

The 40D has replacements of the shutter assembly, the shutter release button and AF unit
The 35/1.4 has misaligned center components and need to be re-calibrated. 

Everything is fixed and cost me $209 for the body and $269 for the lens. 
Never thought repair can be so expensive. Take good care of your gears guys...


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## tron (Apr 13, 2012)

Expensive granted but you got your equipment back to working condition. The lens repair cost is not so much considering its price.
Did they fix the ding too?


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## myone (Apr 13, 2012)

Nope the ding is still there. It is not a big deal because it is very faint but noticeable ding. That is why, make "putting on the hood" a habit. You never know when the hoods can be useful. If only I had the hood on, I am sure the ding will not be there.

On my 24-70, my hood is always on whenever I use it. I cannot afford to drop it by accident and damage the front element that might affect the zoom mechanism.


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## prakashanand (Apr 13, 2012)

I dropped my 7d with 10-22 lens. In built Flash stopped working and the camera was still under warranty.

I sent it to Canon Irvine and mentioned it to the support about dropping the camera. They fixed it free of charge. I guess it depends on the type of damage too...


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## nikkito (Apr 13, 2012)

Sorry to hear that, man!


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## Zo0m (Apr 13, 2012)

myone said:


> Just picked up my camera and lens.
> 
> The 40D has replacements of the shutter assembly, the shutter release button and AF unit
> The 35/1.4 has misaligned center components and need to be re-calibrated.
> ...




I hear you man. Back when I was shooting Nikon. I dropped my 18-200 VR II from half a meter on some cobblestone. The lens still worked but made some weird IS noises and refused to zoom below ~50mm. I sent it to Nikon HQ here in Sweden for repairs and they wanted 800 $ to fix the lens. Which was a bit hilarious since a good used copy could go for 5-600 :/ Needless to say I scrapped the lens.


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## awinphoto (Apr 13, 2012)

Glad your gear is back to normal, sorta... I cant count or would want to count how many times my 2 and 4 year olds have dragged my 7D and 17-40 off the table or even when i had the 50D and 17-40... I usually always keep my hoods on... Sometimes they are reversed so it's not shading anything but good for storage and space, or flipped so it's actually working... It is good insurance and buffer if it gets bumped... never had my camera stop working like that... must have had a hard fall. I did have my wife accidentally crack the rear LCD screen on my 5d2... they wanted over $200 to replace the back screen... really? thankfully the 5d3 came out so got the replacement screen on ebay, swapped it out, and sold it to fund my 5d3.


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## Mooose (Apr 14, 2012)

I got a dropped 17-85mm -- filter was broke & stuck on, front element cracked, and the focus wheel made and awful grinding noise -- fixed by canon for the minimum $100 charge. I also got the malfunctioning IS system on a 17-55mm f2.8 replaced for $100.

Very pleased with the costs in those cases.

I might send in my 100-400mm for recalibration. Been wondering what it would cost (their site says it must be inspected first).


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## jmac1 (Apr 14, 2012)

I once had a Then $2000 10D and a 28-70L hit the floor and break in half and the camera only had an aperature of 0.

Things I learned and know now, that I wish I knew before;

1) a camera cannot fall off the floor! Now I always lay my camera on the floor never a table etc.
2) insurance is good if you loose alot of stuff, if you have a small claim it can bite you in the ass, especially if it is a rider on your home insurance. See what the claim will do to your insurance before filing one.
3) wish I knew about repair discounts offered by joining CPS Canon Professional services earlier. If you have the amount of gear to qualify, you may save the membership amount or more by saving 20% on your repairs.


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## Seanlucky (Apr 14, 2012)

You're lucky that's all the repair was... We have it worse in Canada. Generally their minimum fee is somewhere around $300.


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## squarebox (Apr 14, 2012)

I once had my 10-22 fall out of my new bag onto the concrete. Right hand side was out of focus. Dropped it off at canon repair shop (they have them in town) and it was $80 for a new element and $120 for the repair work.


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## tntwit (Apr 14, 2012)

I would have expected it to be much more. I would be very pleased to get the equipment back in working order that cheap, particularly when you consider the replacement cost. I'm also impressed at the turn around time.

It's too bad it happened, of course, but it's good to know the services (at least in your case and my opinion) are reasonably priced.

Hope you are still able to get some use out of it on your trip.

Happy shooting!


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## jmp2000 (Apr 14, 2012)

myone said:


> Just picked up my camera and lens.
> 
> The 40D has replacements of the shutter assembly, the shutter release button and AF unit
> The 35/1.4 has misaligned center components and need to be re-calibrated.
> ...


Just a heads up and insure it. I pay about $225 a year to cover 20k in gear w/o a deductable and it covers drops, theft, lost gear, just about anything. It pays for itself with one repair job at the Irvine service center.


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## Marsu42 (Apr 14, 2012)

Seanlucky said:


> You're lucky that's all the repair was... We have it worse in Canada. Generally their minimum fee is somewhere around $300.



With my experiences from Germany, I guess you're lucky the L lens repair wasn't even more expensive. When I got dust/sand in my 100mm non-L macro and the aperture didn't lock in anymore, the Canon service said the whole aperture AND motor had to be replaced, costing me 300€ - nearly the value of the lens!

I'm still wondering if I wasn't ripped off and they could have just cleaned it - but I am not a CPS member but just your average customer, and maybe that's the way they make money or the technicians' salaries are so high that repairing would have been even more expensive.


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## squarebox (Apr 14, 2012)

jmp2000 said:


> myone said:
> 
> 
> > Just picked up my camera and lens.
> ...



quick question, does that insurance cover drops made while you are outside? The insurance I am looking to get (not in the U.S.) has a weird rule of only having coverage when I am under a roof.


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## RLPhoto (Apr 14, 2012)

I use hill and usher to cover my gear. Great insurance I case everything gets damaged or stolen. If you can afford this top quality gear, some insurance can save you alot of headache and worry.


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## jmp2000 (Apr 14, 2012)

squarebox said:


> jmp2000 said:
> 
> 
> > myone said:
> ...



I specifically checked and even if I drop the thing off a pier or it gets soaked by a wave it's covered. Well worth the $225.


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## victorwol (Apr 14, 2012)

Insurance ...l your best friend.... Not that expensive, around $1.5 per $100 insured per year...(in the US) Some time ago on an accident my 70-200 hit the flor on the front lens, no lens cap, ended as a big piece of paperweight.. Insurance paid for it... 

It was a Friday night.... Awful weekend until I got to talk with an agent on Monday.


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## TexPhoto (Apr 15, 2012)

If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, and are not shooting professionally, you may already be covered, or you may need an addendum. Mine is $.005 be $1 of gear per year.

Also consider buying your gear with a credit card that offers some protection. My Amex doubles my warrantee and provides theft and loss protection.


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## victorwol (Apr 15, 2012)

As far as I know, renters insurance will not cover anything one you leave your home.


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