Canon 70D Blew Main Board: Pulled out the camera a week ago and no power. So I sent to Canon. It is three years old but only a couple thousand shutter clicks. $450 and done in two days...

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Pulled out the camera a week ago and no power. So I sent to Canon. It is three years old but only a couple thousand shutter clicks. $450 and done in two days works great again. I just don't understand what went wrong in the first place and Canon offered no explanation as to cause. I just don't want a repeat of this issue. Has anyone had a similar experience?

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

They just fixed it and charged you $450 without any explanation? I bet it was a simple fix. If that happens again, remove the lens and put a different lens on it with a fully charge battery. That sometimes works.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

RixPix wrote:

Pulled out the camera a week ago and no power. So I sent to Canon. It is three years old but only a couple thousand shutter clicks. $450 and done in two days works great again. I just don't understand what went wrong in the first place and Canon offered no explanation as to cause. I just don't want a repeat of this issue. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I guess they can find the bad part but can't determine why it went bad.

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

mas24 wrote:

They just fixed it and charged you $450 without any explanation? I bet it was a simple fix. If that happens again, remove the lens and put a different lens on it with a fully charge battery. That sometimes works.

I did that before I sent it in. I tried new batteries bought an ac cord and tried a bunch of lenses. I was getting an error message with my circa 1987 50 mm a few months back but this issue seemed to come out of the blue. The work done was simply listed as replaced blown main board.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

RixPix wrote:

I did that before I sent it in. I tried new batteries bought an ac cord and tried a bunch of lenses. I was getting an error message with my circa 1987 50 mm a few months back but this issue seemed to come out of the blue. The work done was simply listed as replaced blown main board.

Yep. It is difficult to know the cause of that. Anything electrical can fail in an instant. All you can do is replace the defective parts. And pay.

cthahn

Canon wont tell you what happened, so you tell everyone that you "blew a main board". What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. Just a dumb term that many use to make something sound big.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

A circuit board consists of so many components and microprocessors. One tiny flaw and nothing works right. There is no point in trying to dissect which microscopic component is not working - it cannot be replaced manually. The only option is to replace the whole board. I am sure that they have computer diagnostics which tell them that some circuit or another within the main board is not functioning correctly, so that they know that replacing the board is needed. Still worth the repair, I imagine.

BebuLamar

Ouch $450 repair for an $800 camera new.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

A few weeks ago I had no power in my 5D MIII. Tried several things, no success. Searched internet and one suggestion was to turn off power, remove the battery and lens and attach a different lens. I did. Bingo - it worked. So sorry yours was a serious issue and cost $450!!. Ouch. One suggestion - I have all my my equipment insured by a rider on my home insurance - no deductible - replacement cost. Cost me about $125 per year. In my opinion, well worth the dollars for the peace of mind. I also have (cost $50 per year) another rider that insures my PC and all devices.
Mark

RixPix wrote:

Pulled out the camera a week ago and no power. So I sent to Canon. It is three years old but only a couple thousand shutter clicks. $450 and done in two days works great again. I just don't understand what went wrong in the first place and Canon offered no explanation as to cause. I just don't want a repeat of this issue. Has anyone had a similar experience?

byjoe Loc: Stillwater, OK

I had a similar problem with my 70D but if I remember correctly they only charged me around $200. Worked great since with sometimes it seems like it does not auto focus correctly, my opinion. I recently purchased a Lenscal to try and check focus on my lens.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

BebuLamar wrote:

Ouch $450 repair for an $800 camera new.

Yeah, that's a tough call.

tropics68 Loc: Georgia

markngolf wrote:

A few weeks ago I had no power in my 5D MIII. Trie... (show quote)

My home insurance will insure against loss, theft and vandalism but not is not a "service contract" on my cameras and electronics. Does your policy cover all repairs as required? I could be wrong but I find it difficult to believe that somehow waking up to a blown motherboard or similar failure will be covered by HO insurance, rider or no rider, unless it is explicitly spelled out in the rider. If such is the case with you then you are in like Flynn.

In any case filing a $450.00 claim against any insurance company puts you on "a list". Should you ever try to switch companies you may be rejected. The last time I switched that was one of the first things they asked, "Have you filed any claims in the past X years?" It was asked by every company I called. Homeowners insurance is widely misunderstood.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Yes, the special computer/device does cover all that. BTW:In 2012, during the week of Sandy, we moved from a rented condo to our newly purchased one.
We had a Liberty Mutual Home Owners policy ($500 deductible). My motherboard and ram were blown due to a power surge associated with Sandy. I had my PC rebulit/repaired. The bill was $1300+. I had a check in my hand for $800+ three days after submitting the claim.
Mark

tropics68 wrote:

My home insurance will insure against loss, theft ... (show quote)

tropics68 Loc: Georgia

markngolf wrote:

Yes, the special computer/device does cover all that. BTW:In 2012, during the week of Sandy, we moved from a rented condo to our newly purchased one.
We had a Liberty Mutual Home Owners policy ($500 deductible). My motherboard and ram were blown due to a power surge associated with Sandy. I had my PC rebulit/repaired. The bill was $1300+. I had a check in my hand for $800+ three days after submitting the claim.
Mark

Homeowners does cover things damaged due to a storm. The OP said he just pulled his camera out and it was dead. I do not believe your camera would have been repaired under those circumstances. It is not a service contract. If it were, then for $125 per year they would be offering the equivalent to a lifetime warranty.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I do not think the equipment would be covered for ordinary wear and tear, but damaged or stolen equipment would be covered. My PC/devices policy would cover cost of replacement parts or the entire device. That is my understanding. So far, I am very pleased with Liberty Mutual's service. They have been very fair and have exceeded my expectations.
Mark

tropics68 wrote:

Homeowners does cover things damaged due to a storm. The OP said he just pulled his camera out and it was dead. I do not believe your camera would have been repaired under those circumstances. It is not a service contract. If it were, then for $125 per year they would be offering the equivalent to a lifetime warranty.