Canon 300D shutter issues

  • Thread starter Pupik
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Pupik

Pupik

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Okay, my Canon Digital Rebel is screwing up in many ways, light leaks, freezing/wrinkled shutter, continually showing "Error 99".

Has anyone found a source for a new shutter assembly, or at 70,000+ shutter releases, is the body ready for retirement? I've heard of "box collapses" occurring from 30k+ photos, but I prefer to keep what I have, if it's not cost-prohibitive to repair.

I prefer to defer a $700-1200 purchase, if it can be fixed for say, 100-200. Any advice out there?
 
I once asked at a photographer how much an overhaul would cost. Its about the price you have in mind and shutter releases don't cost too much either. So an overhaul is still an economical viable option.
 
Pupik
I prefer to defer a $700-1200 purchase, if it can be fixed for say, 100-200. Any advice out there?
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Can you get a used 300D for a couple of hundred bucks? They're pretty cheap these days, and not much more for a much improved update to a newer model.....I wouldn't look at fixing the 300D personally. (I never really liked mine!)

How much for a 2nd hand 450D or something?
 
Or perhaps a used 350D - I happen to have one with the box, manuals, kit lens, etc. Of course it's got about 20K on the shutter.

I recently upgraded to a 7D, which is why I've got the spare around. We can take this to PM if you've got any interest at all.
 
IMZIZ
Or perhaps a used 350D - I happen to have one with the box, manuals, kit lens, etc. Of course it's got about 20K on the shutter.

I recently upgraded to a 7D, which is why I've got the spare around. We can take this to PM if you've got any interest at all.
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Thanks, but reading up on some of the war stories out there make me rather thankful I have over 72k photos from it. (Either that, or I just babied it...usually.) Many users developed issues at around 30k on most the basic Digital Rebels, et al.

Wouldn't mind the step up to a "single-digit"-D, though, but realistically, I'm not in that price territory.
 
Pupik
Thanks, but reading up on some of the war stories out there make me rather thankful I have 70k photos from it. Many users developed issues at around 30k on most the basic Digital Rebels, et al.

Wouldn't mind the step up to a "single-digit"-D, though, but realistically, I'm not in that price territory.
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Considered buying used? A 5D won't set you back that much and probably won't have a huge number of shutter actuations, plus they are built to last longer than lower range camera bodies.
 
If I can find one with a decent guarantee (three months, perhaps), then maybe.

To be honest, I'd like anything with a self-cleaning sensor; couldn't seem to ever keep it clean for long in the past year or so. Unless that's just a bogus feature from Canon.
 
My T1i has a self-cleaning sensor and I'm sure one of those could be picked up pretty inexpensively, especially considering that they're a couple generations old now.
 
You could just go for a bit more, but not a lot more with a 40D. Certainly would feel better in the hands than a 300D while giving a bit better performance along with a self cleaning sensor. A second hand 5D Mark I, while nice, just isn't the best value for the money I feel, but it would get you into full frame, which is its own special thing :P
 
Pupik
To be honest, I'd like anything with a self-cleaning sensor; couldn't seem to ever keep it clean for long in the past year or so. Unless that's just a bogus feature from Canon.
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For general stuff a self-cleaning sensor could save a lot of cloning.

Although, if, like me, you're into macro or something else that can often involve ridiculously small effective apertures (like f/96!) you just have to put up with it. This is from my 40D but my 7D would probably produce a similar result:

dust-r-us!.jpg by Andrew Robertson, on Flickr

The large blobs are caused by dust on the rear element of the lens - the little dark specs are bits of dust on the sensor.

These days I find dust is only really a problem with one lens....the MP-E 65mm. If you haven't got one of those I reckon you'll love the anti-dust technology you get in newer models:)

PS. The 40D is still one of my favourite Canon DSLRs....you get a lot of performance for not much money and I'm a big fan of the way the controls are laid out.....IIRC it was the first to have the ISO button next to the shutter button and they haven't moved it since. It took other manufacturers years to get the ISO control out of the menu system and put it somewhere you could use it easily without having to take your eye away from the viewfinder but I think they've all caught on now.
 

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