C300: C300mk3 died completely

Adam J McKay

Adam J McKay

Veteran
I am shooting down in the Cayman Islands currently. We got our c300mk3 a few weeks back and was working great. The other day while shooting, it started acting strange I.E buttons not functioning as it should, would not record etc. So I powered down the camera and it would not turn back on. There were no overheating warnings, the camera was not in direct sun and it was not an overly hot day. We tried everything to get it to power on again and nothing worked. So now we have had to send it back to Canon U.S for service which is unfortunate. I will update once we here back next week on what happened.
 
If you already had to send it in once - which, IMO, is pretty rare for most people to send their Canon cameras in for service - that specific body is most likely shot in more ways than one.
 
Yikes! By any chance are you shooting near the water? I reckon it wouldn't take much salty ocean spray to kill a camera like that.
 
Everything in the Caymans in near the water, but we were not shooting close enough to receive any mist etc. This is also marketed as a cinema/documentary camera so even if we were, that is a problem in my eyes.
 
Got an update from Canon. They said the main board is fried, they did not tell me why or how, but it is covered under warranty which makes me believe it could not have been any water damage or condensation. We shall see once we get it back if there are any more details.
 
UPDATE: Canon VA "repaired" the camera. They said it needed a new motherboard because it was completely fried. They did not say what happened, or what they think happened. The camera was gone for almost a month and we just got it back. Drum roll, they did not fix the camera. The camera does in fact power on, but the monitor no longer works and when powered off via the switch, it will not power off. So now we have to send it back to Canon again and we may get it back just in time to wrap out and fly home to Canada..Where our camera is not covered by any warranty in our own country because we bought it in America. What a terrible experience with Canon.
 
If that's really true - in the sense of that there was no bizarre miscommunication between both parties - that's really maddening.

For an $11K camera in 2021 they should have sent out a [new] replacement to keep/exchange after reading the initial e-mail.
 
That's disappointing. I'd have figured Canon would be amongst the most supportive.

I had a funny experience with my Red and a Beachtek XLR adapter where my I/O system was fried. Sending the components back to each respective company involved a lot of finger pointing to each other and at me. Fortunately, after all was said and done, the engineers discovered an issue with the Beachtek design where very specific circumstances would short the I/O plate.

In the end I got a free replacement for both parts but I count that amongst the few times where my problems were resolved quickly and satisfactorily by manufacturers.
 
Another UPDATE: Sent to Canon in California because VA was garbage. They have now come to the conclusion that it was water damage and it is not being covered under warranty despite the other repair centre saying nothing of water damage and replacing the motherboard. This camera was never in the rain or even close to any ocean spray. So condensation is the only option as to how any water could get in there. Which is insane to me. The C200 which a colleague has down here has been working fine for years, I have shot with the c300mk2 in the rain, heat, cold and never failed. Less than a week of shooting here and it is fried from water damage? I am both so angry and confused.
 
You need to have your Canon USA dealer help you with the warranty denial for the C300 Mark III.

Also, Canon's CarePak Pro Extended Warranty does cover water damage. CarePak is only available to Canon USA customers.
 
Okay thanks for that. Can we still purchase the carepak if it is currently with Canon service? It is still within the 90 day window? We bought it from B&H even though we are a Canadian company. Canon's lack of North American coverage has been a nightmare.
 
Update: B&H said there is nothing they can do. Canon is saying it is somehow our fault and there is no way that Canon VA could have replaced the board without noticing the water damage, despite there being zero notes from Canon VA about water damage and them fixing it under warranty. There was also no fedex claim or mention of wet or damaged packaging on arrival in California, so somebody is lying. Canon officially has the worst customer service I have ever dealt with.
 
Crazy stuff. Reminds me of one of those rare horror stories that you randomly come across when researching expensive gear. Couldn't get much worse.
 
It has not been a good experience. By far the worst experience I have ever had dealing with any of the major camera companies. Lesson Learned.
 
If I recall correctly, this “international boundary service problem” sounds very similar to an issue someone had several years ago with a 1DC while they were shooting in Mexico(?).
 
Update: After weeks of back and forth, Canon California finally agreed to fix the problem that Canon VA said they fixed but did not. We should have the camera back in our possession just in time to wrap production and fly back to Canada... What a pleasurable experience.
 
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