Canon and sticky rubber coatings

I have a 20D bought 2005, only taken 700 shots, kept in pristine circumstances (inside camera case in cool room). Looks like new. Dials and focus rings now sticky as thermoplastic coatings starting to degrade.

Same thing happened to my expensive Canon 18x50 binoculars, bought in 2009 for over $1300. Sticky degrading rubber everywhere.

I do not use skin lotions, insect repellents or any of the other things people blame. It's actually a manufacturing fault in which the rubber (thermoplastic) is not properly cured by heat when applied. I know this because it also happened to a stabilizer on my archery bow several years ago. This is a part attached to a bow that is never touched. It just started "melting", very sticky to the touch. The part manufacturer confirmed that it was a bad batch where the rubber was not adequately "cooked" and replaced it free of charge.

I asked Canon to assist and was told they would not help in any way. I did a Google search for the problem and found many people had experienced it, one or two had it repaired free by Canon but as time went on Canon started refusing to repair it, or wanted a hefty fee. I suppose it was too time consuming and too many people were having problems.

I have camera and binocular equipment dating back to 1933 that is in perfect condition, yet these new cameras and binos are shot just a few years after manufacture! It's shocking.

The generally agreed DIY remedy is to slop isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) on the coating until it comes off. Of course all the markings on the dials will come off too, making the dial useless. You'll also potentially harm adjacent plastic surfaces with the chemical.

More recently, I've noticed some of the thermoplastic "soft-touch" surfaces in my VW Golf have started to become sticky too. Go to YouTube and search for "sticky dashboard" to see all the people who have had this happen to them in multiple brands of cars, for example:

Going forward, I'd like to see all reviews at DPReview mention the finishes on cameras, so that we know which units to avoid. My next camera needs to have HARD PLASTIC or METAL finishes, or I won't buy it.

Love to hear what others think about this.

It's the nature of rubber and it happens with everything, not just camera equipment. Can't do much about it.

I have had it happen to my old EOS 300D. I just scraped the sticky rubber off the grip. My EF 15mm fisheye had the focus ring that became sticky. The focus ring was replaced at a local photography repair center for 50 euros, it took them 15 minutes. They told me replacing or cleaning focus or zoom rings for lenses are relatively easy, since 99 out of 100 times they don't have to "mess with the optics" of the lens.

I can buy new Canon rubbers and focus- and zoom rings at some national webshops or at ebay or aliexpress. For example a new rubber grip for my 300D costs less than 10 euros at ebay and I could install that myself.

I would rather have the rubber grip, have it degrade after 10 years and then fix it for 50 euros or less, then have a slippery piece of equipment for those 10 years.

I've had this happen, too, especially on the rubber of an old lens. I suspect ozone might be part of the problem, but that is just an opinion. I also had the leather case for a 300 f/2.8 eventually fall apart and the leather(ish) lens hood cover turn into a sticky mess after many years.

I know you said you don't use chemicals, which is good. I actually embedded a fingerprint into the shutter release of a T-90 film camera because I had a bit of "Cutters" residue on my hands.

MarkAM wrote:

gium wrote:

It's the nature of rubber and it happens with everything, not just camera equipment. Can't do much about it.

That's not correct. Rubber (actually thermoplastic) that becomes sticky is flawed.

Then just have it fixed if it happens. Replacing a dial or a ring or a sticker grip is a cheap repair and it occurs very rarely. We're not dealing with a complete VW car dashboard or a complex repair process (like an aperture or shutter replacement).

1. MarkAM wrote:

gium wrote:

just have it fixed if it happens.

That's one approach. I was quoted hundreds of dollars to fix my Canon binoculars, and over a thousand to fix my car interior.

The other approach is not to buy anything using TPE (thermoplastic elastomers). I'm okay with hard plastic surfaces. I don't find them "cheap", unlike so many reviewers of products.

It's so relevant to come up with quotes to have your almost-fully-tpe-coated binocular or car dashboard repaired on this camera forum... just fyi, you can buy a replacement rubber for you 20D grip for only $8 and replace that yourself.

Good luck with your quest for justice against the big companies who use TPE..

MarkAM wrote:

gium wrote:

you can buy a replacement rubber for you 20D grip for only $8 and replace that yourself.

The parts that are sticky are the mode dial (on body) and zoom ring (on lens). I'm not aware of cheap replacements.

Good luck with your quest for justice against the big companies who use TPE..

You seem to have completely misinterpreted my words. I am not on a "quest for justice". I'm suggesting that reviewers alert us to the presence of these unreliable coatings. And I was canvassing what others thought of the fact that their expensive photographic equipment has this flaw.

it was not a misinterpretation. It was sarcasm. I apologize if I came off too harsh.

I understand where you're coming from, as your car dashboard and fully coated binoculars were expensive to repair. I would be cautious as well when Canon comes up with a fully rubber coated camera. But that is fortunately not the case. A rubber for the grip, mode dials, some small covers: all can be replaced relatively cheaply.

As I wrote before, you can have your rubber grip or dial or zoom ring for your lens or SLR fixed for 50 euros or less. Ok, maybe your repair facility charges more than mine, so let's say its 100 euros. That is 100 euros in case it even does happen after let's say ten years, because it might also not happen.

That is why I believe the reviewers will not find it worthwhile to do the extra research and include that sort of info in their reviews for a problem that has such a small impact.

MarkAM wrote:

gium wrote:

A rubber for the grip, mode dials, some small covers: all can be replaced relatively cheaply.

No, they cannot. I'm in Australia and they will costs the equivalent of $150 or more ... if they are even available. Have it done for you and labour will double that price. This is not a trivial flaw, and I'm not sure why you are trying so assiduously to minimize it. 🙄

$150?!?? I think you missed my previous post then. Let me help you:

Canon original cover grip for your 20D: $8 for the item, $20 for shipping to Australia.

Canon original rubber dial for a 5D mkIV : $4.59 for the item, $3.16 for shipping to Australia.

Two Canon genuine zoom rings for a 17-40mm : $38,99, $2,99 shipping to Australia.

All those prices are nowhere near $150 euro per item. And as I said before: my repair facility only asked 50 euros to replace a focusring and it took them 15 minutes.

Let's just look back:
Does it happen to every or an above average number of bodies or lenses in 10 or 20 years: No.
Does it cost a relativily high price to fix: No.

This doesn't look like a high impact problem to me.

So I'm either minimizing something, or you are wasting your time making a big problem out of something that has low impact.

Again: I agree with you when it comes to car dashboards and your coated binoculars and other fully rubber coated equipment. But complain on those forums, I'm sure you will find more people in agreement there then on this lens related forum.

That is why I believe the reviewers will not find it worthwhile to do the extra research and include that sort of info in their reviews for a problem that has such a small impact.

No research required! If it has soft-touch rubbery dials or surfaces, it has TPE. Simple!

Ooh, when it's that simple I'll just get back to what I wrote in my first post:
I would rather have the [comfortable] rubber grip, have it [possibly] degrade after 10 years and then fix it for 50 euros or less, then have a slippery piece of equipment for those 10 years.

I learned to use the back of my hands to spread Off after ruining a car steering wheel and several camera accessories.

Paul Stricklin