Help :(

Miaow · Aug 1, 2008

Help Please

Got a new lens today - anyway while testing it noticed the LCD display of the settings in the viewfinder wasnt on (Canon 400D). Its the same on a few lenses so isnt just that one. Anyway if I put it in auto the LCD will display the flash icon and the word busy when the flash is up so it appears the lcd (or part of it) is still working.

Have i changed a setting somewhere which has killed this display - the AF points all work and the camera is taking pics fine etc just i cant see any of the settings in there?

Miaow · Aug 1, 2008

ok - now it wont meter in manual either - so whats worng??? is it a setting and if so where????

Someone must know?

Miaow · Aug 1, 2008

Could it have actually been this easy LOL - thought last try - took battery out put it back in - hmm now i have a display

lockwood81 · Aug 1, 2008

Glad it wasn't anything serious.

Bifurcator · Aug 1, 2008

Miaow said:
Could it have actually been this easy LOL - thought last try - took battery out put it back in - hmm now i have a display

I have to do that allot with my current cam too. It crashes or get's weird. Drop the battery half way out, count to 3, snap it back into place and it''s all good again. I have do this about once in 150 or so images. And sometimes it breaks the last one or two images on the card by doing so too.

icassell · Aug 1, 2008

Miaow said:
Could it have actually been this easy LOL - thought last try - took battery out put it back in - hmm now i have a display

Damn, don't you hate these new-fangled electronic things? I constantly am cursing my laptop only to realize I didn't turn it on ...

Overread · Aug 1, 2008

had a similar scare with my new battery grip -the shutter (the one on the grip) was auto focusing but not firing - in the end I had to remove the grip and of all things, take out the original 400D battery door from its store in the grip - solved things and the door is back in there now (else I will never find it again

) and its working fine still.

I would say if you end up like Bifurcator though that its best to either seek repair or replacement (try of the battery first for cheapness) if you feel you can't live with the problem (also note in an older machine it can be a sign of it comming to the end of its days and even after one repair more parts might start breaking - which quickly outcosts a replacement in repair costs).

Miaow · Aug 2, 2008

I'm happy this has only happened the once since we got it - Bit of a freakout though when it happened thought the LCD display had died :/

My mobile once didnt work right on a few things and I took the battery out and put it back and it was fine again also - weird how this sorta thing happens :/

Bifurcator · Aug 2, 2008

Overread said:
I would say if you end up like Bifurcator though that its best to either seek repair or replacement (try of the battery first for cheapness) if you feel you can't live with the problem.

In my case it's a combination of poor engineering in two areas. Thermal dissipation theory almost seems to have been ignored in this design. Meaning it overheats and looses it brains occasionally. And firmware debugging and regression testing cycles were not what they should have been originally. Meaning it needs an updated bug-fixed firmware. And it just happens that it's a discontinued model with the OEM company (Konica/Minolta) no longer in the Camera business.

So just based on that I would make sure you're using the newest firmware release. I would report all bugs, including this one here. And if it persists I would wait for the next firmware release if there is going to be one or sell the cam for a newer model if not. It could also easily be a repair issue tho like Overread is saying. If it's not you'll be able to read about others having the same kind of problems by searching around. Meaning problems whereby removing and replacing the battery solved the problem - whatever it was.

The 400D is a 3rd quarter 06 release afaik so firmware development should still be active. And it sounds like you (Miaow) aren't having these kinds of problems often so it's probably just the odd glitch. As sophisticated as these things are I'm impressed that they're as good as they are across all models and makes. :thumbup:

Miaow · Aug 3, 2008

icassell said:
Damn, don't you hate these new-fangled electronic things? I constantly am cursing my laptop only to realize I didn't turn it on ...

LOL actually I nearly called a tv repair guy one day couldnt get the TV to work - had checked all the power leads were plugged in - lucky before i called them i noticed the power board it was plugged into wasnt plugged in :blushing:

bifurcator said:
The 400D is a 3rd quarter 06 release afaik so firmware development should still be active. And it sounds like you (Miaow) aren't having these kinds of problems often so it's probably just the odd glitch.

Yeah I'm really hoping its just a once of glitch. Hmm maybe i should check into if there's any firmware updates for it also.

Bifurcator · Aug 3, 2008

I would. Often you get a new feature or two out of it as well.

SBlanca · Aug 6, 2008

haha that happened to me in portugal, i was in lisbon for a week and after a few days of being there we went to this castle that i really had wanted to go to for a couple of years, got there and took some photos, and the plan was to take more on the way down to the town (we got the tram up, clever!). anyway, finished at the castle and before leaving i went to take a photo and noticed that the viewfinder display wasn't comng out, so i was really panicking, 3rd day out of one whole week there and what would i do? tried it a couple of times then switched off and left it for a few seconds and it was back on...shat my pants