Firmware Notice: Speedlite 600EX-RT and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT

[Mothman]

I sent an affected unit to the NJ facility, only to have it returned to me because they claimed that I needed to send 7 or more units in order to have the firmware update performed. Never mind that the product advisory says nothing of the sort (rather, it instructs how to “arrange to have an affected unit inspected and serviced”), and that tech support didn’t have any problem arranging for me to send my flash in to the facility for the service. Now I see that midluk above had 2 units updated, and it appears that others are getting updates with less than 7 units as well. Has anyone else had their service request rejected for having less than seven units, or have you been able to get the update without sending 7 or more units?

 

[midluk]

You can always tell a story of where you sometimes lend or rent other units, lend yours to a friend with enough other speedlites, have some more not-affected units (I would guess 430EXIII-RTs or Yongnuo devices also count for the 7 units), plan to buy some more in the near future (which of course you will only do if the problem is fixed), or a mix thereof.

My situation was in so far different, that I a) live in Germany and b) didn't send it in myself but had the store do it.
I could even argue that it does not meet the advertised specifications and therefore it should be covered by the warranty ("Gewährleistung") that the shop is obliged to grant me for two years (The problem obviously already existed at the time of purchase).

 

[Mothman]

I told at least three different people that I intended to add more units in the future, and that in the meantime I wanted to be able to link 7 or more units with other photographers. I also pointed out that even if I had 7 units, it would be unlikely that all of them would be affected because only units within a range of serial numbers (and lacking a white dot in the battery compartment) exhibited the "phenomenon". The last person I spoke with claimed to be a tech support manager and initially agreed with me that the wording of the advisory implied that I was entitled to a free upgrade, but later called back to say that the upgrade could not be performed on less than 7 units, tech support never should have arranged for the update on my single unit, and that the wording of the advisory would be updated to reflect this (at this point it remains unchanged). Unfortunately, having a store send it in for me is not an option, as I bought the flash directly from Canon.

 

[kaihp]

I sent an affected unit to the NJ facility, only to have it returned to me because they claimed that I needed to send 7 or more units in order to have the firmware update performed. Never mind that the product advisory says nothing of the sort (rather, it instructs how to “arrange to have an affected unit inspected and serviced”), and that tech support didn’t have any problem arranging for me to send my flash in to the facility for the service. Now I see that midluk above had 2 units updated, and it appears that others are getting updates with less than 7 units as well. Has anyone else had their service request rejected for having less than seven units, or have you been able to get the update without sending 7 or more units?

I had 2 600EX-RT's and an ST-E3_RT upgraded without problems too. But this was in Denmark, not the US. You might want to see if you can ping Chuck Westfall.

Note that the 600EX-RT's need a board replacement - it's not a straight firmware upgrade.
Are you serious?! I sent 3 flashes and a ST-E3-RT in to be updated and Canon had no problem updating. They did try to tell me over the phone the updates were unnecessary for 4 units however, I told them I wanted to get more in the future.

 

[Mothman]

Unfortunately I'm quite serious. One would have thought that having the issue elevated to a manager would have taken care of it, but I suspect that at that point my flash was already in the pipeline to be shipped back to me ... so the manager simply took the easy way out.

I had likewise received an initial call explaining that I would have no problem with less than 7 units, and when I insisted that I still wanted the firmware update (as I intended to add more units in the future, and also wanted to be able to link with other photographer's equipment in groups of 7 or more in the meantime) the woman who called indicated that she would check into the matter and call back. She never did call back, and when I subsequently checked the status of my service request online it indicated that I had declined the "repair" and the flash would be returned to me . So, by the time I managed to work my way to a manager to try to get this corrected, it was probably too late to retrieve the flash for service.

I received the flash today, with a printout of the firmware notice wrapped around it and the "7 or more units are linked" portion of the "phenomenon" description highlighted in yellow ???. So, it would seem that the service personnel have the description of the "phenomenon" confused with the description of an "affected unit". And, in effect, Canon has told me that my flash, which is under warranty (it was purchased in December), does not meet specifications (as it is an "affected unit"), but they will not fix it because I don't have 6 additional units to send in with it.

Obviously I'm going to need to follow up on this, but I'm at a complete loss as to where to turn. Indeed, as much as I like the gear, the quality of service has me seriously thinking of leaving Canon. I should note that this whole mess started with the service center losing the "Evaluation Request" printout that was shipped along with the flash (and which contained my information and the type of service being requested). Let's just say that getting that corrected wasn't pretty either, and I've been without my flash for a long time (perhaps a subject for another thread). I like the idea pinging Chuck Westfall (if that is in fact a viable option) but have no clue how...

 

[kaihp]

I like the idea pinging Chuck Westfall (if that is in fact a viable option) but have no clue how...

Try ping Canon on twitter https://twittter.com/canonusa asking why yours got rejected when others do get accepted - both inside the US and in other countries. Gather a bit of statistics here in the forum, feed them that.

 

[RGF]

Next time I dropped off a camera to the Canon center at Itasca I'll bring my units in. They can check them and upgrade the firmware if needed.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Is there a date after which this firmware update will no longer be offered, I wonder?

Probably not. For hardware fixes, eventually they'll run out of parts, some years after a product is discontinued. I doubt they'd run out of a firmware update.

There will probably be a 'sunset date' when they no longer offer the fix for free. In the case of the 5D (classic) mirror box issue, that date was 10 years after the service advisory date. They'll still fix them, but now you have to pay.

So, I'd say you have some time...

I thought that Canon no longer repairs the original 5D. That's why they do not do the mirror fix.

So, I'd agree, the free software fix will exire at the same time that they end their after-sales service, in 10 years or so.


I found this:


"Thank you for using Canon products.
Please note that the after-sales service period (service reception period) for this product will end on September 30, 2015. The free repairs are also scheduled to end on the same day.

We have discovered that, in rare instances, the main mirror of some EOS 5D Digital SLR cameras may detach due to deterioration in the strength of the adhesive. Accordingly, we would like to convey the details and our service policy concerning this phenomenon.

We offer our sincerest apologies to those customers who have been inconvenienced by this issue. Canon always strives to provide the highest quality products to our customers and we will spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.

Phenomenon
The main mirror of the camera detaches and images cannot be viewed through the viewfinder.

Affected products
EOS 5D Digital SLR cameras whose main mirror has detached.

User Support
We will repair and reinforce the mirror portion of the affected products free of charge. If you own one of the affected products, please contact our Customer Support Center.

We appreciate your patience, and we offer our sincerest apologies to the customers using these products who have been inconvenienced by this issue.

This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region."

 

[Ozarker]

Finally getting around to getting my firmware update done. I called Canon today and now all I have to do is box things up and send them in. I was sent a shipping label via email and they say I will get it all back in 5-7 working days.

Now, I specifically asked whether the updated speedlites would have a white dot after the update. The answer was, "Yes". That would make sense because Canon would be able to tell whether the update had previously taken place without opening a unit up and even quickly be able to let customers know over the phone that the update had already been performed on a particular unit. The updates were performed in factory on units with the affected serial numbers before shipment. Those units got the white dots in factory.

I was specifically asked whether or not I had seven units and whether of not any of them have the white dots. I was also asked whether all the units fell in the serial number range and was asked to read off the serial number of one random unit.

With that all said I am posting a photo of what I have so that all can see there are no white dots. We will wait and see if the updated units are returned with the dots.

Update: Everything came back with a white dot except for the transmitter. The dot is just made with a white marker or paint. It ain't purdy like the factory white dots.

 

[Ozarker]

I sent 3 600s and a ST-E3-RT in this past January and all 4 units came back with the white dot placed on them.

That's good to know.

 

[iaind]

Sent 4 600-EX-RT and ST-E3-RT in with my 1D4 for new shutter.

Canon split into 2 orders

1) 1d4 +600-EX-RT + ST-E3-RT

2) 3 X 600-EX-RT

Order1 due for despatch delayed for payment and may holiday

order 2 received back within 96 hours of sending off. Now have white dot. All done under warranty

Great service from Canon Elstree

 

[iaind]

Received order 1 yesterday. Held up by Bank Holiday . Still great service from Canon and UPS