Canon Charges $359.00 + Shipping for Cleaning

Dino

Dino

Veteran
This is disappointing because dust between sensor and ND filters seems to be fairly common with the C300 due to air intakes at bottom of body. So, our C300 PL, which is used primarily in corporate environments, is out of service for at least a week, losing rental revenue, plus repair and shipping costs.

If this is a design flaw, the question is, how many times will this reoccur? How much is the cleaning charge after the camera is out of warranty?

Another rental house owner told me that Canon charges $489.00 in warranty, plus shipping, for the "Fan Sensor Fault" error display. What exactly is the point of having a factory warranty with Canon?

Canon emailed me asking for a credit card number or to be sent a check before repairs could begin. Once they ran the card, the site showed a possible seven day repair time period. This is not exactly my idea of broadcast/Cine support. Hopefully a cleaning will take less time.

I guess we need to look at the extra cost Canon service programs to see if they are worthwhile. I've never felt the need to do this with any other camera manufacturer and have been spoiled by fast turnaround, free warranty service from Panasonic(whose P2 cameras come with a 3-5 year warranty). Of course, we will also be evaluating whether we intend to keep the C300 beyond the warranty period and whether or not we'll buy another Canon camera for rental inventory going forward.
 
So the one year charge for the Canon PPS Support Pack is $999.00. I would recommend that anybody purchasing a C300 apply their rebate to this program, it's the only way to get a proper level of pro support for an expensive investment. However, repair costs are only reduced by 20%, it seems. I'm going to have to review all the fine print on my factory warranty and this PPS Support Pack now.
 
With all the competition out there (the C300 just got some more from the F5) you would think making support as easy and simple as possible is the best way to retain customers.
 
Will be interesting to see if anyone else has had these issues happen to them.

Your justified in being frustrated because that isn't good support from Canon for a very expensive product.
 
This is all good information. No problems with my C300 to this point hope it stays that way. Canon needs to get on the ball and stand behind their gear.
 
You can send your C300 to either Irvine or Hollywood.....for Hollywood, they would like a phone call to either set up an appointment to bring it in or to get instructions on shipping it in. We've had a few clients comment that the parts were quite inexpensive compared to what they've dealt with in the past from other manufacturers. As for the Support packages, I've never been a fan of extended warranties but I do like service contracts like what Canon is offering. Basically, a service contract is a bet between you and the manufacturer....you are betting that there are going to be service issues with your camera....you dropped it, something hit it, someone put a CF card in wrong, someone tweaked the screw hole your Noga arm was connected to, you bumped a cable connector, etc. They are betting that nothing will happen. What they are offering is basically unlimited trips to the doctor, a discount on parts, quick or priority turnaround, and a loaner if you need one. Many here in LA are taking advantage of the program by signing up.

Jim Martin
Filmtools.com
 
Being a C300 owner I'd love to know the details of how to sign up for the Canon Support package. Jim can you provide any information on that? Is it available for those of us who took delivery of the camera in May of this year?
 
Thanks for the info Jim. I think what surprised me, besides having a non-user serviceable dust issue with a camera used primarily in corporate environments, is that the Canon Cinema EOS support doesn't seem to be much different than a Canon DSLR model. Yes, there is a Hollywood facility, but not being in the LA area makes this a non-feature. I'm frankly unimpressed with the prospect of having to spend another $1K for one year to get what I consider to be normal broadcast/Cine product warranty service.
 
My C300 sucked in dust particles and here in the UK it was serviced under warranty. Apparently the whole front end of the camera was replaced. It's really bad form if Canon have decided to start charging for this service as it's definitely a design flaw.

I need to send mine in again due to a noisy fan, hopefully they'll sort that under warranty as well.
 
jagstang said:
My C300 sucked in dust particles and here in the UK it was serviced under warranty. Apparently the whole front end of the camera was replaced. It's really bad form if Canon have decided to start charging for this service as it's definitely a design flaw.

I need to send mine in again due to a noisy fan, hopefully they'll sort that under warranty as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks both Jeff and Paul. This is not right - charging for a design flaw on a camera that was not exactly "underpriced" from it's inception. Please keep us posted.
 
Im a touch confused. My C300 has been in some dusty places - frightening actually at points, never had anything sucked up into the vents onto the sensor. It was my understanding that the vents themselves are sealed away from the internal electronics. Can anyone confirm this?
 
Update: Camera has been returned from Canon in Irvine, Ca. "Your product has been examined and it was found that there was a foreign object in the part. The ND filter assembly was replaced."

This makes me wonder if the ND filter assembly had the "foreign object" from delivery? I'm assuming it's a sealed system, but strange that it wasn't seen earlier.

If this is an issue from manufacture, this makes me feel better vs. dust being sucked in by the bottom vents, since that could be a recurring issue. Although, if a manufacturing defect, makes me more unimpressed about paying $359.00 to have it corrected.

The Canon normal factory warranty covers parts, but not labor. I guess the labor warranty is only for 3 months? Have to read the fine print. Spoiled by Panasonic's 3-5 year P2 camera warranty.
 
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Got an email from a DP friend who's shooting in Liberia with his C300. He said he has debris on his sensor, can't stop down below f5.6. This is an issue that I would like Canon to speak to and soon.
 
James, I'm assuming you posted your Canon sponsored BTS Afghanistan piece in this thread to show that you haven't had dust issues with your C300 in a very dusty environment? That's pretty amazing, but doesn't mitigate the experiences with dust on C300 sensors outlined on multiple forums by myself and other owners, nor compensate me for lost rentals, shots affected by debris or repair costs and shipping expenses.

And, yes, I love the imagery you've captured with the C300 and your skill set, as I've said before on another forum--great work!
 
You are right. I was just curious about the dust issue once I started reading this thread, and just through that in, in case anyone was curious. However, I do sympathize with you, and believe that is Canon wants to be charging top dollar and cinema grade, they need to get their act together. Personally, I'd rather they came down in price, but since they aren't, they should be doing better.
 
I was about to order a Canon C300 and use the 0% lease finance. But.... these issues of poor Canon support and issues of additional charges for the financing have me rethinking the whole thing. The fine print in the lease reads that you must accept additional insurance from their company even if you have your own professional insurance coverage for equipment. I am more concerned about them not responding to some of these issues under the warranty though. Not sure the purchase is worth it and may go on renting.

Too many new cameras in the wings.
 
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