stevebein

Caution,
When finished with the straightening, carefully insert the memory card and see how it fits. Usually it will just go down and while doing so, finish the straightening and aligning of the pins.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Taking the camera to your local jeweler sounds like a really good idea ----- At least worth a try --- In preparation for trip to Italy earlier this year I took my 5DII into the Canon Service Center to get it's sensor cleaned -- Think they were going to charge me a little over 100.00 -- They discovered some bent pins -- After showing me I agreed the damn things were bent ---- Bottom line was 250.00 which included new pins & a cleaned sensor --- Will try remember the jeweler idea if/when for the next time

stevebein

Sensor cleaning tools can be had for much less than $100 and can be used at home or in the field. If you get one of the sensor magnified lighted viewers, you will be amazed. You do not need a jeweler to fix the bent pins, it is really simple. I mostly used the small blade on my Swiss army knife. Just remember the time you take to go to all the alleged support locations, or the time to ship to them. It will take less time if you do it yourself than just the time you take to ship or drive the equipment for service.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

This is certainly a painful problem. Canon will typically charge $250-300 for the repair which involves replacing the pin connector assembly. The part isn't expensive, but disassembling the camera to replace it is a job few would be willing to tackle. I'm a skilled electronic tech, and I wouldn't be willing to attempt it, but an experienced camera repairman might not find it challenging. I have successfully straightened pins on one out of two 7Ds (the other required a repair by Canon). The suggestion of using a lead pencil with the lead removed or a piece of small diameter tubing (available at a hobby shop) is a good one unless it is bent completely flat, in which case you must grasp it with forceps or needle nosed pliers to get it upright. You must get the pin alignment very close, or it will bend again when you insert the card. As previously stated, it depends on which pin is bent. I was lucky on one camera that it was pin 1 (ground), which is duplicated on pin 50, so I left it alone. If you're successful, I'd recommend leaving the card in place and downloading photos via the USB port in the future. Good luck!

davidk2020 Loc: San Diego

Or perhaps as I suggested, the "technology advances," once you've actually used them, turn out to be fools gold. I stand by my statement that, boiled down, says the 50D is a great camera and those that followed it in that line have what I consider mostly frivolous new features. For many 50D shooters it doesn't make sense to use a broken, repairable camera as an excuse to spend $1000 or more on the newest model. Some here have that mindset; others need to use their money more wisely.

davidk2020 Loc: San Diego

Yes, Canon's west coast service center is in Irvine, CA. I've had great experiences with them, in sharp contrast with the NJ office.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Another experience occurred last December, when my wife and I attended a Madrigal Dinner at the college where she works; again, I took my small sensor Pentax Q-7. After the dinner, I was talking with the lady who had been sitting directly in front of me {and who I had been shooting around all evening} and asked her why used so much flash, which washed out the mood lighting that the producers had worked so hard to provide. She explained to me that her {five year old} Nikon DSLR wasn't up to the task of operating under those conditions, so I showed her one of the natural-light pictures I'd taken - which just happened to be her daughter's solo; she said it was much better than anything she'd taken and was thrilled when I offered to email images to her.

Note, I am not claiming that a current small sensor camera can come anywhere close to a current APS-C DSLR, but when a small-sensor camera can do better than an older Canon DSLR and an older Nikon DSLR, that does tell us something. I speak from experience when I say that these new sensors and other features are not frivolous - not unless you consider better low-light photography to be frivolous. How you spend your money is your choice; how the OP spends the OP's money and time is the OP's choice.

Bubu Loc: Out of this solar system

I really, really agree. Frivolous or not, not worth spending over $1K now.If I can fix it, with a great lens, It can take great photos. Unless I shoot for print in magazines, I don't need more, people.

Bubu Loc: Out of this solar system

This camera body, ill as it is can go for $50 + S&H in USA. I don't need that dead body around my office. Someone could fix it..

cmoroney Loc: Pasadena, California

I once bent the pins in my old Canon Rebel (entirely due to my own brain-dead mistake, never again!) and took it to a local camera repair shop. $50 to fix it, and good as new for years afterwards. My advice would be to hunt up a local independent camera repair guy and take it to him/her. Canon would just want to replace the entire assembly which seems like overkill for this problem.

If it's a good camera and you like using it, keep it! That's my attitude towards cars as well - as anybody who's ridden in my old banger can attest to.

Catherine