Camera Can Not Communicate

[Don Burkett]

I started getting the message "Camera can not communicate with the battery" on my 7D yesterday. Just what I need the week before Christmas. There's really nothing useful I've found regarding this message on the web or from Canon. I've done all the typical problem solving steps to no avail. What I'm wondering is whether anyone here has had this experience. Unless there's some hack that resets this, I'm expecting it's a trip back to Canon. Is it an expensive repair? Ballpark price? Don't want to do that before Holiday as the camera will still function after you accept the message. But, someone posted in a thread your battery life will drop to a fraction. Can someone confirm? Will it affect the actual battery? Really looking for anyone who's had experience with this issue. Thanks

[neuroanatomist]

I assume you've tried the full reset - remove battery and clock battery for a couple of minutes? Cleaned contacts? Does the battery status menu show anything? Do you have >1 battery? If so, same with all? If not, the cheapest and fastest test/fix might be to buy a new battery and try that, before sending it to Canon.

[Sean Setters]

This thread was an interesting read. I've never had the error, but it looks like there are some things you can try...

[Don Burkett]

I assume you've tried the full reset - remove battery and clock battery for a couple of minutes? Cleaned contacts? Does the battery status menu show anything? Do you have >1 battery? If so, same with all? If not, the cheapest and fastest test/fix might be to buy a new battery and try that, before sending it to Canon.

Yes to all, it's not the battery, it's not moisture, it's not firmware, camera's been reset, contacts are clean, all other camera functions work. Battery status shows as blinking empty even though it's fully charged, everything else works including manual sensor clean. So, unfortunately, I think my needs are more centered around will I hurt the battery using it as is, and what can I expect for an repair bill.

[Sean Setters]

I read where another person stuck his camera in the freezer to fix the issue. If you wanted to try that, I'd suggest taking precautionary measures to guard against internal condensation. :-)