Canon DSLR Error 99 fix
Friday, April 29th, 2005
Please do not post a comment in this thread unless you have read this post fully including the updates and tried the various fixes listed. When you do post, please tell us the type of camera you have, the lens on at the time, whether you tried other lenses, etc. Read this before you post. Thank you.
Recently I started getting occasional errors when taking pictures with my Canon Digital Rebel (300D): error 99. I’d have to “reboot” the camera by turning it off and then back on to get out of the error mode and in the process I’d lose the last picture I took that produced the error dialog.
I searched around on the web in various Canon discussions and could not find anything definitive on this error. Some folks seemed to think it was a battery issue, some a card issue, some a lens compatibility issue. I was feeling pretty bummed out that my year old camera was showing signs of giving out. Then I called Canon Tech Support (should have done that first).
The guy at tech support listened and then told me that the lens contacts were dirty and to get a pencil with an eraser on the end, just a regular old pencil with a red rubber eraser. Detach the lens from the camera, hold it so that the lens’ gold contacts are pointing down and lightly erase their exposed surface, cleaning them of any hand oil that might have gotten on them.
Do the same thing with the gold contacts inside the camera body. This is a bit harder but it’s doable: just hold camera so lens opening points down so no gunk falls in. Erase lightly. I used a lens cloth and dabbed at the contacts rather than blow them so as not to blow the erasings inside the camera.
I did this to each of my three lenses just to be sure. Lo and behold, it worked (so far anyway). I’ve shot numerous pictures with each lens and have not gotten a single error 99 message. One would think sites like dpreview.com would have this but I never found it there. I’m psyched, I feel like I have a whole new camera now.
Update
If you are just discovering this thread and plan to post a comment about your error 99 experience I’d appreciate if you could post:
1. Short description of what happened.
2. Type of Camera you were using: Canon 300D (Digital Rebel), 350D (Digital Rebel XT), 10D, 20D, 30D.
3. Lens on camera at time: Canon, Sigma, Tamron. Focal lengh, speed
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 EX DG
Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD
Etc.
4. Did you try another lens too? If so which one?
5. What was the mode dial on the camera set to? Auto, P, Av, Tv, M, other?
6. How much charge was on the battery when it happened? How old is the battery?
7. Did you try any of the remedies in this thread: cleaning contacts, pulling battery, etc.?
8. What country you bought, live in, and use the camera in.
Thanks.
Update #2
One of our participants in the long comment thread below (Tom) got this in a message from Canon USA. It may help some of you isolate the problem before you post a comment/question.
To isolate the cause of the issue, we suggest that you do the following:
1. Turn off the camera.
2. Remove the lens, battery, and CF card.
3. Allow the camera to sit without power for approximately 20 minutes.
4. Insert a fully charged battery, and turn on the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.
Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If it does, then the camera should be
serviced. If it does not, then please proceed to the next set of steps:
1. Turn off the camera.
2. Insert the CF card.
3. Turn on the camera.
4. Format the CF card in the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.
Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If so, then the CF card is the most
likely source of the issue. Try using a different card.
If the message does not appear, please complete the following steps:
1. Turn off the camera.
2. Clean the lens contacts by gently rubbing them with a pencil eraser
or soft cloth. Be careful that you do not let any debris fall into the
camera body.
3. Reattach your lens.
4. Turn on the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.
If the “ERR 99″ message only appears when one particular lens is
attached, then that lens should be examined by a service technician.
If you see the “ERR 99″ with a different Canon lens attached, then the
camera should be serviced.
Richard, You may feel that you have a whole new camera, but what you really crave is a Canon 20D!
That’s right Gary! We can’t let Richard off that easy. ;-)
I’ve been having the *exact* same problem with my 2nd hard Digital Rebel. Now I know what I need to try this evening. :-)
Thanks,
Jeremy
Jeremy: Dale has recommended taking the battery out and letting the camera sit for a few minutes batteryless, then putting it back in. This can have the same effect as resetting a problem. I’ve tried it as well and it’s worked. If you come up with something else, let us know.
I’m no technician, but after trying to clear the ‘error 99′ from my 10D using all of the above, I finally looked inside. Try this… lift the mirror and visually inspect the shutter curtain. If each segment is not completely straight, touch it lightly with your blower bristles and try to pop it back into alignment. Mine took about 1 second. I remounted the lens and voila! Back to business!! Not sure how long it will last, but so far so good.
Jason: wow, great move. I wonder why the Canon guy thought all error 99s were lens related. I somehow think it a more generic error that crops up whenever the camera/lens needs to be “rebooted.” Dale solves his by taking the batery out for a minute, then putting it back. Thanks Jason.
I got “error 99″ on my 20D… and it was lens/contacts
related. Nothing works (removed batteries from GRIP
for more then 5 minutes, removed card, shoot down
with batteries inside… nothing) I just clean contacts on
both camera and lens and… WOW everything get to normal
Good luck and happy shooting
Peter, yep, that worked on my Rebel as well. The question is, how do the contacts get dirty? I don’t know about you all but I never touch those contacts, ever. So?
i’ve been having the same problem for sometime, i have tried cleaning, removing battery etc but no joy, i think its the shutter thats causing the problem, im gonna try jasons lift the mirror inspect the inside. i feel like i am blind without my camera. i don’t have warranty either as i got it 2nd hand [but in perfect con] hope i can get it fixed.
any ideas how much it will cost to send to canon for them to fix it and return it?
Mat, I don’t know but you should call Canon support on the phone first as they’ll have more ideas on what to do before you send it in. Does it happen sporadically? With a certain lens? Is there a pattern?
I’m glad I came acrross your page regarding the “error 99″. I cleaned the contacts with the eraser AND checked the screen under the mirror, which returned to alignment with a light touch with a brush. Turned the camera back on took a picture and….. IT WORKS!
Fantastic. This is great news. Of course, let us know if it pops up again, it might.
it happens all the time, my local LCE checked it with different a lens and tried my lens on a different body, its my body thats at fault. got the canon service number so gonna give them a ring and see where i stand. thanks for this page and your help.
Mat, it was canon service that told me about the eraser but I’ll be interested in what they tell you and if you have to send the lens in for work.
I’m getign the same problem (EOS 20D). Removing the battery worked for me. Sure wish there was a definitive answer though, as to the cause.
Jim
Jim: if you call up Canon they say error 99 is a lens issue but that’a a big embrella because there are many issues that could cause a problem: the lens contacts, the firmware in the camera being compatible with the lens, etc. I think pulling the battery does a system reset so that whatever the issue was goes away until… well, it comes back. But, at least you’re back in business for a while.
I had the issue once time with my 20D and it happened when I took my 50mm f1.4 off and put my 100mm f2.8 on. I figured it was the 100 but then I realized I’d changed lenses without turning the camera off. The next time I switched lenses I made sure the camera was off and do that each time now. I’ve not had the problem since.
Just out of curiousity, anyone reading this thread who’s experienced the problem: do you turn your camera off or leave it on when switching lenses?
Richard: Strangely, I’ve actually had the same lens on for a while (28-70 2.8L), and have shot dozens of photos quite happily. That’s why I was quite shocked when I saw the error. Removing the lens and CF card (Lexar 80x, 1Gb) achieved nothing, it was the battery-removal which sorted the problem. Worrying though…
Jim
You should still send in the lexar card, there’s a recall on them that may or may not have something to do with these errors. Hmmm, this is the first I’m thinking that there’s a connection.
I’ve sent mine in and am using two types of Sandisk cards: a Sandisk Extreme III 1 gig card which is the equivalent of the Lexar and a Sandisk Ultra II 1 gig card. I have not had an error 99 since switching.
Hmmm….
Here’s something to try or check out if your having err 99 problems. I’ve had my 10D over a year now and just started having problems. It has progressively worsened over the past two weeks - after doing the whole “turn off, take off lens, remove batteries routine” it would work for a little while and then misfire again. I’ve already cleaned the contacts as well as other remedies but no luck.
Some people say it’s the lens, some say batteries, some say shutter. I’ve found MY 10D will no longer shoot in “Program mode” hardly at all BUT I’ve discovered I can switch over to “Shutter priority” and not have a single error 99. As soon as I switch back to Program - instant err 99.
I’ve tested practically every shutter speed in Tv without getting an error for 100 shots or more - switch back to P and bam.
I’m not too confident that’s going to keep working though. BTW I have had err 99 plenty of times in Av mode as well - only shutter priority seems to be error free……. so far.
Carl, this leads me to believe that error 99 is a generic error code that covers a lot of territory: lens contacts, CF cards, battery contacts and more. If this is the case then looking for patterns may be a mistake, at least pattens that apply to all situations.
My current pet theory is that it may be a card issue. What brand and speed CF card are you using Carl?
yeah, this damn Err 99 issue on the 20D. just had it happening again. it didnt happen for a long time and, although, taking out the battery and putting it back in resolves the issue, it is an annoying thing to happen, especially if it happened in the middle of a commercial job. i am using sigma lenses (17-35 and 24-70) and a, you guessed it, LEXAR 1GB. If it happens again (and again), which i certainly dont hope, then it is time for another brand of card. good to know that the SANDISK seems to work fine.
in the manual, as all of you know, it says lens compatibility issue so i was very worried that my (not even one year old) SIGMA lenses were the issue but seems like it shouldn’t really be that.
good to know all the possible fixes for this issue. THANKS !
Teejay: I have only Canon lenses and have had error 99 issues with said lenses and a 300D Rebel and the 20D. However, I’ve not had a single issue since I switched to the Sandisk cards. Probably a coincidence but it does make me stop and think.
just a note to say im using a scandisk 512mb card and i still have the error. my problem is a shutter issue and nothing to do with the lens or card. As its a catchment error message its so hard to tell what the problem actually is. i think canon need to improve their error messages in firmware etc for future users.
Mat: I agree, a generic error message doesn’t do anyone any good. The support person telling me it’s a lens issue was plain wrong when pulling the battery can stop it. Argh. Thanks for the update on the card you’re using.
Just out of curiousity though, is your Sandisk care high speed, meaning, relatively new and something like “extreme III?” I do think there are issues with high speed cards and canon firmware although canon seems to be saying it’s all Lexar. God knows.
interestingly i switched my 300d into sensor cleaning mode, and i now have a fully functional camera bar continous shooting mode, which does seem to work in ’sports’ mode. which is a little strange and unexplained. but im glad i have most of the functionality back, enough to carry on with, until it returns or til i can afford to send it to canon for repair.
oh and my scandisk card is less than six months old, doesn’t say extreme III tho.
I never had a problem with err 99 with my 10D or d60 but my 20D has constant problem with err 99. Normally, when I have this error I just turn off the power, remove and reinsert the cf card and power back on and that will fix the problem. But this weekend on June 18, 2005 during a big wedding, after 3 hours shooting, it happened again, ERR 99 flashing - big time. I missed some shots and very annoying and embarassing situation. But this time the old trick did not fix the problem and even replaced the battery, switched the cf card between 1gb lexar and 512 scandisk . I had to swith to my old reliable D60. When I got home 20d is working fine. Folks we have a big problem with 20D.
It’s not just the 20D, it’s the original Rebel (300D) and the Rebel XT as well. It may be firmware which means that a simple upgrade is on the way. I have not had this problem much with my 20D and I’m thinking that one reason I had it was that I changed lenses without turning the camera off (I’m not sure if one is supposed to or not).
Let’s not go nuts here, there are problems but there is no single cause so until Canon releases something that says exactly what it is all we’re doing is making up theories based on our own experience. Not a bad thing to do but not exactly definitive.
I have also had this err99 code come up on my 20D which is less than a week old, it does it with any one of my canon lenses fitted but only when the aperture is set to wide open, it will then error without fail.
I will try cleaning the contacts but my guess is that its a firmware problem..
Franco, yes, the various circumstances that are causing this are so varied that it does look that way to me. Hopefully they’ll solve it soon.
I got a 300D in October 2003 - 4 months later it was giving me Err99’s every few shots. I only ever used Canon lenses, and all my CF cards are Sandisk. I tried cleaning the points, but still only got a few shots before the Err99 reappeared. Sent it into Canon and they sent it back saying they’d replaced the shutter. Never had a problem after that.
Upgraded to the 20D in November 2004, and haven’t had a problem, yet, but I do use all Canon lenses, only use Sandisk Extreme cards, and always format my cards before use (something I didn’t do with the 300D).
So far so good… touch wood.
Nicola, yes, touch wood. I use all Canon lenses, Sandisk cards, and have a 20D. I had the problem many times with the rebel and only one time with the 20D. I have no clue now… so many people with such varied experiences are posting about this that it’s hard to see patterns. Thanks for your report.
I’ve just bought a 300d, and am having trouble with the error 99. I was going to return it to the store for an exchange, but from what you’re all saying, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
I have the option to upgrade to the 350d. Does anyone know whether the error 99 problem applies to that camera too to the same degree?
I’ve heard of error 99s associated with the original Rebel, the Rebel XT (350D) and the 20D. Not sure if any suffers worse than any others. I can tell you that it’s not any one thing but seems to be multiple things which leads me to speculate that it’s a firmware issue with all the cameras.
Andy, I’d keep the camera if you want that camera instead of the 350D. There are reasons to get a 350 but I’m not sure the avoidance of error 99s is one of them.
well just another note from me, after a few shots in auto modes. i tried all apertures, all shutters and on every setting and i have no error 99 at all, from having it for about a month and not being able to take a single shot [very depressing!],I am back without any restrictions at all, very strange indeed.
My remedy was to switch the sensor clean mode on and leave it till the battery dies, cleaning the contacts didn’t have any effect before, but i guess its good practise to keep them clean, im alot more careful with removing the lenses/batteries/cf card when the camera is switched off. i recommend you all do the same.
as my problem was a body related error i guessed it was the shutter, so by locking it up in place to clean the sensor somehow put it back into shape or something for everyone else who is unsure what is causing there error take it into a london camera exchange and they will try your body with a different lens and vice versa , that way you can narrow it down to a lens issue or a body issue. least your closer to figuring it all out.
Canon need to issue a statement of some sort.
I agree, error 99 seems like a generic system warning that covers everything from lens contacts to battery contacts to card reading to sensor issues and more. Not very helpful to give an error a code and then not be able to track and correct it.
I have a Rebel (going on a year now), a Lexar 80X 2 gig card, all Canon (USA) lens, and 2 batteries. I always turn off the camera before switching lens. I always switch the batteries in rotation as they run down. I leave the Lexar in place (have only swapped it with another card once). I have not had the error 99 - yet! No way am I immune, but just wanted to add my 2 cents on the 99 error and my personal camera hygiene. One for science, one for all!
Scott, I’m moving to St. Louis. Got room in your drum room?
ricci,
you are always welcome. guest bedroom is currently clean (can’t say for how long). drums are optional of course, but your head is not! the pillow is calling, calling, calling…. ok, back to reality. are you saying i’m just lucky?
scott
I had the same error when putting on a canon prime lens which hadn’t been used for a while on my XT the lens didn’t seem to be able to change the aperature. I tryed the contact cleaner eraser trick mentioned above it seems to work. A warning is needed DO NOT use this method of cleaning TOO often as erasers can remove some of the thin layer of gold eventually all the gold will wear off resulting in a bad contacts! This was an old trick used to clean contacts on PCB boards. There are other ways of cleaning contacts but they involve using liquids.
All of that said, I’m not absolutely sure that cleaning the contacts is what’s doing it so coupled with Ryan’s warning, I’d say do some other things first like turn the camera off, remove battery and CF card, things like that that have little impact on the longevity of the camera.
No one has mentioned a software reset through the menu: I’m sure there is a menu item that reverts the camera back to its default/stock settings. I’ll bet that would kick it in the butt too. If this happens to me again I’ll try that but touch wood, it’s not happened on this 20D except once and I’m pretty sure that was because I changed lenses without turning the camera off.
Richard,
Are you still experiencing error 99 with the 20D?
No, never.
Hi folks,
I am having this “ERR 99″ on my EOS 300D.
It works fine with the standard Canaon lens that came with it, however I use it for taking pictures of skydivers coming into land etc - basically pointing it into the sky!
It works fine until there is a bright background and then it just locks up and the error message comes up. I am using Sigma AF lenses (none of them specifically desogned for Digital AF-S).
I have tried cleaning the contacts as advised above, but it still comes up each time - and it is in the “Sport” mode that it is most pronounced - use it on AV and things seem fine …….. but this is going to be a pain due to the fast’ish moving subjects, hence the sports mode.
IS this a software or compatibility problem, should I simply give up and get myself one of the newer “Digital” desiged AF-S lenses?
Cheers
Wayne
PS - sorry about the spelling above, I really should check before hitting “send” ! :-)
Hi guys,
I’m getting Err 99 with EOS 350D and my old Sigma 100-300mm. The lens that came with the camera seems to be working fine (touch wood), so I think it is lens-related.
On the Sigma lens, Err 99 seems to depend on aperture and focal length:
At 100mm, I can shoot fine with aperture up to 5. Anything over causes Err 99.
At 300mm, I can go up to aperture 5.6.
This holds true in any mode.
I tried all the tricks described above (clean contacts, remove battery…), no luck.
The Sigma lens seems to be working just fine with any f stop on my old non-digital Rebel G.
Anyone else having similar problem?
Cheers,
Filip
Wayne and Filip: I’d try resetting the camera in a variety of ways to make sure you really reset it: battery, menu, remove card and lens, etc. and start it up again with all in place. I’m pretty sure that error 99 is more generic than we think and covers any time the camera hiccups. Lots of people are posting about this problem so I’ll bet Canon is working on a firmware up grade. They just released one for two of their higher end cameras so maybe us poor slobs with low life 20Ds, 300Ds and 350Ds are next.
After I cleaned the contacts (on lens only) the problem did not completely go away but it did reduce in frequency. If I made the lens work hard by rapidly forceing the apperture to change I could get the 99 error. But the more I used the lens the less it happened. Yesterday I shot 190 pictures at the Toronto Gay Pride festival and not one error.
This makes me think that for my 99 error with the canon 100mm 1.8 lens the problem is the apperture was responding a bit slower then it should and causing the computer to throw an exception hence err 99. And after some use the lens loosened up and reacted slightly faster. I suspect a slight firmware alteration will be the fix for my version of the 99 error. I also suspect that considering the discription of the error in the manual that Canon tightened the specs as a marketing ploy to make their lens appear to work better then the competition’s. Then they got caught with their own product throwing the same exception. I hope more people with canon lens complain so they are forced to come up with a fix.
Ryan: thanks for the report and I agree, Canon needs to come clean about the fact that error 99 is a generic error code that means nothing except that there is a problem and it could be any of a range of problems. But, the more we know of what others have done to successfully deal with it the better and the more things we can try to help get back up and running when we run into it. Thanks for adding more info to the pot.
Have a 350D for 3.5 months, 99% of the time with the kit lens and never had err 99 till yesterday, when I got an old sigma 70-200mm lens. My short experience is similar to what Filip wrote - that it depends on aperture and focal length, though, it seems that cleaning the contacts as Richard wrote, improves the situation a bit.
Thanks for this thread,
Ronen
Hi guys,
Thanks for your valuable comments. Ryan’s point about tightend spec to disadvantage non-Canon lenses sound plausible (welcome to the desert of the real!).
I think I found the root of my problem. And it has nothing to do with the camera, I have to humbly admit (not that I believed one bit in innocence of marketing departments)…
My Sigma lens is faulty. I spent a lot of time mucking around with the lens and both my 350D and Rebel G. I noticed that the aperture diaphragm never changed - it remained fixed at full open. Taking picture with 350D with any aperture other than full open would result in Err 99. Rebel G did not seem to care, it would take the picture at any set aperture, but the diaphragm would not change.
A good test is to use the depth-of-field preview button located just below the lens release button on the front of your 350D. In Av mode, with aperture 22, you should see your viewfinder dimming significantly when depth-of-field button is pressed. It did not happen for me.
Then suddenly after taking one picture, the diaphragm closed to 22 and now it is stuck there. I can again take pictures with 350D, but only with aperture 22. Again, anything else produces Err 99.
That means the diaphragm is faulty - sticking for any reason. I’m going to have the lens serviced.
Thanks for these posts, I’m learning a lot by the variety of experiences here.
I’m convinced that error 99 is a generic system message that is covering more territory than it needs to and if there is ever a firmware update there ought to be more specific error codes for each of card, lens, contact, battery issues.
Keep ‘em coming, all of this is good stuff. Thanks.
I received an error 99 with my brand new rebel XT and my older (15+ yrs) *Canon* EF 28-105 3.5-4.5 lens. I can replicate the problem by setting the camera as follows:
• Aperture (“M” mode) of 4.0 or 4.5
• Any shutter speed
• Focal length of 28mm
When in other modes, the problem will also occur if an aperture of 4.0 or 4.5 is set by the internal processor at a focal length of 28mm. The error also occurs at other focal length and aperture settings.
This problem does not occur with my film camera Canon EOS A2. The problem also does not occur with the EOS digital Rebel XT / EFS 18-55mm combination as shipped in the standard packaging.
I sent in the lens to Canon and they are repairing it under Warranty. I did not have any paper work on the lens but sent in a copy of my Camera warranty and receipt. It appears that even some Canon lenses (not just Sigma) may have a communication problem with the camera as well. I would suggest that if nothing else works above, you consider having Canon take a look at the lens.
You may want to include the specific settings that the problem occurs (i.e. see bullets above). Also, it may help to include the text below.
“I purchased the new digital rebel with the understanding that EF lenses would work with the digital rebel. I would like to request that Canon make the necessary changes, free of charge, to allow the lens to work with my digital camera as advertised.”
It must have worked because I checked with Canon today and they said they will fix the lens to work with my new Camera. GOOD ON CANON!!!!!!
Pete, et al: yes, Canon must know by now they have a PR problem on their hands and will do the right thing. Making sure a firmware update is right though takes some time and I’d rather they took as much time as they needed and did it right than doing it multiple times. I’m sure something’s coming… As long as we can keep taking pictures I’m happy.
Now, iPhoto’s editing tool problems… there’s another story and I’m not happy with Apple at the moment. They need a fix for iPhoto 5 now.
Well, I had my second error 99 in the 20D today.
200mm f2.8 L lens on and it had been on for a while.
Battery charged, not low.
Card not full.
I have no idea what brought it on. I turned the camera off, pulled the battery for 10 seconds, put it back, rebooted camera and the rest of the day went without a hitch.
Ugh!
i have had my 300D for around a month now (bought it second hand - about a year old)
using all kinds of CF’s and all kinds of lenses - no err99 w/o me causing it on perpous - if you try to pop the popup flash but hold it down so it will not open you will get the same err BTW jayson cudos on the advise it is great !!!!
Interesting, so some of the error 99s may be caused by user error. Hmmm, I wonder what bad habbits I have?
I shot over 100 pictures last night of fireworks and got no errors at all. Of course, few of my pictures turned out well but that’s because I followed a bunch of advice read on various pro web pages which brought me worse photos than the ones I shot two years ago an automatic. Go figure. There needs to be a blinking light: user error - stupid exposure setup.
Hi,
I had my first Err 99’s on Saturday when shooting outside in sunlight with the Canon 50mm/1.8 II. However, something happened that others haven’t mentioned here. I was shooting along, until at one photo the mirror opened, and then the camera jammed. I had to take the battery out to reboot it. After a dozen shots it did it again, and I removed the lens to check the situation. The mirror was stuck up and shutter closed.
After that I haven’t had any more errors or problems, but I haven’t shot that much. That was also the first time I used a new CF card, a 2GB Kingston Elite Pro, but the opening of the mirror suggests that it’s not CF-card related.
Richard and others, has the mirror ever stuck open when you get the error? I’m wondering if it’s a shutter problem with the mirror opening and then the camera jamming because of a shutter malfunction. I’ve read that the 300D shutter often breaks around 10000 pictures, and I’m at 8500 now. I’ve had the camera for 11 months, so it would still be covered by the warranty for a while.
Sampo: I don’t think so but how would I know for sure?
Well, I distinctly noted only one slap instead of the normal clu-chuck of the mirror going up and down. When the camera jammed the second time, I removed that lens and checked that the mirror really was stuck open. The shutter, however, was closed.
I also recall that one time I got the Err 99, but on the other no error message. I’m not sure though, as I wanted to get the mirror back as soon as possible.
Sampo: great idea. Take lens off and see state of mirror (if one doesn’t hear complete shutter sound). I’ll do that. Of course, if these error 99s are happening rarely one can’t really predict when the next one will be. Still, if I hear anything suspicious I’ll post it here. Thanks.
got an error 99, pull out the lens and noticed that one of the three portruding pins is stuck halfway, I gave it a little push to bring it back to position and voila everything is back to normal.
Got a ERR99 message after taking a shot last Friday - the shutter had jammed and the camera had locked up entirely (only 2500 shots taken since new). No combination of recharging/removing batteries/card or cleaning CMOS would solve problem. Camera is now away to Canon UK for repair.
I’d say this proves it, the error 99 feedback screen is generic for: some piece of this camera, lens, battery, CF card combo is all messed up and needs to be kicked in the butt. Thanks all, we’re making a great list which is so varied that I now have no clue since my original post what the heck is going on. Keep ‘em coming.
thanks richard. i was also slow to call canon and was going to make the call today. glad i found you! i’ve been struggling so much lately with the camera due to that! thanks again.
Amy: sure. But, I haven’t been struggling all that much, the folks who have commented in this thread have collectively. I’m quite happy with my 20D although I’m sure a ROM upgrade is in the works.
Hi,
I would like to add my two cents to a thread started by Sampo.
But first - my short ERR99 story.
I have 20D with EFS 17-85 IS and 2 different 1 GIG mem cards.
My first single Error 99 occurred about a week after purchase and they become an “everyday standard” in about 2 months after purchase (with about a 1000 pictures taken at the time). I now have it all the time (in average 1 ERR99 per each 3 pictures).
I tried everything described on this and other pages (removing batter, lenses, rubbing, firmware upgrades, changing lenses (I have 2 other older original EOS lenses), changing settings, changing memory card and using no mem card, sensor cleaning… Nothing helps in the long run (I sometimes got fooled that the problem went away, e.g. when I changed the color space to Adobe the problem vanished for a day, similarily when I changed the focus point).
What I want to share with you is a 3 sec soundfile of ERR99. I recorded a case when I take 3 pictures - 2 OK and the third is my babe - ERR 99 :)
The soundfile is here: http://www.kunstman.org/files/Canon2D-ERR99.mp3
The reason I referenced Sampo’s case at the beginning is that I believe that in my case the problem lays somewhere in the shutter area and that he mentione “slaps”. In my case the spund is quite different for a normal shot and the one ending with ERR99. I do not observe any mirror locking though.
Any ideas? Did anyone notice similar shutter sound differences?
I still believe that this is a software issue (to be more precise: probably timings are pushing the hardware limits - which is along with Ryan’s idea of tightened specs). I WANT to believe that actually, because software can be fixed at home (flush), while the hardware - only via mail-in service. That service gives me creeps because I purchased camera originally in USA but now I live in Poland, which complicates things considerably (my warranty is US/Canada and not worldwide).
P.S. I also observed that in my case the ERR99 goes away when I switch the camera off (the knob below the screen) and switch it on again. No removing battery etc. required. I believe that most of you had to do more… But then - most of you do not have ERR99 permanently (lucky you).
Pawel: thanks for a great comment, useful in many ways. It illustrates (yet again) that error 99 is a generic system message triggered by various glitches. I think trying to find a single pattern leading up to it is futile in that it’s happening in 20Ds, Rebels, Rebel XTs and maybe even higher end Canon DSLRs. I’m sure the firmware of all three of these cameras shares code and error 99 is common to all as a generic system problem. Hopefully the firmware fix or fixes will cover most if not all of the issues raised in this thread. But, if you catalog just the issues raised by various users here you can see that there is no single pattern of trigger or recovery. Still, it does not hurt to speculate and form hypothesis, thanks for yours.
To Jason posting on june 4th… I tried everything i read on all posts reguarding error 99 and nothing helped. I knew it was shutter related but as you said im not a Canon Technician. I got my camera about a year ago and took about 150 pictures with it before the first error 99. I took it back to the camera shop where i got it and told them to fix it or i would use the extended warrenty i got on it (i could take it outside and smash it on the ground and bring it back in for a new one) 6 weeks later i had my camera back and was told that it was the shutter assembly. Now it did it again while i was taking pictures and i did not hear that familure cha-chunk of the shutter, it went cha but no chunk. I found this post and read yours and knew that it was the answer i was looking for. I retracted the mirror and sure enough the top shutter curtain was off alignment, i poked it and it went back into alignment and im back up and running. im not a professional (im pretty much an amature still learning) but i love takeinig pictures of my family and sunsets. I thank you again for your sound advice.
Tim (HickFu) Martin
I experienced my first err99 last weekend after changing the lens. The camera was off, but as I removed the lens (Canon EFS 18-55) I could hear the shutter releasing several times. When I replaced the lens (brand new Canon 70-200 F4L), turned on the camera and tried to take a shot I got the err99. When I pressed the shutter release I could hear the mirror stop (the same as Sampo). I removed the lens and confirmed the mirror was indeed stuck up and the shutter closed.
Since then whichever lens I use I keep hearing the mirror stop and err99 is displayed. Turning off the camera and on again resets the problem for a while.
The camera is only 3 months old and have only taken 1500 shots, so am planning to take it back for replacement - my issue appears to be related to the shutter and perhaps it needs replacing as did Nicola’s above.
A note on err 99 (20d) and Sigma lens. I got this error the first and every time I mounted my Sigma 105 macro. Even though I bought the lens second hand, when I wrote to Sigma they immediately had me send them the lens. They upgraded the lens and sent it back to me at no cost and with no questions. This company really wants my business. Canon seems to be much more locked into a finite and short warrantee period.
Paul: I’ve actually heard of numerous folks sending lenses back to canon for recalibration at no cost so I’m not sure bad support is universal. My issue is that in their firmware update they ought to parse out error 99 which is being triggered by many disparate things, not just one thing. It is undoubtedly a generic error code but so what? That doesn’t do the user much good in trying to figure out if its his or her problem or the camera’s.
Just bought my 350D and have a friend who has had a 300D for a year so I read this thread with interest.
While I was borrowing the 300D I had a look around the internet and noticed that there is a 3rd party firmware for it (originally by a Russian guy but it’s been picked up and improved). They basically took the 20D firmware and modified to give extra functions to the 300D. Shows you how similar the two firmwares are.
What I was wondering is if someone with a basically dead and out of warranty 300D might want to try it to see if it makes any difference. The firmware is reversible back to Canon’s if things don’t work out.
Unfortunately (as the camera wasn’t mine at the time) I didn’t save or bookmark any of the pages. But a search on the internet should show up all the instructions. Remember it voids the warranty!
It might help someone?
Robert, they *didn’t* take the firmware of the 10D or 20D. They took the normal firmware of the 300D, and noticed that the code for most of the functions of the 10D was right in there, only disabled. They re-enabled many of the features and improved it further in a few places.
I think that most of the Err99’s are hardware-related (shutter, dirty contacts, af-mirror etc. what has been mentioned), and so have nothing to do with the firmware. Certainly the developers of the hacked firmware wouldn’t to mucking around with the photographic timings etc. related to taking the pictures.
(Lior also said that he could produce an Err99 by holding the popup flash down while trying to open it - that doesn’t produce an Err99 but Err05.)
Update: I last posted I could shoot in Tv mode without problems but that was kind of a fluke. I did however figure out the actual problem (so to speak) when that stopped working.
In my case it definitely does have something to do with regard to the aperture setting. I have a Tokina 24-200 f3.5-5.6. I thought it worked well in shutter priority previously because the conditions were such that it was giving me max aperture - the only lens setting my camera functions with is f3.5, so I can only shoot in Av or manual modes.
Also the reason I couldn’t get it to work in aperture priorty earlier is because when I tried to set my max aperture, I must not have been zoomed all the way back to 24mm.
Many people may already know this but it’s something I was never completely conscience of so I thought I’d mention it. With a variable aperture zoom, in my case f3.5-5.6, if your zoomed out anywhere in your len’s range, say your at 50mm f8 at the time - if you change your aperture from f8 to it’s max at 50mm which on mine is f4.5, it stays at f4.5 when you zoom all the way back. You can only get your true max aperture when your at the min focal length.
So that has been my temporary work around - shoot at f3.5 in Av or manual mode. I haven’t had a single error in two weeks at that setting, as soon as I change it to f4 - instant lock up. (BTW, it does work in all focal lengths once set to f3.5 at 24mm)
FYI, Richard I’m using a Kingston 512MB and a SanDisk Extreme 1GB but those don’t seem to be the problem. Could it be a zoom lens issue? Is everyone having this problem using a zoom or is err99 also showing up with primes as well?
Robert: great idea but let me clear up one misconception on the firmware update. It’s not 20D firmware as the hack was out long before the 20D. When the 300D (Rebel) came out, the higher end camera in Canon’s line was the 10D and it was rumored and is probably true that the 300D used the 10D’s firmware with some of the features locked or removed. The hack unlocked those features exapanding the 300D feature set to that of the 10D.
I have no idea if installing that hack on a 300D would solve error 99 problems and I’d be hesitant to try because there are a variety of things triggering this generic error code.
that tech guy was wrong for me, i had the exactly same problem and i tried the exact same thing, but its in the lens. i’m thinking i might have gotten it wet but anyway its a problem with the f stop in the lens for me, cause when i do depth of field preview it gets “stuck” and i have to keep hitting it to get it to unstick, i guess i’ll have to send mine in or get a new one
Hi,
I freaked when I got my first error 99! After paying (to me) big money for my very first digital slr, my heart sank quicker than the Titanic! I did not know what had caused the problem. I had just purchased a brand new canon 50mm 1.8 lense and thought it may have been that. After reading all of the above I then thought it may have been because I accidently changed lenses without turning it off. I now see that it could be any of many things! I took out the battery and left it for a short time and then started over again; seemed to do it but I am nervous now and will be on the lookout!
Caroline: if this thread did nothing else, it reassured you that you are not alone. Also, the great thing about cameras with upgradeable firmware is that companies can (eventually) send out fixes for free that will take care of some if not all of these problems.
However, firmware doesn’t solve hardware problems (it might cause them but not solve hardware only problems) like dirty lens contacts and stuck mirrors. Not sure what’s happening there and how that will be fixed.
One thing that’s obvious is that Canon (and Nikon) can’t make these cameras fast enough; they are very popular and there may be quality control issues as well. Hey, I own a 20D so I’m with you on this but I really love my camera, warts and all and I’ve taken some excellent pictures with it. As long as it doesn’t hang all that often I’m okay for a while. I mean, our computers hang once in a while and we don’t get too bent… a modern DSLR is a camera with a computer built into it. Lots of complexity to deal with and potential hangs.
Stay calm, take a lot of pictures, and change lenses gently.
I to would like to reassure Caroline. my err 99 was with the same 50mm 1.8 canon lens. After my initial problem and weekly use of the lens not one problem for about 400 shots now.
Richard do you a section on how to clean dust off the chip? The manual is not that clear other then telling you how to keep the mirror up. Recent experiments with a home made pin hole “lens” allowed me to see the dust.
Dust off the “chip” or sensor is covered in all the manuals and I think all Canon DSLRs have a setting to do this. The chip and sensor are the same thing.
Hey Hey–My first Error 99 has brought be to this page. I was shooting a wedding–camera had been working hard for about 6 hours or so–and I was shooting a bunch of shots in rapid succession. I had just put in a brand new, fully charged battery, but was using the lens that came with my 20D–the 18-55. I turned it off, then on. No go. I took out the battery, put it back in, turned on–no go. So I pulled out my film camera, took about 10 shots, then prayed “Jesus please make my camera work again”. I picked up the 20D after a short rest and giddyup it was back like normal. I thought that I may have overheated the processor, but after reading this thread I believe that perhaps I pushed the limits of the hardware. That is my fave theory–and the quick recovery was welcome. My heart goes out to the “every 3 or 4 exposures deliver an Error 99″ group. Each person’s personal experience will have to lead them to an independant solution, I am afraid, until Canon can deduce by their own research how to rectify the obtuse Error 99 message into something more specific. Regardless, I pray over anything that doesn’t work–for a good time, of course.
Canon-we wish you a speedy solution to our problem.
–chili
Rory: how long did you leave the battery out? My guess is that turning the camera off and/or taking the battery out for some minimum amount of time is like doing a soft reset of the camera/computer so that the error message will go away. Maybe the hardware sitation that caused it is still there so resetting only brings back the error immediately or soon thereafter.
If a lot of different things are causing this generic error message then Canon needs to either make the cameras a bit less sensitive or come up with some more descriptive error codes so that we can find and fix the problem easily.
Thanks for your report.
A few points:
I almost never turn my camera off, as I find it much more convenient to let it shut down automatically and start it up again by half-pressing the shutter button. This means I nearly always change lenses with the camera on, and I’d be very disappointed if Canon couldn’t make a camera work fine with on-the-fly lens changes. That said, I had already taken almost 200 shots with the 50mm/1.8 I was using when I got my Err99.
As for it being okay for stuff to jam once in a while, my home PC is on 24/7 and I regularly have it running months at a time, mainly having to boot it for hardware upgrades and electricity outages but then again, I use Linux. ;-) It’s sad when people just accept that technical stuff jams every few days.
I’ve got some Err05’s in the past that have been corrected by turning the camera off and on, but the Err99 is creepy. In my mind it seems probably more hardware related (eg. the mirror opening and then jamming - shutter problem?; dirty lens contacts; jammed lens aperture; having to pull the battery out to reboot it etc.). I will be contacting the Canon services on the issue, if for nothing else, to be able to claim the problem started before warranty had gone out. I’ll report here what answer I get.
Thanks Sampo. I agree it’s a drag to have to reboot a computer often, that’s why I use OS X on a PowerBook. I just close it every day and put it to sleep, only restarting when necessary (yes, OS X hangs now and then but it’s rare).
But, it is my guess that various hardware glitches are all triggering a rather generic error code and once triggered it’s like a modal dialog on a computer, you can’t do a thing until its dealt with. A restart seems like a safe way to deal and when you couple that with touching the various hardware components to see if they’re all connected properly the odds are it won’t return for a bit. Do report back with Canon’s reply. This entire thread came of me calling Canon about it a while ago when I thought I had the ultimate fix. Not. Oh well, maybe Canon support is wiser now.
Hi All,
I’m having the same problem with Err 99 on a brand new Rebel XT. It first happened when I tried my 12 year old Sigma 70-210 f2.8, but not on every shot. It also happened on my Sigma 400 f5.6. It IS NOT occuring with my Canon 28-80 f3.5-5.6 or my ProMaster 19-35 f3.5-4.5 (don’t even know who makes ProMaster!).
Then I started discovering and testing certain settings. It seems that both Sigmas are fine with WIDE OPEN aperature. If I set either one to anything but wide open it causes Err 99. So I experimented with previewing depth of field at anything smaller and NOTHING. Try to shoot…….Err 99. Try depth of field preview with the Canon or ProMaster and both work fine and NO Err 99. Works EVERY time. It seems that the camera can’t control the aperature on these lenses and thus causes the error.
Would someone please try this with their trouble lenses?
By the way, one previous comment discussed the error occuring with a bright background. This would help explain that since the aperature is probably being stopped down to prevent overexposure……again, the camera can’t stop down the lense so Err 99!
Now…….how to fix this?
Sal, this supports the original idea that this is a contact issue, either incompatibility with some lenses or dirt or stuck.
Those contacts between camera and lens are the only conduit for the camera talking to the lens: controlling it and/or getting feedback from it about settings. If they’re not all touching correctly then one can easily see how a problem would occur.
If it is simply a hardware issue (and not firmware) Canon is going to have some serious problems either recalling cameras (millions of them) or eating reputation.
Since your XT is new, I’d try cleaning the contacts of the older lenses in your kit and see how that works.
Final verdict! (In my case anyway) It’s the LENS, not the body.
I friend of mine has a brand new 20D with a Sigma 18-125. I put his lens on my 10D and my camera worked good as new in every setting - I couldn’t make it fail. I put my lens on his 20D and it locked it up on the first shot - err99.
So here is my theory - I’m not sure what the electronics are like in the lens itself but my lens worked for over two years before it started failing. It’s possible the electronics in the camera is burning or shorting something out in the lens. Maybe there is a voltage issue between the camera and the lens that could either show up right away or eventually “burn out” the lens electronics over a period of time? It could be an issue very similar to using the wrong voltage flash and blowing out the circuits in your camera.
http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html
Richard, expanding on your dirty contact theory - it’s possible some people like yourself are getting an error, cleaning the contacts and luckily solving the problem with no harm done. For other people, the dirty contacts may have created a grounding issue and it shorted something in the lens so the contact cleaning didn’t work, as in my case.
My lens is still under the 3yr warranty so I’m sending it back and getting another lens for the interim. I will probably get the voltage/contacts checked on the camera so if there is some problem with the body I don’t blow out the new lens right away.
Carl: I think you’re on to something here. Lens communication or software/hardware compatibility is probably at the root of it and doing things like turning the camera on and off and/or pulling the battery resets the entire system flushing out what might have been a set of incompatible instructions. Or, cycling the power resets the lens settings stored in the lens.
Maybe, in fact, lenses are getting stuck in a mode and the camera is not communicating with the lens well enough to read the mode and/or reset it so cycling the power simply jogs the entire setup.
Digging deeper maybe the problem is not simply the lens but the firmware on these cameras not being particularly good at taking stock of what’s going on with the lens and making the necessary adjustments. RE: take a lens off, put another one on the last settings of which are quite different from what the camera is expecting. Camera is having a hard time reading those settings and deciding what to do with them, so hangs.
Maybe the hang freezes the camera in a particular place in its cycle: mirror up, iris blades in a particular position, etc.
Maybe cleaning the contacts is not really it but taking the lens off and putting it back on - de-powering it separate from the camera - is enough to get whatever is stuck, unstuck until it sticks again.
If this is the problem I’ll bet Canon can do a lot with a firmware update in that the camera could be promted to do a better job to look more often at the lens, what its settings are, etc. and play nicer.
Thanks Carl, I think you’ve given this discussion a much needed direction.
That could be it Richard. My lens never actually stopped working completely, but the only setting it would operate in was wide open.
Basically the lens seems to be reverting to it’s default setting, however that may be happening, and like you said, loosing communication with the camera.
Essentially the lens is in limp mode receiving power but having no real function. It did auto focus but I forgot to mention that during this time I had that back focus problem I heard so many people talking about. I could only get sharp focus by zooming all the way in and then backing out again.
It would be nice if it was a firmware problem. I think if you get err99 and you can “do the routine” and still get it back to normal function the firmware fix would be the easy solution. In my case however I think the lens went beyond the point of no return without a physical repair.
Have you ever tried taking out the watch battery for the memory settings for any length of time and allowing EVERYTHING to reset?
I just realized that’s something I never tried. Hmm.
I have not taken out the watch battery… I don’t even know where it is but if this problem is what we seem to be getting to here it will re-develop in time as one takes lenses on and off, returning them when the camera is set up for a different one.
My guess is that some of the newer lenses with USM motors have their own ROMs and microcontrollers and if the ROM software on the 20D or Rebel isn’t set up to talk with those other instructions correctly then problems will arise.
This is similar to problems attaching things to computers that have embeded drivers that are incompatible with the OS, etc.
I wonder if Canon puts out a specification that Tamron and Sigma have to use for autofocus and exposure on their Canon lenses and if that spec, which Canon also must use for its own lenses is off. If that’s the case, I wonder if the entire thing can be fixed by upgrading the camera’s ROM or if the lenses have to be reflashed, if that were possible.
I do think this line of thinking is close to what the problem is all about and I’m glad you (Carl) got us here.
“I wonder if Canon puts out a specification that Tamron and Sigma have to use for autofocus and exposure on their Canon lenses and if that spec, which Canon also must use for its own lenses is off.”
Canon has published no specification of the communication between the lenses and the camera, so Sigma and Tamron have been forced to reverse-engineer the whole protocol. This is the cause that some old Sigma lenses won’t work on the DSLR’s, but Sigma will upgrade the lens’s firmware for free when possible.
It’s very tempting to believe that the Err99’s are software-based and that a simple firmware fix is on the way, but I’m pretty sceptic about that. Maybe some of the problems might be solved with appropriate software, but to me the Err99 seems quite hardware-related.
The previous times I’ve had the camera jam have reported Err05 (which I first understood as ErrOS for Operating System). This has been cleared by simply turning the camera off and on. This error is also produced when the internal flash is held down while opening it. Requiring a total boot by taking the battery out suggests some other problem than the firmware.
I agree that error 99s are hardware-caused problems but the error message and event monitoring that triggers it is all in software/firmware. The fact that the error message is coming up for what seems like many different things means that it needs to be fine tuned so that it’s more useful: “lens not seated properly” “mirror stuck” etc.
That doesn’t unstick the mirror but it allows the user to focus on that problem instead of trying numerous other things to get the camera working again.
I shot a lot of images yesterday, switching between three canon lenses and did not have an error 99. Must be living right.
I just called to the Canon service representative here in Finland, and explained what had happened to the camera. He asked if there was any error code, but when I told about the Err99, he said it was a general error and was of no use in pinpointing the problem. When I asked about the shutter, they said it might be the fault. They said I could bring it in to be fixed, but that it would take some 2-3 weeks. :-(
Sampo: great, thanks for that. But, I think I called it: error 99 is so general that it’s almost meaningless. It says: “something went wrong” but that’s about it. The reason there are so many theories is that we are all having different things go wrong and they are all leading to the same error message.
That said, I’ve heard nothing but good reports from people who have sent cameras and lenses to Canon for repair. Generally the turnaround time is much less than their conservative estimate.
Even though my err99 problem has disappeared I have been following this list with great interest. My background is in medical imaging, classifiers and adaptive control algorithms.
Err99 can be broken down to two classes.
1) mechanical and electrical problems related to the camera body or a malfuctioning lense (mirror getting stuck, electrical contact problem, lense aperature sticking …)
2) problems related to the interaction with the camera and the lense.
Class 1 problems as they will not normally go away with a power reset. The solution is to do a repair.
Class 2 problems can be identified by: camera body works on other lenses and the lense works on other camera bodies. The good news is that this class of problem is usually a control algorithm issue and should be fixable by firmware updates. Adapting and dealing with real world sytems which change over different lenses, temperature and aging is quite difficult especially when you are trying to get the maximum performance out of the system.
Takashi Morino morino@cld.canon.co.jp is the Canon expert in their firmware. I would think a well worded email in Japanise might get a response.
Ryan: thanks for the clarification and classification.
Now, can you write Japanese? And, do we want to try to distill this into a FAQ like list of problems that we think trigger error 99?
Maybe we need to make a database with various fields for the variables as it’s hard to extract that stuff from an anecdotal comment list.
No Japanese language or other language skills here. I think it would be enough to ask for help and suggestions in Japanese and point to this page. I am sure Canon will have it translated. In the past I have been surprised by how detailed the tracking of information is by larger Japanese companies.
FYI- I spoke with Sigma customer support & they said that since my Sigma lenses are so old the electronics in them are not compatible with the DSLRs. If the lenses were somewhat newer they would upgrade them for me but they no longer make them & so have no parts. They will however extend trade-in credit toward new lenses.
They also confirmed what I stated earlier that the aperature can’t be stopped down, but wide open shooting is possible.
Sal: well at least you have an answer so you know what’s ahead. Hey, the bright side is that lens technology has come a long way and almost any newer lenses you buy will be amazing.
We bought a brand new Canon 350 D 2 days ago. After charging the battery, we first had a ‘CF Error’. According to the manual, the CF should be formatted.
When we tried this, ‘Error 99’ appeared. We tried turning the camera off, taking the battery and card out, .. but nothing works.
Last night, we went back to the dealer, who proposed to exchange the camera for another one. As we tried to start the new camera, we had the same errors. We tried with 2 different CF-cards, another battery and only with the Canon-lens that came with the camera, but we still keep having this error.
Nothing works, we were not able to take any pictures.
We are now waiting for a new delivery of the cameras to the store, and hopefully – as we will get a new one – it will not have these errors again (although it scares me when I read all your messages here)
Cindy: first let me say I have had only two of these errors with my 20D and they were short lived, I got rid of the problem and it did not come back in short order.
Second, if error 99 is about lens-camera communication, I’d take the lens off and put it back on. You or the dealer may not be seating it well when you attach it.
Also, it’s always a good idea to format a new CF card in the camera, even one that came from the factory. If nothing else, you learn how to do it.
Let us know how things go and don’t dispair, you’ll get beyond this and start taking great pictures soon.
I am in a hotel that ery far away from colombo… (sri lanka) i have book all trips to go to national parks to get elephants and leopard pics.. this damn thing now saying error 99..
shit i am mad here with what happened… now all my trip to Sri Lanka is spoild… this camera is only few months old and i may be around 2000 pictures taken maximum.
All i can ask is.. why is a company like canon make such a responsible camera with a poor shutter ?
shame….
Dilantha: I’m very sorry this happened to you but you should be able to get back in business by experimenting with the various fixes in this thread.
If more people were experiencing this Canon would no longer be in business and you’d have known not to buy their products. The errors are not experienced by everyone and not at the same rate.
When you couple that with the fact that all of these new DSLRs are the most popular cameras Canon has ever made and they are selling a lot of them, it may be a matter of quality control and the number of lemons increasing as the total number sold goes up.
All of that is speculation, I really don’t know what is going on but they do need to put out a public statement about this acknowledging it and telling us what they are planning to do about it.
Thank you so much for reply Richard,
Its so nice of you… I am back in Colombo again.. i am sending it to UK on my girfriend’s hand back…
I have given the best care for it.. al 55, 300 and 500mm lensed we bought for it and many accesories,
at last our trip ened by taking photoes on our JVC camcorder :(
I was helpless and looking all over the web what to do yesterday and found this web in google in a sudden,
Thank you again for being so kind..
Best Regards!
Dilantha.
Dilantha: let us know how you resolve the problem with Canon or the place you bought the camera. And thanks for checking back in.
hi Richard I am back…
Its My girl got from UK .. its from DIXONS Duty Free shop..
She is with me in SL now and she will take it to canon when she return to UK..
I will let you know when it solved
Thanks
Best Regards!
Dilantha.
Richard, I think you might find this VERY interesting.
Just out of the blue I checked out an old link I had saved probably a year ago and half-way down the page here was this post.
As mentioned earlier I thought it was somehow a voltage issue but I hadn’t put a whole lot of thought into the most obvious source of a voltage problem. I think the following post hits the nail right on the head. (BTW I do have the battery grip on my 10D)
Obviously any power draw such as “stopping down the lens” or “writing to the memory card” could cause a voltage drop to below the 7.4V that was found to trigger a lock up “err99″. It also mentions the possiblity of a short which is exactly what I felt finally killed my lens.
It certainly seems to point to a design issue and why Canon is not being quite so forthright.
“November 12, 2004
Interesting Feed on batterylife in grip of 20D…
I already said that it seemed as of the 20D sucks up batteries really quick with a BG-E2 attached. I thought it was just a case of old batteries or half charged batteries. But here is an interesting feed from a guy called HENG from dpreview.com .. (I should have gotten the MarkII :-)
“I think this may be a design problem for using 2 BP511(A)s in the grip. In order to protect a short from one of them, a logic circuit (diodes) should be used to allow one-direction only current flows. The use of these diodes will further reduce the usable voltage of the BP511As in the grip. Thus, with just one BP511 in the camera (without the grip), you can take more than 1000 pictures. but with two BP511s in the grip, you can only take several hundred pictures.
I had done certain measurements with a lab power supply on my 20D. The following were the results:
1. A fully charged BP511(A) has a nonimal voltage of 8.4V.
2. The maximum current that a 20D with 80-200 f2.8L, 1 GB Sandisk CF card, shooting randomly and continuoulsy with Jpeg Large is over 1.1 amperes.
3. The 20D will not work when the lab power supply(PSU) is set to 7.3V and it will start working above 7.4V. With 7.4V supply and current limiting disabled, I encountered numerous lock-ups showing battery empty and one Err99 when shooting with conditions as in (2) above. Increasing the voltage above 7.5V or shutting down the 20D will not relief the lock-up. I had to switch off the PSU to reset the camera. The camera works normal again with 7.4V.
4. The camera works fine for voltages above 7.6V when shooting with conditions as in (2).
5. With a battery pack of 6 x fully charged AA 1500mah NiMH batteries (8.4V), lock-up occured just about 20-30 shots as in (2)( at this time the voltage had been instantaneously below 7.4V). But if shooting were halted after 10 shots, the same pack would work more than 100 shots.
6. With a battery pack of 6 x new AA Alkaline cells (9.8V), the camera would lock-up after 10-15 shots. Reset the camera and I could shoot another 10-15 shots for several runs.
My suspicion is that the NP-3E(12V) cell used in D1 Mk II would be more suitable for the 20D. In this case, I don’t think the lock-up problem will ever exist.
But Canon wants the camera to be smaller and thus BP511A are being used and thus the lock-up problems. Furthermore, Canon likes us to buy the grip to get more money.
However, using 2 x BP511 with protection will reduce the shooting capability of the grip.
Would like you guys’ opinions.
Heng ”
http://onlyconnect.blogs.com/my10d/20d_experiences/index.html
Just saw this too.
DPReview, Today:
Canon offers to repair DSLR Battery Grip
Monday, 18 July 2005 08:50 GMT
Canon USA has announced that customers with the Battery Grip BG-E2 used with the EOS 20D, 20Da and EOS Digital Rebel XT (EOS 350D) and a certain serial number range can return their grip/magazine for a free repair/replacement. This is due to a cases where even with fully charged batteries (exclusive battery pack or NiMH battery) or unused AA size batteries, only a few shots can be taken or ‘bc’ is displayed immediately.
Click here for more information or call 1-800-828-4040
Release notes:
Battery Grip BG-E2 and Battery Magazine BGM-E2
- Battery Grip BG-E2
Serial Number 000001 - 096000
- Battery Magazine BGM-E2
Old type products
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0507/05071801canon_batterygrip.asp
Carl - yes, I saw that as well but most of the people experiencing error 99s (me included on both 300D and 20D) do not have battery grips.
I do, however, have two batteries: one original that came with camera and one “generic” I bought at B and H as a spare. I do not keep track of which is in the camera when the error occurs. I bought the second, spare battery for my 300D and have continued using it with my 20D.
I’ll be curious if that battery is in the camera when the error occurs. If so, maybe there’s a coincidence between the grip problem and battery issues in the camera itself.
Am I getting this correctly or is it impossible for the battery grip issue to carry over to people not using the external battery/grip?
I’ve had a 300D for six months. Error 99 has come up three times. Twice, I just turned the camera on and off and it resolved. The last time it happened, I was using the camera in an underwater housing. It worked fine the first dive, not in the second. This time I had to remove the battery and reinstall it, as the manual indicates.
Thanks for the report Amaury. Like you, I’ve not had an error 99 that wasn’t resolved by one thing or another in this list. “Rebooting” the camera and/or removing the battery seems to be a sure fire way to get back up and running. Unless of course there’s a lens issue…
Richard, from what I gathered the main culprit to induce err99 would be any condition where the voltage dropped below 7.4 volts - irregardless of the battery grip. As the poster had stated through his own tests, he could replicate the failure just by dropping the voltage down to 7.3V.
If I were to summerize what this all means, in my opinion. It sounds like maybe Canon designed the camera to use the BP511 battery to keep size/weight down but the power source is only borderline marginal in which case any myriad or combination of conditions could “tip the voltage scale” to below 7.4V. Anything like dirty contacts, old battery, certain lenses putting too much draw on the camera. That would really explain why the “L” lenses with IS would cause so many problems.
I think the battery grip just makes it even more likely to cause problems because of the extra contacts and the flexing of the grip itself. I shoot weddings with mine attached to a Pro-T flash bracket and I can tell you it puts a good deal of stress directly through the grip.
This would go a long way into explaining why it’s so hard to pinpoint the actual problem. Being a designer myself I could imagine Canon’s potential dilemma if this is the case. They couldn’t realistically modify all the existing cameras to accept a different battery and they can’t design a different battery that would fit exactly where the old one went since that would create it’s own set of problems.
FYI here is a great useful site describing battery design and function in layman’s terms if your into that sort of thing : )
“Increasing Internal Resistance
The capacity of a battery defines the stored energy - the internal resistance governs how much energy can be delivered at any given time. While a good battery is able to provide high current on demand, the voltage of a battery with elevated resistance collapses under a heavy load. Although the battery may hold sufficient capacity, the resulting voltage drop triggers the ‘low battery’ indicator and the equipment stops functioning. Heating the battery will momentarily increase the output by lowering the resistance.
A battery with high internal resistance may still perform adequately on a low current appliance such as a flashlight, portable CD player or wall clock. Digital equipment, on the other hand, draw heavy current bursts.”
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-31.htm
I recall people seemed to experience more problems when the ambient temperature is low also - another indicator - “heating the battery will momentarily increase the output by lowering the resistance”.
Bottomline, to me it sounds like when it comes to power, the camera is just slightly above optimal when everything is PERFECT.
I’d be really curious to see if someone who has a constant problem with their Canon 70-200 f2.8 “IS” lens for example, has the same problems while using the AC power adapter?
Right, IS lenses are battery drainers and so would put the voltage theory to the test. I had a 28-135 IS and noticed my battery drained a bit faster when I had the IS turned on (I did not use it all the time and eventually sold the lens).
I’ve had so few problems with this that my interest is less in desperation and more simple curiosity to see if a number of people, reading a thread and experimenting can come up with a solid theoretical answer, or group of answers.
Hi All,
I have a 10D that I have had for about a year and using a Sigma 24-70 2.8 EX Flawlessly never an error, Now, Knowing that there is an Issue with some “Older” Sigma Lenses and the Digital EOS bodies, But going on my awesome results with the 24-70 2.8 I went ahead and bought a used Sigma 50mm EX Macro (ebay) a “Newer” Sigma lens supposedly compatible with the Digital bodies, well I am now getting the Error 99 for the first time, Just like another poster, it works wide open but locks the camera up when I try to stop it down.
I am also having the same problem with a Sigma 170-500(ebay) and I called Sigma before I bought this lens to see if it would work and I was told that it would,,,Well, It Does Not ..! Error 99 …. So I called Sigma earlier today and spoke to a Tech. I was told that it is an issue with communication between the lens software and the camera software and they have the fix I was instructed to send both lenses in to Sigma service for the fix, At the cost of being without my Lenses for 3 to 4 weeks plus shipping both ways.
Why should we have to go through this? I can assure you that Canon knew this before the release of their DSLR’s knowing full well that there are thousands of Sigma and Tokina lenses in use on EOS Film bodies…Owners of witch are the target market for these DSLR’s. And knowing this was going to be an issue,
This is just Bad Customer Relations and Poor Engineering Canon. Minolta is looking better all the time!
Thanx for listening
Dan
Dan: it’s not quite that simple (I don’t think). My guess is that it’s very much like what happens when a company like Apple or Microsoft puts out a new OS version: sometimes 3rd party software not quite written to spec (following all the guidelines they made public) breaks.
I own nothing but Canon lenses and I’ve gotten error 99s with them so it’s not just a matter of Sigma or Tamron not being compatible; there are communication issues with all kinds of lenses and for a variety of reasons with a variety of results.
It’s true, Canon probably (I don’t know this for sure) could continue to support older lenses forever by making the newer cameras’ firmware “inclusive” but there is probably a hardware limit on how far back they can go. Again, I’m not sure about this at all.
If this were a ploy to get us to buy more Canon brand lenses and fewer Sigmas, then it would not be happening with Canon brand lenses but in fact it is.
It would be great if Canon issued a public statement about this to let us know that they know there’s a problem (or problems) and they’re working on it. Well, they did just recall the battery grip so maybe this other issue will come up next. Thanks for your comment.
Here is the Responce I got from Canon
Thank you for contacting Canon product support. We value you as a Canon
customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We are sorry to
hear that your EOS 10D displays an “ERR 99″ message.
Occasionally, third party lenses can cause the error you’ve described.
If you are using an EF series Canon lens, please remove the lens and
clean the lens contacts with a pencil eraser. We also suggest that you
remove and replace the battery; ensure that the battery is fully
charged. If the error persists, we suggest testing the camera with a
different EF series Canon lens. Should the error persist with a
different lens, then the camera body itself will need to be examined.
We regret this inconvenience.
Sure clears that up ….?
Ugh. Back to square one: my original post. Sheesh, one would think they’d have learned a few things in the months since that post. Just reading this thread alone would help.
Hi, Just to add:-
Canon 20d + sigma 18~50mm and sigma 70~300mm
any of the above works well, no error messages at all.
Just bought a sigma uc zoom 70~210mm, BANG!! ERR 99
Put the other lenses back on……..Sweet as a nut!!!
i`m baffled???
ken
Ken: Just out of curiosity, what’s the speed of the Sigma 70-300 vs the speed of the Sigma 70-210? Could it be that the higher speed lens is the issue? Just gussing, I have no clue really.
I just received a new EOS 350D after error 99 occured both on my brand new one and one other camera in the store.
The dealer contacted Canon about this and they said it is something that happens occasionally.
The new camera seams to be working fine : we took +/- 100 pictures with it and so far no problems. I hope it stays like this …
Cindy: What kind of lens(s) are you using? Did you get the “kit” 18-55 lens with it or are you using another?
Richard and Cindy … When I was looking at the Sigma 70-210 I called Sigma to see if it was one of the lenses that would work with the 10D They asked for the Serial Number They told me that that Lens Would Not work with the DSLR and could Not be re-Chiped thats why I spent 700.00 on the 70-200 EX So you may want to call Sigma on that one Cindy….
Hi guys, I’ve recently found this thread and have read with interest all the thougts on possible causes all of which seem quite plausible. I bought a 20D here in the UK a few months ago after twenty years of sterling service from my trusty A1 and have had two Err99 scenarios, not bad compared with many as I’ve taken getting on for 3000 shots so far! Both were with the same lens (Tamron 18-200 XR Di II Macro) and, in both cases, the error occurred at the end of a sequence using the power drive (or whatever it’s called with digital) and the AI Servo switched on.
I can’t recall the settings that I was using the first time as it happened not long after I’d bought the camera and I assumed at the time that it was caused by my lack of expertise with a digital camera. However, with the most recent instance a couple of weeks ago I know that I had the camera set on Av at f11, ISO800 and the shots that survived were at a shutter speed of around 1/2000, so mid range in all aspects.
As far as power is concerned I do have the battery grip with two well-charged BP-511A batteries fitted, although in the first case it was before the grip had arrived and I was just using the normal setup, which tends to eliminate the grip in my case. Again it’s unlikely to be bad contacts as both the camera and the lens are new and I tend to leave the Tamron on the camera most of the time, only changing to my 60mm Macro for really close-up work once or twice a month. [Incidentally, I also have the Sigma 70-300mm referred to by Ken and have had no problems using this at full zoom with continuous drive/AI Servo].
All this seems to confirm the general view that the problem is with the interface between the lens and camera; I’m not expert enough to be able to take it any further than that. However, although I would like to see a resolution for what is to me a minor inconvenience (so far, am I going to regret saying that?), I have to say that I am very pleased with my 20D overall, a very impressive piece of kit.
Tony: I agree, the 20D is a great “piece of kit” and so far, for me, this has been a minor thing that’s happened only a few times. I never got stuck in it and always got back to shooting by resetting the camera. However, I do not have any lenses other than Canon brand and it seems that people with Sigma and Tamron are expiencing a bit more of this.
I would not want to listen in on the phone conversations going on between Canon and these lens companies these days. Gad.
Thanks all for all of your suggestion. I did however try everything, several times, and to no avail. My 350D has gone back to Canon to be repaired. Actually I sent it to Colchester Camera Repairs as they claim to have on average a 10 day turn around compared to Canon’s 28 days - or longer. It could be worse, had I bought it thru Jessops it would be anything up to 2 months?
Not really sure what caused the ERR99 but it seemed to have been set off by the flash. No amount of battery removal, testing new cards or fiddly use of pencil rubber resolved the nuisance error. I am really hoping this is not going to be a trend with the 350d as I have put a lot of money into the purchase. Fingers crossed etc.
Charlie, dang, sorry that happened. I’m beginning to have less and less of a clue but I’m not having any errors and I switch lenses (all Canon) often.
I recieved the 350D yesterday afternoon. Charged the battery, put the lens, 1gb card, and the battery, Right from the first click err99.
Called canon tech, said this would be a problem with the lens, tried a Tamron Lens, with no luck.
Changed the CF card, no way, the only thing i have not tried is the battery, i dont know if that will make any difference.
What I have noticed though is that, the lens does not focus, in AE mode, even when in M mode i still get the err99.
Seems like general electronic problem.
This is after I posted the earlier message:
Got my brand new Rebel XT yesterday, out of the box err99. Perfect.
So I called Canon again and this time the Tech person took me through the trouble shooting.
1. Remove the Card
2. remove the Lens
3. Remove the Battery
4. Remove the Date battery
5. Clean the Lens contacts with the pencil eraser
6. Put back the Date battery.
7. Put back the Battery.
(No lens, No Card)
switch on the camera, and take a few pictures (in my case i still got the err99) this determines that the body is a problem and not the lens or the card, hmmm.
I guess, if you do not get the err99, without the lens or the card, I would continue with the card and see what happens, if lucky, continue with the lens.
Anyway, the conclusion, is err99 is an unknown or unspecific error, it will come up whenever there is an unusual problem.
All the best.
Hanif: exactly right. Error 99 is a general piece of feedback for “problem” and it doesn’t help us pinpoint where the problem is.
Resetting the camera (battery out) will get you back in business but you may create the same problem again. The camera ought to give us some feedback about what the problem is:
battery low
card not seated correctly
lens communication issue
etc.
Hopefully a firmware update will help. Hopefully.
Hello there.
I bought a 300D last week. It was second hand, but appeared to be in very good condition. I tried a couple of lenses (28-105 and 75-30