My A2E required herculean effort to press that center button down. Then, while applying 25 KN of force (I exaggerate) you had to twist the dial with a bit more force than one would reasonably expect.
It's nice that Canon is still offering (at cost) services and (free) firmware for such an "old" dSLR, though.
The Elan never had a problem with the locking dial -- it worked well. (Not to say it never broke; it just wasn't a common problem.)
However the A2/A2E/EOS-5 cameras had a very problematic locking dial, that frequently broke even without abuse on the part of the photographer. I had mine fixed by a repair person who used a non-factory part. It was a locking dial as well, but it was a lot more like the Elan's dial than the A2 dial, and worked fine for the entire time I had the camera.
The point is that a locking dial is not an inherently bad design. It seems unlikely that this particular new dial for the 5D II and 7D would have the same design flaw as the problematic one for the A2.
I haven't had any problems with the dial on my 5D II turning without my notice, but then again I haven't had the 5D II very long. If it becomes a problem I will probably get the locking dial.
I've never accidentally turned that dial. I've accidentally turned it to the wrong selection, but this won't help that. Under what conditions would you accidentally turn that dial?
What does get bumped are the buttons on the back. As frustrating as my 1D2 buttons are, I do like not being able to accidentally do stuff on the back.
I've lost count on the amount of times I've accidentally bumped that button when shooting events etc. It's easier I suppose, to accidentally switch modes when you use two bodies or if you're used to having it hang off your shoulder and also the kind of strap you use ie BlackRapid. If you are the type that let the strap hang around your neck or you are always cradling it in your hands, I think the chances are a lot slimmer for bumping the dial.
All they have to do is make the dial removable, let it snap off and hang by a strap so you won't lose it. Or they could make it so you need a special tool to turn it, plus a numeric keypad where you type in a PIN number.
Or they could eliminate the dial totally. What's it there for? It's no more necessary than a film speed dial, a shutter speed dial, an aperture ring, or a button for mirror lock-up, all of which and many others have been eliminated.
As soon as I read the note about the Locking Mode Dial "upgrade" I thought of the EOS5-A2E issues of yore.....but I see many folks also remember those times and beat me to it!!
Can't say I've had an issue with the dial moving on me.
I'll say, I've been trying to finish off some rolls of Kodachrome 25 (yes, I'm on of those types) on my EOS-1N and lord, do I miss the "bullet button" arrangement.
It would be fantastic to (alert! Canon carping coming!) have a small, full-frame body without the massive form factor of the 1-sized bodies. Hopefully they'd design it so it could be driven by a modest voltage like the 5D/7D series...
Mmmm the engineers never had these troubles with there cameras on the lab test bench It's almost a sign of penance. Here's to hoping they fix a few stupid things next round of cameras..... I'm in the tape crowd.
I must say i have never needed for such a feature.
The dial is so hard to move that it never rotated accidentaly. Of course it is always on Av or M.
Do you guys get this a lot ? (say more than 1 per month?)
safcraft wrote:
I must say i have never needed for such a feature.
The dial is so hard to move that it never rotated accidentaly. Of course it is always on Av or M.
Do you guys get this a lot ? (say more than 1 per month?)
The dial on my 5D II moves with very little effort. its always getting bumped over into custom mode. I've just learned to check it often; it has become part of my routine.
I did like the lock on my old film camera, and have wondered why that feature went away....
Bobster2 wrote:
Well, it's not as useful as a dedicated mirror lockup button. But it shows Canon is listening to us, and maybe within the next 1,000 years we will finally get the dedicated mirror lockup button as an extra cost option.
You can assign mirror lockup on any of the 3 custom dials, or/and "my menu" settings. No need IMHO for another button that can be accidentally set wrong. And with the new Mode Dial Lock Upgrade your custom luckup button can even be locked
