C300: Not thrilled with Canon Repair

NorBro said:
How do you know?
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Well, if you must know….

One of my buddies had rented my Amira for a ~month long shoot(all access type show) involving a college football team. Long story short: college QB, football, VF, my friends face…. He got stitches and the VF got a trip to Arri. And not to add insult to injury to jb, but the repair bill(my friend paid it) was way less than what Canon was going to charge him for his VF.
 
Run&Gun said:
Well, if you must know….

And not to add insult to injury to jb, but the repair bill(my friend paid it) was way less than what Canon was going to charge him for his VF.
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Oh, I'm sure.

If Canon actually repaired these things instead of just replacing the whole unit, it's probably a $200-500 repair.
 
jb. said:
Oh, I'm sure.

If Canon actually repaired these things instead of just replacing the whole unit, it's probably a $200-500 repair.
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That would be fairly reasonable. I think part of the problem, though, is that it’s OLED and the design choice that pretty much all manufacturers have made with that tech for VF’s. They’re “sealed” units vs. most LCD’s that have swing away diopter assemblies. I have two VF’s for my Sony F55, the OLED and LCD. The LCD diopter swings away and pops off with the push of a button and the whole assembly is easily replaced(I replaced it last year in 5-10 seconds) vs. the OLED, which looks very similar to the Canon design, but it’s completely sealed to the user. My Graticle was also the same and the VF for the V35 and LT, along with my Amira and A35. But again, with Arri’s are serviceable(maybe not by the user, but are still none-the-less). My Amira VF somehow had a small piece of trash on the OLED screen when I bought it(used), but Arri was able to clean it out, even though the user has no way to open it. Although I still can’t figure out how something got inside it, being sealed like it is and as good a shape as it all was.

Canon should be roasted for making the decision to make it as a “single assembly” with no “serviceable parts”, because there are other manufacturers with sealed OLED VF’s that are serviceable. Hell, my Graticle crapped out after years of use and way out of warranty and Zacuto replaced the OLED panel in it for maybe a couple hundo…
 
If dust/particles get(s) on the inside of cameras (and on sensors/etc.) during assembly then it will definitely make its way into VFs as well, even more so because they are likely put together under less critical circumstances.

Like sand...almost impossible to contain 100% of the time.
 
Ok. So my VF came back from Canon today and I did a little poking around with a screwdriver.

First off, while it's "sealed" in terms of the diopter assembly not swinging away like an old-school CRT or big old LCD viewfinder, it is really not very sealed up. There is a little door on the bottom that's closed with two screws that looks to be to access the OLED itself for cleaning or to blow dust off or something. Open that door and you have (albeit very small) access directly to the OLED panel (which is about the size of a M43 sensor from the looks). The whole thing is sealed about as well as a "weather sealed" Canon lens/body. It's going to resist dust and probably some moisture, but it's not holding back unobtanium unicorn fart gas or something like that.

So, I popped the top cover off which gives access to the PCB that I assume acts as the brain. Four screws. Four more screws per side and the two sides of the shell are loose then you have to disconnect the wires for the video port, buttons, and such.

Once all the covers are off, it's pretty clear that if Canon had wanted to repair this thing it would have been easy. The diopter assembly is held on by four more screws and a ribbon cable (for the eye sensor) held down by a little tape and a sticky dust shield.

I can't _see_ anything wrong with my diopter assembly, but if it's something in the optics I could very well NOT see it... and I ran out of time to tear it down further.

I bought the beat-to-crap-but-working-perfectly EVF-V70 for $900... so assuming when it shows up it is indeed working perfectly, I'll likely just swap the diopter assembly into my "looks like new" one and hopefully be "whole". At that point, I'll likely keep the spare as a backup and for spare parts as this thing ages since Canon doesn't care to fix it.

So... hopefully I'll be in good shape after a $900 donor and some elbow grease.
 
NorBro said:
If dust/particles get(s) on the inside of cameras (and on sensors/etc.) during assembly then it will definitely make its way into VFs as well, even more so because they are likely put together under less critical circumstances.

Like sand...almost impossible to contain 100% of the time.
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In this particular case, it wasn’t just dust or similar. It was a pretty large piece of…. something, which made it so surprising. Without a swing away diopter, I can’t see how something that big got into it, unless someone had serviced/attempted servicing it prior and just didn’t pay close enough attention and let a piece of debris get in before they closed it back up.
 
jb. said:
Ok. So my VF came back from Canon today and I did a little poking around with a screwdriver.

First off, while it's "sealed" in terms of the diopter assembly not swinging away like an old-school CRT or big old LCD viewfinder, it is really not very sealed up. There is a little door on the bottom that's closed with two screws that looks to be to access the OLED itself for cleaning or to blow dust off or something. Open that door and you have (albeit very small) access directly to the OLED panel (which is about the size of a M43 sensor from the looks). The whole thing is sealed about as well as a "weather sealed" Canon lens/body. It's going to resist dust and probably some moisture, but it's not holding back unobtanium unicorn fart gas or something like that.

So, I popped the top cover off which gives access to the PCB that I assume acts as the brain. Four screws. Four more screws per side and the two sides of the shell are loose then you have to disconnect the wires for the video port, buttons, and such.

Once all the covers are off, it's pretty clear that if Canon had wanted to repair this thing it would have been easy. The diopter assembly is held on by four more screws and a ribbon cable (for the eye sensor) held down by a little tape and a sticky dust shield.

I can't _see_ anything wrong with my diopter assembly, but if it's something in the optics I could very well NOT see it... and I ran out of time to tear it down further.

I bought the beat-to-crap-but-working-perfectly EVF-V70 for $900... so assuming when it shows up it is indeed working perfectly, I'll likely just swap the diopter assembly into my "looks like new" one and hopefully be "whole". At that point, I'll likely keep the spare as a backup and for spare parts as this thing ages since Canon doesn't care to fix it.

So... hopefully I'll be in good shape after a $900 donor and some elbow grease.
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I also saw a used one on Adorama for $1948.
 
Just want to write in with my recent experience with Canon Virginia Service Center. I sent in C300 Mark III and C70 for a thorough cleaning earlier this month, they quoted $360 per camera so plus tax we sitting at $800. They had the camera for a few days and sent it back which seemed quick. After sitting in shipping delays for 5 days, the sensor had more dust in it than when I sent it off for cleaning. I called back trying to understand and they want me to send both cameras back in for warranty re-cleaning. It makes me lose confidence in Canon support and was considering going to the Burano instead of C400 for my upgrade so I do not get burnt in the future. This is just a camera cleaning they can't even get right, worry about a larger repair. They do remove the sensor from the body and clean the various ND filters then re-assemble & calibrate.

I have a job this weekend so I will send it back early next week. I will report back once I get it back and hope we have a better experience.

IMG_2102.JPEGIMG_2101.JPEG
 
Chris Langer said:
Just want to write in with my recent experience with Canon Virginia Service Center. I sent in C300 Mark III and C70 for a thorough cleaning earlier this month, they quoted $360 per camera so plus tax we sitting at $800. They had the camera for a few days and sent it back which seemed quick. After sitting in shipping delays for 5 days, the sensor had more dust in it than when I sent it off for cleaning. I called back trying to understand and they want me to send both cameras back in for warranty re-cleaning. It makes me lose confidence in Canon support and was considering going to the Burano instead of C400 for my upgrade so I do not get burnt in the future. This is just a camera cleaning they can't even get right, worry about a larger repair. They do remove the sensor from the body and clean the various ND filters then re-assemble & calibrate.

I have a job this weekend so I will send it back early next week. I will report back once I get it back and hope we have a better experience.

View attachment 5712476View attachment 5712477
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Was your dust behind the sensor glass? It looks as if they didn't touch either unit.. I sent my c70 to Canon last month and they wanted around the same to do a sensor cleaning. I argued that the sensor unit should be sealed and that this was a defect but they weren't hearing it, so I told them to send it back...
 
Well, operation Viewfinder Combinatorics is complete. Took a grand total of about 35 minutes to open them both up and swap the diopter assemblies. I also cleaned everything I felt comfortable doing because the one I snagged for parts came kinda dirty.

The interesting thing is... the aberration in the diopter is MUCH less noticeable swapped into the parts EVF-V70. It's now actually pretty usable. Anyone want a great deal on a slightly aberrant EVF-V70?

Mine is perfect again now tho. Total outlay was about $900... compared to $3801... and I'm walking with a parts VF or I can sell it in its current condition to someone who wants to use it to offset the cost a bit. No brainer.
 
Possibly interested, except my c200 days might be numbered and I don’t see a c3003/c5002 in the future either. What’s your definition of aberrant?
 
With the diopter, if you focus the center the edges get blurry and if you focus the edges the center gets blurry. If you were in the states, I'd just send it to you and you can let me know what you think. Since you're in AUS that might add a bit of a hiccup to that plan. :D

I've tried to capture it in a photo, but it just doesn't photograph.
 
Thanks for the thought. Oh yes, the issue was one of the major points of the thread, I'm with you.

I'm not sure it'll ever make sense to buy one. It would be amazing if shooting narrative work but when solo doing corporate work, losing the touch screen on the shoulder would be a pain. Maybe I'll occasionally check ebay for an offer I can't refuse, but at the moment the landscape (from what I've seen) is still a bit expensive.

I'm not faulting the EVF, just the loss of functionality in the way I mostly work.
 
I always wanted a C series camera but they put such a premium price because they were the leaders and they seemed in the position to drag their feet. I like the physical buttons, layout of the controls, colors and image. Although with the move to RF lenses feels like they likely let these cameras fade off.

Mirrorless cameras with touch screen is a different approach. In some situations its good but in bright light or other types of work viewfinders and buttons you can work without taking your eyes off your subject is preferable. Not every camera is for every type shooting.
 
rob norton said:
Thanks for the thought. Oh yes, the issue was one of the major points of the thread, I'm with you.

I'm not sure it'll ever make sense to buy one. It would be amazing if shooting narrative work but when solo doing corporate work, losing the touch screen on the shoulder would be a pain. Maybe I'll occasionally check ebay for an offer I can't refuse, but at the moment the landscape (from what I've seen) is still a bit expensive.

I'm not faulting the EVF, just the loss of functionality in the way I mostly work.
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Well, if you want this one I’d probably be looking for $600 or so USD in what I’d call “as-is” condition. It came with a Wooden Camera Air EVF mount instead of the stock Canon mount so I’d throw that in as well.

I get it, if you use the touchscreen a lot it might not be quite natural. I do a lot of shooting in the bright outdoors so I need an EVF most of the time.
 
Peter C. said:
I always wanted a C series camera but they put such a premium price because they were the leaders and they seemed in the position to drag their feet. I like the physical buttons, layout of the controls, colors and image. Although with the move to RF lenses feels like they likely let these cameras fade off.

Mirrorless cameras with touch screen is a different approach. In some situations its good but in bright light or other types of work viewfinders and buttons you can work without taking your eyes off your subject is preferable. Not every camera is for every type shooting.
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I’ve never really considered Canon cinema stuff that premium priced… at least not the C300 and below. My C300 M3 is easily the best cinema camera I’ve used so far that’s anywhere near my price range. C700 sure. The C500 M2 is on sale at B&H for $6500 right now. I’m tempted but I personally think the DGO sensor on the C300M3 looks better in a lot of cases.

As for touchscreen vs. EVF, I alternatively need one or the other so I rigged my EVF-V70 and the stock LCD on a Bright Tangerine AXL. It uses the standard ARRI EVF dovetail and they make a mount adapter for that to both the V70 and the stock LCD. So I can easily and nearly instantly swap whichever one makes sense and leave the other in the bag. It’s a killer setup.

The WC Air that came with the other EVF-V70 has the same dovetail and adapter installed already. It’s a nice system.
 
jb. said:
Well, if you want this one I’d probably be looking for $600 or so USD in what I’d call “as-is” condition. It came with a Wooden Camera Air EVF mount instead of the stock Canon mount so I’d throw that in as well.

I get it, if you use the touchscreen a lot it might not be quite natural. I do a lot of shooting in the bright outdoors so I need an EVF most of the time.
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Thanks jb, maybe I'll email Canon Australia and see if they can fix it lol, who knows, maybe they'd approach it differently.
 
jb. said:
I’ve never really considered Canon cinema stuff that premium priced… at least not the C300 and below.
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Yep. But I guess it’s all relative to what you’re used to buying and the market segment(s) you serve. When the OG C300 came out, people in my world thought they were an absolute steal. ~$15K(and you could use “cheap” still lenses) vs. $40K-$100K (+$20K-$30K a pop broadcast zoom lenses) for VariCam’s and F900’s.

But that was well over a decade ago, and the overall business has had a shift and reset. The market still exists for $40k+ cameras, but it’s arguably much smaller now, with quality dedicated video cameras existing that only cost ~$5K-$15K and hybrids that only cost a couple $K, that can do a lot of what we used to use those for. And with that, the expectations from many people today and what they are generally willing to pay for equipment isn’t what it used to be. A ~$15K camera with the capabilities of the C300/Fs7 was considered a bargain a decade ago. Today, outside of the high-end, a ~$15K camera (with even higher specs and more features) is often considered “too expensive”.
 
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