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Archive 2014 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment

  
 
gruberaaron
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


So I just got a 5Dc from B&H today and immediately notices dark lines in the view finder. After a little investigation I found that there were some pretty deep scratches in the focus screen as well as a couple "blemishes" on the mirror. I was just watching a video on how to replace the focus screen and noticed in the video that the videographer's screen had the same horizontal scratch. He had mentioned that it was damaged because someone put an EF-S lens on the 5D Mk II. Can anyone confirm that this may be what happened to my camera? Photos below, due to poor lighting you cannot see the scratches well so I approximated them in post as well as circled the "blemishes" on the mirror.











Edited on Jun 20, 2014 at 01:48 AM · View previous versions



Jun 20, 2014 at 01:28 AM
dcains
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


You can't physically mount an EF-S lens on a FF body, unless the lens has been modified. The common way a focus screen is damaged is by someone just touching it, perhaps trying to clean it. When you get the new one, be sure to only handle it by the edges, and only clean it with a hand blower.

The mirror might just be smudged, and the mirror really isn't as fragile as folklore tells. I've cleaned mirrors on several Canon bodies, using very gentle pressure and a damp microfiber cloth. I believe there is a thin layer of protection over the silvering, but could be wrong. I haven't ever scratched one, though.



Jun 20, 2014 at 01:35 AM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


I wonder why the guy in the video made the claim of EF-S damage..oh well. I am assuming them someone was a little rough with the cleaning and hit the focus screen.

On a separate note, the AF LEDs are misaligned. They dont light up the entire box. Most of the its more of an L or _ rather than bright squares. If I manually set the AF point to bottom center, it (partially) lights up the middle center. The middle center lights the top, etc...

If I light up all the AF points with the lens cap on, I can see the faint glow of the AF LEDs up and to the right a bit. Any idea what could cause that or how it can be realigned?



Jun 20, 2014 at 01:48 AM
Paul Mo
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


You can damage the mirror by using adapted alt. lenses, can't you?


Jun 20, 2014 at 02:10 AM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


So the mirror isn't damaged. There was a stubborn smudge on it that I was able to talk care of with a little bit of eye glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. So the only issues are the focus screen (replaceable) and the misaligned AF LEDs.


Jun 20, 2014 at 02:17 AM
dcains
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


There is another screen, above the focus screen, which is scribed with the AF points. That one, is much harder to access, so if it bothers you, even though it doesn't affect AF, a trip to Canon is probably in order.


Jun 20, 2014 at 03:03 AM
dcains
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


Paul Mo wrote:
You can damage the mirror by using adapted alt. lenses, can't you?


That's true.



Jun 20, 2014 at 03:03 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


gruberaaron wrote:
I wonder why the guy in the video made the claim of EF-S damage..oh well. I am assuming them someone was a little rough with the cleaning and hit the focus screen.




well the fact that in the standard form you cant mount an EF's lens on a Full Frame body doesnt mean that it hadnt happened to the video guy .
an EF-s to EF conversion is very easy . Its usually done to the 10-22 which is a very good candidate for this as its a great performer . . the conversion though doesn't stop the rear element proturing too far back when its fully zoomed out (although there is a way to stop this most people dont do it) . so if using an EF-s lens you have to be careful not to zoom all the way out .

but its not just EFs that causes problems , there are many Alt adapted mounts (the 5D was/is very popular with the ALT crowd) that can foul the mirror which usually means shaving the mirror so it will clear the obstruction .


anyway as you said the mirror was just smudged . But I will also say be very careful about touching the mirror . it is very easy to damage the mirror .

as for the focus screen . if your replacing that with a new one then if you ever manual focus your lenses (or use any ALT MF lenses) then it may be worth replacing it with the High Precision 'S' screen



Jun 20, 2014 at 03:09 AM
scalesusa
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


I suspect that B&H will send you a replacement focus screen. They are cheap, and they'd lose a lot more if you returned the camera.

Also be aware that there was a issue with the mirror falling off and causing collateral damage. You should determine if the fix has been done (Call Canon??). They will fix it for you at no charge if it hasn't been done already. Cleaning the mirror as you did is likely to cause damage, and might be just enough to trigger the failure.



Jun 20, 2014 at 10:19 PM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


scalesusa wrote:
I suspect that B&H will send you a replacement focus screen. They are cheap, and they'd lose a lot more if you returned the camera.

Also be aware that there was a issue with the mirror falling off and causing collateral damage. You should determine if the fix has been done (Call Canon??). They will fix it for you at no charge if it hasn't been done already. Cleaning the mirror as you did is likely to cause damage, and might be just enough to trigger the failure.



I assume Canon tracks the mirror issue/recall by serial number then?

EDIT: B&H only offered a full refund. I will just take care of the repairs myself.

Edited on Jun 21, 2014 at 01:29 AM · View previous versions



Jun 20, 2014 at 10:27 PM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


So trying to find a replacement EE-A focus screen is being challenging. I checked my usual spots of Amazon, B&H, and Canon; no one has them. Someone had recommended an EE-S screen however according to Canon, an EE-S is recommended for f/2.8 or faster (Canon Documentation). My current (and only lens at this point) is a f/2.8-4. It is likely that my future lenses will be of similar speed as I don't have a budget for anything faster than a f/2.8.


Jun 21, 2014 at 01:13 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


I don't think replacing the focus screen will fix the LED problem.

I can vouch for the EE-S screen - i have one on my 5D and it makes a big difference.



Jun 21, 2014 at 01:25 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


gruberaaron wrote:
So trying to find a replacement EE-A focus screen is being challenging. I checked my usual spots of Amazon, B&H, and Canon; no one has them. Someone had recommended an EE-S screen however according to Canon, an EE-S is recommended for f/2.8 or faster (Canon Documentation). My current (and only lens at this point) is a f/2.8-4. It is likely that my future lenses will be of similar speed as I don't have a budget for anything faster than a f/2.8.



your probably strugging to locate the EE-A because its the 'stock' screen , and I doubt many places would want to stock what most people already have . If you call canon then you could probably buy it direct .

as for the 'S' screen being for faster glass , well thats true . but only really when your manual focusing . with slower lenses the VF goes a bit darker the slower the lens (than the stock screen) and thus its more more difficult to Manual focus .
if your not manual focusing then I doubt with an f4 lens you would suffer that much .

there are a couple of other non stock options as well but again they are probably going to be more difficult to find (the 'S' screen is the one that most users want) so for those its probably a direct to canon as well .



Jun 21, 2014 at 01:25 AM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


Ian.Dobinson wrote:
your probably strugging to locate the EE-A because its the 'stock' screen , and I doubt many places would want to stock what most people already have . If you call canon then you could probably buy it direct .

as for the 'S' screen being for faster glass , well thats true . but only really when your manual focusing . with slower lenses the VF goes a bit darker the slower the lens (than the stock screen) and thus its more more difficult to Manual focus .
if your not manual focusing then I doubt with an f4 lens
...Show more

I did check Canon's website, they are sold out but I will call them in the morning.



Jun 21, 2014 at 01:27 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


how badly is the VF affected ? a scratch on the screen wont have any affect on the camera operation (other than to be a possible distraction for the user). AF happens in the base of the camera .

maybe its worth keeping what you have until you can get hold of a replacement .
if the focus points are out of alignment then thats a different matter . they are not on the screen you can remove . they are on a fixed screen above . if thats the case then you need to send it back to be sorted .



Jun 21, 2014 at 01:42 AM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


its not unusable but is annoying. The AF point LEDs are out of alignment but I figure I'll just have that taken care of when I send it in for a cleaning at a later date. The focusing doesn't seem to be effected as you stated.






Jun 21, 2014 at 02:14 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


gruberaaron wrote:
its not unusable but is annoying. The AF point LEDs are out of alignment but I figure I'll just have that taken care of when I send it in for a cleaning at a later date. The focusing doesn't seem to be effected as you stated.


Yeah it can be annoying .
AF points out of alignment will probably be more so though

And yeah anything up in the VF can't affect AF as that's done in the base of the camera . The mirror smudge could have though , it's why you really shouldn't touch the mirror . The mirror that you can see is not 100% reflective so it lets a portion of the light thru it to a second mirror which directs that light downwards . Any smudge or scratch on the main mirror in that light path (which is the centre portion of the mirror) could mess things up . Likewise any damage caused by cleaning the mirror (it's very delicate)

By the way looking at your profile I see you have the 28-80L . I bet that rocks on the 5D .
After many years of looking for a good one (they are quite rare over here) I've manged to snag one and will be picking it up on Monday



Jun 21, 2014 at 06:58 AM
gruberaaron
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


So I decided to send the camera back to B&H for a refund. Found a better price on a 5D body that I received today and tested.


Jun 23, 2014 at 11:41 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Focus screen damage and AF LED misalignment


That was the clever way to go even if the replacement was more expensive. You probably don't get AF LEDs or focus screens fixed free with a camera cleaning. It's likely to involve disassembly of the camera.

I had an EOS 3 once that had most of the LEDs die very quickly. I got a replacement and checked that the LEDs worked before taking it home. Then I found that something else did not work Got that one replaced too. Then someone stole it

I've had other cameras need multiple services because they didn't recognise the fault or didn't fix it properly. My experience with Canon Service in Australia is an average 7 weeks round trip per service. Far easier to get it right in the first place than mess around with potentially multiple services and associated down time.

- Alan



Jun 25, 2014 at 05:31 AM





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