repairing the Canon 580EX hotshoe foot
Since the 580EX has a plastic foot, it is very easy to snap it off in the camera’s hotshoe.
The repair is simple, and the cost of the part from Canon’s Service Center.
The part nr is: CY2-1227-000
This is typical of the damage sustained …
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And this is what the spare part looks like - top and bottom views.
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First step is to remove all four screws at the bottom of the speedlight.
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Gently wiggle the base section loose.
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The connector seen in the photo, should be unclipped now so that the base section is seperate from the body of the speedlight.
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Undo all four screws holding the small printed-circuit board assembly.
But be careful - these 4 screws actually hold the hotshoe foot to the base as well.
And there is a small pillar with a spring that is just waiting to pop loose on the other side.
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Place the base unit upside down, and wiggle the foot loose.
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Unscrew the ring from the broken foot, and replace it with the new foot.
Make sure that the new foot is scewed back completely into the ring.
Now the only tricky part is to fit the new foot (with the ring) back onto the base unit - because that spring-tensioned pillar has a tendency to move.
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To put the foot back onto the base unit, it is easiest if that spring-tensioned pillar is held into position - a scewdriver tip is good for this.
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Clip the foot firmly into position, and screw the foot and printed-circuit board assembly back.
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Double check that the movement of that spring-tensioned pillar is correct for when the ring is tightened to either end of its movements.
Now screw the base section back onto the body of the strobe.
There you go. Done!
Mark Peters offered this tip which makes re-assembly easier:
I tried exactly what you illustrated and had difficulty holding the locking pin in place. What worked for me was to put the locking pin in the foot first and hold that piece in my left hand - locking pin with spring on it pointing up. Then I lowered the other component on top of it, making sure all the pins lined up.
Once the pins were properly aligned, I just pushed it together, held it and screwed it back together. Tried the other way about ten times - this method went the second time (first time is when I figured out you had to screw the lock down first.)
Matt Charlton Said,
June 9, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
Thats fantastic mate, thank you very much.
My 30d with 100-400L and 580ex fell off the dining room table onto carpet today and the flash is the only thing which sustained damage (thank god). The hotshoe looks almost exactly like your picture.
Bookmarked and feeling much better about it now.
I’ll try and find the part and get it repaired with your instructions rather than send it off to a service centre or claim on the house insurance.
What a find, excellent stuff
Cheers
Matt
Matt Charlton Said,
June 12, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
Hi again.
I got the part from http://www.camera-repair.co.uk - cost £17.63.
I had no trouble at all in getting the pins to stay where I Wanted them and got the locking pin in the hole straight off, just needed a little bit of gentle pursuasion to go all the way up through the hole and I was done.
Less than five minutes and I’m back up and running again.
Thank you again for the fab instructions.
7 Bates Said,
June 16, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Thanks Neil!
I did use Mark Peters’ tip about flipping it over, and it popped right into place. This was an extremely handy tip and I truly appreciate you taking the time to log and photograph each step so well.
You saved me a good hunk of cash. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Thanks again!
Rick R. Said,
June 26, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Absolutely Brilliant! The swap out took all of 15 minutes with most of the time ensuring I did not drop any of the screws. Your descriptions and instructions are spot on.
Thank You for taking the time to post this information.
Regards
Rick
John Adams Said,
June 29, 2007 @ 8:56 pm
Sadly, This just happened to me.
For future reference the direct line to the Canon US parts department is :
732-521-7230
The part is $3.50, so I bought two of them just in case.
2nd day shipping is $9. Total was about $18 USD
Daniel W Said,
July 17, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
This also just happened to me and I called the number that John had mentioned and will receive two day after tomorrow. Thanks for the direct line John.
Also wanted to mention that I called a local camera shop that does not sell the spare part but has them in stock and would do it for me if I was willing to pay about 30.00 bucks.
Order two from Canon with second day air and it came out to about half the price.
Jerry G Said,
August 10, 2007 @ 2:16 am
WOW!!!! Fantastic!! Perfect directions. If I sent the flash out for repair to Canon it would have been 100.00 +
Thanks Again
Benny Photography » Blog Archive » Broken flash Said,
August 14, 2007 @ 8:39 am
[...] 580EX II with a metal hot shoe. After searching a while, I found a site that explain about how to repair it yourself. Thinking it was an easy task, I gave it a try. So, I ordered the parts last week and received it [...]
Michael Bass Said,
September 26, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Although the foot itself is pretty cheap, the whole foot assembly is less than $30, and is only a 5 minute swap (4 screws and 1 connector). The S/H from Canon is usually the same for the foot or the whole assembly!
I usually keep some of each on hand for the repairs and mods that I do for those photogs who don’t want to do it themselves.
Michael
http://www.MichaelBassDesigns.com
Paul Said,
September 30, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
any way to fit the 580ex with the metal shoe from the 580ex II? anyone try?
SCastillo Said,
October 1, 2007 @ 12:36 am
Will this work with the 430ex or is it just for the 580?
Same thing happend to me this afternoon!!
Sam Said,
October 1, 2007 @ 1:11 am
Is it possible to buy the 580 EX-II metal foot and use it on 580EX model?
Thanks
Will Fealey Said,
October 2, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
For future reference anyone in the UK needing this replaced please ring:
01782 413611
H Lehmann Ltd based in Stoke-on-trent
Sent it out £7.50 inc
Thanks for the easy to follow step by step repair guide, cheers
Neil Said,
October 3, 2007 @ 4:43 am
Hi there Sam and Paul …
The two flashguns appear to have completely different construction for the hot-shoe foot. They won’t be interchangable.
Claire Said,
October 20, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Went to use my camera this morning, thought it was secure on the tripod - was I wrong. It bounced on the carpet and the 580 ex ended up a few feet away. I was horrified when I saw the hotshoe foot had sheared. Had visions of house insurance and paying excesses or replacing the flash.
Thought I would have a squizz on the net and found your instructions. What a star. I am ordering the part and should be up and running before you can say Jack Robinson. Thank you so much for sharing this valuable knowledge with us all and for saving us some hard earned cash.
Yours - a very relieved and not so poor photographer.
Claire Said,
October 22, 2007 @ 8:13 am
Hi, I have Just phoned the nice man at H Lehmmans to order my hotshoe.
He told me to make sure the flashgun is totally discharged, otherwise, when you introduce a screwdriver to it, it could be a bit nasty! We don’t want burnt fingers - we will have a perfectly useable flash but nothing useable to take the picture with!!!!!!!!!!
Claire x
Steve Said,
October 25, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Does anyone have any idea of the part number or wear to get the same foot for a Metz 58? I called Bogen in the US and they won’t have the part for weeks and then want me to send the flash in. I’ve taken it apart and it looks like a similar process to the 580 described above.
Andrew Said,
November 16, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
Thanks, ordered the part are replaced the broken part. quick and easy.
Chuck Said,
November 30, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
This was incredible. Thanks for posting the detailed instructions. I was VERY impressed.
Drew Quick Said,
December 7, 2007 @ 7:17 pm
Thanks a bunch guys…..i have the canon 430ex and its a little dif, but it still pretty straight forward. At $3.50 a piece I ended up ordering 2 just in case…..lol.
Drew Quick Said,
December 7, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
by the way…..ill post with pics the replacement on my 430ex…….
Richard Said,
December 12, 2007 @ 9:46 am
Great find - dropped my 20D with flash and it snapped off very neatly (much to my dismay). Finding this site sure saved me a packet. Waiting for delivery of the parts here in the jungle to get it back in shape. Thanks again for the help
John Said,
December 14, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Outstanding!! I have broken two Canon flash’s in my life and this is a life saver. One question though. Is there a way to get a metal foot? I would think this would be stronger in the long run, but for $3.50, I guess I will just buy a few plastic ones for now.
Rick B Said,
January 17, 2008 @ 1:21 am
Thanks! It was simple and I had no issues with the spring tensioned pillar. Thanks to you, I knew what to expect when disassembling. I did find that I had to remove the base unit a couple times to tighten the screws on the circuit board. I was afraid to strip the screws or crack the board but ultimately I just cranked ‘em down.
Tidy Said,
January 21, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
awesome guide … thanks …
Donald Suttie Said,
January 30, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
Thanks for the great tip,my 430EX is back up and running all for the cost of £7.50,i take it its the same hotshoe for both Flashguns
i used the `Mark Peters`tip,which worked first time, i did the whole job while i was on the phone!!
a local photographic shop said “that will be expensive,and will take weeks”……..mmm
Donald
Alles kan kapot… at Willem Spaan | Photographer Said,
January 31, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
[...] Gelukkig bestaan er mensen zoals Neil klikkerdeklik [...]
Willem Spaan Said,
January 31, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
Thank you very much… Same problem with my 580Ex’s…. 3 fell down during a basketbal shoot… darn!
Bo-Ming Tong Said,
February 4, 2008 @ 12:05 am
It is not a good idea to use a metal foot. The flash foot should be the weak point and made a cheap, easily replacable part. Or else, the camera body would be damaged, with a bent hot shoe or worse still, damages to the pentaprism.
Steve M Said,
February 5, 2008 @ 6:45 am
Fantastic! Just replaced the broken shoe on my 430EX. Exactly as per the instructions. Saved me a tonne of money - my local camera shop quoted me £100 to fix it!
Cheers!
Richard Said,
February 11, 2008 @ 5:15 am
Thanks to you I’ve saved myself a small fortune. Had the unfortunate experience of seeing my camera and flash hit the marble floor and break in two. A few cheap spares from Canon and its back to its former self. Fully agree with Mark Peters’ tip on re-assembly ended up doing this before I’d read his tip (moral of the story - read the instructions, ALL of them). Sure beats sending away for repair! Thanks again Neil.
Jason Said,
February 21, 2008 @ 3:17 am
wow..I wish I saw this the last 2 times I broke this and sent it in to Canon…I just ordered the part to fix it again…$12 is a lot better than $100!
Larry Gindhart Said,
March 8, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Replacement part cost from Canon was under $4. In the process of changing the part the spring-tensioned pillar fell onto a carpeted surface and I lost the spring but found it relatively quickly using a magnet. Thanks for the tutorial. It made replacing the part a breeze.
David Said,
March 22, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Thank you so much you are a life saver!
Victor Said,
March 28, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
Awesome! Discovering the broken shoe ruined one shoot… but at least I didn’t ruin a flash.
Ordered the part on a Wednesday (with a spare), got them today (Friday)… used the Mark Peters tip and got the pins aligned in one try.
Life savers!!!!
Note: I have the 430EX, the shoe is the same part (CY2-1227-000) as the one mentioned in the article for the 580EX.
Bard Said,
April 9, 2008 @ 7:29 am
Great! your post saved my life.
I found the part via ebay - sold by http://www.uscamera.com Paid 19 usd including shipping to Europe.
Took me 5-10 min to change - even without looking at your description. My 580ex is like new again!!!
Thanks for your post!
Andrew Said,
April 21, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Thanks!
Just picked up 2 of the new shoes from Canon here in Toronto for $5.75 each!
I followed the instructions and thought my pin was too tight, did not notice that screwing the lock in and out will retract the pin, so I thought my tension was too tight.
Other then that it was flawless.
Thanks again!
Chris Said,
May 8, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
WOW, I was dumb and thought I could super glue the pieces back on. Wrong. That did not work. So I got online and found this!
One huge problem though, after the makeshift super glue try I accidentally glued the metal pins themselves to the plastic. That took forever to get off. I think I sawed at the thing for an hour.
Afterwards all was well.
Lesson: Don’t super glue your speedlites folks!
Mike Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
What a beautiful thing.
It is always a spirit booster when you can accomplish something with a little help from your friends
Thank you
Eliott B Said,
June 7, 2008 @ 10:05 pm
Neil. I dont know who you are but this worked like a charm. Had a tiny struggle getting the ring to turn and lock properly, but otherwise your advise and all the follow up with canon’s number etc was phenomenal.
Thanks loads
Brett Said,
June 12, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
Thanks for this. ordered 2 hotshoes aswell. took about 4 days to get here and about 15 min to install. couldn’t find a small screw driver for like an hour of searching but finally got it!
Alejandra Dozal Said,
June 12, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Great instuctions. I have a 430ex, so beware, there is no circuit board inside this model, just the four screws very close to the circuit lines (be careful not to break them lose).
I actually have long nails and when I started I was worried because I was not sure if my nails were going to be on the way to handle the small pieces. Surprisingly my nails were the ones that help me hold the pin down and it was so easy… Thanks!
Donal Said,
June 23, 2008 @ 5:12 am
Living in Ireland, tripped over a
photographing a wedding at the weekend and broke the foot of a second 580EX. So pleased to find your helpful site and clear instructions. Have ordered four new parts (two spare!) from Lehman Camera Repair in UK and am hopeful of fixing both flash guns…thank you again
Antony Hands Said,
June 30, 2008 @ 9:08 pm
Well, I just used your instructions for the second time! Thankfully, on the first occasion I had ordered three of the parts so I had two remaining. I must admit, the second time I broke my flash I was more sanguine about it than the first!
Thanks again!
Eddie Vega Said,
July 4, 2008 @ 1:34 am
I ordered the foot on ebay. With standard shipping it came to about $13. I referred several times to the instructional images posted here and they were the key to successfully replacing the foot. The foot I received was slightly defective; one of the three plastic alignment pins was bent and would not enter into its hole. That created a tiny gap that kept the five electrical connectors from passing fully through the foot. Only their tips came through. I did not know that was the reason at the time. But I knew something was not right because it did not look like the picture. So I took it apart again, took a close look and noticed the bent pin. I filed it down with an emery board, just enough for it to fit into its hole. That worked. The connectors aligned perfectly, and I screwed the assembly tight.
Justin Said,
July 5, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Many thanks for a well written and well illustrated article.
My tripod-mounted camera, lens and 580EX flash hit the floor a couple of days ago after I stumbled on a rabbit hole.
Camera and lens was fine but 580EX’s shoe snapped. I expected a £100 repair bill which would have made it an expensive day out.
Thought I’d have a quick browse on the web to get an accurate indication of repair. Came across this article straight away, phoned the telephone number given above for Lehmanns. Spoke to a particularly friendly and helpful chap who told me exactly what part I needed and gave me a few tips for fitting it. Ordered it there and then on Thursday afternoon, 8.00am the following day it arrived. Price was £11.75 (inclusive of v.a.t. and postage).
Excellent, profesional, helpful and fast service from Lehmanns.
Just fitted it two minutes ago. The whole procedure took under ten minutes, if that. The spring-mounted pillar went in instantly and first time. The only tricky thing about the whole operation was remembering where my screwdriver was
Many thanks for sharing a great article.
Luc Said,
August 9, 2008 @ 8:07 am
Great article,
Saved me a US$118.00 service charge from Canon USA!!
mark Said,
August 14, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
hmmmm….i wish id found this earlier.i did the same as chris and tried to superglue the thing together and am now having a nightmare trying to get the damn thing off!!everything was going smoothly up untill that point.Dont superglue your speedlites folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
simon james bedford Said,
August 17, 2008 @ 1:43 pm
ive done the dreaded hotshoe break on a fairly new metz 48 AF-1 is the repair simple with this model and where can i get thespares near to me ..in south wales ?????
SI
simon james bedford Said,
August 17, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
ps dont superglue anything…Tried it and failed..superglue was designed for one thing, and thats to stick bodies back together in the vietnam war…….dont believe what it says on the packet