Canon Rebel XS: error 99

Factual Questions
1

I get the feeling that there are more than one Canon Rebel users out there.

Error 99 seems pretty common; I found some good info after a quick Google search:

http://www.richardsnotes.org/archives/2005/04/29/50mm-lens-contact-points/

Has any doper had a similar experience?

How did you fix it?

I liked the systematic approach suggested in the link, attempting to narrow down the problem. My SO is a bit stressed by this, but if we don’t solve this soon, we will end up sending it back to Canon.

Thanks

2

Err99 is a catchall error code, and as the blog post you linked to states, it can be one of many problems.

Have you tried cleaning the contacts? Taking out BOTH batteries? (There’s a button cell as well as the main battery.)

Finally, have you got the latest firmware version? The XS is currently at version 1.0.5, which was released in April of this year. You can download it here.

(FTR, I shoot with a 20D, 30D, 5D and an infrared-modified 300D.)

3

Err 99 is a pretty generic error for the Canon DSLRs. It could mean all sorts of things and is pretty hard to pin down.

On preview - beaten to the punch.

Reseat the lens, the batteries, the memory card, clean all the contact points, and update the firmware.

4

I had this error with a 20D with a lens that worked perfectly on my Rebel and EOS 5 film cameras. It turned out to be an incompatability with the lens at the electronics level.

However, as mentioned, it could be lots of things.

5

I have had the XT for a couple of years, and I’ve occasionally got an “Error 99”. In my case, taking the lens off ad putting it back on fixed the problem.

6

MTRG: What lens are you using?

7

I bought the kit that included a 18-55mm lens