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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:

«Oldest   ‹Older   1601 – 1684 of 1684
Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great fix blog. I fixed my neighbor's Fuji finepix J40 camera by following your steps. It was the paper scrape that did the trick on this occasion. She had dropped the camera in a child's sandpit.
I suggested to her that she might have to repeat the fix a few times and possibly use a vacuum cleaner. What do you think.
Ian

Uncle Rick said...

Some great tips here but none of them solved my Canon S110's lens error problem. So I sent it back to Canon for service. They discovered a defective optical assembly and replaced it under warranty. No wonder none of your tips worked! lol

Deborah Raney said...

So glad I found this site. After trying everything, with no luck (with my $89 Nikon Coolpix) I took a REALLY desperate measure and poured rubbing alcohol over the extended lens (holding it upside down so as little as possible would actually get inside the lens/camera. My hope was to get rid of any dust particles and "sticky" buildup, which seemed to be the problem, since the lens would extend only partway.) I quickly dried off the camera and used a blow dryer to dry it more thoroughly. The lens then extended fully, but I thought it had ruined the camera, since the image both on the view screen and on downloaded photos was water-spotted and looked "burned out."

But after 24 hours (with camera left to dry upside down with lens extended) the view screen still looked water-spotted, but the photos were much less so.

Now, after 48+ hours, while the viewfinder still shows a few spots, the photos are completely spot-free, and the camera seems to be working just as it should!

The only fallout is that the sound of the startup bell is much quieter and you can barely hear the sound on videos when playing back on camera. But once downloaded to a computer, the picture quality and sound on videos is as good as ever.

Drastic measure, yes, but since the value of the camera was so low, it was a good risk, and I have a useable camera again!

Mick said...

Thank god I found this site.
Have a Canon Powershot A2300 and the lens would click on it's way out then present with a lens error.
Was just about to take it in for repair when I found this site.
Tried tapping, twisting etc to no avail but Fix #4 seemed to work a treat.
Thanks heaps.

Anonymous said...

i have a nikon coolpix..and the last time my lens got stuck, i just fiddled with it a bit like some of your posts and oulled and yanked..and it was sorted out. but this time, im in nevada and was climbing rocks in the red rock canyon and it happened again. the lens had gone slightly crooked and wouldnt go back in. i kept trying to fix and and now the whole thign has gotten pushed inside and the camera wont switch back on. is there somethign i can do?
i was planning to go to the grand canyon tomorrow and now i have nothing to save memories on! please help!!

JohnBeardmore said...

Finepix S8100 LENS CONTROL ERROR

Consistently gives LENS CONTROL ERROR when powered up which looks a bit terminal, but if you press the macro button it goes into macro and puts the lens out as it should. Press it again and you get super macro. Press it again and you get normal shooting.

More of a workaround than a fix, but it might keep it out of the bin for another year or two.

Cheers, J/.

Shannon said...

I'm so glad I decided to look for help online rather than taking it to a shop and being charged out of wazoo. I used paper to scrape out sand and dust particles, then tapped the lens with a pen. It took awhile but it worked and solved the problem! My camera focuses a lot better than what it has in awhile. Thanks a lot for your help!

Venky said...

I have a Cannon Powershot A450, lens cover does not open as switched on camera. I have to manually open the shutter of the lens to do a photo shoot.

Can you please suggest how to fix this issue?
This problem aroused when i was taking a photo at the beach.

Camera Repair said...

Venky,
Please see this linked article for fixing a stuck automatic lens cover. It's likely just a grain of sand that may be easily cleared by blowing air or sliding a thin piece of paper into the wedges the sand particle could be jammed.
CR

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Nikon cool pix sorted with fix 4. I had taped the lens covers back whist on holiday as a temporary fix, and had to carefully clean some of the stickiness off by sliding paper between the lens and cover. Now working fine!

Anonymous said...

Yea I tried all of these...Nothing has seemed to work. My camera(kodak easy share) will turn on but the error message for the jammed lens comes up and it won't let me turn off the camera unless i take the batteries out of it.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info. You've saved me a couple hundred dollars. I have a Nikon CoolpixL110. Follow your steps. Wouldn't you know it, the tapping on the side did the trick. Go figure. Thank You

Terry

Anonymous said...

i am seeing the lens error on my canon ixus 130 after i dropped it 2 days ago or 300 shots ago after the incident. I was shooting some macro shots and then when i tried to zoom on a far subject the lens made strange noise and it did not zoom properly and the camera shut down. I've tried many things except the last part. The camera is focusing properly, taking images properly and zooming also but it is noisy and if i do it repeatedly then it turns off.

Sudhir Joshi said...

I have a canon power shot S5 IS and the lens was opening but closing immediately displaying "replace your batteries". Batteries were brand new (2700mAH) and were charged fully. There was no problem in viewing the photos indicating that batteries were charged. Then as per blog, I tried removing the SD card and turning on the camera. Wow! Lens opened up and working properly now. Later I inserted the SD card back and the problem is not seen. Thanks a lot for this blog.

hhhugosson@wsfcs.k12.nc.us said...

Brilliant! I am thrilled I didn't have to replace this camera. It isn't expensive, but who wants to pay for another one? The video was exceptionally helpful and easy to follow. I had to go all the way to tapping. Fantastically helpful.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU for this post! I'm recharging my battery now, but if it doesn't work I'm going to work my way through your steps. I have you bookmarked now for the future. THANKS AGAIN for posting.
: )
Sharon

Anonymous said...

thanks very much, it works for me i am about to throw out the window my samsung wb100 when iicwme accross this thread.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for helping me fix my son's Christmas present (a coolpix L30) less than 24 hours after Christmas! He dropped it onto the wooden floor with the camera switched on. The lens was stuck open. I realised there was no other option than to use gentle pressure while switching on, which I did with complete success. I pressed top and bottom. Cue one happy boy and two very relieved parents! Happy Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I dropped my Nikon S8200 onto the lens. It was dented and wouldn't retract-just gave a lens error message. I tired step 6 with one gentle push and the lens clicked into normal position. Powered up and works fine now. Thank you!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I have a Canon Ixus 105 with lens jamming due to sand dust and (probably) it fell down. I was almost prepared to open the camera but then your video came in time. With fix #6 I fixed the problem. I am now ready again to keep taking photos. By the way, I went to a Canon Pro who discouraged me for repair because of the cost. With your video it took about 6mins to solve the problem!

Unknown said...

Thank you for taking the time in giving various possibilities to fix the Lens Error. Cleaning around the lens and tapping the lens then tapping the camera while holding down the ON button worked for me. It would work then get stuck but finally worked for good. Thanks again.

Tanzil95 said...

i havent been able to slove my problem.. i have a samsung galaxy camera ek-gc100.. the lens doesnt fully open and i have a blurry image just like in the video... i tried all the steps.. nothing works.. can i get a tutorial on how to manually repair it by opening the camera

Anonymous said...

I have the Canon IXUS 105. I also have a powerful vacuum cleaner. Here's what I did:
(1) I used the vacuum cleaner to suck any dust from the lens. It worked for a a couple of tries to turn on the camera. But it wasn't enough!
(2) I unscrewed 4 very small screws on the camera surface...then pulled the camera slightly apart without taking it completely apart. Then I used the vaccum cleaner to suck out any dust or dirt on the inside of the camera.
(3) Voila! That did the job - and the camera now works beautifully. Let's hope it stays that way for years to come.

don.muench@gmail.com said...

I have a Canon IXUS 105.
1.Used vacuum cleaner to suck dust or dirt from around the lens. That helped for the first few times I turned it on - BUT
2.It wasn't enough. I unscrewed 4 tiny screw and partially opened the camera (very daring on my part) and used the vacuum cleaner to suck any dust or dirt that might have been inside.
3. Anyway - it worked and the camera works beautifully.

Anonymous said...

The lens error appeared on my Canon Ixus 990 IS after the battery ran out with extended lens. Could not find specific fixes for this cause. Pressing the lens in during pushing the ON button solved the problem.

Yvette said...

Just thought i'd share my experience, maybe it will help someone. I was about to plug my digital camera (Olympus SZ16) in to charge and it fell out of my hands and hit the floor (from about 50cm height) ...it visibly bent the outer ring of the lens barrel. I got 'zoom error' if i tried to zoom it. I got a hose clamp and put it around the lens, and every few days I tightened it a bit. After a week the lens is almost back to its original shape, and the error message hasn't reappeared :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot! Gentle tapping the barrel with a pen solved the "lens obstruction" problem of a Kodak c146. It couldn't focus or take a picture but it showed green lines on the lcd.

Anonymous said...

I have a Fujifilm finepix F660EXR. I damaged the barrel while climbing a mountain. The middle barrel appeared damageg and it didn´t allowed the objective to extend itself. After move the border of the barrel it worked for a while for some days, then continued appearing the LENS CONTROL ERROR. Today I tried the #6, #7 fixes and, as a combination of both, I got it repaired... Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips. Saved my wife's NikonS3500 after a a drop.

JD'S Sports and activity blog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JD'S Sports and activity blog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Your a geezer. My fujifilm f660 with len control error worked with hard tap on the palm of the hand.
Matt

Anonymous said...

thank you for the information
Had a problem with lens not closing and removing the card and batterya and then putting battery back in did the trick
thanks again

andy said...

tried all but 7 then played about trying holding in different buttons whilst turning on. Enter and take picture whilst turning on means the camera Sony DSC W55 will take pictures the lens still does its inny outy thing but screen does not say turn off.

datrappert said...

Thanks so much. This article gave me hope I could fix my daughter's Elph 115. The barrel was crooked and the outermost part of the lens was even more crooked. I was able to easily pull and straighten the two bottom parts. I did run some paper around the outermost lens section, but I think it was more brute force that managed to pop it back into place.

Bruce said...

You are awesome!

I eventually got the two grains of sand with paper that was blocking the lens.

Bruce

Anonymous said...

thanks for your fixit video! #7 worked for a slightly bent lens

Anonymous said...

Many thanks! I could not see visably that the lens was not straight but when I tried to sweep a piece of paper around the sections of the lens housing I could see it was tighter on one side. A quick pull in the right direction, followed by an ominous click, fixed it! It's working perfectly now! So grateful for your help!
DJ

Anonymous said...

OH YEAH?! Well the little lens barrel that says "CANON ZOOM LENS 4X" is all pushed in, twisted so that it's sideways.. And the big one that holds it is sticking all the way out with the actual lens all sunk in so that you can't even reach it. Did that make any sense? I'm not that good at describing. I wish I had a picture.

GadgetGan said...

Thanks for this post! I have a Nikon Coolpix P2 that had a Lens Error. Removing and replacing the battery did the trick. Thanks for this resource.

red5blue5 said...

your Fix #7b: is great I just fix my Lumix FS42 after the camera had been drop.

03/19/2015

Balki said...

Thank you so much for posting these detailed fixes. I have Canon Powershot SD940 IS. Accidentally I interrupted the lens extension while switching on. This caused the "lens error restart camera" message appear. after trying the steps you have suggested one after the other, the 6th suggestion did the magic of unlocking the jam. Tapping the camera sideways on a hard surface gently set the lens barrel to the proper movement. Thanks again for your suggestions. I hope many of the readers would have benefited.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much. I had to do the tv mode thing(around 20 times) and tap with a pen thing(about 10 times) to bring my canon s2is back to life. Your solution really works like a charm. The picture taken now show very low light exposure. I have to use flash every time as a workaround for this exposure problem. Any solution for increasing the exposure?

Anonymous said...

Even tho this post is posted many years ago..
I want to thank you for this handy manual.
I almost threw my canon ixus 105 in the trashcan until i read about the tapping trick....

This solved the problem and my camera is fixed...

Many thanks from the Netherlands!

Melih said...

Thank you very much for this post. I have a canon g12 and had E32 lens error. I followed all the steps you posted. And i fixed the problem on the step 6!

Thanks for this resource.

Eva said...

I used fix #1a with a fujifilm and it worked straight away - just make sure you hold on the button before and while your turn the camera on! Thanks for the help! ��❤️

Unknown said...

Many many thanks for your post. My Lumix DMC TZ30 camera len won't extend when switched on with "System Error (Zoom)" message on the screen. I followed instructions: While pressing the shutter down, switched on the power and "wow" the len extended. I quickly cleaned the gaps with small piece of paper as per your photo. Now my camera is back to normal. You are a Champion - save me time and money.

Anonymous said...

Thanks I had a Cannon dropped in its case and the colours misaligned on screen and photos and went through til the wiggle the lens til it clicks worked a treat thanks again.

Anonymous said...

Nikon S3000 with a Lens Error message: Fixed by holding the MENU button while powering the camera on. Great resource. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I have a Galaxy 2 21x camera that was dropped with the lens extended. It became jammed. I read the article.I think the fix that worked was looking at the camera face to see which side of the lens was fartheset away from the body. I then gently pushed on it to move it back and center it. Once I thought that I heard a crackle, I stopped. The camera lens was able to retract. Thank you!

Polly said...

Wow, I had tried everything I could in the video and the accompanying text without success (couldn't find camera manual or A/V cord). I'm so glad I read through a LOT of the comments. "Michele" said she knocked on the upper right corner of her camera, and then it worked...same here!! Yay! (Kodak EasyShare C195)

Zarmo said...

I have a Kodak c195 easy share with the stuck lens as described in the article. I tried all the fixes and nothing worked. so as I went thru the first video, he was showing the tapping process, and to try it during power up, I did but still nothing. so I tried to focus on something while tapping the camera and WALLA it worked. multiple shut downs and restarts all is now working as it should. thanks for this fixes. I was going to have to go out and buy the wife a new camera. saved me. thanks again.

Unknown said...

Sony SELP1650.

Lens would not extend.
Lens appeared slightly crooked in case.

I applied "looking for uneven gaps around the lens barrel, and then pushing on the side of the lens barrel that has the largest gap" and the lens clicked as promised.

Lens works again. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Step 6 worked for our Nikon Coolpix P50. Thank you!!

sony xperia said...

i have a samsung S760, i went on vacation and it just stopped working.

Nikon Coolpix said...

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 ... nnikoncoolpix.blogspot.de

Anonymous said...

Thank you! My little Canon took a 4 ft. tumble, so I skipped right to 7b. Took about 5 minutes of little pushes, turns, tugs, etc. but then...in it went and it seems to be just fine now. Super thankful for your help, since the camera is only a couple of months old.

Anonymous said...

Wow!. Great!!!... Some 4 years ago I had this "“Lens error, restart camera” with my PowerShot A2000 IS. Then I took it to a Cannon repair shop, and the repairman said that it is not worth fixing and suggested me to buy a new one.

Today, for some reason I thought of that camera and searched on the web for a quick fix and I end-up in your site. I followed all of your steps from Fix #1 - Fix #7b (as well watched your great view explanation). Well, after few attempts, "Fix #7a & b" worked for my camera. Now my old camera is working :). Great post. Although the camera is 7 years old, it is worth a try . Thanks again and much appreciate your post and help.

Regards,
-Ganesh.

Anonymous said...

I have the Panasonic Lumix FZ100. It worked in the airport, and as soon as my flight was over and I landed, it showed "system error (zoom)". I tried all of your fixes. #7 helped the lens extend but the system error message still displays and I can't use the camera. The repair quote is $250 so I am still searching for any other home remedies.......

Peter Versteeg said...

Thanks for your info. Lens got stuck on a FinePix camera. After tapping it a couple of times the lens just worked again like it should. My daughter is very pleased to have her camera back!

Elena Garrido said...

A great summary very useful!

I saved my Nikon Coolpix S2600 with severely stuck lens by sand with spray duster and the old method of tapping the camera while praying. XD
But this didn't work with my old Canon in a similar situation.

Unknown said...

After replacing a Nikon Coolpix S3000 for displaying a lens error (after partially extending the lens) with a refurbished version of the same camera, I came to this search result when the refurbished camera began to do the same thing. I was just about to give up when I forced the lens (harder than I thought I should) and it honestly sounded like I broke it, buuuut now it works like a charm! I'm not sure how long it'll last, but my warranty on the the first camera is long gone (I had the camera for 4+ years before it started acting up) and the warranty on the refurb had expired not even a week before it gave up too. I can't express my thanks enough!! Thank you so much!!

Anonymous said...

I came to this blog after replacing a Nikon Coolpix S3000 with a refurbished version of the same camera. After 4+ years, it began to display the "lens error" after attempting to extend the lens before retracting it again. Not even 2 months after I purchased the refurb, it began to display the same message and do the same thing. I tried everything, eventually just getting frustrated and pushing the lens in way harder than I thought you described but I heard the click and boom! Now it works. I don't know how long it'll last, but I'm saving money for the time being! Thank you so much!!!

Unknown said...

Yeah, when I went on a school camp I dropped it. Today I tried all the tricks that was set however it did not work. I would probably sell the camera to photographers on eBay or a similar website and they can dismantle it. I could not afford to get the camera fixed

vaibhav said...

HI,
Camera - Nikon s9100
Thanks a ton for this help. Sand and water had almost killed my camera. Took it to Authorized service center and they asked to change the lens section for 12000 bucks ( for a 16000 bucks camera !! £$%£$(%*£$!"£)

Recently came across this blog and tried the steps.

Using the paper around the lens rim and slow tapping with a pencil did the trick. :D.

Thanks again. Keep up the good work. :)

Unknown said...

Thank you SO much! I have a Cannon SD 1300is. It is 3 1/2 years old and I have used it like crazy. After a trip to the beach (go figure) when I tried to use it it worked fine. But the next day lens got stuck out. After trying your first few tips to my dismay the lens went back in. I thought it was gone. I tried every step short of opening it up. I was about to give up and pretty roughly banged it hard on a wood table top in every direction and angle. Miraculously, the roughness must have dislodged the sand. I can't believe it is working perfectly now! God bless you and thank you again.

Megan said...

My tip is to really persevere with these suggestions even it doesn't work at first. My Casio Exilim had sand in it and at first the lens wouldn't move out at all. I cleaned around the lens sections with paper then tried No #4 (power on while holding down shutter button) and the lens came partially out. I spent hours yesterday continuing with the paper- which I dabbed with sewing machine oil -going around the lens sections. Banged it a few times too but no go. Tried again today cleaning, more oil, banging, pulled the lens a little and finally it worked!!! Thank you--and I've ditched the camera case which seems to attract grit...

E. Swett said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday (halloween) my son who was wearing a mask dropped my camera onto the floor. The lens was open, and then I was getting an error message. I was all prepared to throw it away lastnight as I saw NO hope of fixing it. With the help of your gentle turn and listen for a click it now works!! Again, thank you.

Anonymous said...

Thanks - a bit of gentle tapping and, I think most effectively, pulling on the extended lens of my young son's Nikon S2700 helped get it working. The lens was extended with the power off when I got hold of it. The camera would not charge in this state either. I strongly suspect he trod on the back of the camera with the lens extended, pushing the telescoping parts in.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU so much for posting these instructions! After dropping a Canon S90 it was having lens retraction issues and the "black screen of death" issue when powered on. The camera is old enough that Canon will not repair it. I was able to get the camera working again with a lot of patient work and following the steps on this blog.

Anonymous said...

I dropped my canon powershot eleph110hs at the beach at the edge of the water ocean beach, yikes! Well, I've been playing with it off and on since then getting the lens error message when trying to extend the lens for distance. I've read other advice which covered some of your tips like using paper and tapping (although it was suggested to try tapping the extended lens gently with hand while upside down). I also tried blowing gently around the edges of the barrels and used a very soft toothbrush to dislodge some sand! With that occasionally it would extend without error message after I tapped it. So, I googled more generally if I could take my camera apart and found your blog with its excellent detailed options. Thank you, such a generous service! After reading this I tried re-setting the camera and brushing out around the barrels as I successfully extended and got some sand out, I also tapped the side as instructed. It appears to be working now! So appreciate your support.

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not, it is 2015 and I used your suggestions to fix an old Canon Powershot that had a stuck zoom lens (retracted). It stopped working around 2012. I tried the vacuum to no avail, then gently tapped the camera on the palm of my hand and viola ! It worked. Thank you !

Sebastián de los Ángeles said...

While it wasn't precisely one of the methods shown here, they gave the idea as to how to fix my camera lens (it fell on the lens border and the hit deformed the external ring pressing it into the closed position). Thank you for the tips

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much!!!!

Tip Nr. 6 was the right one, so my Canon camera PC 1585 is now working again. I thought my camera is broken, with your tutorial i could repair the camera.

Thank You very much from Germany

Ben

Unknown said...

February 16, 2016 - Fujifilm model AX660. This camera's lens was extended and would not retract. The lens barrel was crooked. I used the last suggestion to attempt a fix. I placed the camera with the barrel extended onto the counter lens side down. I gently rocked the camera to the long side of the barrel and heard it click into place. I reinstalled the batteries and memory card and the camera operated correctly several times. Thank you, Scott.

Kathryn41 said...

Thank you so much for this site! I have an old Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS that I just really like. Today, the lens stuck in the open position and I couldn't get it to retract. The camera read 'lens error. Camera will automatically turn off. Please restart camera". I tried this any number of times, took out the battery and memory card, let it sit for a while, and no success. I found your site and worked my way through the various options without success. Finally, I read one of your respondents report that they had turned the camera on while holding the lens so I tried this with the lens pointing down, no memory card in the camera and repeatedly turned it on when it kept shutting itself off while trying to manipulate the lens lightly from side to side. Finally, I got the 'no memory card' installed message and the camera shut itself off without retracting the lens. But, when I turned it back on again, it was fully functional and the lens retracted when I turned it off. It has continued to perform properly since - so THANK YOU and Thank you to your readers!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the useful article. No. 7 worked for me!!! I have a Samsung EK GC100 Galaxy camera which hard bent lens barrels. I just pushed it in place. I heard one click and the barrel was centered in place. Its working very much okay.

Anonymous said...

NOTE: You can delete my previous post, Fix #4 only worked once. Here is the revised post:

Fix #4 worked ONCE on a Samsung PL120 where the lens appeared to extend properly and then retract and produce a "The zoom did not operate normally" with the recommendation of removing the battery and trying again (that did not work.)

I tried blocking the lens from extending and also kept it from retracking. With the battery out, I could manually extend and retract it, but it was clear the smaller barrel was "loose" in the direction of extend/retract.

Fix #4, holding shutter in while turning on basically fixed it. I don't remember the exact sequence of steps after that - maybe an off and on - or ? But it was nothing complicated.

After trying out all the features, I turned camera off.

When I turned it back on, same old zoom problem.

Fix #4 then, did not work.

ravi6662 said...

hello..
my canon A480,
lens stuck last night

while holding the strap,
turn on camera,
before error message appears,
drop it on its side on carpet floor about 6" high.
lens retracted back in and extended.
power off, lens retracted.!!!
turned on, lens extended.. took some sample shots, ok

* thanks for ur previous tips..!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for this! Tried a few steps with no luck on my Ixus 105. Finally placed it lens down on the bench and turned it on while pushing down evenly and gently. FIXED! (for now anyway) Jeff

Anonymous said...

I have a fujifilm FinePix s1500 and the lens wont come out and has the dreaded lens error. We have tried all of these tips short of taking it apart and was wondering if pulling it out could help or just hurt it. It was a trade so not sure what happened to it.

Unknown said...

Here's another tip: the lens on my Nikon Coolpix was stuck in the retracted (closed) position; turning the camera on caused some motor noises and the 'lens error' message. I found it useful to turn on the camera with the battery pocket open so that I could pop out the battery as soon as the camera tried to make the lens protrude, not giving it a chance to withdraw the lens back. In this way I could make a careful inspection and notice that the lens was a little cockeyed, lower on one side than another. A solid tug on the lens pulled the lower edge out. When I powered back up, the lens retracted, then was able to extend as it is supposed to.

Unknown said...

Here's another tip: the lens on my Nikon Coolpix was stuck in the retracted (closed) position; turning the camera on caused some motor noises and the 'lens error' message. I found it useful to turn on the camera with the battery pocket open so that I could pop out the battery as soon as the camera tried to make the lens protrude, not giving it a chance to withdraw the lens back. In this way I could make a careful inspection and notice that the lens was a little cockeyed, lower on one side than another. A solid tug on the lens pulled the lower edge out. When I powered back up, the lens retracted, then was able to extend as it is supposed to.

Iain Cameron said...

Thank you so much for taking the time in making this video and written instructions. I have an old trusty Canon Powershot SD870 IS and my granddaughter played about with the lens and managed to stop the lens retracting and the lens was also not sitting square (meaning that when looking straight at the camera from the front the rectangular box shape around the lens was at an angle). I looked at all your options for fixing the lens jamming problem and the last on your list worked for me. I can hardly believe my luck. I am so pleased that you showed us this simple technique. Can't thank you enough. Cheers.

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