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Bent Pin in Compact Flash Card Socket on Canon 5Dmk2 CameraI hope this web page helps people. I really do. I hate not knowing stuff, and because of this lack of knowledge something valuable to me may end up damaged, suck money out of my wallet or waste my time. I hope this article saves someone out there some grief! I have used my Canon 5Dmk2 twice. Once to shoot a movie called “Burial Site” and the second time to snap off a few RAW stills while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Things went well, I got the camera a little wet while hiking, but everything checked out fine. I tried to use it for the third time and now the camera is a paperweight. NICE! This has nothing to do with the light rain that I was shooting in while hiking in the mountains. It was something else all together. I slid the Kingston Compact Flash memory card into the socket on the Canon 5Dmk2 and found the camera to be malfunctioning. Nothing out of the ordinary, the card went in fine. The camera took about ten seconds to fully power up and it displayed the words, “Card Must Be Formatted” on the LCD. I was surprised at this, so I went into the menu and selected “FORMAT”. Instantly, the camera stated on the viewfinder, “CARD CANNOT BE FORMATTED”.
I removed the card and looked at it. I noticed a slight indentation between two of the holes in the interface. I immediately thought that one of the pins in the camera must have bent and that was the cause of the mark. I did not force the card into the camera, I just pushed it in like I had done in the past.
Next, I grabbed a flashlight and a magnifying glass and looked into the CF interface cavity of the 5dmk2. I saw that one of the center pins was pushed down into the socket. I swore.
That is pretty much it. If you own this camera, be careful! I did nothing wrong. I did not insert the card incorrectly. I simply ejected it, used it in a external memory card reader and then reinserted it into the Canon camera. The CF card was carried inside the little plastic case so that it would stay clean. I tested the suspect CF card in my external reader and it works fine. I cannot explain why this happened, but I will be contacting Canon tomorrow and I plan to add updates to this page as I go through the repair process. REPAIR UPDATES: July 6, 2009 @11:15am – I have submitted a new repair request through the Canon website. I filled out all the info and this is what I posted when asked to explain the problem. July 6, 2009 @2pm – I have packed up the camera and placed it in a small pelican case. I placed the peli-case inside a slightly larger box and sent if to the Canon Service Center in Jamesburg, New Jersey. It is due to arrive tomorrow.
July 8 2009 @2pm – The camera arrived in New Jersey and I immediately received this email:
Great customer service thus far. Thank you Canon. July 14 2009 @9am – Received this email:
July 15 2009 @1pm – Fed EX arrived at my home with Canon Package The paper included with my repaired 5dmk2 stated:
Canon also added:
I hope this helps you if you are going through the same inconvenience. I have replaced my Kingston Compact Flash cards with Sandisk Extreme III cards. I am not sure if the camera had a bad pin from the factory or if my Kingston cards were to blame. Based on what I have gotten back in writing from Canon, it appears that you get a one time “courtesy repair” on the PCB assembly. Not sure how much it will cost me if this happens again. 52 comments to Bent Pin in Compact Flash Card Socket on Canon 5Dmk2 Camera |
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Copyright © 2010 Tom Guilmette - All Rights Reserved |
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Ahoj, same thing happend to me. Second usage of the camera. So it’s brand new. Solution in czech republic is: pay 100 dollars and wait 3 weeks. That’s how we roll.
I had exactly the same problem when the camera was 2 weeks old. Canon told me it was my fault. In the end Fixation in London helped me out a bent pin back straight.
Just found this post after suffering the same fait with my 5d mkII.
I use a 16g Transcend card, a 2g Sandisk and a 4g Sandisk.
I went out to shoot some photos of a derelict building, and reviewed them on the camera fine (using the trascend card).
I took the camera home, and left it for about 3 or 4 days. I then went to download them, switched the camera on and had the message ‘card needs formatting’ message. I wasnt too bothered about the photos, so tried to format it, and it again had the same message ‘card cant be formatted’, so i tried my Sandisk cards with the same problems.
When i looked inside the card slot, the pin closest to the eject button was bent flat, and underneith the ejecting plate (dont have a clue how that happened).
I had not taken this card out after the shoot, and viewed the photos at the time.
Mine is at the repairers at this moment, they got it last friday with a 7-10 day turn around.
yea, this does happen. things you must be careful of when using any CF card and camera/reader.
1. Be sure to keep the CF card in the plastic case when traveling. Just a speck of dust or a grain of sand can get into the card’s tiny holes and cause a pin to bend on insertion.
2. Use care when inserting the card. Make sure you are putting it into the camera/card reader the correct way!
3. Do not use real cheap media with low manufacturing standards. I recommend San Disk EXTREME III cards.
Well, got my camera back yesterday repaired under warranty, and boy am i glad.
I examined my cards, and noticed that the Sandisk 2g III has the same damage as yours, but at the end where the bent pin was.
It is now in the bin.
I have ordered a 16g Sandisk III, that i will use with my Transcend 16g, and hopefully reduce the amount of card changes i make, by connecting the camera to the PC rather than use the card reader.
good luck with the sandisks. they are all i use now!
I just came across your blog because I have the same problem. It is the same pin in the middle too bent exactly the same way. I got the format card error as soon as I put in the CF card for the first time. I believe it is a manufacturing problem. Surprisingly, I used the same exact Kingston card you did. I ordered mine from Ritz camera. I’m hoping they can repair it free of charge.
Hi there,
Thanks for the details outlined. I have a similar yet different issue with my 40D. I’m am about to attempt to straighten 2 pins that appear to have been bent and flattened. Thankfully, each are the at the extreme ends, and have bent outwards (one at each end of the pin set) so I should be able to straighten them out with a fine tweezer or something…
The reason I say I have a different issue, is that I was none the wiser to the problem. My camera worked fine for 2+ years and I had always used just the 2 cards (Lexar Pro UDMA 300x) that I purchased together with the camera. My suspicions arose when I had to use someone else’s Sandisk cards and none of them worked…
Canon tech here in Melbourne Australia hadn’t heard of the issue and they want min 2 weeks turnaound for repair that could cost me plenty since it’s not a warranty claim. Meanwhile, I need it to earn a living.
So I bought another Lexar Pro UDMA 300x today thinking I had a fussy body but it too gave error messages. If I damage the pins while trying to fix it, I can at least still use the 2 existing cards
)
Wish me luck…
Job done! The new Lexar card now works just like the old ones – no error messages! Must try those other Sandisk cards, but I think the 2 pins must have been the root of the troubles. Still, strange that the original cards went unaffected the whole time…
Anyways, I used a fine flathead jeweller’s screwdriver as a holder for a length of – wait for it – waxed dental floss! Basically doubled a length of it, making a tiny loop at the halfway point, then wrapped it around the shaft of the screwdriver. Used the loop to pick up the bent pin and lever it upwards. Once far up as possible I then used another fine flat screwdriver to bend the pin to as vertical as possible. Ever so carefully placing the CF card into the slot, the pins then shape up closer to true… hopefully they stay that way.
PS: I tried a pharmacy to buy a hypodermic needle but they wouldn’t sell me one (even took the camera in to show I wasn’t a junkie haha). I think this would be the best way to straighten pins if you a willing to try it, but I make no warranties!!
good luck! canon was good to me so far!
This happened to me tonight. After 3 years of using the same 2 cards, I got an error when trying to review a photo: “no image”. (Canon 30D).
Discovering the bent pin (Exact same pin position as your example), I tried to bend it back into place with a small tool. Well, the pin broke off completely. However, the card and camera now work. I can take and review photos. Makes me think some of those pins are not relevant.
Thanks for creating this site.
sorry to hear that bryan. the reason that pin seems to break or bend, i think, is because it is taller than all the others around it. Great to know that the camera still works with that single pin removed. Just as long as it is not touching other pins next to it!
I had an identical problem with my Canon 5D MKII – The camera was a year old had had less than 2000 exposures and was just outside warrantee. I on the other hand was using top quality Scandisk Extreme cards.
I am a commercial photographer of 25 years plus. I have used High end Leaf digital backs in the studio for 9 yeas and have had no problems whatsoever with them and they are used daily.
I was very impressed with the Canon service here in the UK. My camera was repaired and returned to me within 7 days free of charge. I made a point of speaking to the technician to ask what had been the problem as I was convinced I had done nothing wrong. He said it was pin damage causing a short which blew a fuse and the power supply thus protecting the rest of the camera from further damage.
I put it to you that this is a common complaint and an inherent problem with these multi-pinned flash cards – BE VERY AWARE and CAREFUL
Regards
David
happy things worked out.
even with the best cards, you can still get a bit of debris in one of the holes that could bend a pin.
always keep your cards in the plastic case when traveling them and be very careful inserting the card. make sure you are not sliding the card in sideways!
I want to thank you for posting all these images and explanations. I had the very same problem and this is the only answer I found online. So I tried to fixed (I’m a technician) but in the end didn’t work out so I had to send it to repair.
But I also want to mention that Canon didn’t charged me anything even though it shows I tried to fixed. (Still under warranty)
I think the Canon site should have a page like this one for all the people out there having the same problem.
Once again thank you so much for having the time and effort to help so many people out there, greatly appreciated!
Keep up the good work!
Lobo.