5D Issue...

Steve5D

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Well, this afternoon, my 5D decided it wanted to act up on me.

Over the last seven weeks, I've probably had 25,000 shutter actuations. Normally, my photo will look something like this straight out of the camera:

9468121188_1675312120_z.jpg



This afternoon, though, I started having a problem. The best way to describe it is to show it. Here's a shot of a wall:

9468120050_eca291cdd6_z.jpg



Now, here's a shot of that same wall with the problem that's manifested itself:

9468120600_f450d46a6f_z.jpg



And here's another shot, of something completely different, showing the same issue:

9468119102_395279f75c_z.jpg



And yet another:

9468119638_879305dc91_z.jpg



Any thoughts on what might cause this? At one point, I thought I'd heard something funny, from inside the camera, while shooting. After reviewing the images, though, it became apparent that I heard that sound (or thought I heard it) long after the problem started.

I checked the internals the best I could and, physically, everything looks fine. Mirror lock-up works like a champ. My initial thought, given that it's happening in the same segment of the frame, was that it's the sensor. The ***** of that, though, is that it can be an intermittent problem. I pulled the batteries and cleared all of the camera settings, and the problem went away, only to reappear after a few frames. It's also far more pronounced in outdoor shots than in indoor shots.

I've got my 40D that I can use, and it just had the big go-thru a few weeks ago and was given a clean bill of health, so I can continue shooting (always have a back-up, kids), but I'd really like to try to figure out what the issue is with the 5D. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get it into a repair facility until the first week of September.

Thoughts, advice and suspicions are welcome...
 
I could be way off base but it looks like a shutter curtain problem to me. Like the second curtain isn't pulling straight or something. I don't even know if that's possible though.
 
I'd try the card, but I'd expect card corruption to be more random in effect if not also in placement on the photo. It looks to me like it could be that one of the shutter curtains isn't fully closing properly and is getting sticky. It could be a simple bit of internal oil or dust/material that is blocking the action or it could be that the curtain is breaking.

It might not be the sensor and shutter curtains are part of the mechanical setup that can fail in a DSLR through normal wear and tear use.
 
I've discovered that I'm unable to replicate the problem when shooting at 1/50 or slower.

The problem, of course, is that I never really shoot that slow...
 
Sounds like its time to start calling around the camera repair shops and finding out the inspection and repair costs. Give them all the details and call around and see what you can find. If it gets a refurbish treatment it might cost, but it should come back like brand new (shutter wise provided that is the issue). Otherwise keep an eye on the second hand market in case the repair costs are very high.
 
Does the problem get worse when shooting at faster shutter speeds? Or is it consistent for the most part?
 
Sounds like its time to start calling around the camera repair shops and finding out the inspection and repair costs. Give them all the details and call around and see what you can find. If it gets a refurbish treatment it might cost, but it should come back like brand new (shutter wise provided that is the issue). Otherwise keep an eye on the second hand market in case the repair costs are very high.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. It's been a workhorse for me for the last few years. I would have no issue paying to have it repaired. That said, though, there would be a point where I'd have to consider a replacement of one flavor or another...
 
2nd curtain getting stuck, but only for a moment, yep.
 
I'm with SCraig on this. It looks to me like the curtain isn't sitting right and exposing the sensor before it lifts giving you an overexposed section. I don't know if you can look at the curtains with the mirror up, but in my mind there should be some kind of stop that brings the 2nd shutter down square, it may be that its broken causing it to slip which may well explain why it does not sound quite right either. Either way I think its not a DIY fix and probably needs a replacement part.
 
Does the problem get worse when shooting at faster shutter speeds? Or is it consistent for the most part?

It's pretty consistent, although there is some slight variance, regardless of whether the shutter speed changes or not...
 

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