In recent months, the main dial on one of my Canon 50D DSLR cameras would slip when attempting to rotate it.

The slipping occurs more frequently in one direction than the other direction, and also appears to be weather-related, occurring more frequently in hotter weather.

This was particularly annoying, as most of my photography sees my camera mode set to aperture priority, and without a fully functional main dial, it was difficult to quickly adjust the aperture.

It turns out this appears to be a relatively common issue with some of the Canon DSLRs, including the 30D, 40D and 50D.

Getting the dial assembly replaced by Canon will apparently cost you about USD$150.

On closer inspection, it was clear that the rubber grip on the dial was slipping on the inner plastic wheel. Rather than sending the camera into Canon for repairs, I decided to try a DIY repair by applying some glue between the rubber grip and the plastic wheel.

After many months of rumours about the possible features and specifications for the Canon 60D, last week Canon officially announced the 60D.

Interestingly, the 60D features an articulated rear 3" LCD screen, something that is normally seen on lower-end cameras, rather than the prosumer models.

rear of the Canon 60D

photo by Canon

As expected, the 60D supports shooting video, thus filling the gap between the more expensive video-capable Canon 7D, and the cheaper Canon 550D (aka Rebel 2Ti).

An 18 megapixel sensor brings the 60D in-line with the 550D and 7D, although the shutter is only rated at 100,000 actuations, while the older 50D and the 7D's shutters are both rated at 150,000 actuations.

For a good comparison of the features of the 60D vs the older 50D, 550D (Rebel T2i) and the 7D, have a look at this CNET article.

I don't think the 60D is a very appealing upgrade for anyone currently using a 40D or 50D. The 60D has a slower shooting rate than the 40D and 50D, managing 5.3 frames per second, compared to the 6.3 frames per second of the 40D and 50D.
With the 60D's use of SDHC memory cards, anyone with a collection of compact flash cards will need to swap them out for some SDHC cards.
The AF micro-adjustment that was available in the 50D has been removed in the 60D, so has the flash sync socket, and the 60D's plastic body shell is slightly smaller than the 50D's magnesium alloy body.

top of the Canon 60D photo by Canon

front of the Canon 60D photo by Canon

I think Canon are positioning the new 60D as a suitable upgrade for people currently using a 500D (T1i) or 550D (T2i), as the 60D provides improved ISO sensitivity, faster frame rate, better autofocus points, and faster maximum shutter speed than the 500D/550D.

Photographers currently using a 30D, 40D or 50D are probably better off looking at the 7D or the 5D mark II as a suitable upgrade, rather than a relatively minor incremental upgrade to the 60D (and you won't lose AF micro-adjust, flash sync socket, CF card support, and a magnesium alloy body shell).

It's also worth noting that the 60D's remote shutter release socket uses an E3 connector (2.5mm stereo connector, as used on the 300D/350D/400D/450D/500D/550D/1000D), rather than the 3-pin N3 connector (as used on the 10D/20D/30D/40D/50D/5D/7D/1D). That's just another reason not to upgrade from a 50D to a 60D, as your wireless shutter releases won't work with a 60D.

The Canon 60D is expected to retail for approximately USD$1,099 or AUD$1,699, which is about where the 50D was originally priced.

For more information on the 60D, see:

• Canon's press release for the 60D
• Canon EOS 60D specifications on Canon's website
• Hands-on preview: Canon 60D delivers major changes over 50D at CNET
• Canon 60D Impressions on Gizmodo
• Canon EOS 60D on Wikipedia

While on a recent shoot, my backup camera, a Canon 350D, completely locked up and stopped working. I briefly removed the main battery to attempt to reset it, but the 350D still failed to turn on after a freshly charged battery was inserted.
The lens and memory card were then removed, and the main battery was pulled out for a few minutes, but after re-installing the battery, it still failed to turn on.

I had been using the camera out in the sun on a hot 37 degree day, and thought that potentially the heat had affected it. After cooling the camera down for a while in the air-conditioned coolness of my car, it still refused to turn on.

I gave up on the 350D for the time being, and had to resort to using a single camera body for the rest of the day. I like to have a wide lens on one body, and a long lens on the other body, allowing a wider variety of focal lengths without having to swap lenses. Being reduced to a single camera body was an inconvenience, but it wasn't a show stopper, and this experience emphasises the need for a backup camera body when doing an important shoot!

That evening, I removed the main battery, as well as the internal date/time battery (a small 3V CR2016 battery used to maintain the camera's date and time), and left the camera overnight. The next morning, after re-installing both batteries, the camera still failed to turn on.

While googling for information on the problem, I found this thread on dpreview.com that described the same symptoms.

In that thread, someone suggested the following sequence as a potential cure for a lockup:

1. Turn off the camera
2. Remove both camera batteries
3. Close battery cover
4. Turn on/off switch to "On"
5. Let camera sit for at least 15 seconds
6. Turn on/off switch to "Off"
7. Re-install both batteries and turn camera on

Following this sequence caused the 350D to come to life again, thus saving me from having to take the camera in for repairs.

Setting the on/off switch to "On" with both batteries removed appears to be the key step that I had previously missed. I'm guessing it's required to ensure any residual power in the camera's circuitry is completely discharged, thus allowing the camera to completely reboot.
(Closing the battery cover is also important, as the camera's on/off switch is disabled if the battery cover is open.)

Note that removing the date and time battery will predictably reset the camera's date and time. However, it won't cause the camera to lose any other configuration data, such as custom function settings.

Have you ever had a camera fail at a bad time during a photo shoot? How did it fail? Did you have a second camera body with you at the time? Did the failure impact the photo shoot?

After a few months of rumours about the Canon 7D, specifications have been confirmed, and details are now available on on Canon's website. dpreview.com have already published a review of the Canon 7D.

Note that it's not a replacement for the 5D, but the 7D fits into the Canon lineup between the Canon 50D and the 5D.

The 7D is not a full-frame body like the 5D, but has an 18 megapixel APS-C sensor (1.6x crop factor), larger viewfinder, a new AF system with dedicated processor, can shoot at 8 fps, and supports 1080p HD video recording.
Interestingly, it also has an integrated Speedlite transmitter, allowing the 7D's built-in flash to control multiple groups of multiple flashes.

Here's a brief summary of the specifications of the 7D:

• 18 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C size)
• dual DIGIC 4 image processors
• ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800)
• 8 fps continuous shooting
• full HD (1920x1080) movie mode with manual exposure control
• large viewfinder with 100% field of view
• new 19 point auto-focus system
• magnesium body
• built-in Speedlite transmitter
• 3 inch rear LCD

It looks like the retail price for the Canon 7D body is going to be around USD$1699 (AUD$2020), and amazon.com have it available for pre-order.

Have a look at dpreview.com's review for more information on the Canon 7D, or the Canon Australia website for full specifications.


Update (September 2009): QualityCamera Sales Australia anticipate that the Canon 7D body price will be around AUD$2399, and they are taking pre-orders.

A couple of days ago, Canon released updated firmware for the Canon 50D, 450D (Rebel XSi) and the 1000D (Rebel XS).

The firmware updates are available from the firmware updates page on Canon's website.



Changes in the version 1.0.6 firmware for the Canon 50D include:

The only change in the firmware version 1.1.0 for the Canon 450D and firmware version 1.0.5 for the Canon 1000D is added support for the Speedlight 270 EX.

For people who have a 450D or 1000D, there's little value in installing this updated firmware, unless you are intending to purchase a Speedlight 270 EX later this year.
However, for 50D owners, it's certainly worth installing the updated firmware, as the error reporting is now more detailed, providing error numbers that specify where the error is, rather than just reporting the generic "Err 99".

(Even though this firmware version is numbered 1.0.6, it's the first publicly available version since version 1.0.3.)



Be sure to read Canon's firmware update procedure when upgrading your firmware, because you don't want to brick your camera!

Links to the firmware downloads and firmware update procedures can be found on these pages:

• Canon EOS 50D
• Canon EOS 450D (Rebel XSi)
• Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS)

Earlier today, Canon released firmware version 1.0.3 for the Canon EOS 50D DSLR camera.

According to Canon's website: Some people have experienced "Err 99" issues with the 50D, and this topic has been widely discussed. Apparently it's due to insufficient gold used in the lens contacts on the body. However, this story has not been officially verified, so it could just be an unsubstantiated rumour.

The release notes for firmware version 1.0.3 specifically mention a fix relating to "Err 99", but indicate it's related to a timing issue with the shutter button, rather than a hardware issue.

In the four weeks since buying a 50D I haven't had any occurrences of the infamous "Err 99".
My 50D arrived with firmware 1.0.1 installed, and I've now upgraded it to firmware 1.0.3.

I suppose we'll need to see how many 50D users still experience "Err 99" after installing the 1.0.3 firmware, to see if the updated firmware has really addressed the issue.

Be sure to read Canon's firmware update procedure when upgrading your firmware, because you don't want to brick your camera!

Then Canon EOS 50D body was announced by Canon in late August, just 12 months after the 40D. Historically, Canon has typically waited 18 months between successive releases, and as a result, the 50D was a somewhat unexpected announcement.

After having used a Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT) for two and a half years, I decided it was time to upgrade, and purchased a Canon 50D body just over a week ago.

This post isn't intended to be a full review of the 50D, but I'll share my initial thoughts and impressions after using the 50D for a week.



While I've bought photography gear from the US previously because it was significantly cheaper than local prices, this time, due to the Australian dollar slipping, it was cheaper to purchase it locally.

I bought the 50D from Gerry Gibbs Camera House in Cannington. They had received their first batch of 50D bodies a couple of weeks ago, but they had all been pre-sold. Their second batch arrived on Thursday 25 September, so they had stock that was immediately available, and I picked one up on Friday 26 September.

Brian Auer recently posted a comparison of the specifications of the recently announced Canon 50D and the Nikon D90 on his Epic Edits Weblog. The specifications of these cameras are fairly close, and both are targeting the advanced amateur photographer.

Brian then asks users to indicate which body they would choose, assuming they didn't have any existing brand loyalty or lenses suitable for either body. At the time of writing, the poll was quite close, with less than 10% difference between the 50D and the D90.



I believe Brian's approach to choosing a DSLR body is flawed. Someone buying their first DSLR shouldn't look at the specifications of camera bodies from different manufacturers to determine which one to purchase.

Instead, you should look at the lenses available for each brand (and to a lesser extent, also look at other accessories, such as flashes, etc). Once you decide which lens series you want to use (based on lens price, features, range, availability, etc), you then pick a body to suit those lenses, based on your budget at that time.

Camera manufacturers typically release updated bodies every 18 months or so (with the 50D being only 12 months after the release of the 40D). Updated bodies will have better performance and additional features that make them desirable. You can always upgrade to a higher-spec body and/or newer model of the body at a later date.

Even though one brand of DSLR body may have a minor edge over another brand at the current time, that could easily change when each manufacturer releases new versions of their bodies.

If you look after them, good quality lenses will last you for many years, and don't become obsolete. Lenses should last you through multiple camera bodies, although there are certainly situations where you may want to upgrade a lens to a better and/or faster lens.



For those readers who have an SLR (not necessarily a DSLR), how did you decide which brand to use (ie, Canon/Nikon/Pentax/etc), and how did you decide which body to purchase?

Use the comments below to submit information about your decision process when you purchased your first SLR camera body.