50mm problems...

Cabaal

So I was using my 50mm 1.8 on my 400D today and it kept failing on error 99 which appears to be a shutter issue,

I've checked contacts, battery etc and everything checks out fine but the issue continues, I'm starting to think its the lens but whats really weird is if I put change to Av mode, auto etc it fails almost every time, if I change to manual it seems to work everytime.

Anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?

City-Exile

The error is quite ambiguous, because I got it on my 300D, when I mounted an old Sigma lens on it. Then I got it on my 400D, when I was out taking shots with the kit lens, in freezing cold weather.

For the 300D, I bought a new lens.
For the 400D, I took out the battery and that cleared the error.

Do you only get the error when you use the 50mm?
You'll need to start ruling things out.

Cabaal

Yes I've only ever got this error on the 50mm, I've gotten it from time to time since I got the lens but turning the camera off and on has always fixed it and its only happened a handful of times.

Now its happening almost everytime, I've changed batteries, I've left the camera discharge with all batteries out,

ladgie353

I got the 99 error with a Canon 100-300 zoom, it was caused by a sticky diaphragm. The lens stops down but cannot go to full aperture again.
You should be able to check that shooting in Av mode, once at 1.8 (should work fine) and once stopped down to 8 (shouldn't work).
If you look inside the lens while shooting, you may see the diaph. staying closed longer.

5uspect

or hold the DoF preview button and look thru the viewfinder as you dial the camera.

Cabaal

ladgie353 wrote: »

I got the 99 error with a Canon 100-300 zoom, it was caused by a sticky diaphragm. The lens stops down but cannot go to full aperture again.
You should be able to check that shooting in Av mode, once at 1.8 (should work fine) and once stopped down to 8 (shouldn't work).
If you look inside the lens while shooting, you may see the diaph. staying closed longer.

Thats whats happening alright except its sticking at 1.8 or anything else in av mode, seems to only work on manual at 1.8, anything like 2+ also causes it to lock

pete4130

With the Nikon 60mm 1.8 at least, it has an aperture ring. When being used on a DSLR it needs to be set at f22 (which is marked red) as this is how you let the camera know that it has electronic control of the aperture raher than stopping it down manually. There is also a switch to lock it in place at f22. If for any reason the lock switch gets moved to the open position and the aperture ring can move from its f22 position and the camera does ot know what to do with the lens and an error messahe appears on nikons. This can happen to most if not all modern lenses that have aperture rings.

EDIT: Meant Nikon 50mm 1.8....typo

Redisle

pete4130 wrote: »

With the Nikon 60mm 1.8 at least, it has an aperture ring. When being used on a DSLR it needs to be set at f22 (which is marked red) as this is how you let the camera know that it has electronic control of the aperture raher than stopping it down manually. There is also a switch to lock it in place at f22. If for any reason the lock switch gets moved to the open position and the aperture ring can move from its f22 position and the camera does ot know what to do with the lens and an error messahe appears on nikons. This can happen to most if not all modern lenses that have aperture rings.

Canon 50mm 1.8 dosent have an aperture ring...

5uspect

but maybe you could use that principle to help.
Maybe if you set it to f22, hold the dof preview and pop the lens off the camera so its stuck at f22 than put it back on the camera and power up.
Just an idea!

Cabaal

Right I've kept at trying to use my 50mm today and it seems to have fixed itself, it now seems to fail about 1 in 200 or so, I'm thinking maybve it was noisture or cold?

Its very strange but all a="appears" to be well again,