Hulett House - April 2009 | Canon 5D Mk. II and 70-200mm f/4L IS lens @ 144mm | Exposed 1/100 sec. @ f/6.3, ISO 800.

A brief history of CPS

While I believe that customer service should be important to all businesses great and small, it’s clear that it isn’t always the case.  So when a company does something for one of its customers that is above and beyond all expectations, it’s a good feeling.  It’s also something that should be recognized by the end customer and held up as an example of loyalty-earning service.  There was a lot of complaining two years ago, when Canon Professional Services transitioned into a fee-based, tiered program.

I recall a few people asking why they should have to pay for “better service,” and I scratched my head.  The airlines have had a tiered fee structure for years: pay the base rate and sit in coach, but pay them several dollars more, sit in business class, and get better service.  Pay even larger sums, and sit in first class with an even greater level of service.  I had only been a member of CPS for a year when they changed up the program, but I have to say that I’ve seen only improvements in the past two years.  Sure, Nikon Professional Services doesn’t charge (yet), but that’s in part because they’ve cut costs by firing some of their beloved NPS representatives, such as Carol Fisher, who used to represent Nikon at photojournalism programs such as the University of Missouri.

So, for the past two years I’ve paid $100 per year and received a discount of 30% on repairs plus several equipment loans for evaluation.

The problem

So what is this all about?  Last week I sent in my 550 EX Speedlite that I damaged in a shoot for my Advanced Techniques class in my second semester at MU.  It’s sat on a shelf for close to two years after I melted its diffuser from an hour of firing at 1:1 on manual.  Before asking, the answer is that I wasn’t thinking at the time.  One of the last photographs that the flash helped me to make is at the top of this post.  Both of my 550 EX flashes were mounted on light stands and firing against the white walls of the mixed martial-arts gym, Hulett House.  Of course an hour of shooting at full power will do bad things.  But how bad?

550EX test before CPS repair: damaged flash is labeled "B". Note that the identical units are zoomed to 35mm and firing at 1/16 power. Canon 7D and 16-35mm f/2.8L II lens @ 27mm | Exposed 1/100 sec. @ f/4, ISO 100

While behaving normally under E-TTL II mode, my 550EX that I had labeled “B” (for grouping purposes in wireless flash with the Canon ST-E2 transmitter) would only fire on full power in manual mode.  The photo above shows just how badly the Speedlite had been damaged: both are supposed to be firing at 1/16 power, but the only one doing that is the flash on the left.  So, after two years of my 550EX “B” Speedlite working only as a paperweight, I decided to send it in to CPS to be repaired and then sell it to recoup the cost of the repair.

An aside:

I have an odd hang up about broken gear: ultimately, I’d rather fix it and sell it to someone to recoup the repair costs than to let it rot on the shelf indefinitely.  This is what I did a few years ago when I bought an Olympus 21mm lens off of eBay that turned out to be woefully scratched.  I sent it into a man out in Colorado who gave it a new lens coating and then sold it, barely making up for the cost of the lens plus its repair.

Resolution

Refurbished Canon 580 EX Mk. II Speedlite from CPS

Last Thursday I packed up the 550 EX and shipped it FedEx to Canon’s Newport News, Virginia factory service center.  One of the things I’ve come to appreciate about living in North Carolina is that FedEx Ground will get a package to Canon overnight.  On Friday I approved the repair that was estimated to cost far less than I had mentally prepared for: only $77.

On Monday morning I received an e-mail that the factory was out of parts to repair the (discontinued) 550 EX, so they would be replacing it…with a 580 EX Mk. II Speedlite!  I am completely convinced this would not have happened had I not been a member of Canon Professional Services.

Today, my Canon-refurbished 580 EX Mk. II arrived…and it doesn’t have a scratch on it.  Sure, am I excited that I received a flash that retails for more than $450 by paying $77 and trading in my old unit?  Absolutely.  But it would have been far easier for Canon to tell me that they don’t have parts any more and simply ship my old flash back to me in its damaged state.  This is the kind of thing that makes me think twice about ever switching brands–my loyalty has been earned with time, but it was renewed once more this afternoon when the package arrived.

Well done, Canon.  Kudos on raising the bar for CPS!

Content © 2011 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Updates | Tags: Canon 550 EX, Canon 580 EX II, Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D, equipment, photojournalism, repairs

Mode dial lock modification - image from usa.canon.com

What?

Canon is now offering to modify 5D Mark II and 7D camera bodies with a mode dial that locks in place to prevent the dial from moving accidentally.  Unfortunately, it’s not free of charge: $100 per camera body.

Why?

You know the frustration: you’ve set your camera to “aperture priority” and then you sling it over your shoulder.  You pick it back up to make a quick image and suddenly the viewfinder blacks out far longer than you expected.  A second-long exposure in bright daylight?  “Oh, ” you realize, “it slipped over to shutter priority which was set for making blurs.”  But the decisive moment?  It’s long since gone on account of a technical problem.

I’m going to make a broad-spectrum criticism here: the mode dials on pretty much every camera suck because most of them do not lock in any way, shape, or form.  Nikon locks the “sub-dial” beneath the mode dial on many of their bodies, but even they are not blameless.

Time to celebrate?

Maybe.  I own both bodies, and I’m not really thrilled at the thought of contributing $200 into Canon’s coffers for something that is really a fix, not a “modification.”  And I’m disappointed that there’s no suggestion that a locking mode dial will be a standard feature of future camera bodies.  Finally, a mod for the 5D Mk. II really gives me pause: this camera was announced over two years ago, so shouldn’t owners be looking for its replacement, not pouring more money into the existing body?

I think this one is worthy of discussion, so what do you think?

Content © 2010 David Kennedy | View Original Post | 2 comments | Filed under Announcements | Tags: Canon, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D, equipment, repairs

Canon 24-70mm lens and repair paperwork | Panasonic G1 and Olympus 17mm f/2.8 lens; exposed 1/25 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 400. | Color corrected with X-Rite Color-checker Passport

Background

In my Lightroom library, 5,824 photographs were captured with my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lens that I purchased  in the summer of 2005.  While the actual numbers of images made with the lens are certainly higher (I delete a fair amount), it is the most used lens that I have.  The second place honor goes to my 50mm f/1.4, with 1,856, and third runner up is the 400mm f/4 DO IS lens and its combinations with the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters.

Because of the heavy use that my 24-70 receives, I had become concerned that it was getting a little worn.  While cosmetically it looks fantastic–better than camera bodies that have been used less–I noticed that the zoom was a little “stiff” sometimes, one of the mounting flanges was a little dog-eared, and I wondered about the effectiveness of the rubber seal after all of this time.  This lens has been to Africa, the Galapagos, and all over the United States.  It’s been exposed to blowing sand, blizzards, and rainstorms.  It’s banged against countless door frames and walls as its hung on my camera body, slung over a shoulder.

Along with my 1D IIN, it survived the downpour that sent my 50mm to the repair shop this past fall.  My 400mm DO actually went in for a repair in 2007 when its image stabilizer died in Kenya, and the 50mm was inspected and repaired in October.  But I had two vouchers for Canon to clean and inspect my gear for free that were due to expire this coming March, and they were burning a hole in my filing cabinet, so to speak.

I received the vouchers as part of re-upping on Canon Professional Services last year, and did not think much of them at the time.  I’ve had these clean & check vouchers in teh past, and let them lapse without using them.  However, something told me that my semester of working for the Columbia Missourian had strained a lot of my gear.  So, as soon as Christmas was over, I packed up my 1D IIN and my 24-70 and shipped them off to Canon’s facility in Jamesburg.  I figured that the worst that would happen is that Canon would clean my 1D’s sensor for free.

Continued after the jump!

A Pleasant Surprise

Canon received my body and lens on New Year’s Eve and sent confirmation of their arrival that day, along with follow-up e-mails that the equipment received would be “cleaned and checked.”  I did not hear from them for a couple of days, until shipping notices were sent and the body arrived on Tuesday, 5 January.  The lens arrived the next day.  Evidently, there was more going on with both pieces than I realized.

The 1D IIN received a new hot shoe, as well as having its shutter, exposure meter, and focusing re-calibrated.  The new, shiny black hot shoe on top looks strangely out of place given how scuffed the rest of it really is!

My 24-70 apparently received more of a personal touch.  The entire lens mount was replaced, as well as the rubber o-ring that makes the weather seal with the 1D series cameras.  Additionally, its focusing was re-calibrated.  The new mount also means that it has a new serial number–I’ll have to let Chubb insurance know of the change ASAP.

And the cost?  $20 to ship the two items (fully insured) FedEx Ground to Jamesburg, N.J.  Pretty cheap for a replaced hot shoe, lens mount, and all of the labor.

Upshot

At least partly because of the University of Missouri’s relationship with Nikon, I feel that I frequently hear some biased comments directed at Canon’s service.  And what I will say is this: my beef is with the designers of the equipment at Canon, but the support staff have not let me down.  I know of at least one colleague who cannot say the same–her 24-70 was effectively lost by Nikon for close to five months, and they did not send her a replacement while they attempted to find it.

Joe McNally came to campus, and I remember him (somewhat) jokingly saying that it was “OK”–I could confide in him my Canon service horror stories.  Sorry Joe, but I still don’t have any to share!

Content © 2010 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Updates | Tags: Canon, repairs

What I didn’t mention much in my previous posting was the sad state of my 1D II N’s viewfinder.  It completely fogged up after coming home, and I immediately began to kick myself for not sealing it in a plastic bag before taking it inside, as the viewfinder had not been a problem–had not been fogged up–before bringing it in.  Absolutely brain-dead stupid!!!

1D II N with rear viewfinder cover plate / convex lens removed.

Anyone who knows me well knows that one of my greatest personality flaws is my impatience.  When I want something to work, I want it to work right now.  I also have a tendency to tinker with the electronics that I own; when they stop working and they’re within warranty, I’ll send them in for repairs.  Why not?  But when something is long-since out of warranty, I have the proper tools, and the fix looks like something anyone can do, why should I spend lots of money to FedEx the product to the manufacturer to have them do exactly what I could have done, and have them bill me for it?

Story continued after the jump!

Rear cover / convex lens plate removed from my 1D II N.

The 1D II N is a weather-sealed (not water-proof, but very water-resistant) camera body, so I was surprised that as much moisture penetrated the viewfinder assembly as it did–the fogging was VERY intense–it was essentially opaque.  I tried placing the body in a pillowcase and running a hair-dryer in it, but that did nothing to help the situation.  So, I lad the back of the body on a bed of rice overnight, hoping that it clear up as did the cell phone and lens.  However, this was not the case.  I began to think that the simplest thing would be to pop the back plate off of the viewfinder so that dry air could penetrate inside and clear up the problem.

Enter the best toolkit ever:

Wiha System 4 toolkit outfitted with a few "extras."

A couple of years ago, Artie Morris recommended to me what he espoused was the best toolkit a photographer could have.  Once I bought one, I realized he was right.  The Wiha System 4 toolkit provides six slotted and four Philips screwdrivers as well as an anti-static screwdriver handle.  It all comes in a compact case, which leaves plenty of room to pack it with some other essential items: a hex key for the Arca-Swiss-style quick release plates, the Torx keys for my Gitzo tripod and monopod, needle-point sharp forceps (for grabbing lint from the mirror box of my cameras), forceps designer to hold small screws, and a small tube of blue Loc-Tite thread-locker to hold screws so they won’t accidentally work themselves back out when I put back together the various products with which I am tinkering / repairing.  Because you should always return something in better condition than the way that you found it.

I just needed the two smallest Philips screwdrivers to remove the six screws that held in place what is possibly the most weakly-sealed part on the 1D II N.

The Wiha System-4 kit comes with six slotted and four Philips screwdriver tips. Perfect for working with the small screws found in cameras, lenses, and accessories.

After 12 hours sitting in a Ziploc container full of rice, the rear viewfinder was finally de-fogged and good-as-new.  Of course, I think the worst case scenario would have been calling Canon’s parts department and ordering a replacement.  But I’m happy that it didn’t come to that!

All dried up!

Content © 2009 David Kennedy | View Original Post | Comment | Filed under Updates | Tags: Canon, condensation, EOS 1D Mark II N, fog, moisture, repairs, viewfinder

Memorial Stadium in the pouring rain. The Nebraska Huskers beat the Missouri Tigers in a last-minute comeback in the 4th quarter to win 27-12 on Thursday, October 8, 2009 in Columbia, Mo. / Canon 1D II N and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens @ 42mm; Exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/5.6, ISO 1600

This evening I spent a solid two hours in the pouring rain to photograph fans outside of Memorial Stadium before tonight’s football game.  In particular, my editors wanted a photo for Vox Magazine that would illustrate the tremendous amount of refuse and recycling generated by the tailgaters to football games.  Too bad that the assignment seems to have killed my 50mm f/1.4′s autofocus, and possibly my cell phone!

More after the jump

Amidst the tailgators in rain. Canon 1D II N and 50mm f/1.4 lens; exposed 1/125 sec. @ f/1.4, ISO 800.

I believe this was one of the very last in-focus pictures made with my 50mm f/1.4.  That is, one of the last sharp pictures made using autofocus.  I had completely forgotten that this prime lens–one of my favorites, really–is not weather-sealed in any fashion.  That is lasted as long as it did in pouring rain (close to an hour) is somewhat miraculous.

While I had my 5D Mark II with my, there was no way that I was going to take it out of the bag in these conditions.  In fact, I regretted not leaving it in the trunk of my car.  Enough 5D II’s died in Antarctica with Michael Reichmann’s tour that I am wary to use it in any kind of precipitation.  It’s not a weather-sealed body.  That simple.  Oh, yes, and it’s $2,700.  Once upon a time, that would have bought almost TWO 1V bodies.  Moving on.

Exodus in the rain. Canon 1D II N and 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens @ 32mm; exposed 1/60 sec. @ f/4, ISO 800.

After the premature death of an old friend, I switched to the 24-70, which I knew was weather-sealed, especially on the 1D II N.  I made the image above, which I actually thought the most successful of the evening: an empty tent in the parking lot by the Hearnes Center where the owners’ had abandoned their digs for their seats in the rain down on Faurot Field.  The stadium lights cast the shadows of passers-by on the plastic walls of the tent, including the shadows of these two people who were carrying their umbrellas.

Walking past the scene of the incident. Canon 1D II N and 24-70mm f/2.8 L @ 24mm; exposed 1/20 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Finally, I found a situation I thought illustrated the idea of trash / recylcing / messes post-tailgating.  I decided to have some fun with it, and switched to shutter priority to make some blurs of the people walking by to get to their seats at Memorial Stadium.  A lot of people called to me “great picture!” in jest, but I was happy because I had found the right situation that would let me go home!

A Canon 50mm f/1.4 coated in Riceland Rice inside a Ziploc container.

If L.D. Brantley ever reads this, I want him to know that I tried to revive my lens using his rice, farmed in my Dad’s home town of England, Ark.  It took care of the fogging just fine, but unfortunately the autofocus is still dead.  Off to Canon Professional Services it shall go in the morning!

UPDATE:

The rice “trick” worked well for my cell phone. I had to take it apart and expose pretty much all of its interior to the hydrophilic rice, but damn if it didn’t bring it back to life.

SECOND UPDATE:

My 50mm lens is now repaired, just one week later, for $60 plus the $15 to ship it FedEx 2Day to the Canon Jamesburg facility.  Glad to have it back!

Content © 2009 David Kennedy | View Original Post | 2 comments | Filed under Columbia Missourian, Cutting Room Floor, Updates | Tags: football, photography, problems, rain, repairs, tailgating, wet

Ever since that event, I’ve been far more aware of the condition of all of my Canon TC’s and extension tubes.  I noticed shortly thereafter that my 1.4x II TC’s locking pin began to engage only half of the time.  Pushing the lever forward would force it to work, but did not constitute a fix.  Finally, I sent it to Canon Jamesburg at the very end of April and had it repaired for $70.00.  However, the fix did not last!

This November at Bosque del Apache I noticed that the locking pin was developing the problem that Canon repaired at the end of the spring.  It had been six months and three weeks: three weeks outside of Canon’s warranty on all repairs.  The good news–and kudos to Canon–is that sending it in with a letter explaining the problem, and a copy of the dated invoice from the repair in April, led them to repair the TC free of charge.

Just let it serve as a warning: if anything is not working as it should, and it is of enough concern that you need to remind yourself whenever using it to exercise caution because it could break, just get it fixed!  The last thing you want is to lose a $4000 camera body because you didn’t want to pay for a $70 repair.

Content © 2007 David Kennedy | View Original Post | One comment | Filed under Updates | Tags: Canon, locking pins, problems, repairs, tele extender, teleconverter, warnings