# failing shutter on 60D



## Don Haines (Oct 27, 2014)

I have a 60D with about 100,000 actuations on the shutter. Everything still works, but there appears to be no difference in exposure from 1/500 of a second to 1/8000 of a second. It opens and closes, slower shutter speeds seem OK, but fast seems to be stuck around 1/500.

The camera has never been cleaned or lubed... I was wondering if the problem could be solved with a proper cleaning. From everything I have read, when a shutter fails, it just stops... so I am wondering if clean and lube is the solution.

And NO, I am not going to spray WD40 or something like that into the camera  so please don't tell me not to. I am considering sending it back to Canon for a proper cleaning and tune up... I want to keep it as a "magic lantern" camera...


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## Valvebounce (Oct 27, 2014)

Hi Don. 
Yea don't use WD40, it will seal in as much moisture as it seals out! I much prefer Duck Oil, or GT85 PTFE spray lubricant! ;D 
Now running for cover! 

Cheers, Graham. 



Don Haines said:


> I have a 60D with about 100,000 actuations on the shutter. Everything still works, but there appears to be no difference in exposure from 1/500 of a second to 1/8000 of a second. It opens and closes, slower shutter speeds seem OK, but fast seems to be stuck around 1/500.
> 
> The camera has never been cleaned or lubed... I was wondering if the problem could be solved with a proper cleaning. From everything I have read, when a shutter fails, it just stops... so I am wondering if clean and lube is the solution.
> 
> And NO, I am not going to spray WD40 or something like that into the camera  so please don't tell me not to. I am considering sending it back to Canon for a proper cleaning and tune up... I want to keep it as a "magic lantern" camera...


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## Valvebounce (Oct 28, 2014)

Hi Don. 
No actual knowledge of the issue, but it would seem to me that from engineering principles it might be that a clean and lube would help, of course it could be that the issue is electronic, I'm guessing that the speeds are read and reported to the OS by some kind of sensor, perhaps that is failing. 
Probably the only way to find out for sure would be to get it serviced by Canon (approved service agent?). 
Can you really be the only person to ever experience this here? 

Cheers, Graham. 



Don Haines said:


> I have a 60D with about 100,000 actuations on the shutter. Everything still works, but there appears to be no difference in exposure from 1/500 of a second to 1/8000 of a second. It opens and closes, slower shutter speeds seem OK, but fast seems to be stuck around 1/500.
> 
> The camera has never been cleaned or lubed... I was wondering if the problem could be solved with a proper cleaning. From everything I have read, when a shutter fails, it just stops... so I am wondering if clean and lube is the solution.
> 
> And NO, I am not going to spray WD40 or something like that into the camera  so please don't tell me not to. I am considering sending it back to Canon for a proper cleaning and tune up... I want to keep it as a "magic lantern" camera...


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## Sporgon (Oct 28, 2014)

It's trying to tell you it's time to buy a 7DII.....

Sounds like a shutter failure one way or another to me


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## Bennymiata (Oct 28, 2014)

My 60D has over 150,000 on it and it's still going strong, and has never been serviced.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 28, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> The camera has never been cleaned or lubed... I was wondering if the problem could be solved with a proper cleaning. From everything I have read, when a shutter fails, it just stops... so I am wondering if clean and lube is the solution.



My 60d shutter is about to fail at 160k cycles, I asked about the same question "What can I do" here: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=22565.0

Quick answer: Time to buy a new dslr as the price/cost relationship of a 60d shutter replacement isn't worth it.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Oct 28, 2014)

I agree with Marsu42 when he concludes it is not worth spending hundreds of dollars on a 60D. You can continue using it at slow speeds until it finally dies.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 28, 2014)

ajfotofilmagem said:


> You can continue using it at slow speeds until it finally dies.



Plus you can use it for video and with Magic Lantern for full res "silent pics" w/o moving the shutter, so if you still get into live view the 60d definitely is still good for something.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 28, 2014)

Fixing a failing shutter can be done with a $6 part, assuming that you are able / willing to tackle the job, and, of course, that the issue is not with the shutter motor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Shutter-Blade-Curtain-Set-For-Canon-EOS-20D-30D-40D-50D-60D-350D-400D-/201101749098?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item2ed2992b6a

if you need the whole assembly, the price jumps to $30 more or less.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/camera-shutter-for-Canon-60D-camera-parts-free-shipping-/111466606246?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item19f3ed6ea6

That's why broken DSLR's sell well on ebay, buy one for $100, fix it for $6, and sell it for $300.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 28, 2014)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Fixing a failing shutter can be done with a $6 part, assuming that you are able / willing to tackle the job, and, of course, that the issue is not with the shutter motor.



Oh my, why didn't anyone mention this before?! You might just have saved me €1000 for a new crop backup dslr.

* Are there any differences between the shutter blades offered on ebay (the price varies a lot), or is this just the sellers making a different amount of profit?

* Did you know how complicated it is to chance the shutter myself, any links on this? Of course I'm going to google it myself, too, but since you brought it up you might have some more insight than the first random search engine hits.


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## Don Haines (Oct 28, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Fixing a failing shutter can be done with a $6 part, assuming that you are able / willing to tackle the job, and, of course, that the issue is not with the shutter motor.
> ...


It was an even cheaper repair.
I brought the camera in to work today, so that I could look at the shutter under magnification...I spent my lunch removing tightly wound fine cat hair (thank you Fluffy) from around the pivot point of the shutter with precision tweezers and a scalpel. It now works to 1/8000!


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## Sporgon (Oct 28, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> Marsu42 said:
> 
> 
> > Mt Spokane Photography said:
> ...



You've got to be joking !?
If you have to leave the camera in the cat's basket try leaving a lens on next time. Or better still get one of those toys shaped like a mouse and put that in instead.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 28, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> It was an even cheaper repair.
> I brought the camera in to work today, so that I could look at the shutter under magnification...I spent my lunch removing tightly wound fine cat hair (thank you Fluffy) from around the pivot point of the shutter with precision tweezers and a scalpel. It now works to 1/8000!



Now you are a camera repair expert 

Before I'd try repairing the shutter, I'd purchase the Canon repair manual, assuming you can find one online. I'd also suggest getting JIS type screwdrivers, those screws are not Phillips. A tiny flat blade screwdriver to open the various ribbon cable connectors, tweezers and needle nose pliers.

It likely requires a bit of experience to replace the blades, so you might ruin a camera or two before getting the process down.

Actually, with the repair manual, you can take it apart and re-assemble it pretty quickly. There are step by step instructions and photos, so its doable, but it is also very intricate, and in a camera with built-in flash, you want to make certain that capacitor is discharged, and that wiring is properly dressed when re-assembling it.


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## Don Haines (Oct 29, 2014)

Sporgon said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > Marsu42 said:
> ...


I have no idea how they got in..... I am very careful to avoid such problems.... yet it happened.


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## Valvebounce (Oct 29, 2014)

Hi Don. 
I think this condition should have a name and as you discovered it you should have the honour of naming it! Hmmm my camera has Haines, has been Hainsed? 
Congratulations on taking the enquiring minds need to know approach. It is a bit of a concern for someone with a fluffy cat that enough hair, and I'm guessing it would only need one or three hairs in a tiny device to create the appearance of tightly wound fine cat hairs, made it in there! 
Glad it is sorted, but there goes your excuse to upgrade! 

Cheers, Graham.


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## Sporgon (Oct 29, 2014)

Valvebounce said:


> Glad it is sorted, but there goes your excuse to upgrade!



I disagree. If ever Don needed a really thorough weather sealed camera, here is the proof. Or rather a fur sealed camera.


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## Valvebounce (Oct 29, 2014)

;D ;D ;D ;D

Cheers, Graham. 



Sporgon said:


> Valvebounce said:
> 
> 
> > Glad it is sorted, but there goes your excuse to upgrade!
> ...


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## Marsu42 (Jun 12, 2015)

Don Haines said:


> I have a 60D with about 100,000 actuations on the shutter. Everything still works, but there appears to be no difference in exposure from 1/500 of a second to 1/8000 of a second. It opens and closes, slower shutter speeds seem OK, but fast seems to be stuck around 1/500.



Fyi: The failing shutter on my 60d magically self-repaired 

It was getting stuck after ~10 frames, resulting in an err80 crash and the whole buffer gone, i.e. not saved to the card at all. But: After I stubbornly kept shooting with it, it now works just fine again no questions asked .

I dunno if it has to do with the temperature, now it's summer time over here and the +20deg celsius difference might account for the shutter working again?


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## Valvebounce (Jun 15, 2015)

Hi Marsu. 
It is great that it seems to have cured itself, but will you ever trust it for important work? I'm not sure I could without it having actually been repaired. 

Cheers, Graham. 



Marsu42 said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > I have a 60D with about 100,000 actuations on the shutter. Everything still works, but there appears to be no difference in exposure from 1/500 of a second to 1/8000 of a second. It opens and closes, slower shutter speeds seem OK, but fast seems to be stuck around 1/500.
> ...


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## Marsu42 (Jun 16, 2015)

Valvebounce said:


> It is great that it seems to have cured itself, but will you ever trust it for important work? I'm not sure I could without it having actually been repaired.



No, I definitely don't trust it - and I wouldn't with any camera that had a shutter hiccup, ever.

But I'm just using the 60d for fun now to shoot myself silly w/ handheld macros of moving objects which have an extremely low keeper rate. As the shutter was essentially broken, this feels like a free camera now and I have to say it's a joy to simply snap away no matter what the shutter count. With my precious and expensive 6d, I'm much more hesitant to burn 1000 shutter cycles to get 10 good pictures :-o


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## tron (Jun 16, 2015)

Marsu42 said:


> Valvebounce said:
> 
> 
> > It is great that it seems to have cured itself, but will you ever trust it for important work? I'm not sure I could without it having actually been repaired.
> ...


Glad it works. You can have it with you all the time for snapshots. You can even keep it in the car (somewhere hidden of course provided that the lens is not an expensive one). Or you can use it for timelapses.


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## Marsu42 (Jun 16, 2015)

tron said:


> Or you can use it for timelapses.



Even if the shutter starts having issues again, I'll use it for focus stacking (in live view = less shutter movement) as this was the #1 shutter killer for my 60d ... a hdr macro equals at least ~20+ shots times 3, and you have to re-shoot it some times to be on the safe side as sometimes small things go wrong and you only realize when back at home.


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