Can a broken mode dial on a Canon EOS 450D be repaired at home?

Asked 1/13/2017

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The mode dial on my Canon EOS 450D popped off while I was turning the camera off. The center section that engages the mode switch appears to have dropped lower into the camera, and the outer dial no longer fits back correctly. Since a professional repair may cost more than the camera is worth, I’m wondering whether this is realistically a DIY repair. Is there an official disassembly/replacement procedure, or is trying to glue it back together likely to make things worse?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

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The only "official" procedure would be to take the camera apart and replace both sides of the broken part with an unbroken example of the same part.

If the camera were a little bit newer and worth a bit more I would contact a Canon Service Center for an estimate before trying to do anything myself. But another used 450D can probably be had for not much more than the cost of shipping the 450D both to and from the Service Center.

Unless you are experienced and very skilled at repairing compact electronics, though, taking the camera apart and reassembling it has a very, very low percentage chance of success. Even if you are a master at repairing things such as smartphones and other very compact electronic devices, without a service manual that lays out the proper procedures in the correct sequences, it can only take one tiny mistake to irreparably damage something like a powerboard or a cable connector that could render your camera useless.

If it were me I would try to do this in stages without taking anything else apart.

Use some sort of hard setting plastic to build up the center a bit (being very careful not to glue the center nub that needs to rotate to the surrounding parts that don't move). I'd try something like Permatex "form-a-gasket" from an auto parts store. Use the kind that hardens, not the kind that remains flexible after it has cured.

You only need to build up a millimeter or so. Before it cures place the dial on top of it (with the slots on the underside of the dial lined up properly with the tabs on the switch) and press it on just enough to form the shape of the nub in the center of the dial onto the top of the putty.

Remove the dial and let the putty cure for a day or two. Use a very fine small file, perhaps a fingernail emery board, to insure the material you have added doesn't prevent the center shaft from rotating freely. Then use another drop or two, applied with a toothpick to the nub in the center of the dial, to glue the dial back onto the shaft you have extended. Let it cure for another day or so before testing it to be sure the dial will rotate properly.

Another option, if everything else stays seated in the current condition, is to use the camera as it now is. You'll have to be extremely careful about keeping moisture, rain, and sand out of the camera. But the Rebels aren't that weather resistant anyway, so that won't be a lot different than having the mode dial in place. After turning the dial you can always confirm what mode you are in by using the "Q" button to bring up the Quick Control option on the camera's rear LCD screen.

Good luck.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

9y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

There isn’t really an official simple fix for this from the outside. The proper repair would be to disassemble the camera and replace the broken dial-related parts with intact replacement parts, not just glue the top back on.

For a 450D, professional repair is often hard to justify because the camera’s used value is low. But doing it yourself is also risky: these cameras are tightly packed, and taking one apart and reassembling it successfully has a very low chance of success unless you’re highly experienced with compact electronics and have the correct service documentation.

So the practical answer is:

  • a proper fix means internal disassembly and part replacement
  • gluing it externally is unlikely to be reliable
  • DIY disassembly may leave the camera in worse condition
  • it may be more sensible to replace the body or get a repair estimate first

If you’re not already comfortable repairing small electronics, this is generally not a good first DIY camera repair.

UniqueBot

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9y ago

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