A visit to the Canon Service Centre

As I mentioned in a previous post, there were images turning up with a strange squiggly line everything I shot something. Tried the sensor cleaning that the 1000D comes equipped with but the squiggly line remained. So it was time to take the camera in for a sensor cleaning.

A quick google later, this was the address I got... (sorry about all the caps lock! Copied straight fron the Canon website: http://www.canon.co.in/section/contactus/servicenetwork.jsp)

CANON MASTER SERVICE CENTRE
6TH FLOOR,CENTER POINT BLDG,
ABOVE STANDARD CHARTED BANK
S.V. RD, NEAR TRIBHUVANDAS BHIMJI ZAVERI,
(JUHU TARA ROAD-JUNCTION)
SANTACRUZ (W),
MUMBAI
MAHARASHTRA
Pin : 400054
Tel : 022 67605000-01
Email : sheetal.more@canon.co.in
Contact Person : Sheetal More
Timing: 9:30AM to 5:30PM

The place is not too far from the Santacruz railway station. Its about 10-15 mins walking distance. Take the road from the station to get to the main road (SV Road), move due north and you'll find the place. Ask the shops if you're not too sure.

After getting to service centre, I was quite surprised to notice so many people there, I mean people who have come to drop off or retrieve cameras. It took some time, but I finally dropped off the camera. The 1000d for sensor cleaning (they call it CMOS cleaning, which is the sensor actually) and the EF 50mm f/1.8 II to check for focus issues.

Now if you register your camera when you buy it with Canon, you get a free sensor cleaning thrown in. If you don't register, you don't get the coupon and so you'll have to pay Rs 1000 + taxes which works out to around Rs 1100. Inspecting of lens costs 1000 bucks + parts if you don't have a bill or it doesn't fall under warranty.

They told me it'll take 6 days to work on since there's a 'rush', however I requested them to hurry it up since I needed the camera for a shoot on the weekend. (Incidentally, when I had called them up on Saturday, the person there told me it'd take 2 days so I wasn't too stressed). I dropped the camera off on Tuesday (27th April)

Got a call from them on Wednesday. The person who was working on my camera found no problem with the lens and wanted to know if I had shots that showed 'out of focus' or something. (Keep some test shots ready next time!)

Anyways, I got a call the next day in the morning (30th April) that my camera was ready. So I did get my camera back in 2 days. The dust is gone, but I still need to take test shots with the 50mm. Maybe some time this week.

In the meanwhile, enjoy this photo at the end of this text heavy post. This is a test shot taken post the cleaning of the sensor and trying out the lens. Came out better than I expected... this one is a 1280x800 wallpaper of the MG Astray Red Frame.