canon powershot sx10is lcd display not working factory

I"ve got a good working SX10, wasn"t aware of such a problem - I like to use the LCD for tripod shots but only EVF handheld. To some extent uses and user preference matters most.

In case it"s your bridge that rotates displays (Disp button) between LCD and EVF, I"d take time to check settings and user manual to be sure that the LCD isn"t simply properly deactivated. If that"s not it, because it is a software switch, I"d try a Menu - Tools Icon - Reset All to take the camera back to its out of the box setings and try again. Only then would I look into hardware.

I have no idea about LCD replacement, but as above, would be leery of putting much money, time or trouble into a second-hand camera as old as SX10, that might have other problems, too.

The time and date stamp need to be reset every time the camera is turned on. A notice may appear to change the batteries even after the main batteries are replaced.

Make sure the battery door closes tight and that nothing is blocking the door from closing. If the door will not latch closed use this replacement guide for changing the battery door.

Unfortunatly, when I opened it, I was NOT able to dismantle the menu-turning-wheel on the backside, hence could not take off the back cover completely. If more complicated work would be necessary in the future, I"d have to work out how to take that off. Could not find any screw or anything, and didn"t want to pull too hard... Any idea?

I have a Canon Rebel T3i and one day it was working fine, but in the very next day BAM the lcd just stoped working and now just show me a black screen.

> My LCD it"s working fine, the light inside LCD turn on, but just don"t show any image, even the menu, info and other stuff. Just a awful black screen. And if I press the Disp. button I can see the screen turn off because the LCD light turn off. And, even more strange, if I try to upgrade the firmware, the screen works again for a few seconds when show up the Loading screen (moments before appears the list of files to upgrade the firmware, but I can"t see the list, I just can see the Loading screen)

> Verify the "display off sensor". My Rebel T3i just don"t have this kind of sensor, I know how this sensor"s looks like ( http://www.manualslib.com/manual/454362/Canon-Eos-Rebel-Sl1-18-55mm-Is-Stm-Kit.html?page=15#manual ) and I can affirm that my camera doesn"t have this thing. (Anyway I have removed the rubber and plastic outer viewfinder fitting from the camera and cleaned the area around the viewfinder and doesn"t worked)

> Upgrade Firmware. I read about fix this problem upgrading the firmware, even without menu image I got it. But still not working. After upgrading the firmware I confirmed the firmware version using EOS Utility in my computer.

Printing Use the press the • The button will blink blue and printing will start. • You can also select images by using the control dial. • After you finish printing, turn off the camera and the printer and disconnect the interface cable. This camera does not allow you to insert the shooting date into an image while shooting (date stamping).

Open CameraWindow. Windows Select [Canon CameraWindow] and click [OK]. If the window above does not appear, click the [Start] menu and select [All Programs] or [Programs], followed by [Canon Utilities], [CameraWindow], [CameraWindow] and [CameraWindow]. CameraWindow appears. Macintosh CameraWindow will appear when you establish a connection between the camera and computer.

System Map Canon Brand Direct Print Compatible Printers Compact Photo Printers* Memory Card (SELPHY series) USB Card Reader Bubble Jet Printers* (PIXMA series) Video IN Terminal USB Port TV/Video Audio IN Terminal (R/L) Windows/Macintosh *1 Also available for purchase separately.

Information Displayed i-Contrast ( Camera Shake ( Audio ( Manual Focus ( Exposure Compensation … Exposure Shift Bar ( AE Lock/FE Lock Grid Lines, 3:2 Guide *1 This is not normally displayed. It appears when remaining available internal memory (buffer) is half or less during movie recording (when the buffer warning indicates full, shooting or recording may be stopped).

Playback Mode (Detailed) Histogram Information Displayed Print List (Playback) i-Contrast/ Red-Eye Correction/Trimming/Resize/ My Colors ( Protection Status ( Image with Sound Memo ( Compression (Still Images)/Recording Pixels (Still Images), Movie ( Auto Category ( My Category ( The following information may also be displayed with some images. A sound file in a format other than the WAVE format is attached or the file format is not recognized.

Menu Item Safety MF On*/Off AF-assist Beam On*/Off Review Off/2* – 10 seconds/Hold (Rec. Review) Review Info Off*/Detailed/Focus Check Save Original On/Off* Reverse Disp. On*/Off Auto Category On*/Off IS Mode (Still image) Continuous*/Shoot Only/ Panning/Off (Movie) Continuous*/Off Custom Display LCD/ Viewfinder Shooting info.

Menu Item LCD Brightness (Normal)*/ (Bright) Power Saving Auto Power On*/Off Down Display Off 10 sec./20 sec./30 sec./1 min.*/ 2 min./ 3 min. Time Zone Home*/World Date/Time Clock Display 0 – 5* – 10 sec./ 20 sec./30 sec./ 1 min./2 min./3 min. Format File Numbering Continuous*/ Auto Reset...

(Widescreen) mode on wide size paper using Canon compact photo printer SELPHY CP750/CP740/CP730/CP720/CP710/CP510. As this setting will be stored to memory even when the power is turned off, to print using an image size other...

Playback Mode or Rec. Review (Right After Shooting) No Information Standard Display* * Playback mode only Focus Check* Detailed Display * Still image only The LCD monitor will not switch to the detailed display or focus check display in magnified display (p. 155), or index playback mode (p.

Select [LCD/Viewfinder]. 1. Use the select • Sets LCD monitor display mode after the DISP. button is pressed. • If you do not wish to change the display mode, press the FUNC./SET button to display • You cannot add active LCD/Viewfinder icon. Make settings.

About the Safety Zoom Depending on the number of recording pixels set, you can shift from optical zoom to digital zoom without pausing up to a factor where the image quality does not deteriorate (Safety Zoom). reaching the maximum zoom factor without image deterioration. Pressing the zoom lever toward further (not available during movie shooting.).

Focusing distance and image area when shooting as close to the subject as possible Zoom level Maximum wide 10 – 50 cm angle (3.9 in. – 1.6 ft.) Maximum wide angle (fixed)* (0 – 3.9 in.) * You cannot use the zoom. Check the range of the built-in flash when using it in Macro mode on p.

Make settings. 1. Use the image stabilizer settings. 2. Press the MENU button. Camera shake may not be fully corrected when shooting with slow shutter speeds. Use the Auto ISO Shift (p. 85), or fix the camera using a tripod to shoot. When you shoot with the camera attached to a tripod, we recommend you set [IS Mode] to [Off].

Press the shutter button halfway. • When is displayed, the lights in blue. Press and hold the shutter button halfway, then press button. • The ISO speed after adjustment is displayed. • While pressing the shutter button halfway, pressing the again will return the ISO speed to its original condition.

You are recommended to use a memory card that has been formatted in this camera to shoot movies (pp. 16, 215). Be careful of the following while recording. - Do not touch the microphone (p. 40). - If you press a button, the sound of the button being pressed will also be recorded.

You can perform the following operations when shooting a movie (you can also set them before shooting when the mode dial is set to - AF lock: If you press the MF button, auto focus will be fixed at the current state. The on the LCD monitor (or the viewfinder), and you can confirm the distance between the subject and lens.

Use this option to transform a color specified in the screen into another (p. 146). The shutter speed is slow in tripod to avoid camera shake. increase and cause noise in the image depending on the scene being shot. With , image noise may be prominent.

The maximum shutter speed with synchronized flash is 1/500 second*. Therefore, even if an aperture value is preset, the aperture value may automatically be reset to match the synchronized flash speed. * When using an external flash, see pp. 258, 259. Aperture Value Display The larger the aperture value, the smaller the lens opening, allowing less light to enter the camera.

Shoot. • The current exposure level appears on the right side of the exposure level indicator, while the correct exposure level appears in the center on the left side of the indicator (if the difference is more than ±2 stops, the current exposure level appears in red on the LCD monitor).

Shoot. • The camera will continue to record successive images while the shutter button is held down. Recording will cease when the shutter button is released. To Cancel Continuous Shooting: Follow Step 1 to display When in set. and Manual Focus modes, be selected).

Displaying and Setting [Flash Control] Select [Flash Control]. 1. Press the MENU button. 2. In the menu, use the button to select [Flash Control]. 3. Press the • [Flash Control] can also be displayed by the following methods. - Press the button for more than one second.

Press the shutter button halfway. • Pressing the shutter button halfway zooms a section of the display according to the following AF Frame mode settings (p. 118). [Face Detect] : The face detected as the main subject will appear zoomed. [Center] : The center of the image will appear zoomed in the LCD monitor.

Checking Focus Right After Shooting (Focus Check) Allows you to check the focus of an image taken. It is also easy to check people’s expressions and look for closed eyes when shooting because a frame the size of the face displays when Face Select and Track (p.

Shoot. • The recorded image will be displayed. • Frames are displayed as follows. Frame color Orange Displays the area of the image shown at the bottom right. White Indicates the AF frames or the positions of faces that were focused when shooting. •...

The AF frame appears as follows when the shutter button is pressed halfway. - Green: Shooting preparations complete - Yellow: Focusing difficulty ([Center] or [FlexiZone] option) - No AF frame: Focusing difficulty ([Face Detect] option) Face Detect Feature When the camera detects faces, AF frames will be displayed on a maximum of three faces.

Moving the AF Frame ([FlexiZone] Selected) The AF frame can be moved manually allowing you to focus precisely on the desired area of your subject. Press the • The AF frame will display in green. Move the AF frame using the control dial and press the •...

Press the shutter button halfway. • The face frame ( green • If the camera has difficulty focusing, the face frame will display in yellow. Press the shutter button all the way to shoot. In the following cases, the face select mode will be canceled. - When turning the power off and back on - When switching to another shooting mode - When using the digital zoom or digital tele-converter...

Re-aim the camera to compose the shot as desired and shoot. To Release the AF Lock: Press the MF button. When [Servo AF] (p. 124) is set to [On], AF lock cannot be used. mode, you cannot enable AF lock using the method on p.

Use the control dial and adjust the focus. • The MF indicator shows approximate figures. Use them as a shooting guideline only. To Cancel the Manual Focus: Press the MF button. You cannot change the AF frame setting while focusing manually.

You are recommended to set the shooting mode to the exposure compensation setting to [±0] before setting a custom white balance. The correct white balance may not be obtained when the exposure setting is incorrect (image appears completely black or white). When taking a white balance data reading at close range while using flash, you may not be able to obtain proper exposure.

Press the DISP. button. • The camera will switch to color input mode, and the display will alternate between the original image and the Color Accent image (using the previously set color). Aim the camera so that the color you wish to retain appears at the center of the LCD monitor (or the viewfinder) and press the button.

Aim the camera so that the original color appears at the center of the LCD monitor (or the viewfinder) and press the • Only one color can be specified. • You can use the the range of colors that are changed. –5: Only takes the color that you want to swap.

Make settings. 1. Use the select the function you wish to register. 2. Press the 3. Press the MENU button. • If displays to the icon’s lower right, you can register the function, but you cannot use it with some shooting modes or settings even if you press the To Cancel the Shortcut Button: Select...

Change the order in which menu items are displayed. 1. Use the [Sort]. 2. Press the 3. Use the menu item to move. 4. Press the 5. Use the menu item. 6. Press the 7. Press the MENU button. Set a default view. 1.

Changing the Display Magnification and Display Position Press the zoom lever toward • Bottom right of the screen will be displayed prominently and the display size and display position can be changed. Change the setting. • You can change the display size by pressing the zoom lever.

Select the last image. 1. Use the button to select [Last image]. 2. Press the 3. Use the last image in the range to categorize. 4. Press the • An image with a lower number than the first image cannot be selected as the last image.

images, and images recorded in cannot be trimmed. Some images shot with another camera may not be trimmed. The aspect ratio for images which can be trimmed will be fixed to 4:3 (or 3:4 if the image is vertically oriented). The resolution of a trimmed image will be less than before trimming.

Select [Save]. 1. Use the 2. Press the Save the file. 1. Use the select [New File] or [Overwrite]. 2. Press the • [New File] saves the edited movie under a new file name. The pre-edit data is left unchanged. Note, if you press the FUNC./SET button while saving the movie, saving is canceled.

Although you can apply red-eye correction any number of times to an image, the image quality will gradually deteriorate with each application. Since the correction frame will not appear automatically on images that have already been corrected once with the Red- Eye Correction function, use the [Add Frame] option to correct them.

Add Correction Frame Select [Add Frame]. 1. Use the select [Add Frame]. 2. Press the • A green frame will display. Adjust the position of the correction frame. 1. Use the move the frame. • Size of the frame can be changed with the zoom lever.

Save the image. 1. Use the [OK]. 2. Press the • If you wish to continue compensating of another image, repeat operations from Step 2. Display the saved image. 1. Press the MENU button. 2. Use the [Yes]. 3. Press the •...

Select a My Colors type. 1. Use the My Colors type. • The displayed image will reflect the My Colors effect. • You can press the zoom lever toward to check the image at a higher magnification. While the image is zoomed, you can press the FUNC./SET button to switch between the image transformed with the My Colors effect and the original non- transformed image.

Select a resolution. 1. Use the resolution. 2. Press the • If a resolution cannot be selected due to a lack of free space on the memory card, will display. Save the image. 1. Use the [OK]. 2. Press the •...

Sound Recorder Panel Use the button to select an option and press the FUNC./SET button. Exit Returns to the menu screen. Record Starts recording. Pause Stops recording, playback. Use the Play press the FUNC./SET button. Holding down the FUNC./SET button rewinds. The sound Rewind cannot be heard while rewinding.

Select the last image. 1. Use the button to switch to selecting the last image. 2. Press the 3. Use the last image in the range. 4. Press the • An image with a lower number than the first image cannot be selected as the last image.

[All Images] Erase the images. 1. Use the [OK]. 2. Press the • Selecting [Cancel] cancels selection of the image you are about to erase and returns to Step 2. Pressing the FUNC./SET button while erasing is in progress cancels the procedure. Please format the memory card when you want to erase not only image data but also all the data contained on the memory card (pp.

Select an area as home. 1. Use the home time zone. 2. Press the • To set the daylight saving option, use button to display The time will advance by 1 hour. Select (World). 1. Use the button to select 2.

Select (World). 1. Use the 2. Press the MENU button twice. • To change the destination time zone, use the FUNC./SET button. • When you switch to the destination time zone, will display. If you do not select a home time zone beforehand, you cannot configure the destination time.

The video output signal can be switched (NTSC or PAL) to accommodate different regional standards (p. 60). The default setting varies between regions. - NTSC: Japan, U.S.A., Canada, Taiwan and others - PAL: Europe, Asia (excluding Taiwan), Oceania and others If the video system is set incorrectly, the camera output may not display properly.

Camera screen is black at start-up. Incompatible image has been selected as the startup image in the My Camera settings. The display darkens. The image in the LCD monitor will darken in strong sunlight or bright light. Display flickers. Display flickers when shot under fluorescent lighting.

Eyes appear red. Light is reflected back from the eyes when the flash is used in dark areas. Continuous shooting slows down. The memory card’s performance has dropped. Recording images to memory card takes a long time. Memory card was formatted in another device.

Shooting movies The recording time may not display properly or shooting may stop unexpectedly. The following types of memory cards are used. - Slow recording cards. - Cards formatted on a different camera or a computer. - Cards which have had images recorded and erased repeatedly.

Batteries are not the right type. Battery capacity drops due to low ambient temperatures. Battery terminals are dirty. If using Canon AA-size NiMH batteries As the batteries have not been used for over a year, their recharging capacity has decreased. Battery life has been exceeded.

Change the batteries. Battery charge is insufficient to operate the camera. Replace the batteries immediately with unused AA-size alkaline batteries or fully charged Canon AA-size NiMH batteries. Also refer to Battery (p. 249). No image. No images recorded on memory card.

Incompatible WAVE A sound memo cannot be added to this image since the data type of the existing sound memo is incorrect. In addition, sound cannot be played back. Cannot register this image! You attempted to register an image recorded in a different camera or a movie as a start-up image.

Try turning the power back on, and resume shooting or playback. If this message continues to display, contact your Canon Customer Support Help Desk as there may be a problem with the lens.

Please consult your camera distributor or the closest Canon Customer Support Help Desk. Do not use substances containing alcohol, benzine, thinners or other flammable substances to clean or maintain the equipment.

Do not place the batteries near a heat source or expose it to direct flame or heat. The batteries should not be immersed in water or sea water. Do not attempt to disassemble, alter or apply heat to the batteries. Avoid dropping or subjecting the batteries to severe impacts that could damage the casing.

Leaving the units plugged in for a long period of time may cause them to overheat and distort, resulting in fire. When recharging the Canon AA-size NiMH batteries, use only a specified battery charger. The compact power adapter is designed for exclusive use with this equipment.

Do not get the camera caught on other objects or subject it to strong impacts or shocks when wearing or holding it by the neck strap. Be careful not to bump or strongly push the end of the lens. The above-mentioned could lead to injury or damage the equipment. Be careful not to allow dust or sand into the camera when using it at a beach or place with strong winds.

Do not operate the flash with dirt, dust or other items stuck to the surface of the flash. Be careful not to cover the flash with your fingers or clothing when shooting. The flash may be damaged and emit smoke or noise. The resulting heat build-up could damage the flash.

Memory cards are high-precision electronic devices. Do not bend them, apply force to them, or subject them to shocks or vibration. Do not attempt to disassemble or alter the memory card. Do not allow dirt, water or foreign objects to contact the terminals on the back of the memory card.

Replace them with new batteries. If you are purchasing new batteries, look for Canon AA-size NiMH batteries. Leaving batteries in the camera or charger may result in damage from battery leakage. When not in use, remove the batteries from the camera or charger and store them in a cool, dry location.

Turn the external flash on and turn the camera • (red) appears on the LCD monitor (or the viewfinder). Turn the mode dial to the desired mode. Speedlite 220EX* • The maximum flash synchro shutter speed is 1/250 second. • The flash will automatically adjust its output when [Flash Mode] is set to [Auto].

E-TTL automatic flash exposure compensation. [E-TTL] will display on the flash, but the flash will fire manually. Other Canon Flashes (other than Speedlite EX series) • Since other flashes fire at full strength, set the shutter speed and aperture accordingly.

Setting the Externally Mounted Flash Display the Flash Settings screen. 1. Hold the button down for more than one second. • Before making flash settings, mount the external flash and turn the flash • You can also set in [Flash Control] in the menu.

[Flash Control] will not display when the flash is turned off. Before making flash settings, turn the flash on. When an external flash is mounted, you cannot make built-in flash settings. When adjusting flash exposure compensation with the camera, set the external flash’s exposure compensation to [+0].

The following functions can be used with a Speedlite 220EX, 430EX II or 580EX II*. - Auto Exposure (Use the E-TTL mode with a 430EX II or 580EX II) - FE Lock (Not available in [Manual]) - Shutter Sync. (1st-curtain/2nd-curtain) (2nd-curtain priority with Speedlite 430EX II) - Slow Synchro - Flash Exp.

Off) are available (580EX II only). * 22 levels with 580EX II : Hot shoe flash-sync contacts Use of the following external flashes is recommended: Canon Speedlite 220EX, 430EX II and 580EX II. : Auto Creative zone: Program, Shutter-speed priority,...

Colors, Resize, Sound (recording/playback up to 1 min.), Sound Recorder (up to 2 hours sound-only recording/playback possible) or Protect. : PictBridge compliant, and Canon Direct Print and Bubble Jet Direct compatible : Start-up image, start-up sound, operation sound, self-timer sound, and shutter sound.

1600 × 1200 pixels (Small) 640 × 480 pixels (Widescreen) 3648 × 2048 pixels This reflects standard shooting criteria established by Canon. Actual results may vary according to the subject and shooting conditions. Movie ( (Standard), Recording Pixels/ Frame Rate 640 ×...

Index File Numbering ...216 Fireworks ...97 Flash Flash Exp. Comp ...110 Settings ...110 Shooting ...72 Focus ... 115, 118, 157 Focus Check ... 63, 115 Focus Check Display ...157 Focus Lock ...125 Focus Settings ...117 Focus-BKT Mode ...130 Foliage ... 96 Frame Rate ...

If such changes or modifications should be made, you could be required to stop operation of the equipment. Canon U.S.A., Inc. One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042, U.S.A. Tel No. (516) 328-5600 Canadian Radio Interference Regulations This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Functions Available in Each Shooting Mode Function Standard AF Frame Size (p. 121) Small Face Select and Track (p. 122) Auto Flash (when flash is raised) (p. 72) External LCD monitor (no information) LCD monitor (information view) LCD Monitor/Viewfinder Setting (p.

It seems to be an inherent software problem with the S3 that when zooming the camera shuts down. Mine started doing this within a year of purchase. The lens error on start up is due to a small electric motor that resides within the lens unit. The motor turns the plastic geared wheels which rotate the lens inner housing which extends or retracts the lens. When the motor starts to play up with age or use, the lens will not extend or retract correctly and the camera reports a lens error. If the motor stops working altogether the lens will jam and the lens unit needs to be replaced.

It is impossible to get moisture or sand or dirt in the lens since it is a sealed unit. Canon have very cleverly situated the only moving part in the camera inside the lens unit so it cannot be replaced easily. Don"t even try to open the lens unit as small screws, springs and ball bearings will explode everywhere lol. Just to give you some idea: the lens unit has no less than five optical lens inside the unit and six aligning rods and runners all assembled with engineering precision!

Credit to Canon the lens does a good job at taking photographs but the motor assembly could have been better designed. Perhaps they overcame this with later models?

My motor has now stopped working and in my opinion it is probably a good idea to upgrade your camera rather than replace the lens unit but if you can DIY or get it done for a reasonable price at a willing camera shop it might just be worth it.

The Canon SX20 IS follows up last year"s SX10 IS model, itself an update of 2007"s popular long-zoom S5 IS model. Compared to the SX10 IS, Canon has again upped the resolution slightly, taking the SX20 from a ten-megapixel sensor to a twelve-megapixel chip of identical size. The Canon SX20"s body is nearly identical to that of its predecessor, the only noticeable changes being to the screen-printed labels where a feature change has necessitated a different label. As was the case with its predecessor, with dimensions of 4.9 x 3.5 x 3.4 inches (124 x 88 x 87mm) and weighing in at 23.9 ounces (676g) including battery and flash card, the Canon SX20IS won"t fit in your pocket; but then that"s hardly surprising given the reach of its powerful zoom lens.

The Canon PowerShot SX20 combines its twelve megapixel sensor with a 20x optical zoom lens, which offers the range from a useful 28mm wide angle to a whopping 560mm telephoto. Maximum aperture varies from f/2.8 at wide angle to f/5.7 at telephoto. As the "IS" in the SX20"s name would suggest, it includes Canon"s Image Stabilization technology, helping fight the effects of blur from camera shake, absolutely vital at the longer focal lengths. Images are framed and reviewed on a 2.5-inch color LCD display or a 0.44-inch electronic viewfinder, both of which have 100% coverage and resolutions in the region of 235,000 dots.

The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS offers not only a selection of scene modes and a Program auto mode, but also the ability to control shutter and/or aperture manually. Canon"s implementation of face detection is included, and the face detection functionality is linked not only to the autofocus system, but also to the exposure metering and white balance systems to ensure correct exposure of portraits as well. When focusing in dim light, a green LED provides for AF-assist. For the more experienced photographer, there"s a wide range of adjustments and customizations on hand, including a range of ISO sensitivities from 80 to 1,600 equivalent, and three metering modes: evaluative, center-weighted, and spot. Shutter speeds vary from 15 to 1/3,200 second, and the maximum flash synch speed is 1/250 second. Compared to its predecessor, the PowerShot SX20 offers slightly increased flash range when the ISO sensitivity is under automatic control, with a maximum reach of 22 feet at wide angle, or 12 feet at telephoto. Continuous burst-mode shooting is possible at one frame per second, rather reduced from the 1.4 fps possible with the SX10.

The most significant change in the Canon SX20IS when compared to the SX10 can be found in the movie modes. Where the earlier camera was limited to shooting at standard-definition resolutions of VGA or below, the newer model is capable of recording high-definition 1280 x 720 pixel (720p) clips. The SX20IS retains its predecessor"s framerate of 30 frames per second, as well as its stereo microphone.

One further change of note is that where the SX10 offered only standard definition NTSC / PAL video output, the Canon SX20 also includes a high definition HDMI connector. There"s also USB 2.0 high-speed computer connectivity. The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS stores images on Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard media, including the newer (and higher capacity) SDHC types. Images are saved in one of two JPEG compression settings, where the SX10 offered three choices. Movies are saved as MOV files using H.264 compression. Like its predecessor the SX10, the Canon SX10IS runs on four AA batteries: either alkaline disposables, or NiMH rechargeables. A set of alkaline disposables is included in the product bundle.

Retail pricing for the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is set at the same US$400 point at which the SX10 shipped a year earlier. Availability is set for September 2009.

When the Canon SX20 IS arrived, I thought I was seeing things. Didn"t I already review Canon"s super zoom? In fact, I had reviewed the SX1 IS late last year, observing it looked an awful lot like the SX10 IS. So naturally the Canon SX20 IS would resemble the SX1.

They may look alike, but the Canon SX20 and the SX1 are different cameras. That starts at the sensor with the SX1 using a 10-Mp CMOS sensor compared to the Canon SX20"s more conventional 12.1-Mp CCD. That, apparently, gives the SX1 the ability to shoot Raw and 1080p HD movies. The Canon SX20 shoots HD movies, too, but at 720p.

Look and Feel. My first impression of the SX1 was that it was very well built but awkward to handle, and the Canon SX20 is no different. It happened to be here when a few photo fans were visiting and they had the same experience. Quite a different reaction from a lightweight camera like the Nikon P90, for example, that uses a lithium-ion battery instead of four AA cells, like the Canon SX20.

Those batteries are one reason. They really add to the heft. More than you need to stabilize the camera. But they also balance the camera. The body itself is heavy. None of the women who hoisted the Canon SX20 liked it. We know, of course, that many people also prefer cameras that use AA batteries for the easily availability of alkaline spares when you really need an alternate source of power. So adjust your expectations accordingly.

And the LCD, which is hinged on the left side, doesn"t help. I almost always left it reversed on the back of the Canon SX20, just as you"d find it on any inexpensive digicam. I used it flipped out when I needed it, but I found it awkward in the field to align it with the camera body so I knew where to point the camera.

As I said in my SX1 review, I much prefer articulated LCDs that swing up or point down rather than flip out to the side; that"s a personal preference, though, as other reviewers at Imaging-Resource.com like this style just fine. What I really want is to be able to hold the camera above your head or at your feet and the tilting design accomplishes that in line with the lens when you hold the camera horizontally.

It probably didn"t help that I set up the Canon SX20 with the included shoulder strap. It"s a short strap, so the camera doesn"t hang low, but it"s also a wide one and can get in the way. I prefer to carry my small cameras with a wrist strap.

There is a dioptric adjustment next to the Canon SX20"s electronic viewfinder, which is covered in a rubberized frame so you won"t scratch your glasses, something missing on other recent long zoom digicams we"ve reviewed. The EVF is low resolution, however, taking some of the fun out of using it.

To access it, you use the Display button below the navigator. That makes sense, but I just couldn"t get over the idea I should be using a toggle button next to the EVF. There is a button there, but it"s the Shortcut/Direct Print button. And, no, you can"t assign the Display functions to it.

The Power switch behind the Canon SX20"s Shutter button could not be placed in a more awkward position. You can"t reach it with your forefinger while holding the Canon SX20, and if you try to reach it with your thumb, well, that"s awkward too. So it takes two hands to turn the camera on or off. Nothing new about that, of course, but Power buttons shouldn"t be afterthoughts.

The Mode dial has the familiar Canon groups of Creative Zone (for Programmed Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, and Custom modes), Auto and Image Zone (for Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Sports, Special Scene modes, Stitch Assist, and Movie modes). Just like the SX1.

The LCD is articulated, hinged on the left side, rotating to face downward or upward or forward (from which it can be rotated back against the back of the camera). It really swings out wide and can get tangled in the shoulder strap. So, as I said, as much as I like articulated screens (for composing high and low shots without cracking my knees), I left it in the routine back panel position.

One of the brighter ideas in button technology (if there is such a thing) was the introduction of the Movie button. Dating back to 2004"s Canon S1 that pioneered the concept, instant-on Movie mode is now becoming a standard on more and more digital cameras. No matter what mode the Mode dial has selected, pressing the Movie button will start recording video. Pressing it again stops the capture. Simple. And better.

Because you can shoot either a still or a movie at any time, and because they each may have different aspect ratios, the LCD on the Canon SX20 may show a faint outline to indicate the image area for a movie. You can disable this display if you find it confusing.

Canon is forever changing the functions of the most familiar buttons and the Canon SX20 indulges in that shell game, too. The Control dial"s Up arrow switches to Manual focus (not a bad idea, really, on a long zoom where you want a convenient way to set the lens quickly on infinity). The Right arrow displays the ISO settings, Down handles release modes (like the Self-Timer) and Left sets Landscape, Macro, or Super Macro.

A Display button below the Canon SX20"s navigator disk changes what"s displayed on the LCD before switching to the EVF and changing what"s displayed there. Two functions in one button. It works, but I"m so used to using a button by the EVF to activate it that I never really got used to it.

The button by the EVF on the SX1 that switches aspect ratios from 4:3 to 16:9 is not included on the SX20. Too bad because that"s a great idea. It makes it easy to make what are essentially compositional choices while you"re framing the subject. If you"re shooting in portrait orientation, a button is a very nice way to do that, rather than returning to the menu system.

As I mentioned, the button that is by the EVF is the Shortcut/Direct Print button whose major advantage is in the seven shooting functions you can assign to it. As the Shortcut button, you can set it to Light Metering, White Balance, Custom White Balance, Servo AF, Red-Eye Correction, Digital Teleconverter, i-Contrast, AE Lock, AF Lock, or Display Off.

On the top deck, you"ll find the Canon SX20"s Flash button that only does something when you lift the built-in flash up, but does not let you record an audio note with an image in Playback or just unaccompanied audio like the SX1.

The famous Canon Menu button is right where you"d expect to find it under the Control dial. It brings up the LCD menu system"s main settings, primarily for basic camera behavior. Shot-to-shot settings are available from the Function/Set button in the middle of the Control dial, just as they are on any PowerShot.

Canon has put three buttons along the top right corner of the Canon SX20 for access with your thumb. They are Playback, EV compensation, and Autofocus control. The EV button is how you switch between aperture and shutter speed in Manual mode, too, using the navigator"s wheel to change the selected setting. In Playback, the middle button rotates the image and the bottom button erases it.

Lens. The 28-560mm equivalent 20x optical zoom lens is a real treat. It appears to be the same glass used on the SX1, although the markings are not on the front element but on the stationary barrel.

Apertures range from f/2.8 to f/8.0 at wide-angle to f/5.7 to f/8.0 at telephoto. Not the range you have on a dSLR, of course, but a bit more than the two apertures many digicams with Manual mode offer.

UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass in the lens helps suppress chromatic aberration, while enhanced negative refractive power corrects distortion at wide-angle, according to Canon. Further aberration is controlled with the inclusion of a double-sided aspherical glass-molded lens and ultra-high refraction index lens.

The barrel of the Canon SX20"s zoom lens is marked with a focal length scale that reports both the actual focal length and the 35mm equivalent focal length. That"s a very nice touch on a 20x zoom.

The lens hood on the Canon SX20 is small, and remarkably does reverse, but it"s so hard to find the lock spot that I just left it on pointing forward.

Modes. Options on the Canon SX20"s Mode dial include Programmed Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, and Custom modes. You use the wheel around the Control dial to change the shutter speed in Shutter Priority and the aperture in Aperture Priority. In Manual mode, a press of the EV button switches between the shutter speed and aperture.

The Canon SX20 also includes a green Auto mode. The Shooting menu is restricted to movie size and image size settings. ISO is Auto only (but there is no Auto Hi on the SX20, as there is on the SX1). Macro is disabled. Manual Focus is not available. All that makes it safe to hand off the camera to that relative who can never put anything back where they found it.

Image Zone modes include Portrait, Landscape, Night Landscape, Sports, Special Scene modes, Stitch Assist and Movie modes. Special Scene modes are (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Night Scene, Indoor, ISO 3200 at a small image size which varies by aspect ratio, Color Accent, and Color Swap. Missing from the SX1 is Long Shutter, but you can still select a shutter speed as slow as 15 seconds. You use the Control dial"s wheel to change from one to another, with a large icon on the LCD to explain which one is active. But like any control wheel I"ve used, it"s awkward. Sometimes it does what you want, most often not.

Movie Mode options are primarily for image size, with all of them capturing 30 frames per second in the H.264 format MOV video with linear PCM stereo audio. There are three sizes: 1,280 x 720, 640 x 480, and 320 x 240. You can record up to 4GB or 29:59 minutes/seconds in HD or 60 minutes in SD per clip. You don"t have to actually select Movie mode on the Mode dial to use it, however. You can just press the Movie button whenever you see some action you want to capture; the Canon SX20 will then use the last mode selected in the Function menu.

Menu System. The Canon controls and menu system are comfortable to use once you learn how to play the game (which seems to change a little on each model). After you pick a Record mode, just hit the Function button to see your shooting options. Hit the Menu button for general camera setup options any time.

I did like the Help system, which simply displays a useful line of text at the bottom of the Menu system screens. It"s unobtrusive but there if you need it. And it can be disabled. It never got in my way so I left it on.

Storage & Battery. The Canon SX20 uses four AA batteries. With rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, Canon estimates that you"ll get about 600 shots with the LCD on using CIPA testing standards. You"ll get about 840 minutes of playback time with a full charge on the same Ni-MH batteries.

I used the four Panasonic alkalines included with the Canon SX20. They"re rated for 340 shots or 720 minutes of playback. That"s not bad, but we recommend purchasing some Eneloop-style NiMH rechargeable batteries, often called pre-charged batteries, for longer life.

It seems to me that if you"ve already got ISO maxed out at 400 and you have shot past any reasonable handholdable shutter speed, you should open up the aperture. Even at full telephoto (which these were not, being most at the widest angle focal length), wide open is f/5.7, faster than f/6.3.

To find out, I took a set of zoom shots from Twin Peaks at ISO 800. While I could detect noise even at thumbnail sizes, the color was good if somewhat suppressed. Not the usual crystal clear shots.

Later, when I took some landscapes before sunset, I noticed a warm color cast that seemed to go too far, making the image look like it was taken in another era. I wondered if i-Contrast was tweaking these shots a bit too much.

Macro shooting was another problem. Super Macro sets the focal length to wide-angle only, letting you put the lens right up to your subject. But it"s a wide wide-angle at 28mm so you don"t feel close. More than once I knocked a small item over trying to capture it with Super Macro.

Macro wasn"t the solution either. Despite the helpful scale displayed on the LCD, the Canon SX20 never could find focus. Shooting macro was a very frustrating experience with the SX20.

The first shot, at wide-angle with the aperture wide-open kept everything in focus, as wide-angle focal lengths do. The second one, zoomed in a bit but still wide open (if not quite as wide) does blur the background enough to set off the foreground. But the third one, shot at telephoto was really what I was looking for.

The mooring ropes in the shade likewise were captured just as I hoped and the white table set with colored place settings was also well done. There are three shots inside the Ferry Building in mixed light (a banana display, a cheese display and a closeup of a mushroom) that all were successful. And the late afternoon shots outside are among my favorites.

Printed results from the Canon SX20 are good, despite the softness at 100 percent onscreen, producing a good 13x19-inch print at ISO 80 and 100 with good, vibrant color.

Well built but awkward to handle, the Canon SX20 IS will nonetheless be popular with those already familiar with Canon long zoom cameras. There are certainly more external controls than most digicams offer, and the one-touch activation of Movie mode is still quite inspired, even as its adopted by the competition across more cameras.

I"m not fond of the swing-out swivel screen, but my colleagues are, so we"ll have to call it a draw. The Canon SX20"s zoom is quiet, though, as is focusing, and the 28-560mm zoom is an impressive range. We found the wide-angle end to be a little softer than we like, though. Macro shooting, too was a little frustrating when seeking focus, something we never figured out. Flash performance, on the other hand, was quite impressive, rare in a long zoom digital camera, and even after a full-power burst, the flash was ready again in 2.3 seconds!

There were a lot of issues with the Canon SX20 IS that you"d see differently depending on what kind of a shooter you are. You"ll either hate or love the AA battery power supply, and you"ll either hate or never notice the slight softness as ISO rises: Bottom line there, if you"re looking for a fun long zoom and never plan to print over 8x10, you"ll have no problem with the image quality at all; but even if you do care a lot, you can still get a good quality 13x19-inch print out of your low ISO shots, and that"s not too shabby. Overall, the Canon SX20 IS makes a Dave"s Pick thanks to its image quality, reasonably good shutter lag, excellent battery life, and quality construction.

Hi. I have a casio exlim fh-100 wich i dropped about 3 inghes while the lens was out. it just turned itself of and when i try to turn it on it just make a buzzing/clicking sound and nothing more happens. I can manualy open the lens fully, but when i try to turn it on again its just shuts down and closes/pulling in the lens (like it normaly does when shuting down). i have tried some of the steps, but not all... any idea what i can do?

Just happened onto your site 4 years after the last post I see and was able to repair my son"s Canon Powershot SD 1300 iIS using steps 5 and 6. So far, works terrific. Thanks!

My camera fell from me when the lens was out and now the lens is stuck,the lens is completely inside.The error message it"s showing is "turn the power off and on again".Please say me some ways to repair it.My camera is sony-cyber shot-DCS W35,7.2 mega pixels.THe above ways did not help me.

I have a canon PowerShot SD4500 IS. I followed you steps and in trying to manually turn the lenes but the rim of the lens fell off and the lens cover pieces fell out. There are six little tabs that I have found but have no idea how to put back. Are these pieces needed to make the camera work (adjust for lighting conditions) or are the merely to protect the lens? Thanks for the all information - between the paper, the tapping and the manual turning (repeating these several times) I was able to get the lens error fixed.

The automatic lens cover is not really needed, but is nice to have. It"s not too hard to put back together. Here"s another article on this same blog that might show you how.

Used a small safety pin to dislodge the lens shaft and now the camera works fine. Was able to see where the camera was stuck after changing the battery and one side of the lens shaft was not releasing. Thanks for the help.

I have a Canon PowerShot A590. Followed Firast direction with holding down menu or function set button and turned on. Also changed camera from view mode > green arrow to camera mode and it came back to life. No such luck howver with my Pentax optio60. Up to step 6. 7. Next step is sale on Craigslist for $15

I had a lens error on my Canon Powershot SD850 with the lens cover partially open. Lens was all the way in. I tried all the steps described, nothing worked. I then took a pointy nosed pliers and carefully inserted it on the side of the lens in the region where the lens cover was open and applied a decent amount of traction out while turning it on. It came out on my second attempt and solved the problem. Careful not to scratch the lens though.

Thank you for this! I have tried all your steps and still can"t seem to get my lens up. I have a sony cybershot dsc-w150 and its about 4 years old. I have never had any issues with it it. I took it with me overseas and it was working and then suddenly not working. Any ideas?

My daughter brought me her Samsung ES28 with the lens stuck all the way out yesterday. No joy turning it on - just got an error message ref the Zoom. Even though there was no suggestion of foreign bodies in the lens, option 6a worked a treat - so the camera was working within 5 minutes of starting working through the list. Many thanks for great advice!

i dropped my one week old Canon ixus 220 hs on concrete with the lens out. the lens barrel was wonky, with the different rings out of alignment from each other. the lens would not move at all, and the camera would not turn on for this reason. none of the lens parts would move at all.

Thanks for the video! The last step worked for me. My Nikon Coolpix would not zoom. Physically turning the lens solved the problem, and didn"t take to much pressure either.

My Canon point and shoot had a lens error after a fall. I thought it was broken for good, but after trying a few of these methods, the lens seems to be working okay (not 100%, but it goes in and out as it should). I think the method that actually ended up helping was holding the camera lens-down and tapping the lens barrel with a pencil. Possibly something got caught in there when it fell. Thanks for all these fixes! Saved me about $200!

Been trying to fix my problem with my camera for a while (i dropped it with the lens up) and after trying a few things which didn"t work i decided to lightly(ish) tap it with my hand on each side and when i tried turning it on the lens back in and it seems to be working fine now, so thanks.

I have a Nikon coolpix camera... The lens was at a different angle yesterday but i straightened it and it was working! Then i took a photo today 2day and then turned off the camera and the lens got caught at the end.. So its just jammed and wont move.. When i turn on the camera there is no movement... What can I do?

I dropped my Nikon Coolpix S230 a few months ago and immediately found this article. I tried all of the fixes and none of them worked. I put the camera aside and just remembered about it yesterday. I decided it was worth another shot to read the article with a closer look and watch the video as well. What I"d missed was that you needed to have your battery fully charged to give your camera the power and strength to fix the lens error. I charged my battery all day and randomly tried Fix #4 because it seemed the easiest. Two seconds later the camera I"d thought was broken was fixed and working like normal! So my advice to everyone is MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FULLY CHARGED BATTERY and then try any of these fixes.

hi, i have a canon powershot sd880. i dropped my camera on the lens while it was on. i tried all your steps and on 7, it finally worked. my lens was crooked and i pushed it towards the side w/ the bigger gap, putting increased pressure on it, until it clicked into place and became even. it"s totally fine now.

i dropped my sony cybershot camera with the lens out. the fall bent the lens and because of that, the lens would not retract. i pushed on it until i heard the snap. it then retracted itself. thanks!

I have a Canon ixus 22o hs... Apparently it went on as I was putting it back in my pocket and since then its been saying "Lens Error, Camera will shut down automatically, Restart Camera"

Yes there is. In the video, I show how to do it as Fix 1b. You hold the menu button down for at least five seconds until the reset option appears. Unfortunately, this may or may not work (hoping it"s may for you).

Oh my gosh, I am such a fan of you right now! I was very insistent on anyone using my new camera on using the wrist strap because I has dropped a previous camera with the zoom lens out before and broken it. So then, of course, My camera was dropped in transferring the wrist strap from a friend to my wrist and it slipped off and the lens was out ... again. So then, after giving up all hope I just put it away. My boyfriend got it out the other day while I was researching what new camera to buy and started trouble shooting with it while refering to your blog. It didn"t work to begin with so he put it up again. I got it out just now and went straight to step seven because the lens was visablly uneven. I didnt get it to work but after realising the waranty wouldnt replace the camera, Daniel tried again with a little more force and just tried to set it straight. It WORKED!!! So happy my camera is working again! Thank you!

Thanks very much for the ideas! I have a Canon 860IS with jammed lens. I tapped near the USB port a few times. Somehow this makes the battery indicator show battery low. I can finally grabed and twisted the lens to re-aligh it. And everything is working great now!

hello and thank you for your blog. it helped me to identify my ExilimZ4 (default lens error). small moves around the unit made ​​it possible to zoom out. The intermediate ring of the zoom is broken, split, then I trimmed the area. I have not yet dared to stick it, but for now it works split ring.

My Canon powershot sx100 started the lens error thing with lens staying put. Fixed at no 7 advice, wouldnt have thought to try forcing lens, but it work!

Thanks a lot for the info. I have Nikon Coolpix P2 bought in 2006 and still serving me in 2012 without any complaints. Last month I got lens error and lenses were not getting restored even after shutting down the camera. The potential reason could be dust and/or battery drained completely and lenses were open as camera was with my kid. I tried the solution given and tapping at the USB port side worked for me. I was about to approach the service branch but wanted to try this once before that. I could save few hundreds Rs or may be thousand. Great help.

Please help me out, My Casio EX.Z90 exilim camera fell on my woolen carpet and when i took it , turned it off , the lens wouldnt go in and there was not picture and it said retry power on. When i did it turn it on again , the lens went back in and turned off again. Now, when i turned it on again it does the same thing and doesnt show any picture it only says lens error or try power on but then i can view my images. Please help me out.

So when I turn on the camera (Nikon Coolpix S3100) I have to wait a good minute before the power light comes on again, then by pressing the snap button the LCD lights up. screen is blurry, but when you start zooming it re-adjusts.

I tried them all on my Canon A520 and finally used #7b but Pushed the lens in all the way. This fixed the lens almost. I need to open the lens cover when it opens now... Much better than the paperweight it was. It is a play camera for the kids now.

I have a Coolpix 3200 camera; I found that the lens does not come out. I tried several things (change batteries etc). Finally this video step 4 worked for me. Miracullous. Thank you very much for your blog and video. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, thank you! My daughter dropped her Sony Cybershot while the lens was extended and the lens would not retract and the camera would not operate. I tried lens fix #7 and after about 10 minutes of fiddling, it worked! Thanks so much for your advice!!!!!!

Nikon Coolpix S8100 that took a tumble and no longer wanted to extend the lens or close the lens cover; just light up with lens error and nothing else. I noticed the lens seemed to have a bigger gap around the outside on one side, so I gently pushed the (retracted) lens in the direction of that gap from the opposite side. I didn"t hear a click, but the camera seems back to normal except for a small tap sound when I turn it off and the lens retracts all the way. Thanks!

I did apparently a good cleaning (not stuck any more) and the problem was about to be solved but the focusing was being a nightmare as after hearing the clicks and having it focused the images were unfocused when I applied the zoom.

At some time I pushed the lens barrel all the way in when the camera was off, trying to reset the lens position, obviously I didn"t read your wise note in yellow: "pushing the lens barrel all the way in is NOT recommended as it may become stuck there", and that is exactly what happened.

Now, some months later, I"m back trying to fix it again and found your blog, I"m trying to unlock it from that "almost in" position, but I have almost no space to pull with my fingers. I"m introducing some paperboard playing cards in the gaps to help with the pulling-rotation but I cannot apply enough force and they sometimes break. Any idea to try to unlock and be back at the focusing?

I have a 5 month old Canon PowerShot D10 and got the Lens Error message. I tried fix 1a. I held down the Functions button & Function Settings button while turning the camera on. It worked like a charm the first time. However, I see a blue screen which was scrolling #"s (I think it was military time?)while I was holding down the buttons. As soon as I let go of all 3 buttons my camera was working and I could see an image through the LCD screen.

After a trip to and a fall at the beach, I continued to use my "Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS" at the beach despite the grainy crunching sounds it made afterwards (I figured by continuing to use it extending/retracting the lens the sand would dislodge,) the morning after my camera would not turn on due to a lens error. It extended a couple of milometers, then every time turning the camera on afterwards, it didn"t move at all. I found your video, and figured taking a paper and going around the lens on my own and was attempting to fix the problem that way while having your video play in the background. When you got to the compressed air, it gave me an idea. I was having an over-heating problem with my laptop before, and had been given the same advice of cleaning my cooling fan with a can of compressed air. Well, I don"t have compressed air, and was desperate, so I turned my vacuum on high, and, well... So I again brought my vacuum in to the rescue and lo and behold, with much suctioning and slight pushing against the platforms of the lens, I got it to turn on and extend correctly. I still hear a bit of a grind that I"m hoping will eventually dislodge themselves, but until then my camera does work again now and I will continue to occasionally try and get them out with paper. That"s my story, and my advice!

Thanks so much have a Canon A560, that I wanted to take on vacation & had lens error. I tried all of the tips & finally got to the last one #7b. Gave the lens a slight push & it worked like a charm, thanks so much!!

Thank you so so so much! I had to resort to Fix #7b and it worked! The repair shop estimated it would cost at least $130 to get my Canon ELPH300HS camera fixed. Free is a much better price!

I have an elph 780is where the lens would not budge at all. I tried number seven (the twist) but even that would not help. Soo I had to invent a "number 8" fix - I carefully used the smallest screwdriver in the mechanics set and used that to pry the lens into moving out at all. After that I did the same but with the addition of the twist and continued with a thorough clean. After this the camera works as good as before and I saved myself over $300 for pro repairs.

Im 13 and i have a Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS and i had it in my pocket and when i pulled it out the lense was extended and the top part and smaller barrel was tilted and the lense was stuck with the screen giving me the error text. I tried to force it in but it wont budge. i dont know what to do and i dont want to bug my dad since he just bought me this. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! i could really use some help

I knew there was something that could be done! Wish I"d found this when I dropped the first camera! But now, sadly I have dropped a second one! It"s a Fuji fd?. the lens is in, but the shutter-cover stays open. I tried the fixes and none worked, but I did press the ZOOM and the lens came out. "Zoom error" still on the screen. Did it again- vacumed it while the lens was out. Did the paper thing too. finally the shutter closed. I put in a memory card and it"s working perfectly!! Thank you thank you thank you!! (Also plugging in the usb cord didnt seem to help, but I discount nothing!). Thanks. I"m spreading the word!

I had the lens error message. At first the lens would come out partially, but not close all the way. Then it began to open and close in a few seconds with the error message returning. Turning the barrel counterclockwise made a small click and the camera began to work, However using the zoom lever causes the lens to retract and the error message to reappear.

Thank you so much!!!! I"ve just fixed my camera! It"s very nice of you to post all this helpful tips. You actually make a difference, not like most crappy blogs about what happened when you drop coffee on the table... Thank you once more, keep with the excellent work. Have a nice day

Thanks so much. I handed our 16 month old daughter our Powershot SX100 and she locked up the lens barrell in about ten seconds. Fix 7 saved us $150 for a new camera.

In my case my camera lens barrel is struck and it is not moving. The problem is similar as in the above mention video. I search for the solution in Google and found this blog and i am lucky.

Thank you, sir. I"m not sure which of those fixes worked, but my Canon 1000A is back. This is especially nice since I"m vacationing in Italy and there"s so much I want to capture.

Not sure if my comment made it, but something in your video worked. Not sure what. But I"m really grateful, since I"m on vacation in Italy and there"s tons of stuff I want to capture. Thank you.

Thank you! I have a Canon SD780 IS which had the lens error. When thru your progression. I think clearing the outside of the lens barrel with a piece of paper (fix 5b) then doing a power on while holding the menu button cleared it for me.

Thank you so much for this great video. However... I was not able to fix my lens problem. I watched the entire video and followed along with each step exactly as you did it. I also read carefully the information on the blog page. I am hoping there is a way for you to respond to me via this comment, as I could not find a place to contact you on the info page. I have a Sony Cybershot which is about 4 years old, but was working wonderfully until today. My daughter pulled it off the counter while in the "on" position, and the lens hit the floor. It is now stuck halfway out. The large barrel is fully extended, while the smaller barrel is extended only a small bit. When I press the power button, the screen flashes "Cybershot", the camera makes a clicking sound for about one second, and then the screen powers off. I am also unable to see the pictures taken on the camera. When I press the play button, the camera performs the same action. I tried even your more extreme suggestions, and I cannot get a hold of the lens in order to help it open. Do you have any other suggestions for this particular problem? Thank you in advance for your thorough answers!

As you"ve guessed, Fix 7b is probably needed. But note that it is risky, and further damage may be incurred. But the cost of repair on a 4 year old Cybershot will almost certainly be more than the value of the camera (thus you have little to lose). Suggest looking at the "fingernail" fix of this linked article.

1-6 didn"t seem to work, neither did trying to vacuum all the dirt out with my Dyson. But dropping it on the floor, lens side up, from 6" up, did the trick: