Iris ring not working?
 

Something seems to be up with the iris control ring on my camera. I've had my new cam for a few weeks, and only just today tried to use the manual settings. When in manual mode, I have no problem adjusting the shutter, but when I turn the iris ring, the aperture value just quickly switches back and forth between two similiar values, like f2.6 - 2.8. Sometimes it doesn't do anything, the f value just stays the same while I turn the iris ring to no avail. What could be going on here? Is there a setting I am missing, or is the camera broken?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hm... my A1 doesn't behave like this. Iris just works as it should. I'd contact Canon or your dealer.

Is there a total reset button you can activate?

I don't know about a reset button, does anyone? I guess I will call canon and see what the issue is. I assume the camera came this way, becuase I have hardly used it so far, and have not damaged or dropped it in any way.

Everything else works fine, and I know the iris works when in auto or Tv mode, beucause I can see the exposure changing when moving between different levels of lighting. So I feel like it's either a firmware issue, or something is just not set correctly. I would imagine if it was defective, my dealer (B&H) or canon would replace it... I hope.

There's a reset function just above the speaker underneath the handle where the LCD nests when closed. You have to use a small paper clip or something similar. Not sure this will cure your iris problem though.

Bill

I found the reset button and used a pin to press it, but nothing happens. Is it supposed to be held down for a certain length of time, or when the camera is on, or off? I can't find anything in the manual about it.

There's a very tiny bit about it in the manual. In the pdf manual page 13 shows a graphic representation of all top view buttons/functions but the reset button is the only one that doesn't have a page reference associated with it, go figure.

And on page 152 midway down, there's a short description. It seems as though it just resets all setting to their factory default. I doubt this will fix your iris ring problem though.

Bill

So no one else has experienced anything like this before? I will call canon tomorrow.

are you in M mode? green box mode? Which mode is your wheel set to?

I am in M mode. Being in A priority mode has the same issue as well.

Sounds like a definite problem, Ben -- the closest Canon service center to you is in Jamesburg, New Jersey. Should be a simple warranty repair item.

Yup, looks like it is definitely defective. I'll have to call canon tech support today, but they will probably say I need to send it in for repairs. Bummer.

Just as a quick update to anyone else who might have this problem - I called canon and this issue does require repair at their service center.

I also got my new Canon A1 with this same problem. Exactly the same iris range problem. This is my second Canon A1. The first camera is from December and that one still working fine. Now since the 2nd camera is brand new, the dealer is going to replace the camera with no shipping charges.This is an issue that I already talked with the canon people and they are aware of it.

My first A1 had problems with the focus and zoom rings. I returned it and now my second one is having problems, nothing that is constantly malfunctioning but enough to be really annoying. Maybe the lens servo isn't designed very well or something...

Yup, mine is acting that way too.
It won't stop anywhere in the range of stops,
it just goes full open to full closed...

I just hate the idea of sending it off for repairs...
Anyone have experience with the turn-over speed on repairs?

Thanks,

David

wow, this doesn't bode well. the one I got at work has been fine.
having a new camera go down right before or during a shoot would suck.

Yikes!!! Mine just shipped today.
****fingers crossed*****

Yeah, I have a shoot Sunday, it does not feel good...
I can get around it, but the camera is only three weeks
old and this is a problem I have been hearing about since
September...
what's up with that Canon?

David

mine was 4 weeks old when I noticed the manual focus ring wasnt working.. its boxed up all ready to go to canon repair depot..

I sent mine in for repair last Monday - canon paid for shipping - and it was back at my doorstep that Friday, 4 days later. That is really fast repair service in my opinion. The problem they listed on the repair sheet was that some contact in the lens assembly wasn't right, so the iris ring would not change the aperture. Must be easy to fix, because I think they fixed it in less than a day. It is scary thinking about the possibility that this could happen again, especially since I am leaving the country to shoot a documentary, and I doubt it will be this easy to fix abroad. I guess the only upside is that if you shoot in Tv mode and use exposure lock like I do, you never absolutely need manual control of the iris ring. It just sucks knowing my brand new camera might stop working correctly, even if what stops working doesn't affect me that much.

Hi Ben,

Good news on the fast Canon fix...encouraging.
And yes, that is what I am planning to do on my
shoot this weekend; shoot in Tv mode and use exposure lock.
But as you also mentioned, it is alittle unsettling to know
that, should you need it, the manual iris control is not functioning.

That's alright, I love the camera and it can be fixed,
so no more whining...

David

Honestly I think these problems are just part of getting a new toy like this. Quite a few of my expensive electronics over the past few years have had issues straight out of the box. My first dSLR had dirt on the sensor the day I opened the box and the screen on my laptop broke after two weeks of owning it. None of these problems were user caused, just issues that arose very early on. Maybe I'm just unlucky. Although all things were fixed quickly and free, so I can't complain there.

I'm not worried about the iris ring malfunctioning again, but if it does I'll just have to get it repaired again. I love this camera, so hopefully I don't have to be without it again!

This issue sounds like simple assembly problem that occured in relatively small number of units. Things like that happen, especially with new equipment. Once fixed, it won't come back, but it worries me that such gaps in quality control happen more and more often. We all have heard about car recalls. I hope we won't have to get used to that in electronics domain.

Good to hear Ben.
Mine just arrived today and everything seems to be working just fine. whew!

Zoom changes Iris?
 

Found this thread searching for aperture problems. We're into day four of a ten day shoot and I've been noticing that the range of aperture selection on Manual mode changes depending on the Zoom, which I thot was a little strange. It appears that the wider the Zoom, the more open I can go with the aperture. Zooming in will cause the aperture to close by itself!

I haven't made a rigourous test of both our A1s to see exactly what is happening, and so far it hasn't caused us any grief because we're in controlled lighting situations, but if this is a problem I'd like to resolve it and get it fixed.

Is this the same or a related problem or does anyone else see this type of behaviour? I found nothing about limited aperture settings related to zoom in the manual...

Russ

Russ, re-read the manual, it's in the specs. Nothing to worry about - all zoom lens are darker at telephoto (though the A1 is more so than some others).

Hi Piotr,

Thanks for the email. Indeed I found the line in the XH-A1 specs:
f=4.5-90mm, F/1.6-3.5, 20x power zoom

Also a search on "depth of field" in this forum yielded some good info.

Some quick experimentation seems to me to indicate that zooming in to maximum (with the aperture correspondingly more closed) yields a more shallow DOF than having the aperture open all the way and the zoom pulled all the way out, given a certain subject size (head and shoulders framing for an interview, for instance).

Shooting from thirty feet away for an interview doesn't seem very practical though. Time to try a wide angle lens.

Russ

I just got my A1 last week and I'm having the exact same issue. Very painful, as it overshadows the otherwise extremely happy experience of this fantastic new camcorder. I'll get a replacement this week... keep my fingers crossed.

Dino

More Manual Aperture Problems
 

I saw this post when I first got my A1, played with the iris ring and noticed that the range of apertures was limited at times in manual mode. But knowing enough about lenses and photography figured that it had to do with the zoom level I was at. I honestly don't remember whether i was fully zoomed in or not. So, though it was in the back of my mind, I forgot about it. I don't use my camera every day and I don't use it for professional purposes, per se. I am a corporate flight attendant who decided that I wanted to share more of my trip with my kids, family and friends. In another life I was a video professional who shot corporate, air force and medical video so I am not a newby to cameras, though am rather impressed with the technological progress of video equipment.

I was on a trip this past week shooting in a room lit mostly by the light from a window. I wanted to overexpose the window so that the exposure in the rest of the room was at the proper levels when I zoomed out. And I wanted to point at the window and zoom out and down to get the view of the entire room. I set the camera to Aperture Priority and did a medium shot with the window centered and overexposed. But as I was holding the camera at the window I noticed that the iris was self adjusting in step increments until the window light was no longer overexposed. I tried this a number of times and think that i got a tape of this happening. The laptop I have when I travel is too slow to do any video capture so this will have to wait until next week when I am home to upload here. I know I was in aperture mode, and even if I adjusted the aperture back to the overexposed level, the camera adjusted back to the proper exposure.
Has anyone seen this? I will be contacting Canon tomorrow to tell them about this situation and I will report what they tell me.

Steve, it's actually more prerrable to use Tv (shutter priority mode) & use EXP LOCK (Exposure Lock) for manual adjustments to the iris.

Using Aperture mode puts auto shutter active & my guess is the shutter was adjusting... changing the exposure you thought you had as you zoomed out.

Just a thought
Bill

Tv Mode
 

Hi Bill, thanks for the response.

I will try Tv mode and exposure lock next time.

The strange thing about this was that i wasn't zooming when the aperture was adjusting and I double checked to see if I was in Av mode. The camera actually ticked down through increments of the iris until it got to a point where the window light was exposed "properly." It wasnt a smooth transition even. I haven't had a chance to look a the footage so I can't say I captured what I saw. I put the camera in Av mode, framed the shot, adjusted the aperture to overexpose the window and as i was getting ready to hit the record button and start my zoom, I stood watching the iris close down. Not what I expected. Tomorrow i will look at the tape.
Thanks again, Steve

Hi Steve. The camera is just trying to do its job - i.e. adjust to what it thinks is the correct exposure. If you want a deliberately overexposed area, you need to select manual mode or else press exposure lock and then adjust the iris accordingly.

By the way, I would not use Av mode because this causes the shutter speed to jump around and affects the smoothness of motion on the shot. If you want an auto mode with some control, Tv mode is more useful.

Richard

Hi Richard, I guess all I have to say is "duh" I wasn't thinking in terms of still cameras where if you set the aperture to a fixed setting the shutterspeed changes. Which is what is happening with this camera. The A1 is speeding up the shutter speed in increments to adjust for the wide open iris. A still camera with moving pictures. Bill said this and it was late last night when I was reading his posts so I didn't get it.

thank you. Your explanation clarified this process. Next time I am in the situation, I will try Bill's and your suggestion to use exposure lock. I considered it but one of the people I was with was getting antsy to leave and there was more to see and capture.
Steve