Like having things perfect may not be the best trait one can have, at least that's what was reflected in my recent camera repair vaudeville.
don't push the envelope
to be ripped off or not, that's the question
rock in the shoe
...
- posted on 06/21/2008
-don't push the envelope
My camera was fine, till when I tried to clean some dust specs out of the view finder. Just a few days ago I tried the split image screen and didn't like it. That's when those specs began to bother me-they had been there, you know.
So I unlatched the mounting frame, pulled it forward, and took out the focus screen with a tweezer. Some recommended taping the tips, I always ignore the expert opinions for some reason. Anyway, after a couple blasts from my favorite "dust off" (canned compressed air), no good. Looked like the dust was underneath the superimposed display.
How to get to that? There was a retainer shim that held the display in place. But, after a close look at the screws, I figured I don't have the right size screw drivers at hand. I will try something else, I said to myself. (mistake #1, try to tackle something when you are not ready).
So instead, I pried on one of the tabs of that display. That gave me a tiny crevice between the display and the pentaprism. I tried a few quick blasts, and checked. Wow, that worked, and the view finder was almost clean now, short of a couple tiny, dull spots on the other corner. I picked up the tiny screw driver again. (mistake #2, not knowing when to stop).
This time I managed to to almost fit the thin spray tube inbetween the display and the pentaprism. For a moment I didn't feel right. I could see what's coming next-spraying cheese on a cake. I squeezed on the trigger anyway. I knew I did it when the dull sound reached my ears. This was not the crispy, sharp sound, the sound when air was being propelled out of the can. I looked through the viewfinder, it's like a kaleidoscope. The propellant was all over the place. Not just that, now the superimposed display has a tiny crack down in the middle, due to the pressure. Darn it.
To clean the pentaprism I had to took off the display. Since it's already cracked I helped it with a little harder pry to break the screen off. Well, the display screen did broke, into three pieces. The two side ones fell out, but the middle piece is pretty stubborn. At this point I figured I'd better not do more damage and scratch the pentaprism.
What now? I can order the parts and try to fix it myself, or I can try Canon's service center. Not feeling particularly lucky with my initial experience, I put the camera in a box and rushed to the post office. Fifteen dollar something later it's on its way to Irvine California.
-to be ripped off or not, that's the question
Canon uses an online system for requesting service and order tracking. It gives you a SR number after you type in all the information like your name, address, camera model, serial number, what's wrong, etc.
The camera arrive at the service center on Monday 6/2. Two days later when I checked the status, it gave an quote. I couldn't believe my eyes. $330. Holy cow! How can it be that expensive? I tried to calm down a little and looked at the estimate break-down. Part: $15, labor: $280, plus tax.
To get an idea of the cost structure of the repair, I checked a local authorized Canon service center. I picked an easy task: clean the CCD low pass filter. That company quoted $82. Gee. How come I never come to realize these camera shops are real rip-off artists? In the task I picked, all is involved is a dust-off can (which I already have, by the way, and is readily available from OfficeMax, Staples, or Walmart). Depending on the severity, a few Q-tips and rubbing alcohol might be involved. But that's pretty much all.
Should I give in? It's not that that $330 is gonna break my bank. It will buy me some peace of mind. However, when I put that tag into perspective, I was outraged. I was prepared to give Canon $100-$150 for it. But at $330 that's out of the question.That camera was worth but a little shy of $500. At 66% of the price of the camera for a minor repair, I'd rather do it myself. It would be much fun.
I immediately clicked the reject button, so they can return the camera to me. Meanwhile, I dialed their part department and ordered the part.
To give them some credit, although it took them almost a week to process the return shipping, they did do Fedex 2 day. When chose to work from home that day waiting for the camera, I already have the part in place.
-rock in the shoe (or, screw in the camera)
So I put the superimposed display, along with a separate order of a focus screen and mounting frame on the table, lay the camera on its back, and began to tackle it. Just a matter of minutes I was able to take the retainer shim out and retrieve the stuck broken display piece. Now the bottom of the pentaprism is exposed. Like I said, a few Q-tips, rubbing alcohol, and the kaleidoscope was gone (wouldn't miss it anyway). I grabbed one of the tabs of the display with a tweezer, and inserted into place. There was a tiny slots on the distal side of the pentaprism, which was why I cracked it in the first place. The retainer shim needed to go in next because that's where the mounting frame latches. So I carefully put the shim in place, and lifted one of the small screws in the hole. A few twists, done. All I needed to do now was to put on the other screw, and I should be able to call it good. Hello, rip-off artists, go take a hike.
Easy, easy, easy, easy does it. Uh-ou... Damn! The screw fell, hit the mirror, and disappeared. I picked up the camera, lens mount down, and shook it. Nothing fell out, though I heard a rattle sound. I flipped the mirror and looked, nothing. There were two spots where the screw could be, down the auto focusing module cover, or it could have slid through the mirror hinge area and into the camera body. I put down the screw driver and signed. It's almost perfect. Now look. Obviously the screw won't shake out, no matter what angle I try. I even tried a small piece of magnet. When all attempts fail, I had to reassess the situation. It looked like I won't be able to get the screw out, and I don't want to mess with dissembling the whole camera just to get to it. The good thing was, even though it's loose in there somewhere, it didn't seem to be an area where it could cause a short circuit. I put the battery in, the camera worked, just fine. So I will just have to live with this little nuisance. Call it a feature. That would make me feel much better. :-)
P.S.
1. I have since bought another camera. This one is full frame so I can use my wide angle lens to its fullest extent.
2. Customized estimate based on the work involved? Get real. They charge bucket price.
- Re: 过犹不及,宰还是不不宰,新烦恼-moab修相机记posted on 06/23/2008
好了吗?
好久不见你的照片了!
moab wrote:
-don't push the envelope - Re: 过犹不及,宰还是不不宰,新烦恼-moab修相机记posted on 06/23/2008
9494!
lucy wrote:
好了吗?
好久不见你的照片了!
moab wrote:
-don't push the envelope - Re: 过犹不及,宰还是不不宰,新烦恼-moab修相机记posted on 06/23/2008
okay I just finished the story. See above.
Please paste HTML code and press Enter.
(c) 2010 Maya Chilam Foundation