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TRANSLATOR TRADUCTOR अनुवादक TRADUCTEUR TAGASALIN ÜBERSETZER

TRANSLATOR TRADUCTOR अनुवादक TRADUCTEUR TAGASALIN ÜBERSETZER

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Fixing a Lens Error (Stuck or Jammed Lens) on a Digital Camera


(Last Update: 13 February, 2014)
If this information helps you, please pay it forward, and share this article with others who may be experiencing the same problem.   Your help in sharing will be appreciated, and karma will prevail!

This has to be THE most common failure mode for a digital camera, a stuck lens, jammed lens, or a malfunctioning lens. Some common error messages that might show up on the LCD's of cameras with this problem include “E18 lens error” (older Canon Powershot), "ACCESS" error (Sony Cybershot), "Zoom Error" (Fuji Finepix), "Lens Obstructed" (Kodak Easyshare), “lens error, restart camera” or just "lens error" (Nikon Coolpix and some other camera makers lately are using this variation). Some cameras might show nothing at all, but merely make a beeping noise as the lens goes out, then in, then the camera shuts off. Sometimes the lens won't even move.

The problem is actually quite common throughout all camera brands. Usually it's sand or grit interfering with the lens extension mechanism. Or the camera's been dropped with the lens extended. Or the camera has been powered on, but the lens had been blocked preventing its extension. Or the battery ran down with the lens extended. Believe it or not, one BIG contributor to lens errors is using a camera case. Sand, gunk, case fibers, etc... accumulate at the bottom of the case. These materials love to cling to the camera by electrostatic build-up from the camera rubbing against the side of the case (especially those cases with soft fibrous intreriors). Once these materials work their way into the lens mechanism, that's all she wrote. I have many Canon's, and NEVER use a case for this very reason.

Note that this problem applies to ALL cameras with telescopic lens barrel (optical) zoom.  With Samsung's release of the Galaxy S4 Zoom, I'm really curious to see if this will also be a issue/problem with this camera phone (and other phones with optical zoom).  I predict (on June 16, 2013) that it will, as most people carry their phones in pockets and purses.  If it occurs, Fix 5a would likely be the best technique to correct this problem.

A camera owner that suffers this problem may have no recourse for having the camera repaired. Many camera makers will not honor repairing this problem under warranty as they claim it is due to impact damage to the camera, or sand or debris getting into the lens gearing mechanism (neither of which is covered under warranty). The quoted repair cost is usually close to or more than what the camera is actually worth.

Fortunately, about half the cameras that suffer this failure can easily be fixed by one of the following methods. None of these methods involve opening the camera, although some have potential to cause other damage to the camera if excessively done. If the camera is still under warranty, before trying any of these, please please first contact your camera's maker to see if they'll cover the repair, or to determine how much they'll charge for the repair. Who knows, you might get lucky. But if they quote you a number that's higher than the value of your camera, you may want to consider the following methods.

First here's a video summary of most of these fixes, and following that a detailed text description of the fixes.  Recommend reading the text first (along with the reader's comments and tips section) as these provide additional tips for situations that the video does not.  For example, the video focuses on repair fixes for a camera that does not have obvious damage to the lens barrel (such as from a fall). Thus it does not cover straightening the lens barrel if it is crooked, which the text does.  Use the video primarily for further clarification on how to conduct these fixes if you have questions.

Video Summary Fixes 1 through 7

The methods are listed in the order of risk of damaging your camera. Thus make sure you try them in the listed order. And remember, these fixes (especially #6 and 7) should only be considered for a camera that's out of warranty, who's cost of repair would be excessive, and would otherwise be considered for disposal if unrepaired:

Fix #1: Remove the batteries from the camera, wait a few minutes. Put a fresh set of batteries back in (preferably rechargeable NiMH 2500mah or better) and turn the camera on. If using rechargeables, and they're more than a year old, consider purchasing new rechargeable batteries as they may not be providing sufficient power to startup the camera.

Fix #1a: If new batteries didn't work, try pressing and holding the Menu, Function, Function Set, or OK button while turning the camera on. This along with Fix #1c and #2 sometimes work for lens errors that occur from batteries wearing down while the lens was extended.

Fix #1c: For those of you who can still access your camera's menus with this error, try finding and selecting the "factory reset" option to set your camera back to its original factory condition. On some Canon cameras, this requires holding the menu button down with the camera powered on for up to 10 seconds. However note that a lens error might sometimes override the reset option, and thus the option might not appear.

Fix #2: If the camera's batteries ran down completely while its lens was still open, the camera may show a lens error or not start properly when new batteries are installed. Remove the memory card and keep it removed, then install the new batteries. When you turn the camera on with the card removed it may come back to life, as this triggers a reset in some cameras. Error E30 (for older Canon's) means that you don't have a memory card installed, so turn it off, slip in the SD card and turn it on one last time

Fix #3: Insert the cameras Audio/Video (AV) cable, and turn the camera on. Inserting this cable ensures that the camera's LCD screen remains off during the start process. Thus extra battery power is available to the camera's lens motor during startup. This extra power can be useful in overcoming grit or sand particals that may be jamming the lens. If the AV cable doesn't fix the lens error by itself, consider keeping this cable installed while trying fixes 4, 5, and 7 as a means to provide extra power to help to these fixes. But note that I DON'T recommend keeping the cable installed during Fix 6 as you may damage the AV port while tapping the camera. Reinsert the cable only AFTER tapping the camera.

Fix #4: Place the camera flat on its back on a table, pointed at the ceiling. Press and hold the shutter button down, and at the same time press the power-on button. The idea is that the camera will try to autofocus while the lens is extending, hopefully seating the lens barrel guide pins back into their slots.

Fix #5: Blow compressed air in the gaps around the lens barrels with the idea of blowing out any sand or grit that may be in there jamming the lens. Other variations include blowing with a hair dryer in “no heat” setting, or sucking the gaps with a vacuum (careful with this one). Some people also have actually used a "Shop Vac" with this fix to help extend a retracted lens.


Now we're entering into the realm of potentially damaging your camera in conducting the fix. There is definitely some risk here, so take care when conducting the following fixes:



Fix #5a: If you actually do notice sand particles stuck in the gaps around the lens barrel, and blowing air does not help to dislodge them, consider using a thin piece of paper or a sewing needle to help dislodge them. Pay particular care not to scratch your lens barrel with the needle. Also, I do not recommend probing too deeply around the lens barrel with the paper (don't go more than a 1 cm or 1/2 in) . Particularly I do not recommend probing deeply around the most outer (largest) lens barrel gap, as you may dislodge the lens barrel dust gasket that's located just inside of that gap.
Dislodging Particles from Lens Barrel Gaps (Fix #5a)
SAND CAMERA LENS
Fix #6: Repeatedly tap the padded/rubber usb cover on a hard surface with the intent of dislodging any particles that may be jamming the lens. Other variations include hitting a side of the camera against the palm of your hand. A lot of people have reported success with this method. HOWEVER, there is also some obvious potential for damaging or dislodging internal components with this method, such as unseating ribbon cables, or cracking LCD screens.

Fix #6a: This is a variation of Fix #6, and should be tried if the lens barrels appears straight (not crooked). In other words, try this if there's no obvious mechanical damage to the lens barrels that's causing the problem. With the lens pointed down, try "gently" tapping around the lens barrels with a small item such as a pen or pencil. The idea is to try to dislodge any sand particles that may be jamming the lens barrel stuck. Simultaneously try turning the camera on and off as you're doing this.

Dislodging Particles by Tapping (Fix #6a)
SAND CAMERA LENS
Fix #7a: Note that this particular fix is intended only for cameras with lens barrels that try to extend, but then stop partway, and then return to their stored position. Try grabbing and holding the smallest inner lens barrel at its furthest extended position, preventing it from returning to the camera. Examine and clean around the lens barrel any noticed dust or dirt. Turn off and restart the camera again. If the lens extends even further, grab it again at its furthest extension, preventing it from returning. Clean again. Keep repeating until the lens is fully extended. Turn off the camera and restart it to see if the lens error has gone away.

Fix #7b: The most extreme of the fixes. Only consider this fix as an absolute last resort before tossing the camera, as there's some obvious potential for further damaging your camera by using this method. You especially might consider this if the lens barrel appears obviously damaged, bent, or crooked such as from a fall. In that case, try thinking of the lens as a dislocated shoulder. Try forcing the lens to straighten it and put it back in its place. In such cases, the lens barrel guide pins have become unseated from their guide slots (see the below illustration). Your objective would be to try to reseat them by straightening the lens. Listen for a "click" to hint that they've been reseated, and immediately stop forcing the lens at this point. More people have reported success with this method than with any of the other methods (see the polls in the right column).

Variations to Fix #7b include gently pulling, rotating, and/or twisting the lens barrel while hitting the power button. Examine the lens barrels closely for any hint of tilt or unevenness. Again, the goal is to attempt to straighten or align the barrel if it's crooked or twisted. Another variation includes looking for uneven gaps around the lens barrel, and then pushing on the side of the lens barrel that has the largest gap (note pushing the lens barrel all the way in is NOT recommended as it may become stuck there). Again, while doing any of the above, listen for a click that indicates that the lens barrel guide pins may have reseated in their guide slots. If you hear this click, immediately stop and try the camera. The following photo illustrates unseated guide pins that would cause a lens error.

STUCK LENS FIX
If you try these fixes, please vote or post a comment on how the fixes worked for you. Your experience may help others. Note that most of the fixes listed here actually come from my reader's comments. If the above fixes didn't work for you, then please read through the reader's comments, especially the newer ones. There are other techniques listed from readers there that just might work for your situation. When posting a comment, please specify your camera model, and the particular fix that worked. Please also comment if none of the fixes were successful, or if you tried something different that worked.

References:
Canon E18 Lens Error – This is the big kahuna of all E18 error camera repair sites:
Make sure you also read their post section to hear of other peoples successes and failure in fixing this problem:
More Canon E18 experiences and fixes at The Juggle Zone.
The E18 Error Experience Log. Even more Canon E18 experiences, plus a good listing of E18 errors by Canon model:

Nikon Coolpix L3 Lens Error - This site has a few other fixes not listed here that are applicable to the Nikon Coolpix cameras:

Jancology.com Nikon 5700 Lens Error - More people's experiences with lens errors on Nikon cameras:

SD600 Disassembly - Included this as an example of how sand can easily gum up the small gears within your camera. The website also shows a simple method for cleaning these gears.


Finally, I'm curious just how many people actually read this far down into this article.  For those people, here are two totally unrelated videos (to this subject) on video editing using freeware.  Enjoy!

Free Green Screen Video Editor


Free and Easy Video Editor

By the way, if these videos did interest you, then please visit this other article on video editing from this blog.

1,684 comments:

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mk said...

Thanks a lot.My Canon poweshot G9 worked after following your tricks.

'Rika said...

Thank you so much for publishing this post! I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-W170 that all of a sudden had a lens error; the lens kept going in and out and refused to work :( Yes, sad I know. However, after pushing in the lens where I discovered an uneven gap within the lens barrel, I was able to fix it! Eureka! Thank you again!

Anonymous said...

hii, actually the thing is that i dropped my camera with open lens, after that it was not going in and camera was not working, then i tried # 7, the lens went in but it is stilll giving the same error, any suggestions plz, i have to take the pics on friday for ma daughter's graduation, willl really apppreciate u.
tthank u

Anonymous said...

My daughter's GE A730 had a lens error. When powering on, the lens would extend then retract and Lens Error! Would show up on the screen. I tried all the tips and I found an other one that worked. I kept the AV power cord plugged in to the camera and powered on. When the lens came out I grabbed it so it would not suck back in. Then I gently put a "turning" pressure on it. (It did not turn) I powered it off then on again. It now works. It has been sitting in its box since last summer (close to a year). My daugher didn't want to tell me that she thought she got sand in it at the beach. lol - she was afraid I was going to yell at her but I didn't - I found this site and I fixed it with in 5 mins - I guess her loss for not telling me a year ago! 16 year olds! lol

Anonymous said...

THNKA YOU SOOOO MUCH!
I WAS CRYING BECAUSE I THOUGHT I HAD TO GET a NEW CAMERA! BUT I TRIED #6 AND IT WORKED AND WHEN I SAW THE LENSE GO DOWN I WAS LIKE YES! THANK THE LORD I DONT HAVE TO SPEN MY BIRTHDAY MONEY lol my Kodakv1073 works again! BUT I DIDNT EVEN DO ANYTHING TO IT. IT JUST WENT OFF AND THE LENSE STUCK OUT WTF? but once again thank you soooo much!

Unknown said...

Hey bud,

Any pointers on how to "store" and go mobile with your camera, since you bring up the point about NOT using a camera case? Good advice, it makes sense....should I use a ziplock in a case?

Another issue with using a case is that if the on/off button is pressed when the camera is in the case, it could cause the lens issue you address. No way to turn this lens off with my Canon a2000 it appears...so will have to remove a battery. BAH!

appreciate your workaround on how to store and carry the camera safely...

Brent

Camera Repair said...

Brentman,
When I'm out and about with my camera, the camera is always outside of a case, with the strap placed around my left wrist to prevent gravity related lens errors (install and use your strap, it's very important). The camera is recessed in the palm of my left hand (NEVER in my pocket), with the lens unobstructed and facing away from the palm.

Zip-lock sandwich bags are perfect as you deduced if the camera has to be put away for storage, or transported in another roomy but soft container. For a tranport container I use a soft vinyl lunch box lined with bubble wrap. Simple cheap solution but it works great.

But back to the zip-locks, make sure that you have some on hand if you're thinking of going anywhere near a beach this summer with your camera. They're very effective at keeping sand out of the camera. The one disadvantage with them is that they can still contribute to clinging of sand on the camera lens barrel due to static charge.

CR

jeremy said...

Camera repairing something can be tough. As each and every delicate component count.

SLR Digital Camera

Alli said...

Thanks so much! I'm living overseas in Korea right now, and my Coolpix is less than a year old. I love this camera and was not looking forward to navigating Korean tech stores for a fix. Number four did the trick for me.

Jade said...

Okay so i have a casio EX-79, and its saying lens error, so i tried to like push the lens back in and its still not working.

Any advice?

Anonymous said...

Hi there...does anyone here know of error e24? I have a Canon Powershot S3IS and it seems that it can't take any pics. When I try, it will simply retract the zoom lense back and the error e24 will show up on the scrren. Can anybody here help me on this? Thanks

Anonymous said...

Thanks a whole load, I got the Kodak M753 2 years ago and had never experienced this problem before, got me a bit worried, but checked this site. Pushed my thumbg against the lens while powering on, herd the mechanism inside do something? And it worked :) Thanks 10/10

Matt said...

excellent - the tapping method worked for my Canon SD1100 with the len error - thnaks so much!

Unknown said...

My Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 wasn't working right, when on camera mode the lens zoomed all the way out, refused to change zoom, wouldn't take a picture and was very blurry. After a few seconds the screen would go gray and it said "Please turn camera on and off", but that didn't work.
I tried what one of the commenters said, I held onto the lens when it extended and pushed it back in, and after a couple of tries it's back up and kicking!
Thanks =D

Unknown said...

My Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 wasn't working right, when on camera mode the lens zoomed all the way out, refused to change zoom, wouldn't take a picture and was very blurry. After a few seconds the screen would go gray and it said "Please turn camera on and off", but that didn't work.
I tried what one of the commenters said, I held onto the lens when it extended and pushed it back in, and after a couple of tries it's back up and kicking!
Thanks =D

Anonymous said...

Hi! I was reading all of these posts and tried many of the things with my camera but nothing seems to work. I have a Canon Powershot A590 IS and I was going to take a picture but dropped it on a hard surface. The zoom lens won't retract more than like, half an inch, and then it reads "Lens Error, please restart camera". There's an obvious warped side of the side of the lens barrel and the little metal part where it says "Camera Zoom Lens 4xIS" has one part that's raised a bit (from the pressure of the side of the barrel, I think). I changed the batteries and blew in it...

The "gently pushing the lens" thing confuses me. I know what the lens barrel is but isn't the lens itself inside the lens barrel, like, inaccessible? Also, will the small button on the front of the camera help at all?

Also, when you look in the image thing (where you usually look to take the picture), the image is a small square that looks far away.

I would normally take it to a repair shop but it's my boyfriend's camera and I'm currently studying abroad in Japan. If you know of a good and cheap repair place in Beppu, Japan...

Thank you in advance for your help and for your page!

-Britni

Michelle ~ Blogging from the Boonies said...

Whoohoo! My hero!

Yesterday I accidentally dropped my Photosmart M425 down a steep hill and into a muddy gully. I thought it was a goner. Today I was amazed that it powered up but was showing a lens error message on the screen. I googled and found this post. A little bit of tapping and a few blasts from my husband's air compressor and that camera is working and taking pictures again! Thank you!

Jeff C said...

This is remarkable!!! I have a Nikon Coolpix L12 that had a lens error after my daughters brought it back from exploring and photographing tidal pools along the beach in southern California. Replacing the battery only helped me to see some grit as the lens tried to extend. I found a new paintbrush and tried to brush sand and grit from between the gaps, and then used a vacuum cleaner hose to pull the grit out. Progress! The lens would come about about half way and then retract. It would "try" 4 times and then the error message. Once I recognized the pattern, I practiced taking the battery out, and finally got to the point where I could start the sequence and then take the batteries out while the lens was extended. More brushing, vacuuming and now compressed air from the computer store! I think it helped, but it didn't solve the problem completely. Then I read where someone tried holding down the "OK" button while starting it up, since some errors are caused when buttons are continuously depressed while in a pocket. This didn't work until I tapped the "OK" button while starting up. SUCCESS!!! Tapping the "OK" button may have reset the programming. Thank you for this great resource!!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info - thought i would have to pay out loads to get it fixed...

i have canon S3 IS - i tried the first few steps but didnt work so i went straight for pulling the lens( a little) and it worked! thanks! i was a little scared as when the lens extended it made some strange noises and initially when i tried to use the zoom it went back to the same error but i just switched it on and off a few times and it seems fine now.

thanks a lot
amz

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post ...I have a Canon Rebel XT and both my Canon lenses work fine; however my Sigma 28-300 DL shows error99. I bought a battery grip and tried the eraser on contacts and your suggestions. Finally, I attached the lens and stopped just before it "clicked" locked and it works. I hear the motor trying to auto-focus but it will not move. Also the lens will not lock-down. So I switched to manual focus which works.

Anonymous said...

i dropped my camera on a night out with the lens fully extended and thought tht was the end of it, but after deciding to forcefully ush the lens back to its original position, it fixed itself :) just dont push it too hard x

johnandmichelle said...

Thank you, Thank you! Fix number 6 did the trick for my nikon s210...the third time it has failed with lens error and was out of warranty

micro88 said...

Thank you so much for this great info. I solved the problem with my Nikon Coolpix P2 by using your strategy #7.

Simply mind blowing indeed !

Anonymous said...

thanks for he advice! i got sand in my finepix j10 and solution 4 seemed to work. I have to push the lens back in when i'm closing the camera or zoom error comes up again, it won't zoom either but it's better than nothing!!!
thanks

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Compressed air did the trick.

Unknown said...

SO MUCH HELP!!THANKS!
I have a canon SD450 and gently held onto the base of the lens to keep it from going back in when I turned the camera on, and it worked! But it started making a click sound when the lens opened/closed. A few taps on the sides fixed the click noise, no problem. :]

simon.chercka said...

Sort of fixed my sd750 by sucking on the lens with a vacuum cleaner as I turned it on. This actually pulled the lens out and so far... so so. Kinda blurry pictures sometimes.

Anonymous said...

I have an Olympus fe-270 digital camera and it works perfectly fine although when I take pictures outside in the light, the pictures come out white. Videos are fine and taking pictures indoors is fine. It'd really help if somebody could help me with this problem. Email me at darcie_komisarek8@hotmail.com Thanks very much.

Camera Repair said...

Darcie,
Sounds like a stuck shutter and not a lens error. See this article instead.
CR

Unknown said...

I tried #5 & 6. For the vacuum, I used a shop vac that has great suction and a hose bigger then the lense barrel. I was able to get my camera (Fuji FinePix A700) to open, but as soon as I tried to zoom, it was stuck in the "out" position. I have not been able to fix it again. It was making a lot of noise as I was turning it on and off, and zooming, so even if it does work, it might not for long. Great site & tips though. Thanks, Chad.

kaz said...

I managed to get the lens of my canon ixus 970is to retract using number 7 method after someone knocked it over and it landed from a height with the lens out. The message said 'lens error restart camera'. I eventually got hte lens to retract. It sounds funny when it goes in and out still and it now wont focus. Any tips? It cant seem to find something to focus on (no little green focus square) and makes a funny noise when trying to focus... Im currently in cambodia travelling so DIY fix is the only way to go... thanks x

Unknown said...

Thank you for posting this blog. However, I have a problem with my camera and no sites seem to have the right fix for it.

I have a Canon Powershot SX100 IS which I bought over a year ago. It has been dropped once, but it was in a case, and after I picked it up and turned it on to make sure it worked, it worked fine. My issue with this camera didn't come up until much later.

One day I wanted to take some pictures and after I was done, I shut the camera off. The lens didn't close all the way so I tried turning the camera on again. The Canon logo screen came up, followed by the "Lens error, restart camera" screen and a cute chirping noise. I had to leave it alone for a while since I didn't have the time or money to mess around with it and now that I need it, I can't use it. Also, needless to say, since it's been over a year, my warranty is expired. But judging from what others have said about Canon's "help", it wouldn't get fixed anyway.

When I try to turn it on, the aforementioned screens come up and I can hear the lens extension mechanism try to work. It sounds like something might be jammed in there. Also, when I gently shake the camera, I can hear something rattling inside so something must be loose, probably the result of following the "smack-the-piss-out-of-it" method that worked for everyone else.

I've tried cleaning the lens area and turning the shutters as the camera was turning on. When it's off, the shutters close when I force them with my hands but they can't do it on their own. Holding it flat and pointing the lens toward the ceiling doesn't work since it doesn't even get to the point where I can do anything with it. Removing the batteries and the memory card didn't help, either. I've done everything but open the thing up and I'm a little hesitant to do that since I don't know much about the mechanics of a camera.

Again, it has been dropped once but it worked after. The problem came up much later (more than a few months later) when I just tried to use it. In between dropping the camera and that time the error came up, I used it and it worked quite well. So I have no idea what the problem could be other than something got stuck and/or loose inside somehow.

I'm hoping that posting this issue in specific detail here will help fix my camera. If it's not too much trouble, I hope to hear from you soon. Again, thank you for posting this blog.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Thanks for the wonderful post. I have a Canon Exilim Z 70. I spilled sand on the camera and now the picture is all blurred. What i see in the LCD is blurred and and also the pictures, obviously making this a lens error. Lens pops out correctly/completely. However, when turning on, after lens is out completely, it makes a slight sound. Not sure what it is. I tried tapping, blowing some air etc..
Please let me know what can fix this problem...

steph said...

My problem is similair to Niko's. I got a Canon ex-z270 and I've only had it for a couple of days. At one point I wanted to turn it off after having taken some pictures, but the lens didn't close. I tried switching it on and off again but then a restart camera screen came up. Ever since whenever i turn it on i get the lens error screen. However, it does still let me watch pictures on the screen, but whenever i switch it to the making pictures mode i only get a black screen with lens error. The lens just doesn't close in any way, it's still extended. I want to repeat that I did not drop the camera or any other uncommon stuff happened to it, the lens just won't close. Please help me.

Camera Repair said...

steph,
Don't even think of trying to fix it. If the camera is only a few days old, just take it back to the store (or contact the online store) for replacement or refund.
CR

Anonymous said...

OMG, I just tapped the camera (rubber side) in the palm of my hand just once and it WORKED! lol, my camera is actually working now . . . WOW. Thank you so much!

Cristina said...

thank you so much! Even though I didnt actually fix my camera, I did make as much headway as possible being a non camera repair person.

Anonymous said...

I dropped my camera in a lake. It sat below approximately 4 feet of water for probably 3-4 minutes before I could rescue it. Five days later I tried to turn it on. It powered right up, but the lens has been out when I dropped it. The camera tried to retract the lens, but got stuck just before it was all the way closed. Step #7 was my winner. With the camera off, I put a slight amount of pressure on the lens and tried to rotate it some. The lens clicked right into place and the lens cover popped into place. Camera works like new. THANKS

Anonymous said...

Blowing cool air with the hair dryer and tapping the rubber lens cover did it. Very fine sand (from our family trip to Padre Island) had lodged on the sides of the lens. Thanks much for the tips, and for saving me mula :).

One Texan

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU!! Nikon CoolPix L10: zoom lens stuck open & lens error message on lcd. Broke at the beach. Tried batteries & nudging zoom lens in various ways while pushing power button to no avail.

The wife was about to throw money at it so I had to do something. The internet jumped to mind. After wasting time on a couple of search engine results feeling like this was going to be just another multi-hour, ever elusive, never fruitful, 'I told you so', loss for the 'trying to save money camp', this blog came up. Well, what a relief it is!

Victory after I believe was #5, the first one I hadn't tried. Shop vac to the rescue; firmly grasping the vac hose, covering the zoom lens, & swirling it against the 2 steps of the zoom lens & repeatedly pushing the power button brought success after few minutes. Luckily I didn't give up as soon as my confidence did.

I guess all that was enough to dislodge some sand. Funny I hadn't considered sand since it broke at the beach. But we had the same camera at the same beach a couple times before with no problem. I suppose typical Oregon coast weather, 20-40 mph winds will get the best of any camera eventually.

I'd like to think I would've thought of using a shop vac but it probably would've been long after we bought another camera. So at the very least you saved a lot of fretting & at the most a lot of money. Thanks again!

-Chuck

Zap said...

Thank you, you saved me a couple of hundred dollars.

Anonymous said...

WoooHoooo! Thank you so much! I have a Cannon SD630 of my wife's that I just dropped and the lense would not shut. I kept saying "lense error, restart camera"
I finally put it face down on the desk and pushed it back in and once it got most of the way in, I turned on the power again and it works. Thanks for your help!!!!

Anonymous said...

thanks for nothing..

Anonymous said...

omg...i thank you sooooo much,my son held down the camera lens and kept it from fully extending , the lens started going in n out, so i tried.... i think it was #6 where it said kinda twist the lens it AND IT WORKED! i couldnt beleive it. thanks much it really means a lot to me.

Anonymous said...

Hi. I have a samsung s760 and I think one of my friends dropped it although they wouldn't admit to it, and now the cameras lens is stuck out and wont go back in, and when i press the power button, the little green light comes on but the actual camera doesn't. Pleasee help! Iv tried all of ure fixes but none of them seem to work.

Anonymous said...

Hey thanks for the help! I have a Canon Powershot TX1 that had a lens error restart camera message.... I tried all the fixes but the one that worked was gently tapping the plastic usb covering;)

caveman said...

thanks for a thorough explanation of repair options. steps 1-7 didnt work, so while making a mental list to go buy a can of high-pressure air, some machine oil and a jeweler's screwdriver, i finally tried slamming it flat onto its back while turning it on and off. yes, this worked! thanks. still going to blow it clean and oil the outer lens barrels. thanks. (Canon SD750)

Livvy Rudd said...

Thankkyouuu,

The vacume worked for me i twissted the lens around a bit carried on suckin for about 10-15 minutes then it worked perfect.


THANKYOU SO MUCH! (:(:(:

xxxxx

Anonymous said...

I have an S3 IS with the lens error. Would turn on just fine and I could take pictures, but every time the lens would retract it give me the error. #7 worked great, There was a slight gap on one side. I pushed firmly until it made a little pop, and now it's fully functional. I can't thank you enough!

skydog said...

July 17 2009 - After trying the repair steps in sequence finally the one where we tapped the camera on a hard surfice directly on the USB cover made our S3 work properly again. It had failed by shutting down when we zoomed in all the way giving a lens error warning. We were so surprised that it worked after having left it on the shelf for over a year now. Hopefully it will continue to work. We are wondering if tapping it shifted a sand particle or if tapping it resored a bad connection. We are so happy that it worked.
Bob and Maureen Grant - London, Canada caskydog@gmail.com

skydog said...

July 17 2009 - After trying the repair steps in sequence finally the one where we tapped the camera on a hard surfice directly on the USB cover made our S3 work properly again. It had failed by shutting down when we zoomed in all the way giving a lens error warning. We were so surprised that it worked after having left it on the shelf for over a year now. Hopefully it will continue to work. We are wondering if tapping it shifted a sand particle or if tapping it resored a bad connection. We are so happy that it worked.
Bob and Maureen Grant - London, Canada caskydog@gmail.com

Mark Dellen said...

My kids broke my Canon Power Shot SD800IS by horsing around while making a video. The lens wouldn't retract when the camera powered off, and it had clearly rotated in its mount. Managed to rotate the lens back into position when turning it on (either step 6 or step 7.) It's works! Thanks for a terrific site!

Adriana said...

I have a Nikon Coolpix S600 which I dropped (while closed and off) from about 2.5 feet. When I turned it on, the lense would extend and try to focus and then gave me the "lens error" bit. The trick was that with repeated on-off, once in a blue moon it would actually work. I tried a few of your fixes - it seems that if I simply hold it flat on its back (lens up only) while turning on and off, that seems to work consistently. If I point it straight out, lens error. At least now I know the "trick" that will get it to work.

KIMBERLY said...

OMGGG THANKKK YOU!!! All you need to do is tap the USB (softly that is) and click the shutter while turning it on and shaking the camera at the same time!!

IT WORKS! MONEY SAVED!

Anonymous said...

thanks for this post! i was able to fix my Canon Powershot sd1100 by using #7. I thought it would work perfectly after that, but now whenever I turn it on, it does the same thing, and I have to twist it again. this gets really annoying. Do you have any idea why this keeps happening? or any idea how to fix it permanently?

Gadget said...

Here are instructions how to fix Canon Ixus 80 IS stuck lens if nothing else works:
http://treasure.perjantai.net/~gadget/ixus/en.php

Anonymous said...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! My son dropped my Casio Exilim EX-S10 while the lens was out. The lens would not open and the display was black. I thought it was broken forever until I tried steps 5, 6, and 7 repeatedly. Never giving up; the camera magically came back to life. Thank you to whoever orginally posted this. You saved my camera and my sons butt from turning red. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

FF said...

I was using my girlfriends sisters camera and freaked out when all of the sudden the camera was saying lens error, reset camera. AAhhh I was going crazy. I had just taken a picture and then turned the camera off and what i think happened was that I put the camera face down on a clipboard and then when I picked it back up I think I accidentally pressed the on/off button and it tried to turn on and the clipboard didnt allow the lens to extract.. So I had been freaking out for some time.. I dunno if anyone else already has made a comment about this situation but something hit me and I reenacted what had happened so I pressed the on button while pushing in the circular lens area and it just popped open. You always want to be careful while attempting this but it did the trick! So once again I just did the opposite of what happened with the camera. With the clipboard the lens was pushed in and this time I pushed it in again like the clipboard and it gave it some sort of a boost to push it open. Hope this helps for someone!

a progressive crank said...

Obviously a popular topic as brittle as these things are.

I have in front of me a Coolpix L10 with the common lens error problem. Not worth fixing, in all honesty. I got this one used for a small sum before I realized that the extended lens meant it was junk ;-( We live and learn.

But what I would be interested in learning is if I can just bypass the lens and just use the sensor and the rest of the camera in some way. In other words, have it ignore the self-test and anything to do with the lens and record what the sensor gathers when I push the button. Probably beyond the scope of this page but do you know of any resources on this?

Your instructions were spot-on, by the way. Got into where I needed to be very quickly with no problems.

Anonymous said...

This article is old but its great. Thanks so much. I have a Sony cybershot 7.2, and fix 7 did the trick. My camera's lens didn't want to come out due to my daughter playing with it, God knows what she did. We ended up buying a new camera but still kept this one. Tonight I decided to fix it. When I turned on the camera on the lcd it said turn off/turn on, and you could hear the lens trying to come out. I then push it a little in and nothing, then I grabbed a small screw and helped it out and realized the ring around the second lens(the big one) was kinda stuck, so I removed it and it works great now. Seems like it is true what the article stated something might be stuck there. Btw, this wasn't the first time my camera has been stuck like that but before it was under warranty at best buy and they fixed it.

STephen said...

Thanks for the help.I gently pushed and pulled my lens before I got more aggressive with it.It worked.(kodak c613).Moral - don't take a digital camera onto a beach.

cameracrazyy! said...

THANK YOU! my parents just brought me a new Exilim Casio Camera for christmas and i dropped it i thought iwas going to be DEAD! haha, so i charged the batterys really well and did the thing where you push the power and shutter button at the same time! It started working perfectly! so again THANKS!

this blog is a LIFE SAVER! :)

shirley said...

i have a sony dsc w170 which i've only had for a few months..went to the beach and im not sure if someone may have dropped it (i dont see any major damage or scratches) of if some sand got into it..but the lens comes out when i turn the camera on, only problem is i can not zoom in when i want to take a picture..any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

THANKYOU!! i have a Casio Exilim which i dropped while the lens was extended, causing it to jam. I ended up using stage 7 - looking for a gap in the lens where it wasn't straight, then turning it on until I heard the camera lens sound as it tried to extend, and then at this moment I pushed on one side of the lens where the gap was, dislodging the jam and making the lens slide back into place! Thanks!

Mandy said...

Hello. I have a Canon Powershot SX100 IS. I dropped it and the lens got stuck. Trying to fix it on my own. I pushed the lens all the way back in. Now, whenever I try to start it I get "Lens error, restart camera". I've tried all the methods but none seemed to work. Is my camera gone for good? Or is there a possibility it could still work?

fastruns100 said...

hello guys have nikon coolpix s 200 digital camera which felldown from a height of 4 feet with lense extension showing lense error on LCD screen, through lense ican see a black layer of sheet .What should i do? any suggession? out of warrenty 2.5 year old camera.

fastruns100 said...

hello guys have nikon coolpix s 200 digital camera which felldown from a height of 4 feet with lense extension showing lense error on LCD screen, through lense ican see a black layer of sheet .What should i do? any suggession? out of warrenty 2.5 year old camera.

Daniel and Angie Callister said...

Thank you so much! my Canon SD1000 was giving me trouble and step #4 worked like a charm! Thank you so much for saving me the cost of a new camera,

Unknown said...

This was a super great help. I own a SANYO VPC E760 which i had for about a year now. It is perfect and everything works right. My lens got stuck outward and i took it back to the shop and they gave me the SANYO number. They wanted $125 to fix it. I said "that's exactly how much i paid for it." All it took was a lil, tiny, force-less pull on the smallest part of the lens and it snapped back into place. I am kinda bummed though, i was recently looking at this brand new candy red SANYO. It was soooo thin and sleek. I'm obsessed with thin gadgets. all the phones I have owned, including my current, are thin and sleek.

jelena said...

Thx for the advise, pushing and turning the lens did the trick. Just cant get rid of the sound when lens is going in and out. Any solutions?

Anonymous said...

Im amazed this post is still alive but #7 did the trick, why did i not think of that? Thanks to the owner of this article.

PaulL said...

I have a Canon Powershot SD870, and the lens wouldn't retract. Didn't drop it or anything, wasn't near sand, etc, but maybe got some dirt in it.

Anyway, after trying a few of the less risky options above with no success, I started pulling and pushing on the lens during power on. Finally just pushed it all the way in, heard a snap, and then it was fixed! Thanks, really appreciate the advice.

Judith Hembrow said...

Thanks very much. My daughter got sand in her Kodak camera. Resting it on its back while turning it on made it work again (though it still makes an odd noise as the lens goes in and out).

Anonymous said...

My son dropped his camera and the lens was completely crooked and wouldn't go in. I was so glad to find this site. We tried all the fixes and #7 worked. The camera was too old to be under the warranty- even the extended warrany we bought.
I used a tiny eyeglass scredriver to push against the side that was down lower. (with the batteries out) I gently pushed until it started to pop out a bit and finally was even with the other side. this did leave a few scratches on the lens casing but saved my son's camera.
Thanks!!

Ashley said...

I have a Kodak M883 digital camera that was dropped in the sand at the beach. I got most of the visible sand out but when powering the camera on, the lens comes out about 3/4 of the way and makes a beeping noise. I tried all the methods but none seem to be working. Any other suggestions?

Unknown said...

Wow, I sort of fixed the camera, and have it almost back to normal. I dropped it on the lens, while it was extended and bent it. I have a Canon Powershot SD1000. I can now get the lens to extend/retract, but the little protective flaps that slide closed won't operate correctly. The little "cap" that fits over the lense and allows the flaps to open and close correctly came off, and there is some sort of rotating mechanism in there that I clearly don't have lined up right...I just can't seem to figure out how it is supposed to go....so close to fixing it, yet still so far away! Any ideas??

Camera Repair said...

ks3monkeys,
Please see this article on fixing a stuck automatic lens cover.
CR

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the ideas! I have a Nikon Coolpix and, when I turned it on, the lens moved in and out several times and then displayed the lens error. I tried some of your suggestions. Then looked closely around the lens and saw some grains of sand or dirt. Took a dental tool (a very fine wire prong) and ran it around the sections of the lens to loosen the grains of sand. Then took a vacuum on low setting all around the lens. After several times, voila! Lens error disappeared and camera came on! Thanks again!!!

Unknown said...

hi,i have a sony cybershot 7.2mp
cam has being dropped and the zoom would not retract it was sitting like the Eiffel tower,anyway i pulled the camera apart to be honest i never pulled anything like that apart,anyway pulled it apart not knowing what im doing,i managed to get to the lens far below and found some parts i dont even know what there names are with 2 springs not sitting in there place,i manged to find how they should be fitted after several hours of work i got the zoom to work,but now i have no picture and the zoom keeps going out and in about four time then it beeps with the screen saying access denied can anyone help with this 1 thanks
ps;the access denied thing was displaying before i even pulled the camera apart.my email is m_elhamoui@hotmail.com,anyone with info please thanks again

Anonymous said...

Hey,

I have a Casio Exilim ex-z1200 and when I turn it on the lense comes out and makes a funny noise....and i get retry power or lense error on the screen. DOes the noise mean anything to you?? I have tried all the suggestions above except using more force incase the noise meant something was loose....Any help would be appreciated! Thanks...

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for offering your knowledge. I was able to reset the lens back on the guide tracks and it now the camera works perfectly!!

Unknown said...

Thanks! Forcing the lens out fixed it for me (I think that's solution number 7). I left my camera unattended on my desk with my 4 year old daughter and next thing I know I got this error message!

Unknown said...

Thanks alot for the help... I tried all the steps all the way through #6... which finally worked for me.

I've got a Cannon PowerShot SX100 IS.

Thanks again you saved me a heartache ;)

But eventually Thanks to Allah Almighty that did it for me.

gr8white said...

Thanks so much! I have a Canon PowerShot S1 IS and I was getting the lens error. When I turned the camera on it would beep a few times, make a fluttering sound and display the E18 error and power off without retracting the lens. I did drop the camera on the carpet but the problem didn't occur immediately after that so I don't know if it's related. In fact the problem appeared gradually, I was able to take pics intermittently for a while before it crapped out altogether.

I didn't have much hope your fixes would work but figured I didn't have much to lose. When the problem first occurred I thought it might be low battery so I replaced them, also the memory card, so didn't expect #1 to fix, but put fresh ones in anyway. Got to #3 and couldn't find my A/V cable but tried a phone jack that was the right size. Bingo! Couldn't believe it! Thanks again!

Liz said...

Solution #4 just fixed the "lens error restart camera" message that we kept getting. Thanks so much for this post, you saved us a bunch of money!

dfte said...

Thanks for this resource - with your help I was able to repair a Canon Ixus55 that had stopped with its lens stuck out. It made the normal buzzing noises when switched on, but the lens wouldn't move. I didn't try the more agressive steps (banging it, or applying force to the lens), just the battery swap, air duster and so on. When these didn't work, I removed the small screws all round and loosened the case. At this stage (putting the battery back in), there was a different buzzing noise, and then movement ! Put it back together and it is working ok so far, albeit with a slight hesitancy. It hadn't been dropped or anything, but I guess some minor misalignment must have developed somewhere.

Be aware that it doesn't seem possible to completely dissemble the camera just by removing the screws - something around the on/off switch and shutter switch is still holding it together - any suggestions for what to do here welcome. And a little button falls out when the sidepanel is removed - this needs lining up carefully in order to get it back together again.

EllCee said...

Thanks so much for all your info! Unfortunately, nothing is working for me. I dropped my camera today on some pretty hard flooring while the lens was out. And now the lens is about halfway retracted and very crooked. I tried forcing back into place while powering on and off, as that seemed like the option that would work best (I doubt debris is the culprit here), and no luck. My camera is a few years old but had been working perfectly before this fall. Any ideas? I'm on vacation with my family and would really hate to be out of a camera for the rest of the time. Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

ok so i got this canon powereshot SX110 IS, and e droped it and it tured off and when i tried to turn it on again the lens was stuck out so i thought maby i could help it go back in so i tured it on and aligned the wrighting on the lense so it looks how it did and it went in fine but then i went to turn it on and it wont extend. what do i do?

bee said...

I Have a Kodak Easyshare DX6490 and i don't know which steps would apply to it because this camera seems different than other camera's. I tried almost all of them (Some i had no idea how to do) and i keep getting Error E45. We do not have any extra money to even try to fix it so i've tried every do it yourself repair. Is there a way to fix a dent? I'm not sure if it was there before but i just noticed a dent on the plastic next to the lens. If that's the case will i have to repair it or throw it away? I hope it will still work since my daughter is a photographer and she would be so upset if our camera was gone. Is there a way to fix it cheap or another do it yourself tip?

buuce hoelzle said...

I have CASIO EX-Z75 I did all your steps to fix lens error it did not work. I put a LITTLE household oil around the the lens Let it sit for 2min and turned it on and off and now it is fixed. Thanks

Paul Coombes said...

Fix #4 worked a treat on my 7 day old Pentax Optio E75. It has never had any lens shock or been near a beach so I am not sure what the problem was. Just wish I had had access to this blog whilst I was away on holiday so I could have taken some pics.
Thank you again for your help.

Anonymous said...

Canon SD1000 Method #7 Gently forced the lens in. Took a few minutes. Worked :)

Pamela said...

Using the vacuum helped get the sand out of my lens. As I powered on the camera I took the vacuum to the lens and sucked over the whole lens area as it was coming out. Worked like a charm. THANKS!

Anonymous said...

2nd camera to do this and its the 2nd camera in the bin - i will never buy another motorised lens camera again!!!

Anonymous said...

none of them worked for me.
the len loosend up
but thats all it did.

Anonymous said...

i dropped my photosmart m245 on lense out iT wouldn't go back in. SO i forced it in almost all way not it wont go in any more.Also it wont stay and i changed the batters.What do i do

Anonymous said...

Thanks for these precious tips, they helped me a lot!!!
I fixed my Canon SX110 "Lens Error" problem by moderate camera tapping on the sides PLUS by strongly hitting the front camera side against the palm of my hand, so that the lens barrel protruded a little bit out.
Now the lens mechanism works perfectly again. Great!

Q said...

I tried a few of these, and it didn't work. I did, however, fix it by opening the whole thing up =D
http://unresolved-vectors.blogspot.com/2009/09/e18.html

Anonymous said...

Darklurker, you saved my camera!!!! I was just about to toss it in the trash...but I read that and it sounded EXACTLY like my cameras issue...low and behold, I pressed power and ok and the error seemed to reset!!!!! AWESOME!!!

Mazzy said...

Fix no4 just worked for me on a Fuji Finepix S1000sd that had a lens error. Thank you so much!!

Unknown said...

Canon IXY 1000\r\nLens Error. Restart camera
Proceeded through the blog suggested for this error but to no avail.
So camera got opened, I was able to get to the lens and mechanism. I was able to retract the lens to its "Off" position. Camera reassembled. Camera turned on and it started normally, lens extends but then freezes fully extended again as if a stop switch or sensor isn't working. Any ideas? I am back to square 1 again.
-Steve

Candace said...

i have a samsung digimax s600 and when i turn it on it powers for about 2 seconds makes 3 beeps and powers off... can you please help or direct me to how i can fix this problem

Unknown said...

Thanks a ton...
since last 5-6 months the camera was nt working due to the lens error and today it is working...
i fix the lens error for the Canon SD1100is camera with the fix#7 thanks....

sgor på svenska said...

Spent hours trying to find error codes online found this blog .A HP photosmart m425 with a lens stuck out. Thought it was trash. then....
1.Remove memory.
2.New batteries.
3.Gentle pressure.
and it was ALIVE again.
turned it off same thing :( repeat process and it works..
I need to find my small Phillips to get the screws at the bottom of the battery area. maybe try to clean lube up
thanks for this blog

Anonymous said...

My HP Photosmart R817 is acting up.
The picture is fuzzy and has a big black line thru it, as if theres something in the way. When I zoom in w/ it, it straightens out, but its still real fuzy and theres a dark circular shadow on all edges of the picture... Ive tried literally every method, and nothings worked... I fear it may be time to just buy a new one... And I cant afford that right now... HELP!!!!

Sarah Cullom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sgor på svenska said...

Update

Our hp425 had been laying around for over a year and it wasn't worth the price of the service.But its was worth saving..(kitchen drawer ballast)
after repeating several times the procedure described in my previous post the lens seems to have loosened itself.and now it works great!!!with out disassemble
I received a online survey request about the help I got from HP website (0)
and let them know where they could look to fix there cameras
thanks again for this blog
(click supported)

stefan said...

perrrrrfect !! my SONY DSC W1's lens got stuck... i already forced it to colapse itself into the body, but the error ocurred again when extending by switching the cam on again. so i tried the fix with slamming it gently against my palm... it worked out!! now its working without any problem. THANKS A LOOOOT !!! Stefan,Austria

Unknown said...

guys..the last resort of knockin my kodak LS 753 worked to retract the lens..however now I think the lens has been impacted from the knock..on powerin the camera on auto mode the display is all fuzzy and I cant see a thing..clicked pictures anyway to check..these dont even read on MS picture editor

Unknown said...

V Dias:

I have dropped my Canon Digital Camera 860IS with the case in water, but i removed the battery and the SD card immediately. I have dried up the camera by keeping it in hot sun for few hrs. Could anyone assist me in fixing this camera.

Camera Repair said...

valerian,
Don't power it on just yet. Wrap the camera in tissue, then bury it in a bag filled with rice. You'll need to leave it there for at least a couple of weeks. The rice will absorb any remaining moisture and hopefully stop internal corrosion. Once internal corrosion starts, the camera is done.
Good luck,
CR

Anonymous said...

Three year old Canon A540 - was dropped, got "lens error restart camera", but could not restart. Lens was extended. Googled it and found this site and advice. Fix used - when camera turned on, pressed down, pulled up and twisted lens barrel until something slipped into place and it worked again. This took a couple of tries. Sounds cruel to camera, but so far it worked, saved expensive repair or new camera. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

step 7 solved the problem of a dropped camera with the lens out (Canon SD800). I just gave a very firm persuasive tug and twist and it moved right into place. Thanks for posting all the tips!

Anonymous said...

I have a Pentax Optio E70L, and I used it at the beach the other day- sand got into the lens and now its not working :( Whenever I turn it on the picture is all blurry and then it comes up with a message saying "Lens Error: 0x0311" and then shuts off. I tried all of these methods and nothing worked >_< I don't know what to do. Please help!

Anonymous said...

OMG
I was the last person who commented, and I said that I got sand in the camera, etc.. My name is El.
The picture is not blurry now, but the lens error keeps coming up. I tried method 7.
Wtf :S

Mich said...

Hitting the back of the camera on my thigh fixed my Nikon Coolpix S210 lens error.

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Thanks for your steps of fixing a lens error on a digital camera.

I followed all steps but didn't try to use air pressure or a vacuum.

I gently turned the lens and pulled on it. bout a minute of gentle action did unlock the lens.


Thank you

Laura Keen said...

I have an Olympus SP-320 7.1 megapixal with 3X optical Zoom. This has been a great camera for the last 4 years that I have owned it. Last weekend while at the beach, I accidentally dropped the camera lens first into the sand while the shutter was fully extended. By the time I got it picked up, the shutter had gone back in. Now when I turn on the camera, it says "Zoom Error" I tried all the self help tips on the blog except for #7 which had no instructions and the video was disabled. Please help! I love this camera and don't want to have to toss it yet!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have a Casio Exilim EX-S100. It was working fine, but when I turned it on today, it was all blurry and after some time it was working again, but it seems now that there is a hair or dust inside the lens, which is clearly visible when taking a picture of a blank piece of paper. Any idea what I could do? Thanks a lot!

Anonymous said...

i have a Canon S2 IS that i took on a soggy hike this past weekend. it worked fine...until yesterday. it started showing the E18 error. i followed all the steps, minus the air compressor or vacuum, and it was some frantic (but gentle) combination of steps 4 and 6 (with a little 7) that seemed to do the trick. i think the breakthrough came with one solid (but gentle) whack with the palm on the side. i followed that with a lot of random zooming, powering on/off, etc., to make sure i wasn't kidding myself. and, so far, i'm not. thanks for the tips!

Unknown said...

Had "Lens error, please restart camera." Found your page. Fix #7 was what worked ... after a few beers. At the point it worked I didn't really care anymore whether I mended or broke the camera. Was cursing at this point and just forced/shoved the lens back ... "click click" ... turned on the power and the camera is behaving as if nothing happened!!! ... excepting that I remember 2 (TWO) hours of gut wrenching fear while trying your fixes, cursing myself for carelessly dropping my camera with the lens extended. Thanks for fix #7.

Beth said...

Thank you so much for this blog, I was distraught when my Canon Powershot S3 IS turned on this morning but then was completely dead with the lens extended. No errors, nothing, and the only thing I could find info on was if the lens would not extend (and the advice was generally to give it a smack). Worked my way through your excellent list and it suddenly retracted (not entirely sure what I was doing at the time!). So thank you extremely much.

Katers said...

I have a GEA1235 and got the lens error for a while but it still managed to work if I did the battery exchange every so often.
Now it wont even turn on. The lens wont extend and I can hear the mechanism "whirring" as it trys to extend. Its still under warranty but I was wondering if any method would be best to try before having to wait forever to send it in

lincait said...

I have a canon power shot that I dropped with the lens open and now they are stuck and the outer lens part is uneven. I tried all the methods and nothing is working. Any other suggestions....

Irimia said...

Thanks! I have just repaired a Casio Exilim with Fix#4.

Joe Quint said...

Canon SX 110IS I tapped my camera on the hard part of my hand on all edges to free up something. This worked for me. I also had to manually "assist" the lens to full extension which fixed the problem. For our situation it got worse before better. Meaning that the lens would partially extend then give the error. I took out the battery while the lens was partially extended and cleaned the edges with a baby wipe. I also tried to use brake parts cleaner but that didn't work well. Good luck and this is fixable without sending in for repair.

preet_dhar said...

This site is very useful. I followed the tricks step by step and found it fruitfull by tapping gently at the bottom of my camera with my hand. I took great risk while I was doing so.

Anonymous said...

Ken.
I have a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5. I've experienced this problem twice. Most recent I tried step #7 to fix the problem. It took a lot of attempts (a lot) but eventually worked. When powering the camera off I gently forced the camera lens (it will try to stay zoomed out)back into the camera housing untill it seated correctly. Apparently the camera could not find its powered off position, that's the reason the lens would stay zoomed out when power off. Like i said try, retry and retry (gently). It may work for you.

Anonymous said...

this site is awsome, i have a 2yr old dughter that just loves to get her hands on my camera, so she broke 1 and i had to get another 1 and i tried to keep away from her but 1 day she snuck and got it and broke that too... so i bought 2 cameras (both casios) in a year and i was gonna have to go get another 1 but, this website worked and fixed the new 1, havent tried fixing old 1 yet but i now have 1 that works...so happy right now

Sally said...

Thanks! My camera lens was stuck, and I thought I was going to have to buy a new one. I tried all the fixes, but none of them worked until I got to pushing the lens down. Now my camera works fine. Thanks again!

Unknown said...

Hey! Pulling out the lens and listening for the click did the trick for our Powershot G6. YES!!!!! This blog rocks!!

Anonymous said...

hi, if you see this message could you please tell me where I could find a service manual for Canon Powershot s5 is? Or some technical drawings? I would be needing to dismantle my camera since I have a lens error and It didn't fix after #1,#2,....#7
thanks in forehand.

Anonymous said...

The lens was stuck out on my Kodak MD1063 & 6 mths out of warranty. When I switched it on it whirred and the screen flashed the Kodak sign, then immediately switched off. After reading your info decided to use more force on the lens. The lens has two sections that extend and I was able to turn the bottom one slightly and that did the trick. Maybe all the pulling and tapping until then had loosened it. Thanks its working now.

Valerie Bowman said...

why oh why did I not search out this website while i was STILL ON VACATION?????

Anonymous said...

thanks:
casio elixim ex-z80 stuck lens. lens error. repaired!
took it apart, put battery back in, turned it off and on while jigging the lens. nothin. finally i pushed pretty darn hard figuring the thing is broken anyway, so what's the worst that could happen, (was already looking for replacement even)... anyway pushed hard while lens was moving and finally the "click" .
turned off and then on and took pictures!
now i'm trying to remember where all the screws go... think i took off more than i needed to .
happy though... thanks for the blog ... cool!

Cathy said...

Thank you so much for your helpful information. The lens of my Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Elph was stuck open. Your post was so helpful that it's working again, albeit, not perfectly. As you suggested, smacking the side of the camera against my palm worked. I also used the Duster around the lens opening in hopes of dislodging any particles. Do you recommend against using a camera case??

Camera Repair said...

Cathy,
The problem with cases are that people don't keep them clean. Sand and gunk accumulate at the bottom of the case, and eventually works its way into your camera. Worse yet is people carrying their camera in their purse where there's tons of extraneous material, plus other things that can crack your LCD. I personally don't use a case, and hand carry my camera with me when I'm out and about. But, if you must use a case, make a conscious effort to keep it clean.

CR

Roscoe said...

Thanks for the tips. I tried everything on the list but they all failed. I have a Canon powershot A430 and just before I chucked it out I opened it up and discovered some grit on the motor rotor that was jamming the lense from working. Cleaned it off and it worked fine. The tips were good as I was able to work down the list knowing that I had tried most things before trying something more drastic.

Sandra said...

Thank you!

I dropped my Casio Exilim EX-Z80 while I was taking a picture and the lens jammed. Found your repair instructions and tried everything. I couldn't do anything, because I wasn't strong enought. The jammed lens never moved. Then I gave the camera to my boyfriend and mentioned your instructions (step 7) and he was able to repair the camera. It's working fine (even though it sounds a bit different than before).
Thank you! You made my day!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much. I have the canon Power Shot SX100IS. #6 worked for me. It was going to cost around $100 to get it fixed. It took me about 2 minutes to fix the problem.

Shane Lechler said...

Awesome! I tried all of your tips and here is how I actually fixed my Canon Powershot SX100is. After reading all the info you posted I assumed my problem was dust or dirt related as I use this camera stricly for my hunting outings and birdwatching.

I tried each step more than once with no success when I used a variation of #7. I got a paperclip and lifted on the lens while pushing the power button and was able to pull the lens all the way out. I then turned it off, said a prayer, and turned it back on to find it worked just fine! Awesome. I would recommend being careful wit the paperclip as you could poss scratch the lens (or not, I don't know how resistantt they are) but i use a paint cover paper clip which didn;t have abbrasive edges.

Glad this thing is fixed b/c I will not take the Rebel to the deer camp!

Lily Tran said...

Hi there, I got this lens error a few months ago and then I tried to twist it back in place... but that didn't work. It stopped retracting altogether. Sat on my desk for four months. It occurred to me that there may be a solution online, Soo... I looked up the advice on here and other various sites and this is what I did. I banged it several times and it would start moving again but still would not retract. It would zoom out but would refuse to retract. I banged it a bunch more times and in despair, i twisted the lense camera... and something clicked and now it works again! Don't know if it was just the twisting part or a combo of the banging and twisting, but im glad I did it and saved myself from $100+ repair job or buying a new camera. This was a gift from someone special so it broke my heart to have to abandon it. Thanks for the tips!

MyPyro3 said...

My friend was having the lens error problem with her Casio Exilim EX Z77. When I turn it on, the lens comes out and stops somewhere before its supposed to, and it starts making a clicking noise that I have narrowed down to inside the lens because all the gears work properly. Also the image on the screen is fuzzy so I know the lens stops out of focus, but after like 5-10 seconds of the noise, it goes black and eventually shuts off with the lens out. Then I push the power button again and the lens moves again but still makes the noise, and the screen is off, and then the lens goes back into the camera. I have tried fixes number 1,2,4,7, and a little of 6, all to no success. Any suggestions?

MyPyro3 said...

My friend was having the lens error problem with her Casio Exilim EX Z77. When I turn it on, the lens comes out and stops somewhere before its supposed to, and it starts making a clicking noise that I have narrowed down to inside the lens because all the gears work properly. Also the image on the screen is fuzzy so I know the lens stops out of focus, but after like 5-10 seconds of the noise, it goes black and eventually shuts off with the lens out. Then I push the power button again and the lens moves again but still makes the noise, and the screen is off, and then the lens goes back into the camera. I have tried fixes number 1,2,4,7, and a little of 6, all to no success. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post, man. I have a Sony Cybershot, and the lens got stuck for some reason. I took out the battery and memory card left it off for a couple of minutes, then I put both the memory card and re-chargeable battery back. It was still stuck, so while it kept bulging in and out, I gently pressed against the lens, and left it to attempt to lodge itself back in to place. There was a tiny clicking snap, and then it extended out and back in again. Thanks a lot for this post.

Ola Silvera said...

Thank you! Looking for the uneven gap around the lens barrel and nudging it firmly worked for my Nikon. I wouldn't have been able to afford a new one, thanks for this practical resource.

Nitish said...

this is awesome.
i took my digicam to a school trip, and after one pic, it stopped working and gave this erro, i was woried but i thought after foramtting, it wud coreect itself. it didn't. i searched and found this site.

i followed the instructions and the tapping one worked.

but for tapping, better to use your hand or bed mmattress, do it with force of slaaping someone easily, an eas, low energy strike.

don't strike it like ticking with finger or hand, it won't work, u gotta put ver little, but muscle in it.


THX A LOT UR SITE.
I know how good it feels, my mom looked so dissapointed bcz she said i shud take cam only if i cud handle it.

:)

THX

Girl(: said...

Thanks this really did fix it! Fix #1 and 2 worked!

Anonymous said...

dropped my casio exilim ex-z60 and the lens won't retract. #7 worked for me, twisted gently and it worked

N Hertz said...

I have a Canon SX200 is that had the lens error. I replaced the battery, then blew all around the lens, but it still would not retract. Gently twisting the lens and pushing in, while turning the power on off actually worked though! Thanks so much for your help!

Anonymous said...

I have just fixed my camera using #7. My Canon IXUS 860 IS suddenly died a few months back out of warranty. The lens would not retract all the way back when turning off, the lens was tilted at an angle when on, and would not focus (could still take photos). Immediate reaction was to gently fiddle around with the lens whilst turning on and off to no avail.

I then came across this site and tried everything but still didn't work. Last night I finally managed to get it to work. I applied quite a lot of twisting pressure (almost to breaking point) to the lens whilst turning it on and heard a loud snap. The lens was then straight and fully functioning!

I have no idea how it could suddenly get into a state such that I would have to apply so much force to get it fixed. Surprised it now works!

Bod said...

My Ixus 80IS got this fault and I tried realigning the pins by gently pushing my thumbnail around the circumference of the lens. a quiet click and then hey presto, a working camera.

Thanks for helping out

Logan W. said...

THANK YOU! I fixed my girlfriend's camera with step 7. I'd dismantled it as far as it would go, and was forcing the crap out of the tiny lens... I figured out which way the lens should turn, then literally wrenched it as hard as I could while powering the camera on... It made a sickening "plastic gear stripping noise," then functioned flawlessly! Thank you for saving my broke girlfriend of one year's camera!

Anonymous said...

Hi

Many thanks for your post! I dropped my Olympus FE320 just before my mams 50th b-day party, I was so p*ssed off about it as the first camera I got was faulty and Olympus sent me a new one in May!! Just tried your #7 and it is now working perfectly!! Thanks so much!!
Shal

Anonymous said...

I have an Olympus FE-220 and my lens just kept going in and out then shutting off when ever I tried to turn it on. I tried the last step and now it works perfectly. I was actually about to buy a new camera. I'm glad I didn't.

Olga

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Great steps and explanations. My Canon Powershot A60 was not retracting after shooting a couple pics outdoors which has never been a problem. Twisting it gently on the way back in did the trick.

Anonymous said...

i tried all of them, but none seemed to work. i dropped my camera while taking a picture. is it possible that there may be an internal problem even though i get the message "LENS ERROR"?

Camera Repair said...

Anonymous,
Yes, it's possible that the internal lens extension mechanism had become damaged beyond repair from the drop. Unfortunately, these seven steps only seem to work for about 40% of the lens errors.

CR

imMe said...

yayy! i really didnt know how much i loved my camera until it actually wouldnt work. Thanks soo much=D
p.s forcing the lens worked for me or it could have been the blowing air.. Not to sure. hope it helps;)

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I tried #4 and it WORKED! You just saved me about two hundred bucks on a new Exilim EX-Z600 that wouldn't be ready in time for my brother's wedding! Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Bless your soul, mister!

amanda said...

i seriously just put my mouth around the lens and blew as hard as i could and it works now!

Anonymous said...

thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your help. Number 7 fixed my Kodak M863. It was turning off after I turned it on.

scary-cute said...

I have a Nikon CoolPix L14 and the lens is tuck out permanently with one side of the lens stuck in more so that it points to the left. I tried everything on the list, but it doesn't work. The camera clicks wheni turn it on, and the screen comes up briefly, but then it just says "Lens Error." Any ideas? If i open the camera up, can i push on it and fix it maybe?

Jdawg said...

Nikon s610

i have a nikon coolpix and when i turn the camera on it opens reveals a blurry image and allows me to take a picture then retracts the lens and read lens error

i have tried just about everything!
why won't the lens just stay out! what else is wrong?

Anonymous said...

I plugged in my Lumix camera USB to my laptop and turned it on, i accidentally tilted my camera facing the desk resulting the lens to be a little nudged by the desk... after transferring the files and plugging it out of the machine... I turned it off and the lens did retract after. But I decided to check again to see if my camera is 100% ok. Took a picture, erased it and turned off my panasonic lumix... to my surprise the lens did not retract! but went off. I turned it on again.. the lens kept focusing then the screen asks please turn off your camera and on again. I did it many times but it did not work. Immediately I googled to find a quick fix for the problem and found your blog. I did the tap-thing to my camera. tapping it from the bottom near the lens. And it actually works! Thanks a lot to your blog!!!

Anonymous said...

Coolpix P4 -- I fixed it! I pushed/pulled barrel, changed battery, pushed OK, tapped, blew compressed air until my hand was too cold to hold the can -- nothing worked. Then I ran a corner of paper around the openings of the barrel. I could feel places the paper would catch so I focused there. I kept using a new corner of paper and kept going around a few times. Then it opened! There was a scratch on the barrel and a bit of stickiness too. But now it's clean and working. And I wish I had treated it more gently :) And I wish I hadn't JUST ordered its replacement.

Dave Baker said...

The lens wouldn't retract on my Nikon P80. Error message on screen said "Lens error. If the lens cap is attached, turn the camera off, remove the lens cap, and turn the camera on."

Followed the steps and gently pulling the lens out while hitting the power button got the pins to seat and the lens to work. Thanks.

Arne said...

I tried a bunch of stuff you mentioned and none worked. Eventually I tried a modification of #6, just hit the Exilim hard on my desk, and surprise, it worked again. ridiculous!

Dan S / Marshall, MN said...

"Forcing the Lens" worked to correct a stuck halfway-out lens on my Canon A570IS after it was dropped. Manipulating the bezel that surrounds the retracting lens did no good. I ended up needing to apply a moderate pressure to the outer face of the inner lens housing (the part that the glass lens is mounted on/in) while powering the camera up.

BigFreeekinNate said...

AWESOME!!! Thanks so much. I bought my daughter a GE A730 and she left it sitting on a table in a room full of children. Came back an hour later to find it permanently extended and reading "lens error." Thought it was toast...

Anyway I found your site and tried your suggestions- #4 finally did the trick! Thanks for posting these suggestions. I thought for sure this thing was fried.

Unknown said...

I had EX-Z75 with buzzing lens. Really to say I went straight in to opening everything and turning moving parts in lens. Now I can make pictures, it's not that clear as I wish, lots of noise, but I works.

l3utterz said...

i have a Nikon Coolpix s210 and i droped it on a wooden floor about 3.5 feet down. the lens would close but not all the way. i tryed step 1-7 i skipped 6. i gently pushed the lens in when the camra was off and i just sliped back in to place. works like new. tnx guys

Unknown said...

Thanks for the suggestions! I have a Nikon Coolpix S7c that had a Lens Error. Removing and replacing the battery and giving soft tapping did repair the problem. Thank you for the info .


Reynaldo

Unknown said...

One more camera, and the money for new one,was saved because of you. This was an HP Photosmart M537. The lens were jamming at zoom in and shutdown. Forced lens a few times in the Turn on, shut down, and bingo working! They were still jaming at zoom in, a couple of forcings and here it is working OK!
Thank you very much for your continued support. JMR, Azores Islands.

Michelle said...

Thanks so much for this great blog! I have a Nikon Coolpix L5 and kept on getting the lens error. The first 5 steps didn't work (and my camera is no longer under warranty), but after I hit the side of the camera against my palm I could see the lens trying to extend out. Then I skipped to step 7 and helped to force the lens out. I could see where the lens needed to be angled in order for it to extend and pushed it that way a bit. My fingers are still crossed, but it's working great right now. Thank you!

Unknown said...

I have Fujifilm A500, I did all 7 sugestions, didn't work, after that I place it under the sun light for 10 minutes and it works! The weather was below 32 degrees.

NGO said...

Thanks for the suggestion and solutions. Dropped my Canon A530 some time back. Used method # 7 and the lens error was fixed

Unknown said...

hi...i had a problem with my canon powershot SD500 . The lens wasn't opening and also simultaneously it was displaying E18 . Is there any way to make it work.

Janna said...

I have a nikon coolpix s220, and while i was taking a picture.. i dropped it. it landed on it's lens and now the lens will not go in and when it trie.. it makes a strange noise. i cannot do anything on it because the first thing that shows up is 'lens error'... i have tried most of these techniques.. but none have worked... i found that the actual lens in my camera has moved slightly to the side.. HELP ME!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have a nikon coolpix s220, and while i was taking a picture.. i dropped it. it landed on it's lens and now the lens will not go in and when it trie.. it makes a strange noise. i cannot do anything on it because the first thing that shows up is 'lens error'... i have tried most of these techniques.. but none have worked... i found that the actual lens in my camera has moved slightly to the side.. HELP ME!!!!!

Anonymous said...

#7 in combination with #4 worked (#7 no good alone). Made a nasty noise, but camera is functional (Exilim S600).

Beth said...

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!
I dropped my camera really hard and thought for sure I would have to buy a new one because I kept getting the 'lens error' message but #4 on your list fixed it right back to normal! Thank You So Much!! :)

Dennis said...

I'm so glad I found this blog. I just typed in 'Nikon S220 lens error' and this was number two in the results.

As mentioned, I have a Nikon S220 point and shoot camera which I carry in my pocket everywhere I go. After several months I started getting the 'lens error' messages and the camera would just stop working with lens extended. The first time it happened I blew compressed air into the perimeters of the lens barrels. That fixed the problem for a while. Then the 'lens error' message started popping up again. The camera would take pictures just fine but when I tried to shut it off the lens would retract halfway then pop back out again and the lcd screen would indicate 'lens error'. I thought I was going to have to send the camera in to Nikon and get it fixed as it was obviously still under warranty. To my chagrin, I found on this blog, that these types of lens error problems are not covered under warranty. So I powered the camera up then turned it off, placing mild pressure on the lens as it retracted back in. Bingo. Problem solved at this point. I wonder if I should get some sort of leather cover for the camera as I'm sure the lens barrel collects dust while being carried around in my pocket all the time.

Thanks again.

Dennis

Dennis Roliff Photography

email

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! I've already tried all that battery baloney and it didn't work so I was ready to give up hope. I read this post at work, and realized I have a can of keyboard duster(can of compressed air)... With a few sprays into the lens its worked!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! Number 4 worked for me. You just saved me $200!!!

Anonymous said...

I have a Samsung S85 that kept beeping at me when I tried to power on. The lens cover did not move at all. I tried #1-4 with no success. But then I brought out my blow dryer and that did the trick. Thank you so much for this blog.

Anonymous said...

i dropped my G9 about 50cm to the floor with the lense open last night.... nothing looked amiss but the lens would not retract.

the lens reset to about 2.5cm protruding, pulling back to 1.5cm at power-on and a whining noise, before returning to extended position. the lens was not out-of-alignment.

so.... i tried steps 1-7 with no joy... then again and again and again. with no warranty and not wanting to find a swedish repair shop i figured i had nothing to lose.

i laid the camera on some cardboard on my desk, then pushed down with increasing pressure on each side of the lens with my thumbs. i pushed harder and harder (past the point i thought sensible!) then --- ZIIINK! lens retracted completely!

the g9 has now been through many on/off cycles today and seems to be fully working again... so all i can say is thanks very much for the tips!

Rosy said...

Hi! I have a Canon PowerShot A470 that I got some sand in in the summer of 08. Since the repair cost was ridiculous I just had it sitting around for a year and half. Then I decided to to look online for solutions and poof, this blog was perfect. I did the whole plugging in the AV cords and it worked right away, to my surprise. I had to do that a few times and blew compressed air in for extra help to make sure the sand came out. And know, even though it still complains a bit, it works! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

did not work with my camera at all. i have a casio Exilim. Nothing worked..

chandan said...

Combination of #6 and 7 worked for me ...

Vanessa said...

Thanks for the help! I have a kodak camera and i had a lens error. I tried all of them and number 7 helped!! I pulled the lens to the side until it snapped and suddenly my camera worked again!!! THANKS!

Anonymous said...

I dropped my Nikon Coolpix and the lens was stuck out at an uneven angle.None of the tapping ect. methods worked for me. I used a small flat head screwdriver and gently used it to pry the lower side up. Works fine again yay! :]

Anonymous said...

The USB trick done it for me!! Thanks

Anonymous said...

I tried every one of your idea's and none helped. i have an Insignia 7.0 mega pixels digital camera and it has a lens problem, but none worked.

Unknown said...

So Glad I found this - we have a Casio Exlim ex-z60 with the stuck lens and " Fix #4: Place the camera flat on its back on a table, pointed at the ceiling. Press and hold the shutter button down, and at the same time press the power-on button. The idea is that the camera will try to autofocus while the lens is extending, hopefully seating the lens barrel guide pins in their slots. " worked !!!

Thanks

Gerry said...

Hi

I have a Nikon CoolPix S7c I was getting the 'lens error' message on the screen.
From Fix 1 "If that didn't work, try pressing and holding the Function or OK button while turning the camera on."
This worked a treat - thanks for the info!

guillermo said...

I have a cheap Kodak Easyshare C140, dropped it with lens open. "1111 Lens error". Lens would not move. I tried to disassemble it, but couldn't. So I put ir back together and forced the lens, BEFORE I read this post.

Bad news: I broke something inside the lens barrel. If I shake the camera, a little piece rattles. Lens swing a bit right-left if you touch it.

Good news: camera works again, takes proper pictures.

I give it a 50-50.

Remember: BE GENTLE, it's my camera first repair!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm so glad I found this site!

My Nikon Coolpix L10 started acting up today. When I pulled it out of the inner pocket of my backpack, the batteries had popped out and the lens wasn't retracted all the way. At first I thought the batteries were dead, so I just put everything away until I got home.

When I got home, the lens was now retracted all the way, but it wouldn't power on. I replaced the batteries (I have 3 sets in rotation in a charger), but it still didn't power on.

I tried troubleshooting on the Nikon site. No joy. I then googled L10 no+power and found your site. I never got a Lens Error message, but it started to appear like that was the problem.

I ran through the list of stuff to try - well, not the last item since the lens was not moving at all. Nothing. I even looked through the disassembly of the L10, but decided not to bother - it was more work than I wanted to do on Christmas Eve!

So, one last time, I turned the camera face down, smacked the retracted lens area against the palm of my hand a couple of times, then hit the power button. Bang! Out came the lens!! I've turned it on and off a couple of times and it seems to be working again!

Thank you so much for being here - even if it's a couple of years since this post started!

Kathleen in Seattle

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have had the G11 for 2 months now and today on christmas day I get the Lens Error Restart Camera message on the screen. The camera has never been dropped and lives in its carry case, and has never seen water/rain/dust/sand etc.
I was waiting to take a photo, not zooming or anything and the lense extended itself automagically and retracted and now its stuck inside itself, and is completely unoperative :(
The lens doesnt move when I try turn on the camera (not even play/preview mode works) , and I have tried all the tricks I have found on the internet but to no avail :(
It sounds like the motor engages to try open the lens but gives the error and another noise after that which is i guess the motor giving up?
Also the case is new with the camera so im not sure if the buildup of dusty particles is sufficient yet to break my camera?
And the battery was fully charged, I got 3 xmas photos before the lens decided to hide itself and never come back out to play...
any help would be appreciated :)

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