So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

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Archive 2008 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FIN...

hnilsson
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p.2 #1 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

trumpet_guy wrote:
Well, it could have been worse. He could have been looking through the
viewfinder while accidentally pointing it at the sun. The retina would not
take kindly to this.

It always pays to think carefully when using a long tele. Makes me nervous
just thinking about it.

Is your 500 f/4 OK? I know you toasted the camera, but did the lens
electronics or elements sustain any damage?

Yeah, fortunately the lens is fine. I've tested it extensively this past weekend. Now if that had been damaged, well......

Feb 27, 2008 at 05:46 PM

hnilsson
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p.2 #2 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

ObservedTrials wrote:
You should take a picture of it.

Oh, wait...

That's funny.....now.

Feb 27, 2008 at 05:50 PM

Raymond44
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p.2 #3 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Thanks for sharing this experience....a lot of us will file this episode in our memory banks as one "not-to-do"...

Feb 27, 2008 at 05:53 PM

pranic
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p.2 #4 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Good thing this was a 40D. If it had been a 1DmkIII, people would be complaining about it smoking and overheating on warm sunny days and looking for a permanent fix from Canon.

Edited on Feb 27, 2008 at 05:55 PM

Feb 27, 2008 at 05:55 PM

JoeSesto
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p.2 #5 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

I guess there's at least one advantage to being an old shooter. We grew up with RF cameras and the only thing between Old Sol and the film was a rubberized focal plane shutter. Point it at the sun and POOF in exactly the wrong conditions. The most nervous types were the Nikon RF guys with their f/1.0 normals.

That insurance question is interesting...it would likely not be covered under a standard home/condo/renter policy as it was not a fire. The standard policies only have about 16 specifically named perils insured against and often a deductible of $500 per loss.

If it were scheduled on an All Risk floater...I believe it would be covered as the floater provides worldwide coverage for all physical damages with very few exceptions. Cost of the no deductible coverage would be about $12-17 per $1000 of value insured when added to a home/condo/renter policy in most states in the US.

Check with your own insurance professional.

Feb 27, 2008 at 06:15 PM

panos.v
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p.2 #6 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

dcains wrote:
What

Why didn't the sun reflect off the mirror, through the VF? I'm not getting this - sorry.

The mirror is not 100% reflective. In fact it is something like 60:40 or thereabout as some of the light goes behind the mirror into the AF sensors. So I guess these got scortched, which blackened the mirror and made it not so reflective at all and then you know what happened...

Feb 27, 2008 at 06:39 PM

ericjohn
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p.2 #7 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Hey, I feel for you - nothing like 'if only I...' and it's all over in an instant. For the record, I took my 20D and 70-200 2.8 IS for a 'surprise' swim last summer. 'Not economical to repair' is what Canon told me. If only...

Feb 27, 2008 at 06:55 PM

Gerry Szarek
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p.2 #8 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

This happens to Leica rangefinder shooters all the time, the moral of the story don't every point any lens at the sun, when out with a lens mounted to the camera keep it pointed at the ground. When at the beach keep it with a lens cap, then in a dust proof bag, do NOT let the sun enter thru the eyepiece.

BTW if it makes you feel any better I have heard of worse. Guy up at a lake throw rocks into the water, throws Leica M5 in to the water. Another guy fishing backs up on boat in a bay to get a better angle, falls in with Leica R8 and expensive zoom lens into Bay. ETC...

Feb 27, 2008 at 07:01 PM

The Image
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p.2 #9 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Ouch, and to think i was pointing my rig at the sun not to long ago....okay i had a 13 stop ND filter on

Edited on Feb 27, 2008 at 07:53 PM

Feb 27, 2008 at 07:52 PM

Andy Witkowski
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p.2 #10 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

panos.v wrote:
dcains wrote:
What

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:07 PM

kwalsh
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p.2 #11 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Andy Witkowski wrote:
Aren't the AF sensors are behind the focusing screen?

No, the AF is on a totally separate optical path from the viewfinder. The main mirror is partially transmissive, behind it is a second mirror that points towards the bottom of the camera. The AF sensor is there at the bottom. Most modern SLR's use a phase detect autofocus which can not operate behind a diffuser (i.e. the focus screen).

The metering sensor is up past the focusing screen near the eyepiece, that might be what you're thinking of.

Ken

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:16 PM

Leon Noel
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p.2 #12 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

All that horror flick happened within 10-15s? The sun where you live is crazy...

Did you take pictures of the damage? 1 pic = 1000 words

Sorry to hear your loss, hope Canon can sort something out for you.

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:16 PM

David Estes
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p.2 #13 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Not sure how much a 500 concentrates sunlight but I can see it happening very quick in just the right setup. Sorry to hear it happened and hopefully, the camera can be saved.

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:33 PM

hnilsson
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p.2 #14 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Leon Noel wrote:
All that horror flick happened within 10-15s? The sun where you live is crazy...

Did you take pictures of the damage? 1 pic = 1000 words

Sorry to hear your loss, hope Canon can sort something out for you.

Unfortunately I didn't take a shot of the damage. I could have used my cell phone I suppose. I debated for a week whether or not to even bother sending it to Canon....but in the end I did. Once I know the total estimate for repair, I'll post it. My wife suggested I go buy a lottery ticket given the odds of this happening the way it did....

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:52 PM

Nathan Hobbs
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p.2 #15 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

I want pictures!

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:52 PM

hnilsson
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p.2 #16 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

The Image wrote:
Ouch, and to think i was pointing my rig at the sun not to long ago....okay i had a 13 stop ND filter on

Note to self - get 13 stop ND filter.

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:54 PM

hnilsson
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p.2 #17 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

ericjohn wrote:
Hey, I feel for you - nothing like 'if only I...' and it's all over in an instant. For the record, I took my 20D and 70-200 2.8 IS for a 'surprise' swim last summer. 'Not economical to repair' is what Canon told me. If only...

Thanks Eric, you made me feel marginally better. In the grand scheme of things, I know it's only 'gear' and not the end of the world....and, in hindsight, the look on my face when I saw the smoke must have been hilarious.

Feb 27, 2008 at 08:56 PM

Jimbo Jones
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p.2 #18 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

This post makes me want to start burning ants with my telephoto

but man thats some bad luck hopefully canon can fix it for you

Feb 27, 2008 at 09:00 PM

David Collomb
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p.2 #19 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

At least you are gonna be famous...
People will refer to you as the guy who burnt a 40D with a telelens with an unbelievable bad luck. I hope you will laugh about it later.
But right now I feel really sorry for you. Good luck for future of this story

PS: I really liked the story of the guy throwing rocks and finally its M5!!!

Feb 27, 2008 at 09:47 PM

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p.2 #20 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Jimbo Jones wrote:
This post makes me want to start burning ants with my telephoto

but man thats some bad luck hopefully canon can fix it for you

WOW...That's an expensive magnifying glass you want to use to burn ants. Man.. That's just crazy

Feb 27, 2008 at 09:59 PM

gfiksel
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p.2 #21 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

David Estes wrote:
Not sure how much a 500 concentrates sunlight but I can see it happening very quick in just the right setup. Sorry to hear it happened and hopefully, the camera can be saved.

An interesting question so I ran some numbers.

A 500/4.0 lens collects about 10 Watt of solar radiation. Not much but it is focused onto a spot about 5mm in dia (that is the Sun image). If it focuses on a dark surface and the only radiative cooling is available (that is we neglect cooling by air or thermal conductivity) the temperature can increase by about 1400C or 2500F. Enough to burn an ant

. Or a dust bunny!

Edited on Feb 27, 2008 at 10:10 PM

Feb 27, 2008 at 10:09 PM

bbudman
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p.2 #22 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

David Collomb wrote:
At least you are gonna be famous...
People will refer to you as the guy who burnt a 40D with a telelens.

I think I read somewhere in the owners manual about not pointing your camera at the sun. I can only assume that Canon HAS seen it before or that would not have been written in there. On a side note, it sounds like you are taking it pretty well all things considered although there is not much you could do about it now other than let Canon try to fix it.

Anyway, I am sorry for you and thanks for being big enough to share it with the forum. Yep, your gonna be famous!

Feb 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM

Andrew Sloane
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p.2 #23 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

That is so unlucky! When (if) you get it back, it will probably stink like burnt computer parts

Edited by Andrew Sloane on Feb 28, 2008 at 09:07 AM GMT

Edited on Feb 27, 2008 at 11:07 PM

Feb 27, 2008 at 11:07 PM

Monito
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p.2 #24 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

Sorry to hear about the catastrophe. Given that the 500 mm has 3 degrees of arc field of view, you can tile the sky with about 2000 circles, so your chances were about 1 in 2000.

All the same, I commend you for sharing your experience with us, as a cautionary tale, at the very least, but also a burden shared is a burden lessened, hopefully. Good luck with the camera or the next one. Let us know how the tale plays out.

Feb 27, 2008 at 11:07 PM

Kanon Kid
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p.2 #25 · So I destroyed my first camera (40D) the other day...(FINAL UPDATE)

haha! this story made me laugh out loud...literally! This is hilarious. I probably would have fainted when i saw somke come billowing out, but im a softy. Wow, this is the funniest thing ive heard in a while. I do feel bad for you though. LEts just hope they dont pull the plug on your 40d, okay! Good Luck with everything!

Feb 27, 2008 at 11:16 PM


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