With the passing of 2011, I am now in my fifth year of full-time employment repairing Canon digital cameras and lenses at an Australian company, Camera Clinic, that is authorized to repair Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Leica photographic products. My job seats me at a work bench well-equipped with various hand tools, electronic instruments, cleaning fluids, lubricating greases and computer software which I use to diagnose and repair digital cameras and lenses.
Replacing a broken mirror frame and re-fitting a fallen mirror in the Canon EOS 5D.
Like a specialized doctor, my ‘patients’ are mostly professional imaging products made by Canon. These are bulky and heavy digital SLR cameras and lenses that can cost thousands of dollars for their sophistication, precision and durability to serve professionals. The owners of such expensive cameras and lenses are usually income-earning photographers or serious hobbyist photographers, and they regards their equipment as imaging tools that must be precisely calibrated and accurately operated.
Occasionally my ‘patients’ are small and light digital compact cameras, some small enough to fit into a shirt breast pocket. These little ‘patients’, some very poorly and cheaply made, are owned by people who buy them as lifestyle accessories to shoot casual snapshots of their lives. It has become increasingly common that people want these portable and affordable digital cameras cheaply modified for infrared photography to experiment with.
The tools of a bird photographer. A Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and a camouflaged 500mm f/4.5L USM lens in the workshop for focus accuracy check and calibration.
A Canon EOS 1D Mark III camera partially dismantled for repair.
As manufacturers release new cameras and lenses into the market, my repairs also keep up with the times. I do not only repair older ageing products, but I do receive current and new products due to manufacturing defects, accidental damage and rough useage. It is very possible to receive a new camera or lens within a month of its release in the local market on my work bench for repair.
Due to my strong photography knowledge and previous photography work experience, I am allocated mostly top-end professional and higher-end cameras to repair, and of course, the better professional-class lenses to repair as well. It is obvious that most of the customers whose equipment I service and repair are probably professionals who shoot images to earn an income. Day in day out, over 5 years of full-time employment, I have successfully repaired hundreds of Canon digital SLR cameras and lenses that have arrived on my work bench for various problems, amassing much knowledge and experience.
In the past 4 months since 2012 began, most of my camera repairs involve Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, 1D Mark III, 1Ds Mark III, 5D Mark II, 7D. There were a few EOS 50D, 60D, 550D, 600D and 1100D. As time goes by, I gradually receive less of the older products because my bosses allocate me current and new products. The most common lenses I repair are Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM, EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, but I also repair many other Canon lenses including expensive super telephoto lenses.
Repairing the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens at home.
Repairing the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM zoom lens at home.
For repair enquiries, please contact me by e-mail. Write a relevant title such as “camera repair” or “lens problem” so that it is not mistaken as spam mail. Based in Melbourne, Victoria state of Australia, if you are also in Australia, please include your suburb and postcode in your e-mail.
This was my first attempt at time lapse photography using a digital camera such as Canon EOS 40D and Nikon D3. The captured images were compiled into a video using a PC-based program application with the appropriate timing set for every frame and between frames.
Time lapse of St Kilda beach pier
Time lapse of Flinders Street Station
Time lapse of the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets
Time lapse of sunset at St Kilda beach pier.
Time lapse of Flinders Street station.
Time lapse of the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets.
Time lapse of Chinatown.
This post is not finished.
At work, some of the common faults I encounter with lenses include:
[1] autofocus drive errors
[2] severed flexible ribbon circuit
[3] sand/grit under focus and zoom rings
[4] loose/fallen screws and collars/rollers
[5] sloppy barrel movement causing misaligned optics
[6] impact distorted internal barrel causing stiff movement
[7] cracked external barrel
[8] bent bayonet mount
[9] jammed/shattered filter
[10] dust/haze/fungi on internal elements
[11] fallen diaphragm blades
One of the most tedious zoom lenses to repair is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM.
Repairing the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM professional-grade telephoto zoom lens. This is one of the most tedious lenses to repair.
Diaphragm assembly replacement in a Canon professional class zoom lens.
The innards of a cheapo Canon zoom lens that is bundled with some consumer class DSLR cameras.
When a lens is impacted, the cam barrel can become distorted hence degrading optical resolution and hinder the smooth fluid movement of elements.
A semi-dismantled Canon professional class super telephoto zoom lens.
Using an optical resolution projector to inspect the resolution of a Canon zoom lens to check if it is within specifications.
A fault in autofocus lenses is usually easier to diagnose than a fault in a digital camera, but the disassembly and reassembly of lenses is certainly more difficult. The repair of lenses is more delicate and tedious.
For repair enquiries, please contact me by e-mail. Write a relevant title such as “camera repair” or “lens problem” so that it is not mistaken as spam mail. Based in Melbourne, Victoria state of Australia, if you are also in Australia, please include your suburb and postcode in your e-mail.
At work, some of the common faults I encounter with digital cameras include:
[1] bent or broken CF card pins
[2] broken or jammed CF card eject lever
[3] memory card error
[4] camera cannot power on
[5] error message displayed when camera is switched on
[6] images cannot be captured followed by an immediate error message
[7] completely black images
[8] lower half black images
[9] black band in images
[10] bright band in images
[11] pixel defects or image corruption
[12] inconsistently overexposed images
[13] no display on rear LCD
[14] out-of-focus images
[15] stuck built-in pop-up flash
[16] sticky or stuck buttons
[17] battery drains or dies quickly
[18] dislodged or jammed motors
Usually, a logical thought process and technical knowledge on how a camera operates electronically and mechanically are required to diagnose faults with cameras. Sometimes, photographic principles are also required to dismiss fault complaints because not everybody who uses a camera is an educated professional photographer.
Corrosion and rust developing on the main circuit of a Canon EOS 7D that had fallen into water. Like terminal cancer, most electronic products cannot be reliably repaired if they have been submerged in water. This camera was added to landfill. RIP!
The flash-charging capacitor inside a digital camera can store very high electrical energy that can cause a painful shock to the body or a sparking explosion.
Repetitive mechanical stress on the shutter curtain can cause its blades to break and mangle.
Shattered CMOS bandpass filter due to a very forceful fall of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Although it is possible to replace the filter, the CMOS imager glass surface would be scratched by the shards of shattered glass. The entire assembly had to be replaced. Expensive!
Measuring the standby and operating current drawn by a EOS 1D Mark II camera.
Repairing a Canon EOS 1D Mark II professional-class digital SLR camera at work.
Like many other products, the ease and speed of repair is dependent on the several factors:
[1] Does the manufacturer have a network of service centers across the country to receive and repair their products?
[2] Does the manufacturer keep a sufficient quantity of spare parts for their products?
[3] Does the manufacturer supply spare parts, repair manuals, tools and programs to service centers to perform most/all repairs?
If the above questions are mostly “no”, then performing repairs are likely to be difficult or maybe even impossible.
For repair enquiries, please contact me by e-mail. Write a relevant title such as “camera repair” or “lens problem” so that it is not mistaken as spam mail. Based in Melbourne, Victoria state of Australia, if you are also in Australia, please include your suburb and postcode in your e-mail.
In July 2011, a few friends and I went on a road trip to Mount Hotham and the nearby alpine village of Dinner Plain. Rising to 1861m, Mount Hotham is the highest altitude in Victoria for skiing. The ‘powder capital’ of Australia which regularly posts the highest snowfall in Victoria, Mount Hotham also offers spectacular views of the Victorian alpine mountain range, and is a challenging 4 hour 30 minute non-stop drive from Melbourne. With stops along the way for quick meals, wheel chain hire, and at visitor information centers, the drive to Mount Hotham realistically took us slightly over 6 hours.
During this visit to Mount Hotham, some HDR images were shot and are presented in the gallery below.
The Victorian alpine mountain range as seen from Mount Hotham.
Walking in knee-deep snow near the Razorback which leads to Mount Feathertop.
On a snow field at the alpine village of Dinner Plain.
Thank you Calvin, Setiadi, Nikki, Ivan and Jenny for your effort and contribution into making this 3-day 2-night 910km road trip to Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain a success. More images and information are in my Facebook profile.
In June 2011, I went on a few road trips to countryside Victoria and did the following HDR (high dynamic range) images. Locations included Olinda, Cape Schanck, Narbethong, Eildon, Kinglake and Murrindindi.
The above gallery of images contains HDR images photographed using Canon EOS digital cameras and processed using PhotoMatix Pro. You may notice a few images slightly blurred because the camera moved slightly between exposures when no tripod was used. Ideally a steady tripod should be used to keep the camera absolutely still when shooting images for HDR photography.
At Olinda doing HDR photography.
Near Cape Schnack at Mornington Peninsula doing HDR photography.
At Narbethong doing HDR photography.
At Narbethong during sunrise doing HDR photography. This is a HDR image.
At Eildon (Lake Eildon / Eildon National Park) doing HDR photography.
At Eildon (Lake Eildon / Eildon National Park) doing HDR photography.
At Murrindindi doing HDR photography of a waterfall.
At Murrindindi doing HDR photography of a waterfall. A triumphant end-of-the-day photo for the successfully completion our road trip objective.
Thank you Harnam and Vincent for your companionship on these road trips to the countryside. More images and information are in my Facebook profile.
Although digital images are easier and cheaper to capture than film images, digital cameras have their own ever-growing unique set of functions and features different to those found in film cameras. Digital camera technology, functions and features are constantly evolving and improving, and requires frequent relearning to be kept up-to-date. Today’s newest digital cameras have more innovative features than those digital cameras of a decade ago, and have naturally become more complicated to understand and use.
When I was a photographer some years ago, I moved from using film SLR cameras to digital SLR cameras including Nikon D100, Nikon D70, Canon EOS 20D, Canon EOS 30D, Canon EOS 5D, Fujifilm S2 Pro, Fujifilm S3 Pro. Although I currently work as a digital camera repair technician and do less photography, I still have opportunities to use the latest digital SLR cameras when they arrive on my “surgery table” as “patients”.
See more of my work at camera repair and lens repair.
Sometimes these “patients” are not “sick”. These cameras have no malfunction and no fault, and belong to people who do not know their cameras intimately, or do not understand photography clearly, or often both. Please read the instruction manual. Be sure of what your camera does, can do, and how to do it.
To help improve the quality of your photos, understand the different modes on the mode dial of a digital SLR camera.
Sometimes, some people’s complaints about taking lousy photos can be avoided or resolved by reading, understanding and applying basic photography principles.
It is extremely important to understand how every image exposure is made by a shutter speed and an aperture. Then proceed to understand how a slow or fast shutter speed affects the appearance of an image, and also to understand how a small (big f/ number) or big (small f/ number) aperture affects the appearance of an image. Just as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is taught to children in primary schools, these are the most fundamental basics of photography principles every photography student must learn. If these principles are not clearly understood, nobody should be using a digital SLR camera, not even in the “Full Auto” mode.
To better understand the use of your camera, learn the meaning of the symbols and figures shown on the top LCD of a digital SLR camera.
To maximise the use of your camera, familiarise yourself with the features listed in the menu shown on the rear LCD of a digital SLR camera.
As a camera repair technician who repairs digital cameras and lenses, I have encountered amateur photographers, or worse, professional photographers, who clearly have little understanding of basic photography principles, or little knowledge of how their digital camera works and how it should be used. Due to their lack of understanding and knowledge, they waste their own time and money sending their digital cameras to a “doctor” when it does not require “treatment”. However, when a digital camera or lens is really faulty, and repair is required, it is best to let a qualified or experienced technician do the work.
See more of my work at camera repair and lens repair.
The mechanical system of levers and springs in the mirror box of a high-end professional Canon digital SLR camera. When repair to a camera is required, it is best to leave it in the hands of a qualified or experienced technician.
The mechanical system of gears and levers in the mirror box of a consumer-class budget Canon digital SLR camera. When repair to a camera is required, it is best to leave it in the hands of a qualified or experienced technician.
The internal barrels, elements, collars, circuit and external barrel of a Canon professional fast telephoto zoom lens. When repair to a lens is required, it is best to leave it in the hands of a qualified or experienced technician.
No matter how advanced or how “intelligent” your new digital camera is, it will take time to improve your photography especially if you have just started. No overnight experts are made by having the latest newest digital camera. Absolutely no. Read the books, practice with the camera, assess the images, repeat practice to improve, do it all over again tomorrow, and again next week. Do this until people who see your images are genuinely impressed.
This post is not finished yet. More images will be uploaded soon.
In this gallery are some images I photographed in Australia and in Singapore in 2009.
Compliments and criticisms through the comments feature, or through e-mail, are welcomed.
This post is not finished yet. More images will be uploaded soon.
On some model photo shoots, casual behind-the-scenes images, and sometimes even videos, are shot for sentimental keepsake and potential documentary.
In this gallery are behind-the-scenes images of some photo shoots that happened in 2008.
This post is not finished yet. More images will be uploaded soon.
In 2008, I holidayed twice in Singapore. These are some of the images I shot.
Compliments and criticisms through the comments feature, or through e-mail, are welcomed.