SusanStewart Loc: Denver, Colorado

I have a dilemma I hope you can help me with. I bought a Canon 40D when it first came out. It takes beautiful pictures. Unfortunately since then, I've developed Essential Tremor which means my hands shake just enough to override anything I can do to keep my photos sharp.

A large part of this problem comes from the weight of the camera (plus the L series lens I have on it). I purchased a lightweight Olympus that also takes beautiful photos and I can control the shake a little better with it.

Bottom line: I need to sell it. Here's the problem. I got the camera out to make sure everything was OK to sell and one day the control wheel worked and the next it didn't.

I took it to a reputable camera store. They looked at it and said it needs to go to Canon to get the control wheel replaced - to the tune of $275. I know the camera is not worth much because it's older, but I don't know if investing $275 so I can sell it is the right thing to do.

Any ideas?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

EBay it. Any digital camera that old is not worth fixing.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Personally I would not fix, sell with a notice of the defect for what you can get or maybe even better sell to a used camera retailer for repair and resale by them. Bob.

Budnjax Loc: NE Florida

Forget it...that's more than the camera is worth. B&H has one used in good shape with a warranty for $230.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

If you can sell it for more than the cost of the repair and shipping to a buyer, then it's with repairing. Otherwise, no! Good luck. ;-)
SS

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

do you have children/grandchildren or other family members that you could give the camera to?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Although possible, chances are you will not get over $275 for a fully functioning, used 40D. Certainly not from a buyer who has researched the latest prices for this model. Sadly, I think just not worth fixing.

blackest Loc: Ireland

There is an UHH Member Rick Riggins who does camera repairs, He might be able to repair it for a more competitive price.

Perhaps you could adjust your shooting style. For street photography I tried 23mm f8 at 1/90th which was fine when holding the camera at eye level but just got me blurry pictures shooting from the hip. I read a little and tried 23mm f8 and 1/350th of a second which does come out sharp. I use TAV mode on Pentax which lets me set shutter speed and aperture and the camera calculates a suitable iso (it has pretty good high iso performance).

Another possibility might be to use flash although the sync speed is not that high it is a very short duration pulse of light, enough to freeze a humming bird's wings.

Maybe a Micro 4/3rds camera would be better for you, they are lighter and have a reasonably high iso.
I hope this is useful to you.

You might not get much if anything for the body as is, but any lenses you have for it still have value. I have bought a couple of bodies for the lenses that have come with them, cheaper than buying just the lens.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Sell on Ebay and tell the folks what is wrong with it. No, it is not worth being fixed.

LEGALDR Loc: Southern California

Before you do anything rash, try using a can of electronic spray on the control wheel. The can comes with a very thin tube that will allow you to spray into the space around the wheel. It is possible that the contacts are dirty. If this quick fix doesn't work, all you have lost is the cost of the spray...under 10 bucks.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

They are not selling for much on ebay. You could fix it, but you would be losing money. Put it on ebay "For Parts," and you'll get between $50 and $100 for it.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=Canon+40D&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XCanon+40D+for+parts.TRS0&_nkw=Canon+40D+for+parts&_sacat=0

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

Do not fix - waste of money.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Seems it is a common problem

"DIY tip:
The rotary switch is easily accesible by simply removing the back cover.
There are a total of 5 screws: 2 at the bottom, 2 at the top (near the viewfinder) and 1 hidden under the rubber grip (top right-side). Just be extra careful with the 2 flexible cables.
Once back cover is removed, a drop of contact cleaner to the rotary switch could solve the problem."

It seems it works via friction so it may just be slipping, I found a glasses wipe which contains alcohol was enough to clean off the rubber paper pickup on my old laser printer and now it picks up just like new.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=855378 maybe of interest.

Here is a possible fix with pictures
http://martybugs.net/blog/blog.cgi/gear/bodies/Fixing-Slipping-Main-Dial-On-A-Canon-DSLR.html

a couple of drops of glue between the rubber and the plastic wheel can stop it slipping it needs to be a tiny amount applied with a tooth pick, Too much could escape and glue it solid.

An alternative option might be to buy a battery grip e.g

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Neewer-Professional-Battery-Grip-for-Canon-EOS-20D-30D-40D-50D-BG-E2N-BG-1C-A7-/272138372896?hash=item3f5cb60720:g:mQMAAOSwKtlWsl38

this one is $24 + shipping and will give you a second dial.

So not worth sending to canon

just found this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-CANON-40D-Shutter-Release-Button-Assembly-FPC-FLex-Plus-Dial-/322006072935?hash=item4af90ebe67:g:G0gAAOSwuAVWvU8k
A replacement genuine canon 40D shutter release and dial replacement $18 + shipping.

I'm pretty confident that body can be fixed for very little money.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

No doubt for you weight is a factor to be considered. However, with my hands not as steady as they once were, I find a camera with some weight to it helps me in getting sharper pictures. If its to light, I can't seem to control things as good.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

No doubt for you weight is a factor to be considered. However, with my hands not as steady as they once were, I find a camera with some weight to it helps me in getting sharper pictures. If its to light, I can't seem to control things as good.