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EOS 7D/5DII Locking Mode Dial Modification

robbieduncan

robbieduncan

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Jul 24, 2002
25,611
893
Harrogate
I'd like that on my T1i as well, guess I can stop feeling "stupid" for taking shots in wrong mode some times....looks like Canon is actually charging customers $100 for a HMI mistake they made.

This is not new/rocket science, heck my 1st film SLR by Pentax, a 1985 Pentax Super Program Plus had this..

From canons fix site:
diallock2.jpg
 
It's not new for Canon either: they had this on old film SLRs. It seems they are basically offering the EOS 60D mode dial on cameras where they can. I expect this will become the standard on all new EOS bodies introduced.
 
I have both of these cameras, and I do sometimes find my mode dial has slipped off of my most-used setting ('M'), but then the other dials don't behave as expected, so it never causes me any real problems. It's always obvious that the dial has slipped. No way am I going to shell out hundreds of dollars for new mode dials. Nope. Not happening.
 
Yea, I'm wating for the 7D mkII or 5D mkIII as next body....so will live with T1i as is.

btw, for history my 1st film SLR....good memory and many pictures taken with this.
450px-
 
I'm not trying to start a C vs N war here but I have never had any problems of this nature on my D80, nor have I heard of anyone ever experiencing problems with their Nikon cameras.

How can it be so different? Is the force required to change modes much less on the Canon SLRs or something?

Ruahrc
 
It's never happened on my old 5D, maybe the newer models are more prone to it?

That said I've not read anything before about it on the photography forums I generally use.
 
I have a 5d2 and have never had a problem with the mode dial. I wouldn't mind that on/off switch that the 7D appears to have though....
 
I don't see a need for this either, but what strikes me as odd about this whole program is that they are going to this trouble when they can't be bothered to add a firmware option to the 7D/5DMKII for a max ISO setting in auto ISO... a firmware option in the newer cameras that should literally cost them nothing to add to the 7D outside of a minor regression test. Canon is bizarre some times. :(
 
I guess some people are having problems otherwise it wouldn't be an option but my dial action is firm enough so it just doesn't move around. The only problem I've ever had with it is if someone else starts playing with it or I've made deliberate mode change and have forgotten to change it back - neither of these scenarios will be saved by a mechanical mod.
 
I call bs on this whole thing. Its simply people bumping the dail. I have shot Canon for years and years and never one had a dial "slip" on me. The dials do not turn on their own, its simply the photographer moving it by accident, nothing more.
 
mattjk said:
I guess some people are having problems otherwise it wouldn't be an option but my dial action is firm enough so it just doesn't move around. The only problem I've ever had with it is if someone else starts playing with it or I've made deliberate mode change and have forgotten to change it back - neither of these scenarios will be saved by a mechanical mod.
Click to expand...

It sometimes happens to me when I'm pulling a camera out of a bag. I carry two camera bodies in a very stuffed backpack, and whichever one is in the bottom compartment has to go in and out with a bit of force and maneuvering. It also happens sometimes when I'm walking with a camera slung around me cross-body style (like you would do with an R-Strap), in which case the mode dial rubs up against me and gets moved out of position.

chrono1081 said:
I call bs on this whole thing. Its simply people bumping the dail. I have shot Canon for years and years and never one had a dial "slip" on me. The dials do not turn on their own, its simply the photographer moving it by accident, nothing more.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what's happening, but with the locking switch, it wouldn't.
 
I have also noticed this annoying problem with the 7D. The mode dial should require a second button to be pressed before being flipped. I also don't like the position of the Lock button for the thumb wheel on the lower-right of the camera body. It keeps getting flipped too. The old method of using a two-mode Power switch is better.
 
arogge said:
I also don't like the position of the Lock button for the thumb wheel on the lower-right of the camera body. It keeps getting flipped too. The old method of using a two-mode Power switch is better.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I have the opposite preference. One of my cameras has the new lock button, and the other has the old two-mode power switch. I definitely prefer the new design because it's easier to tell if it's locked or not (without looking). I don't think I've had either kind get flipped accidentally, though.
 
my mode and diopter dials are taped so they don't move...the mode dial gets moved easily from being moved in and out of a bag or from bouncing against my hip. I would do this if my camera were supported, and if it didn't cost $100 :rolleyes:
 
chrono1081 said:
I call bs on this whole thing. Its simply people bumping the dail.
Click to expand...
Of course that's the problem, the dial has no way of moving itself.
I've had the problem a few times at bike races where I am running around taking photos quickly, swapping lenses, etc. It's unfortunate the modification is so expensive but I'll probably still go for it.
 
Whilst I've never had a problem myself with a moving mode dial, I can see the value in having one. What's actually nice is that Canon will modify an old camera to have a new dial, rather than just saying "tough" and including it on the Mark III release.

If only they would do that with other stuff. I'd love to send off my 70-200 and magically fit the new IS system in it...
 
I had my 5D Mark II modified: http://www.ocabj.net/?p=1279

http://youtu.be/xUHonzbbtcU#t=1m57s

Basically, the reason why I wanted the locking mode dial is because due to the location of the dial, and how I hold my camera (Black Rapid R-Strap), I sometimes bump the dial with the side of my body during a photo session. Especially when I'm moving lights with the camera at my side. It gets annoying when I'm in Manual or C3 and the mode dial accidentally gets bumped to Bulb without me knowing it until I take that next shot.

But this is personal preference. I know plenty of people who don't have this issue simply due to the way they use their camera.

But for me, it's happened a few times where I feel it's worth it to me to get on of my camera bodies modified. I'll wait another month before I make a decision to get my 7D modified.

Just an FYI: For the $100 locking dial mod cost, Canon also cleans the sensor, viewfinder/focus screen (based on my invoice), and ships the camera back to you. Since cleanings are ~$60 through the Canon Service Center, this does give you quite a bit of bang for the buck at the $100.
 
ocabj said:
Just an FYI: For the $100 locking dial mod cost, Canon also cleans the sensor, viewfinder/focus screen (based on my invoice), and ships the camera back to you. Since cleanings are ~$60 through the Canon Service Center, this does give you quite a bit of bang for the buck at the $100.
Click to expand...
Canon do a clean every time a camera goes in to their service centre, no matter what for. I had to get the screen cover replaced on my Mark II due to a massive crack, cost of £50, and they did the full sensor/viewfinder clean too.
 
Ruahrc said:
I'm not trying to start a C vs N war here but I have never had any problems of this nature on my D80, nor have I heard of anyone ever experiencing problems with their Nikon cameras.
Click to expand...
Then you simply are not listening hard enough. Feel free to do a simple search and you will find plenty of cases for any given manufacturer.

This can happen on any camera. Even ones that will require two hands to change shooting modes. Stuff just happens.

He sums it up nicely:
chrono1081 said:
I call bs on this whole thing. Its simply people bumping the dail. I have shot Canon for years and years and never one had a dial "slip" on me. The dials do not turn on their own, its simply the photographer moving it by accident, nothing more.
Click to expand...
Or as others have said, while transporting and moving in and out of a bag or any other way it could happen.
How can it be so different? Is the force required to change modes much less on the Canon SLRs or something?
Click to expand...
Keep calm and carry on. It's really not a big deal.

This is not a recall. There is no problem to begin with. This affects a handful of users and is a voluntary chargeable service.

Canon feels they can make some money from users who feel they need to make the change so the service is offered. For everyone else, this is a non issue.
 
ocabj said:
I had my 5D Mark II modified: http://www.ocabj.net/?p=1279

http://youtu.be/xUHonzbbtcU#t=1m57s

Basically, the reason why I wanted the locking mode dial is because due to the location of the dial, and how I hold my camera (Black Rapid R-Strap), I sometimes bump the dial with the side of my body during a photo session. Especially when I'm moving lights with the camera at my side. It gets annoying when I'm in Manual or C3 and the mode dial accidentally gets bumped to Bulb without me knowing it until I take that next shot.

But this is personal preference. I know plenty of people who don't have this issue simply due to the way they use their camera.

But for me, it's happened a few times where I feel it's worth it to me to get on of my camera bodies modified. I'll wait another month before I make a decision to get my 7D modified.

Just an FYI: For the $100 locking dial mod cost, Canon also cleans the sensor, viewfinder/focus screen (based on my invoice), and ships the camera back to you. Since cleanings are ~$60 through the Canon Service Center, this does give you quite a bit of bang for the buck at the $100.
Click to expand...

That's really good to know. In the last few days I've accidentally bumped my dial off of 'M' at least twice per day, and each time I thought of this thread. All the same, $200 (for both cameras) is a lot to shell out for a minor convenience. Since I'm a creature of habit, always using the same mode, it's immediately obvious to me that the dials aren't behaving as expected. So I guess it would be a nice luxury to have the new mode dials, but given that my main style of shooting isn't seriously hampered by dial movement, I'm still not planning on springing for the upgrade. Also, I've gotten pretty good at cleaning my own sensors, so that bonus is less enticing than it might be for others.
 
This thread made me reflect on mishaps that happen to me most often and an idea that would be a good addition to this.

What I find happening to me, more often than I care to admit, is that I'll go to take a quick shot one day and without even thinking, turn the camera on, compose, focus and press the shutter. Of course, what happens is I hear the countdown timer instead of the shutter, and realize the last time I used my camera was the other night on a tripod, with the remote, doing long exposure night shots, in manual mode :eek:

I would find it incredibly helpful to have the camera resort to my default preferred settings (Av, Auto ISO, f4, Single Shot, etc.) after a certain period of being powered down.

Of course, this kind of feature would require a dial without physical mode markings on it, but some kind of mini display for the mode so that the mode could be changed in software without turning the dial.

EDIT: I realize I can use the C1, 2, 3 settings to at least quickly get back to normal after an abnormal shoot.
 
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