Canon fixed 5DIII light leak with tape

[V8Beast]

...they didn't get a solution as grandiose as they made the problem (light leak) out to be. Maybe that's because it was never really a grandiose problem.

What's your problem, dude?  The horrible, terrible, cataclysmic light leak problem has utterly ruined every photo I ever took with the lens cap in place on the the 5DIII that I don't even have.  If you can't understand what a problem that is, I don't know what else to tell you.

That's strange. The light leak didn't seem to impact my lens-cap-on photography that much. I couldn't distinguish any difference in exposure with the LCD light on and lens cap on vs the LCD light off and the lens cap on. I got wonderfully pitch black images either way.

I'm a big fan of lens-cap-on photography. It makes my cheap $150 lenses perform just as well as all that fancy L-series glass

[Chris Geiger]

If I were Canon I would include one more piece of tape to put on the mouths of those that think this is a problem.

[sheedoe]

If the tape was part of the original design to combat the light leak issue (before it became an issue), I doubt anyone would've complained.

[ScottyP]

They completely overlooked the solution right in front of them all the time, literally.  Talking of course Flex Seal, the spray-on black rubber sealant AS SEEN ON TV!  Could mask off the sensitive electrodes and whatnot then aim at the underside of the LCD, and shoot.  As an added bonus, camera might than float.

[Rokkor 58mm 1.2]

I've got no problem with Canon's solution to the problem. I have no doubt that the tape used is appropriate for the purpose it's being used for. I'm also sure it will solve the problem very well. What I wonder about is after designing dozens of film and digital SLRs and manufacturing and selling them over many years, that the problem happened at all. You would think all that experience would have taught Canon to design a camera without these kind of problems. A good design would not let it happen. Maybe it's a cost of manufacture issue, but I don't think that should happen on a $3500 camera. However, I would also not doubt that other camera makers have done the same thing.

[AG]

"duct tape"?

I can feel the collective intelligence of the room dropping by the minute

Actually, it was pretty intelligent....for their bottom line. Imagine the cost of re-disigning hardware and then fixing all the current units. This was a very cost effective solution, and if you don't look under the hood, you can't even tell!

No, you misunderstand.  I'm totally fine with the fix - I'm also very familiar with the sort of adhesive/flexible plastic "tape" they use inside laptops/computers, etc...  But calling it "duct tape" is like saying that nasa-grade mylar is the same thing as reynolds wrap

I LOL'd

[DynaMike]

Come to think of it, back in my large format camera days, we had light leak issues... if light was leaking into the bellows, we used gaffers tape.  There was also a huge defect where under bright sunny conditions, looking in the rear of the camera, you could barely see the image let alone focus, we had to use a cloth!  Can you believe that?  a white and black cloth?  and the manufacturer wouldn't even supply it, we had to buy our own!

Best reply yet! 

[Kamera Obscura]

My 24-70 2.8 L is muted with Hockey tape. You know, that matte stuff you put on you stick for better grip and shot.

No kidding,
dario.

[hoghavemercy]

[h4ldol]

On capital equipment, resale value is important. You wouldn't buy a $300,000 home believing it would only be worth have that in a year, would you?

We're talking about a $3500 camera here, not a $1M home.  If you are so worried about the potential loss of a few hundred dollars in resale value then you probably need to find a more profitable line of work. 

[squarebox]

You wouldn't buy a $300,000 home believing it would only be worth have that in a year, would you?

Haha... except that is housing works in Japan.  Your house depreciates as fast as a car and after 5 years your house is only worth the land it sits on....  One of the main reasons why I refuse to buy a house here... it is just pissing $200k into the wind. (that and a standard house is only 1100sqft)

[Cptn Rigo]

"duct tape"?

I can feel the collective intelligence of the room dropping by the minute

Actually, it was pretty intelligent....for their bottom line. Imagine the cost of re-disigning hardware and then fixing all the current units. This was a very cost effective solution, and if you don't look under the hood, you can't even tell!

No, you misunderstand.  I'm totally fine with the fix - I'm also very familiar with the sort of adhesive/flexible plastic "tape" they use inside laptops/computers, etc...  But calling it "duct tape" is like saying that nasa-grade mylar is the same thing as reynolds wrap

  dude!!, you just make my day LOL

[Tcapp]

Duct tape fixes everything. 

[Michael7]

Whether or not this kind of tape is used in other electronics doesn't matter. What matters is perception, and applying duct tape to a $3500 camera is not a perception of strength and quality.

[Tcapp]

Whether or not this kind of tape is used in other electronics doesn't matter. What matters is perception, and applying duct tape to a $3500 camera is not a perception of strength and quality.

Perception is all that matters?

I would think functionality matters most, no?