Canon EOS 5D Mark II Troubleshooting

Before trying any of these troubleshooting steps, perform a soft reboot; that is, turn the device off then back on again. If none of these steps fix your problem, perform a hard reboot; that is, turn the device off and remove the battery and backup battery, press the shutter button multiple times in order to drain any left over power, then put the batteries back in and turn the device back on.

Images look smudged or have other marks scarring the picture.

If you see marks or smudges when looking through the viewfinder, it could mean that the mirror is dirty. The mirror can be cleaned after removing the lens. Be sure to use specialty cleaning equipment; your old t-shirt will scratch the mirror, permanently damaging it.

The memory card might not be saving the images properly. Try using a different memory card.

If you see vertical lines on your images, the file format might be the issue. Use RAW or JPG file type.

If you see a thin line on every photo, the mirror is probably scratched and must be replaced. Visit the mirror replacement guide.

If you hear rattling when you shake the camera, the focus plate might need tightening. Visit the focus plate replacement guide to learn how to access and tighten the focus plate.

If you have already tried the previous steps, the card reader might not be transferring data to the memory card properly. Visit the card reader replacement guide.

Images have portions missing or significantly obscured, usually on the edges.

The memory card might not be saving the images properly. Try using a different memory card.

The small backup battery may be dead and in need of replacing. Visit the backup battery replacement guide.

The card reader may not be saving images onto the memory card properly and may need replacing. Visit the card reader replacement guide.

Anything displayed on the LCD screen is difficult or impossible to see.

Make sure the device is powered on.

If the LCD screen is black, the brightness may be too low. Try turning it up or using the "Auto" setting. Consult page 162 of the instruction manual (linked on the device page) on how to change the brightness.

If you see rainbows of color or obvious cracks, the LCD screen may be cracked and in need of replacing. Visit the LCD screen replacement guide.

Pressing a button does nothing, or buttons are impossible to press.

If the buttons are not responding, they probably need cleaning. Take off the outer case and clean the buttons with a brush. Visit the rear button replacement guide to learn how to access and clean the button contacts.

The device will not power on.

Make sure the battery is fully charged.

Make sure the battery is inserted properly.

The device may be set to automatically power off. Try once again to turn it back on. You may also wish to change the auto-off settings.

If the battery is properly inserted and fully charged, make sure the battery contacts are clean. Simply look inside the battery slot and clean the metal contacts with a cotton swab.

If the device powers on sometimes, but you do not see any error messages, or the device will never power on, it may be suffering from an unidentifiable problem. If the device will not power on, even when plugged into a computer, try reinstalling the lens, then perform a hard reboot.