Most of picture blanked out or blocked out

2 problems I can think of:
no battery
no place on the memory card

Sounds like a problem with the aperture unit in the lens

Go out and buy a card reader. Once you use one, you'll never download any other way again. This one is only $13 at Walmart.

try adjusting the exposure levels set default zero to negatives untill your sure of the right exposure that you want....hope this helps

have you tried to change the USB cable, or USB plug?

if did not work, try uninstalling the drivers & reinstaling them again (also update the firmware of you camera)

hope this will work

That problem is normally associated with having a too high shutter speed when using flash. If it happens in any mode, with or without flash you may have a shutter blind issue.

Test the camera at various shutter speeds and compare the results. If this black area is consistant across different shutter speeds, send it in for repair. It is most likely the shutter curtain not making a pass across the sensor fast enough, still obscuring the sensor when a photo was taken.

Hi Louise. I found you anyway!

Troubleshooting this could get complicated, so I want to try some basic stuff first and get that out of the way.

First: Let's check your camera settings, You may have accidentally set the exposure setting incorrectly. Have you tried resetting your camera back to factory default? The way to do it is in Setup Menu number 2. Scroll down to "Clear All Camera Settings". Then press the Set button. This will take your camera back to like it was when you took it out of the box.
Now try taking a picture, If you still have the same problem, let me know by commenting in this session and we'll move on to step #2.

Rob

Try the following diagnosis steps: -

To isolate the cause of the issue, do the following: -
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 only 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 so, the camera may be faulty and requires a service. If it does not, then: -
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 faulty. Try a different card. If the message does not appear: -
1. Turn off the camera.
2. Clean the gold contacts on the lens by GENTLY rubbing them with a pencil eraser or soft cloth. Keeping the camera face pointing down, also clean the gold contacts on the camera, being 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 is faulty and should be serviced.

Strange, intermittent problems with the EOS Digital Rebels can be caused by a defective shutter release switch. We charge about $85 to replace it.

This really sounds like a potential CCD failure. To confirm, take a picture while the screen is black, then download to your computer to see if the picture is also black.

If so, it is difficult for the average person to replace a CCD, and should only be done by an authorized Canon repair rep. If still under warranty, Canon will fix this for you for free. If not, recommend calling Canon anyways and complaining (this should not happen in such a recent model camera). If you complain, and possibly ask to speak to a supervisor, you just might get lucky.

Here's the number:
1-800-OK-CANON