rodox

Hello guys,

This morning I tried using my camera in video mode. It turned out ok, then I received the err 20 message. the mirror wouldn’t go back to its position although I’ve already tried removing the battery, swapping lenses and turning on and off the camera several times. I can hear twice a moving sound when I try to turn it on.

Anyone here ever faced this error? Living in a small city northwest Mexico does not make it easy finding an authorized canon repair center and the camera is way out of warranty.

Thanks in advance for any insight. Stay safe.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Error 20 is a mechanical malfunction with the shutter or mirror assembly. Your camera will need to be serviced

bleirer

You could remove the lens and carefully see if the mirror is stuck. Gently jiggle it no force. Call Canon if gentle nudging doesnt help or if it keeps happening.

rodox

Thank you guys. I’ll try to find a place to service it.

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

pdsilen Loc: Roswell, New Mexico

Go with Canon Repair. They'll service their equipment from anywhere in the world. I've sent my Canon 6D in for repair over there. they're prompt and reliable.

rodox

Thanks Bill. I’ve tried repairing things myself and must admit I usually end up making it worse 🙂

rodox

Thanks, I’ll look them up!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First thing to check is that you've taken the camera out of video mode and put it back into still photography mode. The mirror is raised during video mode, so it might not be stuck at all. I would think turning the camera off and removing the batteries would have dropped the mirror back down regardless, but who knows! So the first thing I'd suggest is make sure it's no longer set to video mode.

If the mirror remains stuck in the "up" position once the camera is set to still photo mode, you might try gently coaxing it to drop back down with your fingernail (or a wooden/plastic toothpick). Just be very careful because the mirror is front-silvered with vaporized aluminum and easily damaged. Only touch the edge or a mounting bracket with your fingernail or any sort of tool you use (never use sharp or metal tools). Sometimes it's just a fluke, a little gentle coaxing will solve the problem and it won't reoccur.

However, other times when the mirror remained stuck in the "up" position in still photo mode, there are a couple different things that may cause it:

1. I don't know if the 6D uses foam light seals around the perimeter of the mirror when it's in the up position, but cameras that do sometimes get the mirror stuck up when those foam seals get old and ooze the adhesive that keeps them in place. Just about any decent camera repair tech can fix the problem by replacing the rather generic seals (there may be other, similar foam seals elsewhere in the camera that should be replaced at the same time.... once the seals around the mirror go bad, they all have likely gone bad). Some ways to tell if bad seals are the problem... Usually they start to crumble too, so you may see some black particles on the mirror or elsewhere inside the camera. Another clue is adhesive residue around the perimeter of the mirror.

2. Some cameras don't have foam seals, but instead use some sort of physical design to block the light entering through the viewfinder and messing up exposures while the shutter is open. For example, the mirror in the up position may fit into a recess of sorts. Often this is a black painted, thin metal protrusion around the mirror when it's up. Those can get bent causing the mirror to hang up. Usually I've seen this type of design in cameras with interchangeable focus screens, which I don't think the 6D has. But this doesn't rule out the possibility that the mirror is hanging up on something. It could be as simple as a speck of dust in just the wrong place that will dislodge one the mirror is coaxed into dropping back down.

3. Some cameras use motors both to lift the mirror and to drop it back down. If that motor fails, it can cause the mirror to remain up. I don't know about the 6D in particular, but some Canon seem to use a continuously running motor to maintain the mirror up and shutter open during video and long exposure. An experienced tech or Canon tech support can probably clarify what the 6D does and if there's a easy fix for it... or if the camera needs to be sent in for repair. Springs or electro-magnets are sometimes part of those mechanisms, too, which can break or fail.

Hopefully it's something simple and easily fixed. But if none of the above helps you should contact a local repair shop or the Canon service center.

RRiggins Loc: Colorado Springs

Err 20 is a Mechanical malfunction within the mirror, shutter or aperture mechanism (most likely), some sort of
disturbance, error or lock-up has been detected. This error code doesn't specify where the exact problem is, but points to the cause being mechanical rather than an electronic gremlin.

Hi. My name is Rick. I’m the owner and lead technician at Discount Camera Repair and a member in good standing here at the UHH. I’ve been doing repairs for other members here at greatly discounted rates and would be glad to help.

I'd be more than happy to repair the camera for you and keep the cost as low as possible. If you’re interested, please respond by private message.

rodox

Hi Rick, thank you, I'd love to send the camera for repair, however, I am based in Mexico, so shipping across borders would be an issue.

I'll try to find something locally this weekend. Happy holidays!

RRiggins Loc: Colorado Springs

I've done repairs for people all over the world but never any shipping to or from Mexico. It couldn't be worse than Puerto Rico. The camera took longer to get here than to return. 2 weeks one way, 2 days back. I guess they look more carefully at things coming int this country than going out.