Fixes/Workarounds/FYI

Canon 60D Hot Shoe/Onboard Flash Problem

77 Comments

Just wanted to pass along something that happened to my 60D tonight as well as how to fix it.

I was shooting some pictures at a fundraiser and could not get my internal flash to pop up.  Tried everything.  In the menu, I went to Menu>First Camera Tab (the first tab on the left)>Flash Control>Built-in Flash Func. setting – it gave me a message saying something like “This option not available when external flash connected”.  The issue is I don’t own an external flash for this camera and nothing was connected.

I have, however, been using the hotshoe to hold other camera accessories, such as a Zoom H4n, a shotgun mic, a wireless Sennheiser receiver, etc.  I am wondering if we are all overloading what these hotshoes and how much they were really designed to hold???

Canon 60D Hotshoe - notice small flexible piece of metal tucked under rail.

After getting home and in bright light I figured out what the issue is and it is a “small” one.  Underneath the right rail on the cameras hotshoe there is a flexible piece of metal that pushes a tiny, and I mean TINY, little black plastic pin switch down when something is slid into the hot shoe.

Notice tiny black button under rail.

SOLUTION:  Take a tiny little flat head screwdriver or pick and GENTLY lift up the flexible piece of metal a bit so it takes pressure of the tiny black pin switch.

77 thoughts on “Canon 60D Hot Shoe/Onboard Flash Problem”

  1. Thank you so much for the help. This is the second 60D with the flash problem I have encountered
    and because of you I didn’t have to return it. THANK YOU!

  2. Thankyou thankyou thankyou…
    Iwas about to go the the process of product support till I saw this one.

  3. Thanks so much. I worked a wedding and in the middle of it was unable to use my wireless flash option and missed several key shots with off camera flash. Needless to say I was angry. Woke up a 5 am and was about to get thoroughly involved with Canon support. but you fixed my problem in 20 seconds. Thanks so much!

  5. Who would have ever guessed. Thank you so much for posting a simple solution that solves the problem!

  6. omg! thank you! grrr!!! I was using a nikon flash all day and thought I messed up my brand new camera!!! AHHH!!! hehe

  7. Thanks. Not clear to me: did your fix solve teh problem in an ongoing way (keep it from recurring), or do you have to twiddle teh clip each time?

  8. Use two jewelers screwdrivers! Use one parallel (inline) with the metal spring pushing down where the metal spring joins the hot shoe, and the other screwdriver, carefully insert to the left of the little switch, perpendicular to the metal spring. Then while holding the base of the spring firm to the hot shoe with the parallel screwdriver, rotate the perpendicular screwdriver counter-clockwise to put a new bend in the spring. Do it right and you will ‘set’ a new bend in the spring that allows the switch to fully disengage. If you don’t use two screwdrivers, you can weaken the bond between the spring and the hot shoe. Sometimes I love the internet! 30 second fix! Thanks for posting this…

  9. wow thank you so much..it really works.i encounter the same problem today and just follow this simple solution..thanks a lot for posting this very important information:) Now I dont need to return my 60d:)

  10. thanks all or the info, i did the new bend solution and i works perfectly, hope it stays like this.

    greetz Jo

  12. Pingback: interne flitser 60d - Belgiumdigital forum - Digitale fotografie

  14. Is this something that will continue to happen each time the hot shoe is used? Should we all keep little screwdrivers in our gear bag? This sort of sucks…

  18. Thank you so much! This saved me from returning my brand new camera! It is disappointing that I may have to do this everytime I use my external flash, that can’t be good, but I am happy it is an easy fix and I don’t have to be without my “baby” for however long it would have taken for BB to repair it!

  21. Thank you for fixing my 60D. I was about to send it off to get fixed and then decided to google it online and found your blog. You saved me tons of trouble.

  23. So last night I was about to make some night-shots at a friend’s party and left my speedlite at home because I didn’t want to drag around a heavy camera all night. When I was about to make a photo, the flash did not pop up..

    I was mad because It’s my new camera and couldn’t believe the flash button or flash itself was already broken…

    Thank you very much for posting this!!

  25. I can’t thank you Anthony Spencer enough for this posting. Canon should give you reward for significantly reduce their product complaints.

    Thanks you so much!!

  27. I love it when someone investigates…studies…and finds the problem! I don’t own a 60D yet….I have a 30D, but I’m looking at the 60D or the 7D….and this 60D hotshoe issues resolution is pushing me to the 60D. Thanks to this article!

  30. thanks a heap, i was originally playing around trying to check the left rail, i was guessing there was a pin there too. turns out only the right one has it and i tried your method and it worked! i never use the built in flash though i wanted to use the camera as a master to slave my 430ex.

    thanks again

  32. Thanks so much for going to all the trouble of creating this solution. Saved me so much time and trouble, & $$!

  36. Oh thank you! My on-board flash wouldn’t work and I have been using my 580 Speedlite. So, this was the problem. Fixed! Awesome!

  37. Ditto the others. Got a new speedlite for Xmas and figured I had broken something when putting it on or taking it off. Thanks so much for the clear description – happy again!

  39. Wow, just got back from an overseas trip, During the trip the internal flash would not work. What a let down, I was using an external flash and I guess it pushed the pin down and it never came back up. I was just going to contact Canon USA to get some help. You saved the return of this 60D. Can’t thank you enough.

  40. That leaf spring is fatiguing. This is why it is assuming a new position. Reforming it to it’s orignal position is temporary. Over time it will again fatigue into the wrong position, close that tiny micro switch and need to be reformed a second, third, fourth time etc., etc. Eventually it will crack and fail and lots of 60D and 7D owners will be upset. It needs to be re-engineered.

  44. Thanks,I took my camera into Sammys since it is still under warranty, they didn’t know what was wrong with it and said I had to leave it for service 3-4 wks. I decided to bring it home and google it instead before I left it.. Glad I did quick fix.. you would think they would know this stuff!

  45. Bless you!
    The best ideas usually are the simplest ones.
    Just bought a canon flash gun and was blaming it or software glitches.

    Shame on Cann though

  47. OMG! Thank youuuu! your trick worked. I was afraid I was gonna have to take it in to get serviced.

  48. Thank you so much for sharing. I would have never thought of that. I use a wireless transmitter on the hotshoe of the 60d and I thought I may have burned something out. Thank you again

  49. Thank you so much. My camera store said it would take 4 to 8 weeks to send away. I fixed it in seconds. But, Canon, really?? I own 3 canons, and the most expensive one has a problem. My camera is only a year old. If this many people are having the same issue, it may be worth the attention on your next model.

  50. thank you so much, with your advice, you just saved me time and money. I am on holiday trip and it was nasty surprise to see that my camera’s flash isn’t working anymore.

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