Canon acknowledges 'light leak' in the EOS 5D Mark III: Digital Photography Review

Light leak issue is actually not a problem, until canon usa made it a big problem by issuing a stupid statement by revealing the serial number that are affected without having the initiative to recall those serial numbers and replace them with the one that have been modified. For canon user, this is the biggest problem that you should be furious about.... think about the resale value of your camera with that serial number, yeah they will fix it, i know that too, but for some freaks.. the camera that has been opened will suffer from a lower resale value!!! Stupid Canon USA..... !!!! Dumb ass!!!! dont u guys out there still have a brain???? y people with the serial number of 1 and 2 have to bear all the consequences, when they are proven to be a loyal canon customer for adopting a new model. And they have to pay for that????? STupid Company policy, may be their brain freeze after the tsunami!!!

0 upvotes

"Canon, Delighting you always", is that where the light leak comes from???

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Hi everyone,

May be someone can help me on this.
I got a 5D Mark 3 a couple of days ago, read the light leak issue and decided to give it a try just to see.
This is what I did:

Test 1:
Room completely nearly dark (98%).
Using live view in A+ mode, LENS CAP NOT ON LENS
- Took a shot, F1.2 at 1/20s.
- Then took a shot again + switch the top LCD light ON, got F1.2 at 1/20s.

I was actually surprised that my AF could pick a picture on the wall in near total darkness using live view... may be I don't keep up to date with things enough.

Test 2:
Room completely nearly dark (98%).
Using live view in A+ mode, LENS CAP ON LENS.
- Took a shot 0.5s at F1.2.
- Took another shot + switch the top LCD light ON, got 0.5s at F1.2.

So, what am I missing...? Looks to me that it's all good.
I someone could provide some infos on this it will be much appreciated...

Cheers.

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1.2 at 1/20?? what iso did you use?

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Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
I put the camera on Auto ISO and did not record the ISO setting...

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well then it seems to me that you have no problem with your camera...:)

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Thanks Stanley.

That what I think as well.

Cheers

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Spoke with Canon USA and Canon Japan. According to the representives, the answer is NO. No modifications will be made to the Camera body both internal and externally for now nor in the future. Current stocks that are in the pipelines to be sent out to the retail stores will continue to have xxxxx1, xxxxx2, xxxxx3, and so on with no modications since this "PROBLEM" is not really a problem to begin with. And as Canon stated on their Website, There is no RECALL on this "issue" to be fixed.
But Canon will be more than happy to take a look at those customers who are stil paranoid beginning Mid-May.

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I know there is no problem but I wouldn't buy such expensive camera which has a issue.

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Yes, it is an expensive investment and I thank Canon for taking steps into making countermeasures to keep the over growing bandwagon filled with haters.
If Canon and Mark III isn't the camera for you, then good luck with your search in perfect camera which takes photos on its own.

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I am Canon person. I don't want to switch to any other brand. I hope Canon will start shipping 5D MIII without light leaking issue in future. It seems like 5D MIII in Asia and Europe don't have any problem.

Comment edited 23 seconds after posting

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@Sarobar,
do you usually shoot outdoor at night in a very dark condition and no light at all except for moonlight, without the help of any artificial lights?

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Yes I shoot outdoor at night in very dark light. I am not worried about the leak light destroying my image but I don't want to spend 3K+ on a camera with issue.

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Is this issue resolved on the new cameras they are going to ship? Or is it going to have same issue? I am planning to get one.

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I placed an order for it today... No idea when Canon will start shipping the new lot.

Wish me good luck, I need one!

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Canon has issued their findings and conclusion on this issue:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e02480538fc7

Essentially stating that it is not a real issue.

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The light Leak DOES affect the images. The faulty metering causes some images to be underexposed. Imagine a scene on the limit between two exposure levels. The light leak will then cause the scene to be exposed at the lower level. This will happen at ALL LIGHT LEVELS! Furthermore, in some situations, the light leaking onto the meter through the LCD screen will cause the image to be underexposed several steps. For example, I recently used a 10 stop ND grad to blur the water in a waterfall on a sunny day. In that situation, the sunlight leaking in through the screen is relatively large compared to the scene (as seen through the filter). The result was an image underexposed by many steps, and the images came out completely black. So the statement from Canon indicating that the leak does not affect the captured images is NOT TRUE..

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Have you tried it??? dont say for example,... if you havent tried it on your own.....cuz I have already tried it, the metering doesnt change! the metering range for canon 5d markIII is between ev1-ev20.. read your manual again..... underexposed several step?????? you dont even know what you are talking about..... , the most under very extreme condition it goes underexpose by 2/3 of a stop... several step????????? Are you talking about your stair at home????? Step????? Sunny day is around ev 15, and you reduce it by 10 stops using ND filter its gonna become ev 5!!! at ev 5... the metering doesnt change, I tried that with 1000 watts hot light shinging on the top lcd, I believe its brighter than sunlight!!!..... again DOES NOT CHANGE!!!!! so please make sure that you have already tried it.. before making any comments

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I didn't just theorize it, I tested it. 14.8 EV @ ISO 100, using a B+W 10 stop ND filter on the EF 24mm F/1.4L Mark II lens.

Both shaded and covering the LCD did not give me any metering errors or any exposure issues.

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There are more then 250 comments posted on this light leak issue, so obviously there is a problem. All my lenses and camera's are Canon and I just bought the Mark III. What I find rediculous about it all is the way a reputable manufacturer like Canon handles an engineering fault. If Canon where a car manufacturer they would recall all related models and fix the problem. I didn't pay $3000 + for a piece of equipment to have to put duct tape on the inside of an LCD screen, as suggested by some. Canon is responsible for their mistakes and should fix it, simple.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

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What do you mean how they are handling this? Do you have inside information on how they are going to repair the issue which they have issued will happen for all users within a serial number range that they clearly identified and are going to provide free support and service over. (http://usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/professional_cameras/digital_slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_iii?pageKeyCode=prdAdvDetail&docId=0901e02480538fc7)

I wasn't aware that anyone in the 250+ useful comments had made any serious suggestions of duct tape. I think black nail polish is better.

I guess it seems very irresponsible for them to act in a timely manner with the problem identified about 2 weeks ago, and now they have provided a solution to resolve this. Boo Canon!

Wow if this is what you think of Canon, I'd hate to see how you'd respond to Nikon's current issues and denials: (http://nikonrumors.com/2012/04/21/nikon-claims-that-the-greenish-d4d800-lcd-screen-is-more-accurate-than-the-d3sd700.aspx/)

Comment edited 15 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

who ask you to put a duct tape???????? yeah there are 250 comments here...but seems you dont read them carefully, and you dont even have any idea what it is considered to be faulty....what is there to be fixed???? when there is nothing wrong with it....You claimed that you have already got a copy of your mark III, why dont you try to conduct some experiments with it.... all I can say, the metering doesnt change from ev1 onwards.... but if you are shooting at ev-1 yes it changes, but who the hell shoot at ev-1????and besides it is clearly stated in the manual book that canon 5d mark III metering range is between ev1-ev20 try read page 374 on your manual.

Comment edited 56 seconds after posting

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By the way.. you have a very clever analogy in regards to the 250 comments......:) you are very intelligent in analyzing and reasoning!

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Stanley Zheng, No body asked me to put duct tape, someone wrote that he put some duct tape on the inside of his LCD screen, which I don't want to do when I buy an expensive piece of equipment. To me it doesn't matter if the fault is small or big, a fault is a fault and Canon should fix it. 1/3, 1/2 or 3 steps or stops, which ever you prefer, is just not acceptable in my view. To your question what there is to be fixed? It is what Canon themselves call a "Light Leak", that is all, sounds like contradiction to me, photography and leaking light. Cheers and have fun anyway.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

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**Puts hand up**

I'm the guilty party suggesting to open up the camera and stick some black duct-tape underneath the LCD panel.

To be honest, I did say that slightly in a tongue-in-cheek tone. Also waaaay back then when I made comment, it was not yet apparent that the metering was *only* affected with the lens cap on (thanks to various people posting results of tests right here).

No one to my knowledge on these forums has experienced the problem with the lens cap off: daytime or nighttime exposure.

I'm a Canon user for many years and came here to find out more about this issue for when I finally decide to upgrade to the 5DIII.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

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I also read in the manual book under specification, exposure control on page 374 , it is clearly stated that the metering range from ev1 - ev20, at ev1 there is no effect whatsoever on the metering value when you turn on the lcd back light. Thus, its pretty clear that this camera is not build to meter anything below ev1 accurately, so I dont think its a defect...

Comment edited 5 times, last edit 9 minutes after posting

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@Kinematic Digit and others, thanks for providing the results of all your tests. Based on your findings I think we can summarize the issue as this:

(1) - There is a very minor light leak issue through the top LCD, *but* it is only evident with the lens cap on. To date, no one has been able to replicate the problem with the lens cap off... yay! :)

(2) - Daylight exposures are not affected in any way at all.

(3) - Night time exposures are also not affected. Even when exposing for a very dark subject, shining a light on the top LCD or engaging the back-light has no effect on exposure.

If my understanding is flawed, please correct me and provide details about your test.

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Yes. And who will shoot pictures with the lens cap on lol.
When I first got the camera, my friend told me this light leak issue. I immediately tested it, but just don't see the problem at all. As long as it doesn't affect my photos, I could care less.

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I can't replicate the light leak issue.
http://youtu.be/LYwALLww_60

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I dont know if this is a valid argument, but if and only if let say there is a light leaking, then if you capture the image and you see the result there will be a 1/3 stop or 2/3 difference in the final image output? I dont see there is a difference between the 2 images with the light on and with the light off, at the same EV value, isnt it the image should be 2/3 stop brighter at the same ev value????? if you turn on the light, as the lcd indicates? Where is the metering sensor located at in relation to the top LCD? and where is the cmos sensor located at, on 5d mark III?

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It is not an issue at all in normal photography work situation, the object and the surrounding has to be dark for it to affect the ae. Even at f4, at 2 seconds iso 800 does not affect the ae metering when u turn on the lcd top light! with the lens cap off and view finder being covered. Is this really an issue??? at ISO 800, f4, at 2 seconds no change! I am surprised that people are really hyped abt this. the object you are metering and the surrounding has to be really dark for it to affect the ae metering!!!. My goodness and people are really getting so fussy abt this!! and who shoots with the lens cap ON?????????

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People love to hate. I wouldn't expect any less from those that never handled one of these cameras (and I mean both the D800 and the 5Dmk3)

I draw my opinions on both handling and owning Nikons and Canons. It's my job to know the issues as I teach beginners and pros on both systems.

After three days of trying to make this fail in real world conditions, I could not. The only time I make it fail is when I throw on a lens cap on it. Even in .01EV @ISO 100 where I could barely read the LCD screen I could not make the meter fail.

The irony is people want to b**ch about Canon's problems, and typically, barely a peep on the Nikon issues (D800: CLS flash failures, LCD colour casts, AWB issues, CF card failures) things I've seen on my unit I've tested as well (who's denying now?). Are we surprised where the haters like to hang out?

They both have issues, it will be worked out while they work great in most conditions (I love both). This is so overblown. Put another bullet into the horse.

2 upvotes

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/03/hammerforum-com

It's so true too....

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yes I think you are right....

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I have tested canon eos 5 d mark III, its not a problem that people should really worry so much, because with lens cap off the metering doesnt shift under a dim light condition, but it will shift around 2/3 of a stop under extremely dim condition, and we also encounter the same problems with at least 2 canon 5d mark II as well, and the question is why people start complaining now? we also try to conduct the same test on Nikon d300s because thats the only nikon camera we have available, Nikon didnt even bother to start metering with the lens cap on, and with its view finder being covered.

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So....it's like a Holga! I suggest owners purchase one of those Canon-mount Holga lenses and get creative! Oh, nevermind, there's already an App for that. :~/

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This is another slap in the face of Canon. Don't these guys have a testing process before they release an important update like this ? I sold all my Canon gear after my 40D (err99?) shutter just broke after only ~9000 clicks. Got myself a D7000 and couldn't be happier. Not saying Nikon cameras don't have any problems, but at least they give you more options and superior UI.

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many of the D5000 where recalled because they did not even power on..... so much about TESTING process at nikon.

about the UI.. well many prefer the UI of canon over nikons.
what you wrote falls in the same category as someone saying: BLUE is a better color then RED.

it´s just personal preference.. subjectiv.

so your whole commentar makes not much sense at all.

it´s just a nother nikon trolling about an "issue" that moves the exposure 2/3 stops. at -4 EV. no nikon or canon camera does a proper exposure at -4 EV anyway.

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And your reply is just another canon trolling.

I think that light leak on an extremely expensive camera is a very big deal.

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yeah but you are a clueless person..

when someone is not able to understand things then he normaly repeats what others have written before. you anfd a lot of other trolls here have obviously nothing with any value to say.. but as you can read above... i have!

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

I've tried this on my 5DMk3 and in my opinion it's a small hiccup.

The way I tested it was:
1. turned the 5DMk3 on, set to M (ISO 12800, f4, forgot what was the shutter speed)
2. removed the eye-hood, then put black duct tape on viewfinder to prevent light going into sensor.
3. used 24-105mm lens with lens cap on.
4. turned off the lights in the room.
5. using iPhone4 LED, shone across 5DMk3 top-LCD.

Findings: the exposure reading altered by +1/3 to 2/3 ONLY when I have the LED 1-inch away from the LCD with it shining on the centre of it. When the LED was shining on other parts of the LCD, there was no impact to the EV.

I'm not too concerned about this light leak.

I'm more concerned about amp glow (pink-purplish) glow in the bottom right corner as I crank up the ISO up to 25,600 and beyond (51200, and 102400). Does anyone else notice something similar on their 5DMk3? It's easily seen in dark/pitch-black images.

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Light leak, unimpressive DxOmark results, high price... Poor Canon...

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sorry i just tried to reach your low niveau with the above posting.. ;)

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What a stupid answer... A) My post is true, for the rich and the poor, whether you like it or not. B) It's not that expensive, we could still afford it if we wanted. It just doesn't worth the asking price. C) Stick your tax money to your b**thole.

3 upvotes

oh believe me the rest of europe would gladly spend their money for their own stuff.. but we have to help you guys out because your unable to make a living on your own....

i only wonder how you can speak about "poor" when canon has more money then your country... LOL

Comment edited 14 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Why don't you just be quiet?

There is no need to take your anger out on the Greeks just because Canon made a poor quality camera.

This has nothing to do with Greece and everything to do with Canon's quality control.

4 upvotes

who asked for your opinion?

1 upvote

Gothmoth, it's simply amazing how you react in a camera forum about a camera comment. Besides knowing nothing about politics and economy, you're obviously having issues. Go on, boy, it's Saturday night, leave your Canon alone at bed and get out and have some fun... ;)

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haha, too funny. you see janice, gothmoth can spew his unsolicited wisdom (opinion) all he wants but you can't.

1 upvote

Been reading most of the comments on this, and what most people are not grasping is the problem has to do with *ANY* light hitting the top surface of the LCD panel (like the sun for example), not just the backlight being engaged.

Basically the more external light hitting the top LCD, the more underexposed your image will be.

The following vid demonstrates this quite clearly: an exposure variation of 1EV is a very serious problem, no matter how you look at the issue!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh7OaF0Qh0Q

I'm a Canon user and would upgrade in an instant, but will first wait and see what Canon offers as a solution.

If no solution is forthcoming, then take the matter into your own hands, open up the camera (and void the warranty) and put some black duct tape underneath the LCD panel and you should be good to go :-)

2 upvotes

No, not really.... Ev15 direct sunlight with a lens and no cap on the lens has no issues.

https://vimeo.com/40740050

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he has the lens cap on... the camera does not see any light through the lens. so how many times you shoot at pitch black darkness or with a lens cap on?

i will explain it again, for nikon shooter.
if he had removed the lens cap, as a normal person would do for taking pictures (not sure about nikon user), you would see NO change in exposure.

at -4 EV you would see an change about 2/3 stops.... but then no nikon or canon does a proper exposure at -4 EV.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 14 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

@Kinematic Digit, thanks for doing that test and going to the trouble of uploading a video.

You have proven two things:

1. There is definitely a light leak issue through the top LCD panel.

2. The light leak does not affect normal daylight exposure metering.

Now, if you're keen, I throw this challenge to you for another test involving night time exposure:

1. At night time, find a bright street lamp in your city and set up your camera directly under it.

2. Aim the camera at a very dim subject, but must be much darker than the street light you are under (lens cap off).

3. Meter the exposure as you did in your vid, using a piece of cardboard to block then unblock the street light from hitting the top LCD panel.

Myself, and most people here would be most curious to see the result of such a test :)

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Let’s use a bit of commonsense here I’m tired of reading about “I never take photo with cap’s on” I know nobody here is an idiot to do that., they put lens cap here to test the light leak so that no (as in nothing) will affect the light sensor but the light come from the top LCD in other words to isolate the issue. Unless you can say that your light source that comes in from the lens is constant which I doubt, so to eliminate this you have to cover it. If we don’t cover the lens you will say that the meter was affected by uneven light source came from the lens – back to square on.

So if you want to defend canon on it, defend canon in a wisely manner because by mocking the test you look/sound s….d.

Sometimes to make thing good we have to eliminate the word so call D-E-N-I-A-L.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

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Peter I did just those test. I could not video it unfortunately as you can imagine that the lighting conditions would not video well and since my best video camera is the one I was using to test the issues:

I shot a long exposure of water fountain with street lamps behind me with results of no change. I did a light meter reading 3 EV @ ISO 100. Shading or using the illumination lamp made no difference in exposure times.

Tonight I did a long exposure shots and this surprised me a little. I measured the light again, this time only the ambiant light of nautical twilight. Measured at .01 EV @ ISO 100 (Could barely read LCD screen). This about extreme as one would get. I did both Illumination light, and light of my iPhone. No change in exposure readings.

Conclusion. Two nights testing, and I'm most certain that 99.5% of the time this will not be an issue. .5% is when someone has a police spot light on you while you're shooting into a dark crowd (maybe fails).

2 upvotes

funny read...

http://photofocus.com/2012/04/16/nikon-d800-mini-mini-review/

he (of course) compares the D800 to the 5D Mk3

------------------
The other problem I experienced relates to the camera simply locking up. The only way to fix it is to take the battery out. I don’t know if I have a bad copy or it’s a random problem, but I assume it’s something that can be fixed with a firmware update if it’s widespread.
------------------------

is this a known problem of the D800?

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1 upvote

My 5DMk3 locks up every now and then too. I get Error 2 and Error 8, but I think it's to do with the Eye-Fi card, because, whenever I pop that card out and stick to the standard SD or CF cards (Sandisk), it's fine.

0 upvotes

eye-fi are not compatible.

look at their website.

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Both my 5d Mk3's are locking up intermittently. So far I've lost two wedding ceremonies from these camera. I'm using genuine Sandisk extreme pro 32gb cards. I'm trying now to induce the problem at home to see if I can work out what is going on. So far it seems to me that the camera may be trying to right a file larger than fat32 will allow. Times the cameras have locked up have been around the moment the camera is about to split the file and start a new file to reach the 29 min mark. When the problem happens the footage starts to skip on the desplay for about 3 seconds then freezes. Only taking the battery out will unfreeze the camera. The footage of the previous 12 mins is lost completely. Does any one know of a forum dealing with this problem I can join? Canon really need to do something about this ASAP. The camera is useless for events until you can trust it will not loose your footage!

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some people including myself encounter the same problem on canon eos 5d mark II, we conducted the same experiment,and we encounter the same problem. But why nobody had been bitching about it????? is this a marketing war between Nikon and Canon? canon mark III is already out in the market and ready stock in most stores and in most countries, and Nikon is still struggling with their d800 inventory??

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all you need to rule the DxO Mark is a mobile phone sensor design at fullframe size.

quote from the DxO chief scientist:

Phone cameras necessarily have tiny image sensors that can't capture as much light as the bigger sensors on compact cameras or the even bigger sensors of full-frame SLR cameras. But for a given surface area of image sensor, mobile phone cameras actually do better.
----------------------------

looks like sony has done just that with the D800 sensor.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57415777-76/how-dxo-labs-tests-hot-cameras-like-canons-latest-slr/?tag=mncol;topStories

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

yeah, then listen to the DXO mark idiots and get a mobile phone camera.... cuz it has a great sensor!!! sell your dslr and get blackberry or iphone mobile phones, cuz the sensor can do better.......

0 upvotes

DxOMark verdict: Nikon D800 – 95, Canon 5D Mark III – 81

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Canon-5D-Mark-III-Review/Sensor-performance

Comment edited 7 minutes after posting

1 upvote

so the D800 is the better sports camera.... well at least if you believe the DXO scores.

and of course the D800 has better low light performance.

well if... and only if... you resize the images to 8MP

that is how DXO is testing the sensors... for 8MP print output.

the question is why buy a 22MP or 36MP camera then?

3 upvotes

And yet, TechRadar who uses the same software and does the same testing as DxO (in fact a DxO certified lab), got different results.... http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-1074186/review/page:5#articleContent

0 upvotes

@ Kinematic, hmmm I wonder y.....

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DxO is sponsored by nikon afaik.... just look at their website.

i guess it´s the same as in "independend" car print magazines.
my father worked for one back in the 90s and he told me storys you won´t believe.
you could literally buy a good review when the tester was invited to south africa or another fancy place for testing.

look at DXO website and who sponsors them.
im just saying....

i wonder too that two sites who use the same test methods come to different conclusions.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

Give it a rest Gothmoth!

1 upvote

why should i... so you and other clueless persons can live in a dreamworld?

i know that good education is expensive in america... but here you can learn something for free.

0 upvotes

Yeah I kinda agree with gothmoth, that's one of the possibility, according to dxomark test, even some phaseone sensor is not as good as Nikon d800 ... yeah... something is wrong.....

0 upvotes

there is no way the meter's readings are reliable, with or without the backlight on.

i have tested it with my brothers 5D MK3.

at EV -4 (google it noobs) the backlight makes the meter move 2/3 stops to the right.

EV -4.... you get that noobs?

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

http://www.nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/gezwvxil/D5000-Service-Advisory.html

keep some comon sense.. nikon trolls... :)

1 upvote

That's why I'm on the look out for a cherry, seldom used, yuppy owned low mileage 5mk2, it is already hitting around U$1200 in my country, God I remembered how it used to cost U$3000 when it first came out.

0 upvotes

wtf is wrong with all the new canon camera nowday, my s100 experience focus video noise like big sensor would, canon seriously need to check their camera before release.

1 upvote

I was about to place my order... its all confusing now: should I wait for the issue to be rectified or totally go for another FF camera? Ofcourse, I am locked on to Canon as I have couple of premium lens... Any suggestion? :-(

0 upvotes

Sell your lenses now and get the pain over and done with. Better to go through the pain now then later. Prevention is better than cure.

1 upvote

It' a minor hic-up that doesn't affect anything significant. I use it in long exposures and never have issues not using that illumination LCD. Also there's a simple work around it by locking the exposure with the * button as you look at the screen.

You can wait for a bit and let them work out the production issues. Other FF cameras are equally dealing with issues. There are delay's still going on both for delivery and for production issues as well.

0 upvotes

photoman is a know troll with an IQ of a banana.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/gezwvxil/D5000-Service-Advisory.html

you see every brand has some issues from time to time. compared to the D5000 problem above this light leak is a minor problem.

0 upvotes

Thanks for your inputs. I have decided to wait and watch for next couple of months... May be, there is a cosmic reason for the delay in having FF camera in my kitty. :-)

0 upvotes

relaxxxxxxx, I have the same problem with canon eos 5d mark II as well, and I have been using it for about 3 years now, and the camera did just fine, ... and nobody had been bitching about it since it first came out.. only now then people start to get really fussy about it...and I just got my MKIII as well, and no, I am not too worry about it. maybe because I never shoot in the dark.....so it is not an issue for me...

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 2 minutes after posting

1 upvote

you can shoot in the dark and the affect will be irrelevant.

but when it´s pitch black you will be off.... big deal as the automatic exposure in these cases is off anyway and you need to do manual finetuning anyway.

this whole thing is made up by nikon trolls and people who don´t have a clue what we are talking about.
they did not even notice that the lens cap is on in this infamous video that makes the round.

you can have bright sunlight but as long as the lens cap is on, a camera will not notice that light. because .. suprise... it goes not through the lens.
so yes... when no light (or -4 EV ambient light) comes through the lens then a small light leak will influence the AF sensor a bit.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

Henry M. Hertz and Gothmoth:

And you are Canon trolls with the IQ of a raisin.

Why don't you quit while you are ahead?

Oh, by the way, the word is effect not affect.

Comment edited 5 minutes after posting

1 upvote

so how many languages you speak?
educated by an american public school i guess only one?

i write english because normaly americans are too uneducated to speak or read any other language.

and i have yet to read anything of substance from you concerning the light leak. so who is trolling?

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Great new stuff..hardly on the market and already crap..yep. F-1 was so much better.-:)

2 upvotes

Ok, i just watched the videos frm peta...so no need to explain. Tq

0 upvotes

Software can be easily written to compensate for the light leak i think. No need to send in for physical servicing..

If the noon sun is shining down on it, will it have any effect?? I dont own one..so dunno..how about strong halogen lighting shining down on it while doing indoor shooting? Wil anything happen? Tq.

0 upvotes

DUCK TAPE WILL FIX IT. NO MORE LIGHT . CHEEP TO.

2 upvotes

It is a "Light leak" from somewhere physically whitin the body, not a software issue...how could a firmware upgrade fix it????

2 upvotes

This whole "light leak" issue is being blown way out of proportion... its really not a serious problem at all... and won't really affect the majority of users in everyday shooting conditions...

Why anyone actually needs to use that top LCD is beyond me... the optical view finder & that 3.2" beauty at the back are all that are necessary to gauge & alter AE calculations...

3 upvotes

It isn't being blown out of proportion.

An expensive, top of the line, camera should not have light leaks at all.

You shouldn't have to use duck tape or compensate with software.

It is a manufacturing defect and should be repaired or the camera replaced by Canon.

1 upvote

strange that owners of the canon 5D MK3 do not complain. it´s the nikon trolls who seem to have the most problems with the light leak.. why.. because usually they like to troll around.

0 upvotes

for those who have the early runs of the 5DMkIII and still rely on AE metering sensor and the top lcd lit at the same time, a firmware update would be make sense as follows:

Assuming you can even view the top lcd (in cases where the camera is mounted too high above eye-level, LV can be used instead.
1) actuate the lcd light (deliberately or by accident):
2) 'holds' the exposure-iso-sensitivity values (but not locking them)
3) thus as soon as one deliberately makes any exposure-iso-sensitivity adjustment, they change as needed anytime, zero delays.
4) if the light goes out after the normal illumination, and one wants to review the values again, whether changed or not, repeat step 1).
5) one can 'tap' the lcd light button again and turn the deliberately light off.

If one does not make adjustments at all, one shouldn't have any problems

If one is looking over at the top lcd then light going into the OVF will also alter the AE reading given your eyes are not covering the OVF anyway...

0 upvotes

Its amazing how many thousands of images have already been taken and posted from this camera (the one that's not selling and nobody wants). Some fantastic low light shots and an amazing view of a multiple lighting strike on the Bay Bridge. But to each his own. The people who made these shots could have stayed home, shining a flashlight at the top of the camera to see if the metering was affected.

8 upvotes

True, but never the less, an error is an error no matter what you think, and it should be fixed if possible.

I think it is good that there are people shining a flashlight at the top of the camera, but I think that this happened first after when some other people, or the same ones, discovered that switching on the LCD light caused problems. Next step was of course to check if the problem was caused internally, or even external light can effect the metering. It's a logical step. If the flash light could not effect the metering it would be easy to have a workaround, i.e. keep the top LCD light off in case you worry. The "flash light test" may sound stupid, but it is not. I can easily come up with a situation where the photographer is sitting in the dark, taking images of a theatre scene or a concert and than some strobes start shining on him. If the metering is changed his images will be destroyed.

Comment edited 10 minutes after posting

7 upvotes

They will fix it, no one ever said that they won't. At least they show corporate transparency in terms of their issues. On that note, at least one old issue has now been resolved: http://www.canon.com.hk/en/services/main/ProdNoticeDetail.do?id=184

New DPP that fixes the soft image bug when using High Quality Raw Preview setting.

1 upvote

I hope you're not relying on the metering while you're shooting in a dimly lit environment and happen to step under a spotlight.

BTW what's with people apologizing for mega corp A or mega corp B? We saw the same thing around here when the Fuji orbs were making the rounds.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

1 upvote

http://www.nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/gezwvxil/D5000-Service-Advisory.html

short memory....

1 upvote

Although I think that even with "issues", Canon gear yield excellent results, I suggest you check the following link; they say that maybe even with daylight there would be light leak (sorry but it´s on French. "plein jour" means more or less "daylight"...). Sure, when I purchase my 5D3 all would be fixed.... :)

http://www.focus-numerique.com/canon-confirme-probleme-fuite-lumiere-5d-mkiii-news-3228.html

Comment edited 39 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Yes, but in daylight the effects are probably not so strong.

0 upvotes

Firmware cannot fix that. For instance, I remember a few year ago, people had to send back their 1DMarkIII for hardware level fix.

3 upvotes

fail.

1 upvote

Interesting to see a light issue polarizing opinions

1 upvote

Nikon to Canon: "all your DSLR are belong to us"

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

5 upvotes

Well said.

1 upvote

Canon.... are this still in the camera business? What on earth for?

0 upvotes

well.. you are still alive...

4 upvotes

Maybe because they make the best DSLR's and P&S cams availabe... unlike Nikon that have to hope to god that Sony has fabricated a new sensor that will eventually be pawned off as a Nikon DX or FX exclusive design...

0 upvotes

Sony and Nikon have a partnership. It's not like Nikon is just getting Sony's left over scraps. If you think Nikon had no say in the development of the D800 sensor for example you are living in a fantasy world. Besides Sony is making the best DSLR sensors in the world right now so I fail to see how Canon camera's can be better with inferior sensors.

Overall Nikon has been making the better cameras for awhile now thanks in large part to Sony's class leading sensors and canon's instant, pointless, neutering of features in their mid level DSLRs in a futile attempt to get people to spend twice as much on 1D series camera's.

1 upvote

The only good sensor's Sony ever made are the 16.2 MP APS-C & the 12.1 MP full frame sensor found in the D3S... beyond that most of their existing sensors are average at best...

Canon's 22.3 MP sensor in the 5D III is definitely a cut above most of Sony-Nikon's sensors... both in terms of noise and colour reproduction...

Exactly which Nikon camera is better than its Canon counterpart...? In the cropped sensor category the 7D was all round superior compared to the D300S... including in terms of pure image quality... ISO performance... video capability... autofocus aquisition...

2½ years ago the D3S was considered better than the 1D Mark IV in low light performance... but that was only visible beyond ISO 6400... From base to I600 the ID Mark IV outresolved the Nikon hands down...

0 upvotes

Where is the review?

2 upvotes

You people are so darn impatient.

0 upvotes

they have also acknowledged the Viefinder Illumination fail, (aka red smear-invisible points!)

"Although the problem with the VF illumination of AF points is not listed in the advisory, Canon is aware of it and may possibly address the problem in future firmware updates. Canon actively monitors product quality and customer satisfaction with respect to its products. This monitoring includes the regular analysis of repair data and call center inquiries, active monitoring of conversations in online forums and blogs, and frequent surveys to our customer base. Please continue to check the Canon website for news an updates that pertain to your EOS 5D Mark III."

6 upvotes

The year 2012 AD -- the year Canon finally imploded? First Kodak, and now this.

0 upvotes

Fine..I remember one of my colleagues bought an EOS 450D and after a few shots we realised the pictures set to be totally horizontal were not horizontal. So either the sensor or the mirror or the penta mirror was in a bad position causing aslope/awry pictures. My colleague has to compensate every picture with a few degrees..Canon should spend less money on marketing and more on testing and quality.

4 upvotes

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2005/9/28/nikonadvisory

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10178

s h * t happens.... no product is perfect everyone with an IQ above 20 knows that.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 7 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

**it happens with Canon too often IMO.

5 upvotes

Pretty stupid if your colleague didn't return his camera for another. Every product has a few duds.

2 upvotes

http://www.nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/gezwvxil/D5000-Service-Advisory.html

nikon trolls have a short memory

0 upvotes

Canon trolls have no memory at all, obviously.

0 upvotes

ah... the pitfalls of relying on AE metering sensors (AE modes).

all the more why Full M/M-ISO w/ ExpSim LV (relies only on the image sensor alone) is ultimately the 'easiest' aspect of digital photography, and that is accurately dealing with exposure determination (in M no less!)

:D

0 upvotes

I'm amazed - you managed to wedge Exposure Simulation Live View into this topic.

4 upvotes

@sdyue,

How come you always seem to "Know it all" and have all the answer for the whole universe? Well, to answer you Ms. good old all mighty , I do street photography and street photojournalism a lot, to use a light meter in every shot on the street is inconvenience and down right stupid--->Missed opportunity and shot! Sticking a light meter into someone face to take a photo is down right stupid and rude, get it your majesty.

4 upvotes

Good news!

A patch will be coming out... a real life patch that is.

It's called a Black Wire Tape. Cut about 2 inches from the roll and stick on top of the LCD as often as you like. $1.29 on most retail stores. About $59.95 on camera shops...

Then USE the back LCD like the rest of the Kiss and Rebel mortals...

.

Comment edited 3 times, last edit 3 minutes after posting

6 upvotes

And another one who can't properly read. What about that light leak from INSIDE of camera stemming from the LCD screen? But to tape it over one would need to disassemble camera..
How about a reading class?

Comment edited 28 seconds after posting

4 upvotes

Perhaps you should be the one reading further... and take a reading class.

It's when the backlight is ON will it affect the reading...
(in addition to bright light hitting the top LCD)

Read: BACKLIGHT > "ON"

Uummm... so don't turn it on? Don't use the ON button?

Anyways... lighten up, it's just a jab for sensitive peeps. :)

.

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

the camera ON does not mean top LCD backlight ON.. take some logic class...

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 24 seconds after posting

1 upvote

You are correct, Henry.

The rightmost button of the the top deck LCD panel is the "ON" button for the BACKLIGHT, not the camera "ON" button. It has a LIGHTBULB symbol.

You only turn ON the BACKLIGHT by pressing this button.

There is the option NOT to press this button at all, and NOT use the backlight at all.

.

2 upvotes

Why should you have to not use a camera feature because the camera is badly made?

The whole thing is that you shouldn't have to work around a flaw, it should be fixed.

If there is a light leak it will probably be a problem in any strong lighting situation.

1 upvote

I think all new cameras seem to suffer teething problems.

People here may remember the early 5D2's, where for some inexplicable reason too many of them were leaving the factory with dirt and dust inside the body. QC was not good. I had to return my first 5D2 for this reason.

Pentax had oil stains on their sensor. Nikon appear to have a few issues with D800's locking up.

Having experienced most camera brands over the past 20 years, my personal experience is that I have had more problems with Canon than Nikon with a similar number of cameras owned from each brand.

But I am just one person and therefore I am not an adequate sample !

I am sure it will get sorted out - but this is a physical problem, not something that can be fixed with a firmware upgrade ! Cameras will have to be returned, which is quite a headache.

1 upvote

You should be ashamed for posting such a rational, non-childish appraisal of something most people won't even encounter and which will surely be addressed. If light leaks, you put a baffle in to block the light. And to suggest that this won't be the first or last time something as complex as a digital SLR has a problem, wow!

0 upvotes

It does open up new money-making opportunities. Kirlian photography, isn't it? When you look at the wedding pictures, and no, it's not a light leak over there behind the cake, it's actually the ghost of an old girlfriend...

3 upvotes


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Canon acknowledges 'light leak' in the EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

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