Canon EOS 40D Troubleshooting

This is a general error message for the Canon EOS 40D

Turn the camera off and remove the lens, battery and the CF card. Let sit for 20 minutes without power. Put a freshly charged battery into the camera and power on. Press the shutter button like you would to take a picture. If the error 99 message appears the issue is internal. If the message fails to appear then the issue lies with either the battery, lens, or CF card.

Turn off camera and remove lens, battery and CF card. Let camera sit for 20 mins powerless. Put in freshly charged battery and CF card. Format CF card in camera. Press the shutter button as to take an image. If error 99 appears the CF card is bad and needs to be replaced. If no message appears, the issue may be with your lens.

Make sure you are using one of the manufacturers compatible lenses and that the lens is correctly attached to your camera’s body. If your compatible lens is correctly attached to the camera, this error message may be due to a broken lens or dirty contacts between the camera and lens. To change the LCD monitor follow these steps Canon EOS 40D LCD Replacement.

To appropriately clean the contacts between the lens and camera, first use a lens brush or compressed air to remove dust, then a lint free cloth or lens tissue may be used to wipe clean the gold elements. It is best to use a disposable tissue made for cleaning camera lenses to reduce the transfer of dirt and scratching of elements.

No camera actions are possible even though it is switched to power on mode.

If the camera does not work while switched on, you may be using a dead battery. Recharge the battery. It may need to be replaced as well. Replace battery by following these steps Canon EOS 40D Battery Replacement

Slide over the lever on the battery compartment door to open. Insert the battery downward with the contacts side in first, until it locks in place. Press the cover over the battery until it snaps shut.

Slide open the CF card door on the side of the camera. As you slide the card into the slot make sure to face the labeled side of the CF card towards you and put the side with holes into the camera first. Once the card is in place, shut the CF card slot door completely.

If you did the above suggestions and still the camera will not power on, you may need to replace the internal battery component. See Canon EOS 40D Date and Time Battery Replacement for step by step instructions on how to replace the internal battery.

When taking picture, the built-in flash does not pop up.

If external flash is present, the built in flash will not fire. Turn the camera off and remove it. Turn camera on and take a picture. If flash does not fire automatically check menu, control, built in flash function. If it says external flash attached, the spring in hotshoe (the popup flash socket) may be dirty or stuck.

Power off camera. Check if any foreign objects are stuck in the hotshot. If an object is found, remove it carefully with the help of a toothpick. If dirt is found, clean hotshoe and railing by using compressed air or a soft brush. Power on camera and take picture, if built-in flash does not fire the spring that enables the popup may be stuck.

Power off camera. Locate the metal switch spring in the hotshoe. Use a toothpick to un-stick the spring and return builtin flash to original state. Power on camera and take a picture. If built-in flash does not fire the entire hotshoe may need to be replaced. See Canon EOS 40D Flash Hot Shoe Replacement for step by step instructions on how to replace the entire built-in flash hotshoe.

Image cannot be erased or cannot be seen

Playback the image to be erased. Press the erase button. Select [Erase], then press <set>. If the image displayed does not erase, it may be erase-protected.

Check menu, image settings, erase-protected. If images set to erase-protected, turn setting off. If setting is not set, check if shooting date and time is correct.

Check menu, settings, date and time. If the date is incorrect no image will be displayed to be deleted. Correct the date and time on the camera. Power off the camera for 5 minutes then power on and delete images.

When pressing the shutter or record button, images and videos are not shot or recorded

Turn the power switch off and make sure the access lamp is off. Slide open the cover on the CF card door. Insert the CF card with the label facing toward you, pushing the side with the tiny holes inward first. Close the the cover.

Delete older images in order to make room. Click the <playback> button (the second to left button) on the screen. Press the button that appears as a "trash can" to erase the select image. Select "erase" and click the <set> button to delete the desired image.

Replace the old CF card with a new one. See "CF Card is not properly inserted" for instructions on installing a new CF card.

Switch the AF mode off by sliding the switch to manual (MF) mode.

Hold shutter button halfway down to focus camera.

The camera powers off when it is set to <ON>

Slide over the lever on the battery compartment door to open. Insert the battery downward with the contacts side in first, until it locks in place. Press the cover over the battery until it snaps shut.

If the camera does not work while switched on, you may be using a dead battery. Recharge the battery.

The “auto power off” setting can be turned off. Under the [5] tab, select [Auto power off], and then press the <set> button. If not, follow these steps to replace the shutter button Canon EOS 40D Shutter Button Replacement.