Fuse Blown -- C300 Dead

K

Kholi

Section Moderator
Just got a text this morning from a friend shooting with the C300.

Fuse Blown because he didn't turn the camera off while switching EF lenses on a job.

Can't really fault him, personally, I never turn a camera off when switching glass but I could see that happening.

Anyone else have this happen?
 
This was touched on during the Q&A at the Canon event on Monday evening in Hollywood as there is one documented case of this occurring while using Zeiss ZE glass that has been making the intertube rounds. The C300 manual specifically states to turn off the camera before changing any lens, but it's most important when using third party glass like Zeiss ZE or others as they have areas that are more prone to cross-contact connection during mounting and unmounting. EF lenses should theoretically not be prone to this issue, but it's always better to be safe and turn off the camera. I don't understand why anyone would think that there is no risk in hot-swapping lenses that have electronic connections to the camera body. Better to be safe and shut down beforehand, especially since the boot-up time is only a matter of a few seconds.

Of course, I got in the habit of this during the early days of photography on DSLR's when it was theorized that a charged (powered on) sensor would attract dust. May be a bogus theory, but at least the habit stuck!
 
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Yeah, definitely better to be safe. Most people won't turn the camera off to change glass, and honestly no matter how many seconds it takes to boot up it's inconvenient to have to do that every time you want to switch. But, I guess that's just part of the camera's operation.
 
I'm kinda glad it has fuses, actually!

There are a couple threads on Reduser asking why their cams don't have any fuses... mostly guys who plugged the RED LCD in using a cable with bent pins - and next thing they knew, they had a $5000 repair bill for circuits in the cam!

That's a bit of a special case though, since Red sends power and data on the same cable (so you can really mess things up if one pin gets connected to the other by mistake...)

But yeah... I like fuses!

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
Question?
As most "fuses" are replaceable, I suspect that the C300 is fixable. That this was only a minor incident?
Its a problem in that people cant always remember "step-by-step" procedures when midst filming... but if its protected with an easily serviceable fuse, then i think its more of a minor issue.
An after thought: sorta odd, considering that at this level... and the type of camera it is, one of the strongest reasons for using these is due to the interchangeability and flexibility of lenses during production... one would think, changing lenses and having a fuse blown feels like an Achilles heal in your production day-to-day use.
 
I know we all love to complain, but seriously - the C300 boots up in 4 seconds. Turn it off, change your lens, turn it on. It's one switch, and all your settings will be identical to what they were when you turned it off. Once you or your AC have turned it on, the camera will be ready to shoot before you are.

Also, keep in mind that Canon has stated that you are far more likely to run into this issue when using third party lenses than with EOS lenses. The only documented case that I'm aware of the specifics about was using Zeiss ZE.

Of course, this is only an issue with the C300 EF, and lenses that have electronic contacts. The PL mount version you can hot swap all day long and you'll be at no risk.
 
The camera may start up that fast but under dual recording the cards (64GB SanDisk) take a good 5-10 seconds longer to become available. This is significant when shooting events / run & gun.

Nevertheless, it looks like I will now be turning off every time.
 
daihard said:
Question?
As most "fuses" are replaceable, I suspect that the C300 is fixable. That this was only a minor incident?
Its a problem in that people cant always remember "step-by-step" procedures when midst filming... but if its protected with an easily serviceable fuse, then i think its more of a minor issue.
An after thought: sorta odd, considering that at this level... and the type of camera it is, one of the strongest reasons for using these is due to the interchangeability and flexibility of lenses during production... one would think, changing lenses and having a fuse blown feels like an Achilles heal in your production day-to-day use.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Now you have to include a warning label to turn off the camera every time you switch the glass (when not using EF or PL)? And, I know most people are completely bound to forget about that.

Maybe this is exaggerating, but it feels like having to switch ISO's every time you turn the camera on with the GH2... but with worse results if you don't. IF YOU'RE USING NON EF GLASS OR ELECTRONIC LENSES. (disclaimer) At several intervals in controlled and non-controlled commercial and narrative environments we switch primes out repeatedly while trying to compose. That's common practice. Turning the camera off every time director or DP wants to see a different prime?

Bruce Allen (for president) has a good point, however. It's not as bad as nuking something on a RED... and that happens often enough for everyone to know about it. A fuse is a simple replacement, and at least there's a service center here in LA.
 
And I highly doubt this issue is fixable with firmware. But what if they could cause the lens contacts to power down whenever the lens release button is pressed. Wait that wouldn't help with putting lenses on....
 
I would think that there'd be a little door that you could open, pop out the fuse, and replace it with a new one.

I guess not.
 
The cam not only boots up fast, but also remebers all settings including special-shooting-modes and framerates. So switching off is not an issue at all.
 
Where I feel the main problem here is, and what some people seem to not be considering...
There MUST be a buffer or safety switch, call it an "D'oh!!" buffer if you will.
During a shoot with this level of camera (probably a few people assisting), chances are VERY high that someone will change the lenses and forget to switch the cam off. (maybe even the lens isn't fully locked on and it gets twisted slightly)

Fast or not fast booting up... isn't really an issue. Its the fact that someone WILL remove the lens and forget such a simple rule.
THEN... when the fuse does blow, the camera wont work, and it needs servicing. Can you imagine an entire shoot put on pause for hours/days for such a small thing?
On a side note, can you imagine rental houses and the problems they will have with people accidentally blowing the fuses...
 
daihard said:
Where I feel the main problem here is, and what some people seem to not be considering...
There MUST be a buffer or safety switch, call it an "D'oh!!" buffer if you will.
During a shoot with this level of camera (probably a few people assisting), chances are VERY high that someone will change the lenses and forget to switch the cam off. (maybe even the lens isn't fully locked on and it gets twisted slightly)

Fast or not fast booting up... isn't really an issue. Its the fact that someone WILL remove the lens and forget such a simple rule.
THEN... when the fuse does blow, the camera wont work, and it needs servicing. Can you imagine an entire shoot put on pause for hours/days for such a small thing?
On a side note, can you imagine rental houses and the problems they will have with people accidentally blowing the fuses...
Click to expand...

Still out in Asia shooting with the C300. Had numerous hot-swaps from my 17-55mm to Zeiss ZE 1.4 50mm with no issues early on, but now power off the camera on every lens swap. The camera is kicking ass, and I'm really thrilled with this little beast. Wow wow wow. The clarity. The DR. The color... The Freedom.
 
jw2700 said:
Wow wow wow. The clarity. The DR. The color... The Freedom.
Click to expand...

This is what I hear on every set I'm on with the C300. So nimble, and amazing results - better than anyone expects. I enjoy seeing the look of surprise and delight!
 
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