Problems with Canon Digital Cameras

I have purchased 5 Canon cameras within the past 7 years. I initially purchased a Canon Rebel slr. I then purchased a Canon EOS Rebel and a Canon video cameral which had a hard drive. I later purchased another updated version of the Rebel as a gift and a G9 Power Shot.

The only camera which has not failed and is the slr and the new Rebel which I purchased last year for Christmas. The video camera, first eos rebel and the G9 have completely malfunctioned and quit operating. I have contacted the company and was told that they would be happy to replace the G9 with a refurbished one for $250. I feel that I have been a loyal Canon customer and that they should either repair the G9 which only lasted 15 months as well as the video camera which stopped working in less than 2 years. I feel that they must be having quality control problems and I will not purchase a Canon product again.

My question is has anyone else been having or experienced problems with Canon ?
 

Attachments

  • 56gf.jpg
    56gf.jpg
    18.7 KB · Views: 131
The problem is that you (for some reason) keep buying the cheapest possible cameras. Would you say you live for rebels?

ps. No, Canon are the most reliable brand of camera you can buy. I shoot professionally, and have not had as many cameras as you (I don't have rebel addiction though). My 5DIII had 390,000 clicks on it when I sold it, still going strong. Original shutter. They go anywhere, and if you drop a Canon, it bounces back like a basketball.

In short, apart from buying the cheapest possible models, I'm not sure what you're doing to your cameras to kill them so quickly (nobody else has these problems).
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
Sep 1, 2014
392
85
34
i have also owned 5 canon cameras over the past 8 years..i currently own 2
i think i'd still have the 1000D were it not stolen...highest end bodies which i've had or have are 70D and M5. i also bought a second hand 400D as an experiment and an M to convert to IR (DYI conversion) none of them have had any issues, not even the one which i took apart down to the sensor
i see people complaining/arguing about weather sealing..i was caught in the rain with the 1000D and, while not shooting in pouring rain, only from under trees, the bag wasn't waterproof, when i got home it was soaked...water everywhere on the body and lens...worked perfectly till the day it went missing from my dorm room...

so either you're in some really harsh environment or you're just unlucky...
 
Upvote 0

AlanF

Desperately seeking birds
CR Pro
Aug 16, 2012
12,299
22,371
Upvote 0
Oct 26, 2013
1,140
426
I owned the Original Digital Rebel for 9 years before it bagan to experience some AF issues. I was very happy with a 9 year lifespan. Since then I have owned a 6D and an M5. I have never had an issue nor needed a repair. Sorry to hear of your troubles, but i would say that the best thing Canon has going for it is the reliability of their products.
 
Upvote 0
Mar 25, 2011
16,848
1,835
My SL-2 died just a couple of months after getting it. It was quickly repaired and has had no issues in the year since. I could, of course, buy 5 or 6 SL-2's for the price of my 5D MK IV.

I've owned numerous Canon DSLR's, most of the models going bact to the D30, in fact, and had 4 of the 40D's. The SL-2 failure was the only one to fail, and the Warranty took care of it. I've never had a P&S fail out of dozens, but did get one SX-50 refurb which did not have tracking work out of the box, they sent a replacement that did work.

Your situation makes me wonder if there is a common environmental factor that causes the issues. Leaving a camera in a car, for example, is extremely hard on it if it gets hot inside, excessive heat makes failure rates go off the chart. The high end cameras are designed to better withstand heat, but it shortens their life as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

stevelee

FT-QL
CR Pro
Jul 6, 2017
2,383
1,064
Davidson, NC
I bought a Canon SLR about 1969. I last used it about 2002, and it still worked fine with no problem.

In the last 12 years, I've had two different Rebels. Both still work fine. My 6D2 is almost a year old and has no problems.

I've had an S95 and an S120 and have gone to a G7X II for my travel camera. None of the three have had any problems.
 
Upvote 0

Aussie shooter

https://brettguyphotography.picfair.com/
Dec 6, 2016
1,183
1,817
brettguyphotography.picfair.com
4 years since i took up photography with a 700d and now a 7d2 and have never had a single glitch. Not one. I look after my gear but i do use it in difficult environments. 700d has been to both polar circles and as a wildlife photographer i often shoot in inclement weather.
 
Upvote 0

LDS

Sep 14, 2012
1,761
292
You don't specify what models you bought and which failed. The only one you specified, it's not clear if it's a PowerShot G9 (a 2007 model), or one of the newer G9X (very different). Also, I don't remember non-EOS Rebels. Hard disks weren't a great choice for camcorders, solid-state storage is much more reliable.

Did you buy them new or used? Heavy use and not proper storage can shorten the life of many devices. Cheaper models aren't usually made for heavy use. Some environmental conditions (i.e. hot, humid weather) are worse for photo and electronic equipment, and may require careful storage.

Here the minimum warranty is two years, so I don't believe Canon makes camera with many chances to fail earlier. My 35 years old A-1 still works, and I plan to use it this weekend. The T-90s works too.... one was bought as a non-working one, to be used as a spare part source, it looks it was dropped, fixing it was easy, and it still works... (maybe there was a reason it was nicknamed "the Tank" in Japan).

The six years old 5D3 never missed a beat. My experience with Canon reliability was pretty good.

That said, any device could and will fail. You're experience is quite on the unlucky side, anyway, but more info about which models failed and what failed could be useful.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0