Canon EOS camera repairs - worth it?
My Canon EOS 400D is poorly. 
When I went to Ireland couple of months ago, the pop up flash momentarily stopped working (it wouldn't pop up even though the camera tried to pop it up) when I was clicking pictures of the sea waves. Afterwards, it started working again, but the pop up was very sluggish. The problem still persists, to the extent that now it struggles to focus & agree upon a shutter speed (it considers that the flash isn't on).
How much does it cost to repair it? Or do you think it's now time to get a new one?
Hi BB,
Sorry to hear about your poorly camera.
That model should still give first class results. If I were in your position I would go to a Canon repair centre and get an estimate for repair.
If the problem is a faulty circuit board then replacing the body may be the best option.
Good luck!
You can send it away to H Lehmans for a quote, they have been good for me in the past. It sounds like crud buildup (don't worry, it happens on the well kept ones, not a reflection of you) but just to be safe, check the external flash detection switch in the hot shoe for debris as this can cause havoc on flash...
Never saw this fault whilst I worked in a camera shop (your camera is the correct era for my time in the shop 
), but most jobs that came back were between 80 and 150. It sounds like a simple mechanical rather than an electrical, so I would expect the lower range.
Lots of guessing involved here though!
Never use the popup flash. Shoot RAW, use ISO1600, underexpose by two stops, recover in post-process.
Never use the popup flash. Shoot RAW, use ISO1600, underexpose by two stops, recover in post-process.
Or. secret plan B...
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Oh yeah, off-camera flash is fine. Best thing I ever bought for my camera was a studio flash kit. Well, it was a leaving present from work.
You mention it struggles to focus, is that with all lenses?
Well, I've only tried my 17-85mm lens. I'll give it a nice clean & see. I left a message on H Lehmann's answering machine to call me back. Thanks for your suggestions so far!
I would try Canon's own service centre. They have fixed price repairs for low end dSLRs which make work out better:
H Lehmann is Canon's official service centre, which I got through Canon's support page. They've quoted me a free estimate & fixed price of £165 which also includes selected parts. This also includes return postage.
I'll send it tomorrow. 
It should come back as good as new, I suspect they will give you some sort of warranty as well.
I might just be considering a new EOS at that price - 6 years since inceptionof 400D - something else may go wrong a week after you get it back. Considering you might still get £75-100 on an auction site + the £165 for repair = not much more for a new EOS with bigger, brighter, higher res LCD, Digic 4 processor rather than Digic 2, 18mp CMOS rather than 10.1mp + a host of others such as 1080P video capability....
My Canon G12 tells me it has a "Lens Error" (i.e. the lens looks jammed out at its extreme length) when I turn it on and it shuts down automatically.
What is likely to cost to get repaired? Better to go to Canon direct or one of the authorised repairs?
Any advice would be helpful. 
Thanks
John
Zoom lenses on compacts can not be repaired, only replaced. I would budget £150-200 for that repair.
My Canon G12 tells me it has a "Lens Error" (i.e. the lens looks jammed out at its extreme length) when I turn it on and it shuts down automatically.
What is likely to cost to get repaired? Better to go to Canon direct or one of the authorised repairs?
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks
John
how olds the camera? if you google it you will find its a common fault on canon camera and when it happened to mine I got it refunded in full although was still under warranty
Sorry to hear that - I hope Ireland was otherwise good to you.
Given the flash isn't integral, it may well be that it's fixable for not silly money. It's worth going to your local second-hand camera shop - they may be able to quote a fixed price to fix it, or else buy it off you?
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