20D +17-55 Bad combo?
/forum/topic/791614/0

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yitzy
Registered: Jul 09, 2008
Total Posts: 67
Country: Israel

Hi

I just bought the 17-55 the other day, great lens except I'm getting rapid 00 & 01 errors (lens Communication problem).
The owner, who used the lens in the past two years with a 40D, said that he doesn't even know what this error means and he never got this error (maybe i am to naive...but i tent to believe him...)

I did some googling and came up with this form lensrentals


High Risk Lens: The Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS lens has a higher failure rate than most lenses in our lineup.

_Note: There have been numerous reports in various photography forums that this lens often gives ERR99 and ERR00 with Canon 20D and Rebel XT (not XTi, 30D, or newer) cameras. Not all of these cameras have problems with this lens (older models seem more prone to the problem), and updating to the most recent firmware reduces the chance of problems. However, we do NOT recommend the 17-55 f2.8 IS lens be used with 20D or XT cameras.



Any body familiar with this problem?
What do you think? is this a lens fault or is the 20D+17-55 just a bad combination?

Thanks
Good day
YItzy


P.s. in the past few months i was using a (borrowed) 16-35...one thing i realized right away...in terms of BQ the 17-55 is not an L!...


Jos Tesseract
Registered: May 28, 2009
Total Posts: 611
Country: Canada

Awwwwwww CR**!!
Seriously? I just bought one off Ebay. :/



bpark42
Registered: Jan 20, 2008
Total Posts: 1338
Country: United States

Can you try it on a different camera? Your profile lists a 400D...



yitzy
Registered: Jul 09, 2008
Total Posts: 67
Country: Israel

bpark42 wrote:
Can you try it on a different camera? Your profile lists a 400D...

Thats one was stolen

I'll try borrowing one form a friend...



tanglefoot47
Registered: Oct 12, 2004
Total Posts: 14175
Country: United States

I also just bought one and is expected to be delivered today. But did you see the rate? 1.5% this seems like a very small number to be, also this is a rental place where people rent the gear and could care less how they treat it. I am not to worried but I should have went with my gut feeling and bought the 24-70



RCicala
Registered: Jan 09, 2005
Total Posts: 1921
Country: United States

Since I'm the author of the original quoted note, I'll expand a bit: a rental house has to be very up-front about potential problems -- when somebody plunks down their hard-earned they expect to receive working equipment. When it doesn't work, whatever the reason, they aren't happy customers and that's a bad thing. The problem described above is rare. We see it in 1.5% of all rentals, but that's a big deal when the 1.5% has gotten the lens for a special shoot or occasion so we put the warning out to make sure people get the lens in time to test it, not at the last minute.

Now, to expand on the problem: we do see some folks with older XTs and 20Ds who get a 17-55, it gives ERR99 or ERR00 and they send it back, but it works just absolutely fine on every camera we test it on (but we don't have any old XTs or 20Ds to test with). I do not know why this happens, but others have speculated that there is either 1) a different alloy in the electrical contacts of some of the earlier cameras, 2) some older cameras have worn contacts, or 3) the electrical systems in older cameras aren't as robust when it comes to current transfer. From what I do know (talking to some technical repair types) the 17-55 is a very high current draw lens, and if the camera can't handle the current, it 'brown's out' and gives an error.

Roger



Masahara
Registered: May 20, 2005
Total Posts: 263
Country: United States

20D w/ 17-55 2.8 IS mounted was one of my favorite combos for many years. Only problem I ever had was a little dust, other than that it was awesome.



SteveS
Registered: Mar 14, 2002
Total Posts: 3861
Country: United States

Had the 17-55 with the 20d and 30d no issues whatsoever. Call Canon service.



skibum5
Registered: Jan 21, 2005
Total Posts: 10231
Country: United States

wow, i never heard of that, but lens rentals should be a pretty honest place to get info from

stills seems bizarre though



[quuote]yitzy wrote:
Hi

I just bought the 17-55 the other day, great lens except I'm getting rapid 00 & 01 errors (lens Communication problem).
The owner, who used the lens in the past two years with a 40D, said that he doesn't even know what this error means and he never got this error (maybe i am to naive...but i tent to believe him...)

I did some googling and came up with this form lensrentals


High Risk Lens: The Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS lens has a higher failure rate than most lenses in our lineup.

_Note: There have been numerous reports in various photography forums that this lens often gives ERR99 and ERR00 with Canon 20D and Rebel XT (not XTi, 30D, or newer) cameras. Not all of these cameras have problems with this lens (older models seem more prone to the problem), and updating to the most recent firmware reduces the chance of problems. However, we do NOT recommend the 17-55 f2.8 IS lens be used with 20D or XT cameras.



Any body familiar with this problem?
What do you think? is this a lens fault or is the 20D+17-55 just a bad combination?

Thanks
Good day
YItzy


P.s. in the past few months i was using a (borrowed) 16-35...one thing i realized right away...in terms of BQ the 17-55 is not an L!...


SteveS
Registered: Mar 14, 2002
Total Posts: 3861
Country: United States

skibum5 wrote:
wow, i never heard of that, but lens rentals should be a pretty honest place to get info from

stills seems bizarre though



[quuote]yitzy wrote:
Hi

I just bought the 17-55 the other day, great lens except I'm getting rapid 00 & 01 errors (lens Communication problem).
The owner, who used the lens in the past two years with a 40D, said that he doesn't even know what this error means and he never got this error (maybe i am to naive...but i tent to believe him...)

I did some googling and came up with this form lensrentals


High Risk Lens: The Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS lens has a higher failure rate than most lenses in our lineup.

_Note: There have been numerous reports in various photography forums that this lens often gives ERR99 and ERR00 with Canon 20D and Rebel XT (not XTi, 30D, or newer) cameras. Not all of these cameras have problems with this lens (older models seem more prone to the problem), and updating to the most recent firmware reduces the chance of problems. However, we do NOT recommend the 17-55 f2.8 IS lens be used with 20D or XT cameras.



Any body familiar with this problem?
What do you think? is this a lens fault or is the 20D+17-55 just a bad combination?

Thanks
Good day
YItzy


P.s. in the past few months i was using a (borrowed) 16-35...one thing i realized right away...in terms of BQ the 17-55 is not an L!...


I had a few of these lens. I had a few 20ds also. Never seen this problem. He either got a bad lens or has worn contacts. The only really way to know is to send it in.


Andy Wilson
Registered: May 13, 2005
Total Posts: 343
Country: Taiwan

No problems to report with my 20D and 17-55 f2.8 IS beyond the lenses known weaknesses (flare, bokeh, dust)

typo edit



yitzy
Registered: Jul 09, 2008
Total Posts: 67
Country: Israel

Thanks Roger

I think (hope!) that the problem is with the lens+camera combo and not with the lens

I'll have to check it with another body...
Evan if its not the lens fault, what do i do next? i guess I'll just have manage until i upgrade my body
(that will become a higher priory over a new lens in my wishlist ...)


thank you all for your comments

Good day ('Shabbat shalom' )
Yitzy



Yakim Peled
Registered: Nov 18, 2004
Total Posts: 15670
Country: Israel

I have 40D and 17-55 IS and have no problems at all. If you are located in central Israel then call me (054-4815854) and we can meet and swap lenses and bodies.

BTW, this happens only with this lens? Maybe the contacts are dirty?

Happy shooting,
Yakim.



yitzy
Registered: Jul 09, 2008
Total Posts: 67
Country: Israel

Thanks...PM'd

Yes, only with this one (i tried with others)
The truth is i did clean the contacts with a eraser but did not have a chance to test it much since...will do after shabbat...



rivet
Registered: Nov 01, 2005
Total Posts: 71
Country: Canada

My 17-55 IS works fine on my Rebel XT, just share the info.



canerino
Registered: May 28, 2005
Total Posts: 8919
Country: United States

this was a FANTASTIC combo for me! wish you luck.

the following were shot with a 20D and 17-55.



This image is copyrighted by the owner







This image is copyrighted by the owner







This image is copyrighted by the owner




georgefun99
Registered: Feb 22, 2005
Total Posts: 340
Country: United States

Add me to the list of people that used an early-production 17-55 on a early-production 20D for a couple years with no contact errors ever. I used that same lens without problems on a 40D and 50D also.

Is your 20D using the latest firmware

Are you using a cheap aftermarket battery in the 20D? That lens is power hungry, I added a battery pack to get better battery life, however a side benefit of double batteries is increased current available to the camera, it "might" help in this case. Go to a camera store and try it before buying though.

Best wishes for a quick resolution,
George



RAMcG
Registered: Mar 25, 2005
Total Posts: 419
Country: United States

Used the 17-55 on an early model 20D for about a year or so. Never had a single issue with the combo. It now sits on the 50D. Again, never an issue. Good luck.



yitzy
Registered: Jul 09, 2008
Total Posts: 67
Country: Israel

George - thanks for your response and email
Yes, i'm using the latest firmware and canon batterys...


Thank you all for your comments...i will keep testing in the next couple of days and update you...


Yitzy



Luis Pacheco
Registered: Feb 01, 2007
Total Posts: 78
Country: Portugal

Two years with 20D-17-55 combo. No problems at all!!!
Good luck anyway.



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