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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. 67 comments to Bent Pin in Compact Flash Card Socket on Canon 5Dmk2 Camera |
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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.
Incredible how these things work these days. I had the exact same problem. a canon 5d mkII a kingston 32 g card and my name is Thomas as well. I’m from the Netherlands, talked to the service center and they told me i would be charged with 60 euro for straightening the pin and 300 euro for replacing the module. Maybe if i show them this web page they will change their minds.
I will keep you posted on what happens. sorry for the bad english.
good luck. if the camera is under warranty, you should get a free “courtesy” fix. im sure that if this happens again, canon will charge me! good luck!
I had the exact same problem happen to me this morning with my 50D, same pin and all. I will be stoked if they fix it for free, but for now, it’s on its way to Canon to arrive at the repair facility on Tuesday.
did it all work out?
Same thing happened to me on my 5DMkII, first time ever though I’ve been using CF cards on Canon DSLR’s since 2001. The guys in my camera shop said it would be eur300 to fix back with Canon, so they offered to try and bend back the 2 pins while taking no responsibility for the consequences. I’ve not risked taking the card out since, but now am unable to update the firmware. Anyone know how this might be done?
i think you can update the firmware by just hooking up the camera via USB. not sure tho. But living with the card stuck in the camera is no way to live man!
Thank you for posting this article. I ordered a brand new Canon 7D and had the exact same format problem you mentioned
I thought it was the card (a Sandisk Ultra) so took it back to the shop I bought it from and got a replacement. When the 2nd card did the same thing I contacted Calumet – the company I bought it from.
They are saying there is a bent pin which was probably caused by me putting the card in the wrong way – a theory I dispute – but have sent the camera off to Canon for investigation.
I’m waiting to hear back, but it’s good to know I’m not alone in going through this.
how did it work out? these pins are easy to bend. you need to be super careful when inserting the card.
Just to let you know it got sorted in the end, but only after a lot of back and forth with Calumet.
Eventually it was concluded it was not my fault as the bent pin was not the one that sticks up higher than the others, but one off towards the side. But I was pretty annoyed I’d had to go a couple of weeks without the camera before I could use it.
Thank you once again for this post
Thanks
This post saved me hours of nonsense. I was trying to formate my card over and over thinking it was
some sort of directory issue within the card.
The camera is going to Canon New Jersey in the morning.
Again thanks for the time saving post.
Joe
I believe that my problem started in the card reader..the company I bought my camera from sent me a very cheap card reader. I have always used Canon and a card reader. this time when the card would not read, I looked at the reader and the pin(2) were missing . hoping to hook the card back in the camera and pull the images from the camera, I had no luck..card can not be formatted.
Calling the company this morning.
My father received a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI as a gift from my sister. He did not use the camera a lot over the next year. One day he took the camera down the local store to get prints made and they pulled the flash card from the camera and used the reader to make prints. Later that day he went to use his camera and it was not functioning. The power would go on and then after several seconds it would shut down and would not turn on.
After removing the batteries and replacing them with new ones the “card must be formatted” message was displayed. I pulled the flash memory card out and looked to see what might be the issue and after some inspection noticed that a pin had bent over 90 degrees. I realized that this might be the problem.
I have been building computer systems from scratch since the mid 90’s and am aware of the importance of not bending pins since in those days most computer processors had lots of pins that needed to be inserted correctly or you would permanently damage the cpu beyond repair. I would not expect to have to remove the cpu from the motherboard every time I wanted to copy the data to into a reader for the purpose of printing because of the possibility of damaging or bending the pins. In the lifetime of a computer system the cpu is almost never removed once it is inserted unless you are upgrading to a newer version.
Examining the design of the flash memory setup it seems almost a certainty that at some point the pins will be bent as they are made of thin metal subject to temperature fluxuations and with the compactflash memory housing being made of plastic it does not bode well reliability.
Doing some basic research of this issue I discovered this website which perfectly details the problem.
The camera was sent in to Canon and they said that since it was out of warranty that it would cost a flat fee of $250 dollars to fix any problem. After discussing the issues with the service representative they insisted that this was caused by user error. After asking to speak with a supervisor he came on making the claim that he was a professional photographer and that the problem was caused by user error and denied that there was a design defect. He insisted that the chip was inserted incorrectly. He did offer to reduce the repair fee to approximately 200 dollars.
All of this was one year ago and since that time I have noticed a lot more posts with people experiencing the same exact problem.
I again contacted Canon Service Department and noted the number of people with different models of Canon cameras that use the compact flash memory card and cited that this was a growing concern, but was dismissed out of hand as this was only a handful of people with problems compared to thousands of people with out an issue and that if I wanted to fix the camera that we would have to pay the repair charge. She stated that since there was no “advisory” on this issue then there was nothing else they could do.
There are other flash memory cards that do not have metal pins that require an exact alignment and are much smaller and easier to use. Additionally how many people with this problem just paid the 250 dollars and sent their camera in to get fixed assuming that it was their fault, which is what Canon’s Service Department insists is the cause?
The compact flash card is rectangular and clearly has pin holes only on one side. If you attempt to put it in wrong then you will clearly see that there are gaps on each side and would likely bend all of the pins if you tried to force it in, not one or two as posted above.
Thanks for your detailed expose of this issue and hopefully Canon will accept accountability for a flawed design choice and treat their customers with some respect and consideration and fix the problems before it becomes front page news like Toyota.
Hi the same happened to my camera, I thought it was something i had done wrong. I was taking photos and the next thing an warning pops up (Error: Replace CF card) i removed it and tried to imsert it again, not hard at all. Ten it didnt budge, i peered into the slot and saw 3 bent pins. Is this repairable? and at what cost? Im really stressed
I just had the same problem with my 50D. Same pin and all. Thank you for this article it was really helpful. I found a repair shop that specialises in Canon products that can do it for 150$. The bonus with these guys is I can pick it up the next day and I don’t have to worry about voiding warranty with Canon.
Same problem here, on a 4 month old Canon EOS 7D.
It’s also the middle pin (#13)! According to pinouts.ru this a Vcc pin (supplies power to the card). There happens to be another Vcc pin (#38) on the CF card interface, which explains why the camera may still work with the pin snapped clean off. But we will probably try a warranty repair first.