Do Canon have build quality problems with bodies?

Dr_O

Dr_O

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Being online, you inevitably come across a wide variety of topics.

Given my impending switch to Canon, which should be straightforward other than having to paint L lens's black:eek::lol:, I have a general perception that Canon seem to have a lot of faults with bodies- Lens errors, focus issues, image problems etc etc- far more than I have seen from other manufacturers.

Now, this could be because it's the most popular brand, so higher volumes will end up with more faults but in proportion to other manufacturers. I do however recall Canon having issues with one of their MV camcorders and totally denying it was a fault for a considerable period of time, until they eventually accepted it and offered repairs. I always thought it was a bit out of order though looking back now, perhaps you can draw parallels with Toyota in that these companies try to protect the brand at all costs without realising the true impact.

So, do Canon churn things out too quickly without really testing them (giving them the benefit of the doubt that they can build a proper camera;)) or are they on a par with the rest?

I'll still be changing, I just wonder if I should ready myself for the occasional 2 or 3 months of hassle trying to get something to work?
 
I've had a number of Canon bodies and have never had a problem with the build quality on any of them.
If you look deep enough you will find people with who have had problems with any product.
On the whole I doubt Canon have more problems than any other manufacturer.
 
Have to agree with Steve. Im sure its all in proportion as with other companies.
 
Am sure Canon have their fair share of issues like all other premium brands. I think buying from a good reputable dealer is the key here, not just the cheapest vendor.

I work for a Danish company who's products are premium market and we have issues from time to time. It's how we handle problems and feed solutions down through our dealer network that keeps our customers happy.

In the 18mths of owning DSLR equipment, I have had 4 faulty Sigma lenses and a faulty D300s body - all bought from reputable dealers and sorted pretty quickly.
 
So, if your perception is canon have a somewhat dodgy record of Quality Control, why are you moving to them????? :shrug:

I am sure that every manufacturer of pretty much everything has the odd bad day... mate is an IBM consultant preeching Lean Six Sigma for a fortune a day, so I had to ask him where the Lean and Six Sigma Principles come from... (Japanese auto industry of 1970's.)

So Steve, talk me through Toyota Prius and Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing in 2009-2010.........


Not used canon other than a P&S from a few years back, but am pretty sure the majority of Canon users on here have few if any problems, and any that have existed are resolved quickly if within warranty.
 
I've never had a problem with any body that I've had from Canon. I work for Jessops and we never get complaints about Canon bodies. I've seen more Nikon camera returns for various reasons.
 
only ones I know of are the early 1d3 releases which canon fixed and the issue of mirror detachment from a bad glue batch for 5d classics, which canon will fix.so I wouldn't worry too much tbh
 
I figured it was probably much of a muchness with regards to faults- was just reading about Si's 7D problems and there was the 5D mk II firmware where new firmware fixed the problems the previous one caused and I just thought do these Canon chaps know what they're doing?:lol:

Totally agree about the reputable dealer- just got a new putter yesterday and looks like TaylorMade could do with a set square but phoned the guys today and don't think there will be any issues sorting it out. Good service is always worth a bit extra.
 
Dr_O said:
was just reading about Si's 7D problems and there was the 5D mk II firmware where new firmware fixed the problems the previous one caused and I just thought do these Canon chaps know what they're doing?:lol:
Click to expand...

Most firmware updates are bugfixes for issues that only become apparent when a product has been on the market for a while..

The last 5D mk II update was unusual in that it introduced new video functionality - not so much as a bugfix as a free upgrade. To be fair to Canon, they did fix the buggy version pretty quickly. (As I remember, it was a fairly obscure problem involving custom settings.)

A.
 
Your comment that canon are the most popular is not quite right.

In 2007 Nikon outsold Canon in the DSLR market

figures for 2008 show the market share to be equal.
 
I've had Canon bodies for many years. Had one problem with a T90 - wound on before shutter closed on long exposures, but never had any trouble with dSLRs and I've got 300D, 400D, 450D, 500D and 7D
 
PsiFox said:
Your comment that canon are the most popular is not quite right.

In 2007 Nikon outsold Canon in the DSLR market

figures for 2008 show the market share to be equal.
Click to expand...

Those are sales figures for two particular years.

There are still more Canon cameras in the world than any other brand- I can only equate that to popularity.
Nikon may have outsold Canon in 2007 but from an accumulative point of view, more people would still be using Canon in 2007.
 
PsiFox said:
Your comment that canon are the most popular is not quite right.

In 2007 Nikon outsold Canon in the DSLR market

figures for 2008 show the market share to be equal.
Click to expand...

Source? You can't just come out with figures without providing the sources.
The only ones I could find that agreed with the above were in the Japanese market only. (2008 BCN Japan review)
 
I hope I'm not the reason this thread got started! :D

My problems with Canon have only arisen since I've had the 7D... Every model I've had prior to that has been excellent in all respects.

My old 5D had a screen fault when I bought it secondhand that meant it occasionally stopped working or rendered some very weird colours... I got cross with it one afternoon and gave it an almightly slap on the side. Funnily enough, I never had another problem with it after that! :D

There's good and bad in everything no matter what make or model you prefer... I'd hope that my own experiences wouldn't put someone off buying a 7D but if nothing else, it may just help someone to be careful about their choices. I have friends who own 7D's and quite rightly have nothing but praise for them. If I wasn't in a position where I actually make money from my cameras, I daresay I would have given the 7D another chance but I just wasn't prepared to take the risk and Canon's initial intransigence on the phone made me a bit angry too although it all worked out in the end.

I just hope it's a fair while before Canon release the 5D MKIII... If they stick all of the features from the 7D onto a full frame sensor, I think it'll be unbeatable!

Cheers,
Si
 
Anorakus said:
A certain Mr. R. Kady is away from his computer or hasn't found this thread yet :lol:
Click to expand...

:lol:

they do seem to have ballsed up things with their pro end bodies several times (1D3 AF issues anyone...?) whereas nikon just...get it right every time...

and their consumer bodies feel like a hollow plastic easter egg lol...
 
I'm certain there are many happy Canon owners out there who will never experience any negative issues with their kit, but having actually seen three Pro bodies and one pro-sumer body die for no good reason, I'd never trust them as a work-horse camera.
 
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