"Oily" lens contacts can be one source of the error 99 on a Canon camera.

This weekend I ran into my first serious trouble with my trustworthy Canon 10D. It started giving me “ERR 99″ all the time. I ran into this problem once before already, but a simple turn it off and turn it on did the trick back then. This time when I did the on/off cycle the camera worked again for like one or two shots and then the same “ERR 99″. Pretty annoying when you are at a demonstration and the time to catch the best shot is very limited. After a while I gave up and headed home to consult the Internet about this phenomenon.

It seems like I’m not the only one with these problems and they also don’t seem to be limited to the 10D. After some research here is the general gist. “ERR99″ = Error 99 = a general error that is not specified. However it seems to be limited to three major causes which luckily are remedied rather easily: batteries, the CF card or the lens contacts.

Here is a simple procedure to help you figure out what is wrong and how to fix it:

1. Turn off the camera.
2. Remove the lens, battery, and CF card.
3. Allow the camera to sit without power for approximately 20 minutes.
4. Insert a fully charged battery, and turn on the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.

Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If it does, then the camera should be serviced.

If it does not, then please proceed to the next set of steps:

1. Turn off the camera.
2. Insert the CF card.
3. Turn on the camera.
4. Format the CF card in the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.

Does the “ERR 99″ message appear? If so, then the CF card is the most likely source of the issue. Try using a different card.

If the message does not appear, please complete the following steps:

1. Turn off the camera.
2. Clean the lens contacts by gently rubbing them with a pencil eraser or soft cloth. Be careful that you do not let any debris fall into the camera body.
3. Reattach your lens.
4. Turn on the camera.
5. Depress the shutter button as you would to take a picture.

If the “ERR 99″ message only appears when one particular lens is attached, then that lens should be examined by a service technician.

If you see the “ERR 99″ with a different Canon lens attached, then the camera should be serviced.

My problems luckily where solved by cleaning the lens contacts, since then no more error 99 for me. Hope you are as lucky as well!

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