Can anyone help me troubleshoot?

[Kattt]

My Canon OES 30D is giving me some problems. When I insert the charged battery pack, even with the camera in "off" position, the moment the battery makes contact on both ends, the camera makes a troublesome loud noise that I have not heard before. There is no oxidation on the battery ….The noise is so loud and just wrong that I immediately remove the battery. Any thoughts on what may cause this?

[BlackHatGuy]

Have you pulled the small lithium battery as well? Remove the battery pack, then take the small lithium battery out for a few minutes to reset everything, then try again.

[Ken Bennett]

Can you describe the noise? Does it sound like the shutter firing? (Can you see the shutter firing when you remove the lens and insert the battery?

There's not much else on a 30D that can make noise.

[Aaron Benson]

Is there a mirror that could be trying to flip back and forth for some reason upon battery install?

I just read a few reports of shutter/shutter-button failures on this model Cannon. I wonder if the shutter button could be shorting out somehow and screwing things up when power is given to the system(?).

[Kattt]

I'll try and find/remove the small lithium battery you mentioned Doug.
The noise is not that of the shutter; it's hard to put into words. Maybe like a loud allarm clock with batteries that are running out and making the noise drag on . Definitively not a sound anyone planned on. As if two things are touching that are really not meant to.
Sorry for the bad desription…plus I am writing from an iPod…
Thanks for the help.

[Alasdair Fowler]

Is it like a high pitch whining? It might be some caps on their way out. If that is the case, I don't think there is much you could do to be honest. Have you tried it without a lens? Another cause may be the Autofocus motor?

[Kattt]

Yes, "High pitch whining " is a good description of the noise. Excuse my ignorance, but I don't know what "caps" are. Given your prognosis, I hope this is not the case…
When I get home, I'll try to take the lens off too.
Thanks again.

[Bob Gross]

Capacitors are part of the circuit that makes the pop-up flash work.

However, if you release the pop-up flash (up), and if it fails, it normally produces a snapping sound for about three tries, and then it gives up.

I have at least one extra EOS 30D sitting around here.

–B.G.–

[Bob Gross]

"Another cause may be the Autofocus motor?"

If it was the Autofocus motor, that is inside the EF lens, so you could remove the lens from the body and test it again very quickly.

I've shot with Canon EF lenses for 14 years, and I have never had a lens start making noises like that. If the autofocus fails in a lens, it just quits dead, or else it keeps giving you bad focus results.

I _think_ that there are capacitors inside the body that charge up to energize the electromagnetic shutter. So, if there was a capacitor failure and the body could not ready the shutter, I could understand noises.

Don't take this the wrong way, but…
In a camera like a 30D, there are only so many thousands of shutter cycles designed into the body. That body is several years old, and we don't know if it has seen light use or heavy use. It is quite possible that the shutter system has gotten old and has failed. If you think this is so, you can send it to Canon in Irvine, and they will assess it and tell you the repair price, and you can decide if it is worth it or not.

In the professional camera bodies, the shutter systems are designed for two or three times as many shutter cycles, since professionals shoot a lot. But, those are $$$.

–B.G.–

[Kattt]

I took out the lithium battery and reset it. I took off the lens, same noise. Too bad, I have enjoyed this camera for two years.
Thanks for the help. I'll look into sending it to Canon, but I don't know how much money I should put into it.

[Bob Gross]

"I'll look into sending it to Canon, but I don't know how much money I should put into it."

Go to the Canon USA web site, and there are instructions on what to do. Once they receive it from you, it will take them a while to assess the problem, and then they notify you of the cost. If you think it is reasonable, go for it. If you think it is unreasonable, tell them to keep it or forget it.

I think you can buy a used 30D body for $200 or less these days.

–B.G.–

[Ken Bennett]

A used 30D at KEH.com is $310.

It is possible, maybe even likely, that Canon no longer repairs the 30D. If I recall correctly it came out in 2004 or so. KEH has a repair center, and they'll provide a fair quote – you may be able to get a preliminary quote online. (Usual disclaimer – I am just a happy customer.)

Considering the age of this model, buying another one used may end up giving you another camera near the end of its life cycle.

The 40D was a significant improvement. They are ~$500 used. (Of course, you may find similar issues.) The current model, the 60D, is a terrific camera, but it's closer to $1000 new.

If you have only a lens or two for the Canon EOS system, you may want to look around at other camera systems. I hate to keep beating the Micro 4/3 horse here, but I do love those little cameras. The new Nikon consumer cameras likewise are excellent. If you have many lenses and accessories, then you (like me) are more locked in to the Canon system.

You also may be able to find someone on this board with an older Canon DSLR that they would sell you for a reasonable price.

[Greg Mihalik]

Katharina,
On Monday, call Cameras and Parts.

They know their stuff. Even if your scenario isn't described in one of their service packages, they will get you to the right place.

Service typically takes 2 to 3 weeks after they get it, so be prepared to do without.

Edit: I just got my Canon S95 back cleaned and refurbished after a 16 days is the desert. Also, as a bonus they explained how my EBay batteries would kill a regulating resistor in the camera, and that checking it was part of their service. Basically, they saved me from myself. I highly recommend them.

[Kattt]

Thanks everybody for your help. I actually only have one lens for the 30D but was looking into getting one with a low focal ratio ($$$). I'll look into your suggestions for repair and also start looking for other options; maybe the other thread on upgrading…
My daughter absolutely loves taking pictures and I'd like to get her a camera, or continue to share mine. She's had a cheap digital before ( it broke) but liked my D30. She loves to take pictures of the smallest flowers, and water droplets and cracks in the wood…
I should spend some time and money educating both of us on the various functions of a camera, then decide what we need.
Thanks again.

[Bob Gross]

"D30"

Do you mean D30, or 30D?

A D30 is extremely old (more than ten years). A 30D is about half of that.

By low focal ratio, I assume that you mean a low f-number. We call that a fast lens.

A fast lens with a fixed focal length is easy and cheap and lightweight. A fast lens with zoom is more money and heavier. The slang term is "fast glass."

–B.G.–

[Kattt]

30D. The F number is a ratio.

[Ken Bennett]

"A fast lens with a fixed focal length is easy and cheap and lightweight."

Well, sometimes. I have a bag full of Canon glass that says otherwise on "cheap."

[Author]

Posts