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Some more details of the sensor cleaning procedure.
There is no need to dismantle the lens - first remove the plastic covers from the back and front (no need to remove the LCD either, just move it to one side to remove the back cover. You will also need to disconnect the speaker/mic connections in order to remove the front cover - flat cable and miniautre plug, as well as some sticky tape, on the main PCB).
You can then see the four silver screws holding down the cylindrical motor in its mount and the gear train cover next to the lens at the front. Remove these screws (plastic gears WILL fall out when you take off the gear train cover, but they are not too small and it is fairly obvious which way they fit in) and you can then take out the motor and disconnect it from the socket (flexible flat cable). The optical encoder sits inside the motor mount. The slotted disc itself is mounted coaxially with the first transfer gear, the optocoupler straddling it. The mini slotted optocoupler is mounted on a little PCB glued to the side of the motor mount. I carefully blew out the slotted disc and optocoupler, then glued the PCB back in place. You can then reconnect the motor, just leaving it dangling to the side, reassemble the back cover and switch on. If the motor spins, you're OK and can reassemble in reverse order. I tried to disassemble the motor itself out of curiosity and to clean it, but gave up as it was not possible to turn the nut holding it together with 'reasonable' force.
One word of warning: this is not a procedure for the inexperienced or faint-hearted! The pieces are tiny, and it is easy to break the camera parts when they are exposed. I recommend taking pics/notes as you remove parts (some of the fasteners are screws, some are bolts, and they have different lengths - you will have about 25 or so loose, tiny screws by the time the camera is sufficiently disassembled for this procedure). I had to take it apart about 3 times at the end in order to get everything in the right place and fitting snugly. I ended up with one internal (silver) bolt left over, but that is not a problem.
Well, I can't believe it. See my previous message sent a few moment ago. I then decided to try the problem solver again, got as far as number 3, tapped the padded USB cover strongly on the edge of my desk and it worked, it actually worked. I've taken a couple of photos, viewed them, turned the camera off and on again and still working. Brilliant.
Haven't neen able to use my previous favourite camera, IXUS 700 for nearly a year due to the E18 problem, so annoying. Have had to replaced it, so bought a new camera I'm very pleased with, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15.
Haven't neen able to use my previous favourite camera, IXUS 700 for nearly a year due to the E18 problem, so annoying. Have had to replaced it, so bought a new camera I'm very pleased with, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15.
I have Canon SX100IS and i got the "lens error restart camera" msg. I found it first after i took my camera from my bag after flight. May she experience excessive load during flight....
Powershot S3 IS: lens error message, lens juddering on startup but not coming out. Tried all tricks on internet without success, so decided to dismantle camera. Localised fault to optical position encoder on first transfer gear of the ultrasonic motor which controls lens position. Sensor was misaligned and/or dirty, so the camera could not detect motor rotation. Removed sensor, cleaned it, glued back in position with cyanoacrylate glue. Reassembled camera (only one internal bolt left over - not bad)! Working 100% again.
I have the Canon S3 a Doctor at work had the same camera. We got the same error message. He was told it was the lens motor.
I have a Powershot A70, got the error!
i solve the problem in a canon a400 powershot just turning de camera on, and when the lens is extended taking off the batteries, then taping softly de lens untill force to close it and voilà it works
E18 on Ixus 95. Tried simple solution, tapped frony of camera on a soft mouse mat a few times lo and behold it worked. Great.
I fixed my Powershot 880 lens error by putting a vacuum cleaner hose flat on the lens while I pressed the button.
I pulled on the hose and it pulled the lens out and probably sucked up the grit that was jamming it up. Seems to work OK now.
Great help, my A510 lens was stuck, I read this website and tried a few suggestions, then just banged the camera on the table top while it was turing on. It works now!
Hi Dee. That was a great post and that link is excellent to try and take the camera apart and fix it. I just wonder how many people want to go that deep into the camera and also how similar the other models are to the SD450. Also, you're right about the customer service at Canon for repairs, it's horrible and total crap. Here's a list of some shops, these are all good for fixing the Powershots:
Canon Factory - Expensive, Poor Customer Service but good work most of the time.
www.royalcameras.com - Good work and reasonable price
www.camerasandparts.com - Excellent for Powershot Repairs, that's all they do and they are priced right
www.forsterscamera.com - Excellent for All Makes and Models. Reasonably priced and they really know their stuff.
www.geeksquad.com - they are part of Best Buy and are reputable for repairs - it seems they send a lot of their work out but where it goes to is unknown - the work seems to be great but they are somewhat pricey
www.americancamera.com - great work but a little slower service - smaller operation and parts are often repaired by them on the point and shoot cameras - better for SLR's which is their specialty - priced very fairly
Good Luck
Here is the guy's direct blog link...the pics help a lot.
http://blog.wolffmyren.com/2008/10/23/e18-error-fixed-canon-powershot-sd450/
E18 Error Fixed! (Canon PowerShot SD450)
Posted on October 23, 2008 by willwm
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Huzzah! I finally fixed the E18 error I’ve been experiencing on my Canon PowerShot SD450, which prevented my lens from extending when the power was turned on, and the fix wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had expected. I’ve even snapped some shots of the process so that you can follow along at home, and fix your own camera if you are experiencing the same problem that I was.
Canon_Ixus_II_with_E18_errorIf you’re not yet familiar with the E18 error, check out this information on the topic from Wikipedia:
The E18 error is an error message on Canon digital cameras. The E18 error occurs when anything prevents the zoom lens from properly extending or retracting.[1] The error has become notorious in the Canon user community as it can completely disable the camera, requiring expensive repairs.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E18_error)
This is a fairly prevalent problem with the PowerShot cameras, and a class action lawsuit was filed (but dismissed) against Canon:
A Chicago law firm, Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, has already filed a class action,[4] while the law firm of Girard Gibbs & De Bartolomeo LLP are investigating this camera flaw and may issue a class-action lawsuit against Canon.[5] There is at least one other.[6] Although the suit was dismissed in a court of law, the plaintiffs are appealing.
Fortunately, at least in my case, the fix did not require returning the camera to a Canon repair facility or having to take unreasonably complex steps.
My solution for the PowerShot SD450/IXUS 55 follows:
(You’ll need a very small Philips head screwdriver, #00, to remove the screws)
1. There are six screws holding the metal frame of the camera body together, two on each side, and two on the bottom. Remove all screws, pop the strap-hook plate (sorry, probably not the most technical term there), then gently lift the front plate off by pulling up from the bottom, and remove the back plate in the same fashion. These should come off relatively easily. This is what the camera should look like as you remove the plates:
IMG_5340
IMG_5342
IMG_5344
2. Now, looking from the top of the camera, you should see a small motor on the left side, as shown below (it’s beneath the cable with a “22” written on it):
IMG_5346
3. Take your screwdriver (or another small instrument) and gently try to rotate the plastic piece attached to the motor on the left side, as shown below:
IMG_5359
4. At this point, try placing the battery back in the camera (if you have removed it), turn the camera to one of the capture modes, and press the power button. If all went well, your lens should now be able to extend and retract properly.
Further information (and other repair tutorials) are available at the following locations:
* Canon PowerShot A70 Error E18 Fix (Translated from Bulgarian)
* Canon E18 repair guide for SD300 [PDF]
* CNET: Digital cameras: Fixed my SD450 e18 error
* Canon and the E18 Error / Lens Error, Restart Camera
* Canon E18 Error Dialog
* Canon E18 Error: Repair Instructions
* E18 Error
* E18 – Repair Guide part 1
Unforunately, the site that had the most comprehensive information about this issue, e18error.com, seems to be down for the time being. Here’s a quote from their site that I saved in another blog post before the site was taken down:
HOW IT ALL WORKS:
Canon E18 error happens when the lens gets stuck while trying to extend. The camera will beep a few times and the LCD will display a little E18 in the lower-left corner. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off.
Apparently, people who posted about this incident on forums say they had to send the camera for repair and that Canon has horrible customer support and response time.
Here is how the E18 error looks like. You just get a black screen with small “E18″ sign in the lower-left corner:
The problem usually happens because dirt or sand get into the lens mechanism. But it seems that more and more people are showing, who took great care of their camera, and still started receiving E18 errors.
(http://www.e18error.com/)
Please share your experiences with this fix, or the E18 error in general, in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
I have had my Cannon for about 2 years and got lens error message.
after 3 years, my Canos Ixus is not working anymore, with this beautiful error message E18
Got the dreaded error after about 2 years, but noticed that the lens was TRYING to retract. So I pushed on it as it as I turned the camera on, and the first time it just popped out again with the error. Did it a second time, and now the camera is working properly again!
This error cropped up at just the wrong time, I was supposed to take some photos for my Director and he was upset to hear that the camera had 'failed'.
Anyway, after trying the first steps, I got a bit more adventurous and tried turning the lens rings with a bit more force until they started moving. Once the lens closed it didn't open properly, this time giving E18 with the lens closed. A few more on/off sequences solved this!
Camera bought in May 2006 and taken more than 50,000 photos since then with only minor problems. Heres to the next 50,000!
Powershot A620 just for the record
This is the worst camera I have ever owned. It's pictures are always blurry, it seems there are all these options yet you can't take simple point and shoot pictures without some issues. Now I have the lens error and the camera won't start. DONT BUY A CANON POWER SHOT
After accidentally dropping my camera, I tried to take a picture, but when I turned it on it came up with the E18 error. After months of trying to fix it, I was about to give up (already tried all the techniques on the site)but I decided to try again. I turned it on, then before it could show beep, turn black and show the E18 sign, I pushed the lenses in, and they retracted. The camera works now but it makes a sound when the lenses come out and in.
Purchased my PowerShot S2IS 3 years ago. Had it for one year when the E18 error started. Purchased extended warranty from Sears, but they sent it back to me and said because I had a scratch on the casing they wouldn't fix it. It's sat in the box for the last year. Just got it out today, put in new batteries and it worked for a couple of hours. Now it's back to the error.
Canon A620 refused to power up after 3 years reliable service (green light would come on but no activity after that). I think the lens tried to extend when it was in a tight computer travel bag. Tried thumping the camera on side with palm of hand whilst pressing power button - that revealed E18 error. Using this website found the cure: the gap between the lens and housing was not even all the way round; I pressed the lens on the side where the gap was greatest and heard a click which must have re-seated the lens and after this the camera started working again.
I got my Canon S3 IS as a christmas present back in December 2006. It has always worked perfectly fine for me until I went on a cruise this past Spring (2010). I took a few shots from the boat and then got the lens error... none of the quick fix suggestions have worked to fix it. This is very disappointing. I guess I should be lucky I lasted over three years...
I have a Canon Ixus 9701S,it is just uder 2 yrs old, and the lens has jammed open .The screen says lens error reset camera, but of course you can't. I didn't realise there were so many problems with canon lenses. I'll buy a Panasonic next time.
My Canon is a 5.0 MP IXY Digital model - PC1144FC. At first, I was so impressed with the operation of this camera but after using it for less than a year, it got stucked up and indicted a E18 error. I put this camera in my closet for a long period of time already - about 3 years to forget my disappointment. I again remember this, when I got to the internet. I hope Canon should replace me with one good quality camera because I am an avid user of this camera. Thank you for publishing this
have had this camera 5 years now and just got this error and by the way this camera of mine ONLY works with duracell batteries WEIRD?!?!?
Been using this Canon powershot for 5 years, never had a problem until E18 error came up. Found this site and it started working again after we tapped it on the A/V out section on our counter and whoala works perfect back to normal. Good thing we found this site we were just going to buy a new one. What a simple fix, thanks for sharing!
4 year old Canon Ap5, got the E18 error, googled and found this site. Tried the tapping on desk on AV cover and twisted lens while it was coming out - not sure which one worked, but back working fine now!. Thanks for the info.
What is so funny is after reading all these I just went ahead and banged the camera four or five times on a phone book and surprisingly enough... IT WORKED!
Okay, so it may not have technically been an "E18" experience, but it sounds identical to the problems on here. I was using my camera one minute, then the next it wouldn't focus. It would take pictures, but they were all blurry. Then, as I tried to fix it the lens stuck out and it said "lens error, please restart camera" or something along those lines.
I took the advice from this website and shot some canned air into the lens area. Thats vague, but I don't know the technical terms. But it worked like a charm and its up and running for now! Hopefully for good. I'm not sure what caused it in the first place because I treated my camera really well, but at least I know a quick fix now.
Barbara, don't used compressed air, that gets the dust and dirt all over the imaging sensor at the back of the lens. That's about the worst thing you can do and it rarely fixes it like some say, and if so it's temporary. Compressed air is bad for these cameras because it's vapor, the worst thing you can spray onto an imaging sensor. Get it serviced at either of these places, they are all very reputable:
Canon Factory - Expensive but good work
www.royalcameras.com - Good work and reasonable price
www.camerasandparts.com - Excellent for Powershot Repairs, that's all they do and they are priced right
www.forsterscamera.com - Excellent for All Makes and Models. Reasonably priced and they really know their stuff.
www.geeksquad.com - they are part of Best Buy and are reputable for repairs - it seems they send a lot of their work out but where it goes to is unknown - the work seems to be great but they are somewhat pricey
www.americancamera.com - great work but a little slower service - smaller operation and parts are often repaired by them on the point and shoot cameras - better for SLR's which is their specialty - priced very fairly
Good Luck
Same problem with Powershot SD100, the twisting and pulling of outer lens caused the lens to close, but you can hear the sand, so will follow up with compressed air. (camera was in my pocket with sand dollars! tsk
I purchased a Canon Powershot A-610 back in 2005. The lens suddenly would not retract back in May 2010. I spent a month trying to find a fix online. What really frustrated me was the fact that when I called Canon support they told me it would cost somewhere around $80 to fix the problem. I told them I was good at fixing things and asked if this is a common problem and if you've had other customers with similar problem. If so, what is the fix that I could do myself.
The support guy said he was not aware of any issues of this kind and recommended that I send the camera in for the $80 dollar repair. I googled "Canon Lens issues" and discovered that their is a huge lawsuit against Canon with regard to this sissue. I was shocked ! Canon Support gave me the complete blow over. They knew this issue existed and then had the nerve to send me a questionnaire (a week later) about my experience with customer support! Are you kidding me???
I am extremely frustrated that this deceptive practice is "in play" at Canon.
I was born at night BUT not last night. Canon, please come clean. You make some great products!
Please keep me as a customer.
I still own a Yashica Camera frm 1973 that still works perfectly. C'mon Canon, enough !!!
Wow, just smacked it hard on the AV plastic cover and worked like a charm!! Thanks!
SD 1400IS 1 week old. On vacation at auto show......LENS ERROR...I'm not real happy!
Same issue with my PowerShot A1100 IS. Sent it in for repair, used it a few times, and then receieved the error message. Two lens errors in a little less than a year. I think that changing the shooting mode (auto, nighttime, camcorder, etc) could be affecting it.
This affects IXUS 12015 too. Ours was 6 months old and I dropped it fell 2 feet off a sofa while in case.
I have an E18 "lens error, restart camera' with my Canon, SX200, no extreme action, just gave the message when starting the camera, bought the camera just over a year ago, my other canon powershot went black after two years, lumix it is...
I have a Powershot A85 probably 6 years old. Followed these instructions and basically cleaned around the lens and it worked. How wonderful!!
I had an older canon powershot... maybe 2.5 years old and this error occurred... I just ordered a refurbished SD780 and the camera arrived with the same error.
Lens error, restart camera...camera was out of warrenty so I read some of the possible fixes on line. The tapping by the AVOUT corner of the camera worked!
Canon S70. E18 error message displayed. Lens stuck open. Camera was purchased as a backup and has hardly been used.
I have both a powershot A2000 and a powershot A480 that had the lens error message within a year of purchase. Very disappointed in Cannon's reliability.
For the person below who recommend the following three shops: CamerasAndParts.com, DigiTechCameraRepair.com and ForstersCamera.com I would recommend CamerasAndParts.com highly since I just used them. They exceeded my expectations and they did a perfect job - you guys know Canons! I know Forsters is also a very good shop and Radio Shack uses them for repairs but I think they're way overpriced. I've never heard of that other place DigiTech but I can tell you that CamerasAndParts was quite impressive. My Powershot G7 came back so nice and clean, it's almost hard to believe this is the same camera. Kudos to Christina at Cameras And Parts, it was a pleasure!
I had that E18 error also, I think my Cannon Powershot A70 got sat on with the lense open. Anyways without knowing what E18 meant I guessed correctly it was an error code. With Goggles help I found the site. The one that worked for me was the last suggestion, while turning camera on gently twist the outer lens until you hear a click. Thankfully this worked like a charm. While I didn't pay a dime for the camera, (brother in law bought it at a yard sale for 20 bucks and I got a FREE fix from Cannon for the CCD lens recall problem) and I also have another Cannon PowerShot S45 which takes better pictures, I am thankful for the advice given for this problem.
I tried the "smack it on the side whilst turning it on method", this after twatting it off my desk, kicking it, punching it and being told it would cost £300 to repair. Worked a treat, now just need to apologise to the wife for blaming her for the breakage!
I have a Canon A70--great camera, had it over 5 years, moderate use, no abuse. I just got the beeping E18 message--tried the tip from this site to tap the USB cover--worked great!
Man. The internet. Soo many helpful people who know what they are talking about. Learned how to change by brake calipers. Learned how to fix my camera. All i can say is...If you have ever taken the time to help someone you don't even know...You have my sincerest thanks.
I have a Canon SD 1100 that was giving a Lens Error for nearly a month. With the error the lens on my camera remained extended. I tried everything that was mentioned on the post. Eventually, i place the camera flat on a table and gently pushed the lens down until i heard a click sound. I turned the camera back on and it was perfectly ok. Its been working since then. Hopefully this helps.
The list of steps to fix a lens error have been updated with some modifications suggested by readers who have had some success with them. They may be viewed at:
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html
6 months into the purchase. Lens error! Can't get rid of it.
Camera was kept in pristine condition.
My Canon Ixus 80 IS got this E18 problem, and it showed the "Lens Error, please restart" message, and I did.. with no resaults. Then we tried to open it, but we found out that it was hopeless. The problem was solved by pulling and wiggling the lens (pretty hard). Then it suddenly retracted and it worked! :)
Rec'd lens error message out of the blue. Our Cannon PC 1228 is out of commission.
See message below. I should have said that I have a Canon SD990IS.
Just received my first Lens Error - Restart Camera message on Memorial Weekend. My camera is 11 months old and only lightly used. I'm thinking of sending it back for repair under warranty. But will I be lucky next time or will it be just out of warranty?!
Hi Gallen. I saw this post and I'm amazed at how many people go through this problem. If you didn't do anything to cause it and it's not sand or dirt that's found in the cameras lens gears, I would say you'd likely be covered since it's just 5 months old. You'll likely need the original bill of sale for the warranty through Canon. If that doesn't work, excellent places that service these are CamerasAndParts.com , DigiTechCameraRepair.com ForstersCamera.com They all do excellent work and I'm sure they could help you. If you're still under warranty and you have the original receipt, then heck, make Canon pay to fix their failure.
I had just taken a movie and then changed it to auto photo, was in the middle of taking photo when it failed with lens error. Its only 5 months old. Would it be under guarantee?
I actually tapped the camera (right where the rubber covered usb port is) on my countertop and it opened right away. Thanks for the tip!
After reading several forums for fixing this error, suggestion #4 worked for me! "If the lens doesn't extend at all or it extends, and then retracts again, do the following. Turn the camera off. Take the camera in one hand and with the other gently take one part of the lens and gently move it round in a circular movement. Do so with both sections of the lens. You will hear a "click" as it pops back in place. Power the camera on. " THANK YOU!
It just happened, after replacing the battery. Don't know of any other impact to the camera before this failure
I have an S1IS with the E18 problem. First it was the CCD that had to be replaced. Had that fixed but at a cost. Now this. I'm of the opinion that when I buy something it should work for at least a couple of years without a problem. Canon has shown that they are incapable of building such a device. This is the last Canon I will buy.
SD1200 IS -- same problem. I smacked it with my hand several times on the side while it displayed the error and it works again. Now it has a bad reputation. I've had 4 Nikons with no problem--my first CANON--and last.
My Canon SD950 did this lens error where it got stuck on me. We were on my first disney vacation when it happened so it really sucked. When we got home from vacation we tried the air and the other tips but they didn't help, ours would not work again regardless of what I tried. In the end, I got it serviced by www.camerasandparts.com and it was a smart decision. The camera came back after a week and a half and it's been working nicely again ever since. They were very impressive but they give you a link to check your status online and it I'm not sure that it was really updated instantly. If they make their online status thing better, I'd give them a hundred thumbs up, they were that great otherwise! Besides that, their service was amazing and the camera was totally cleaned and they service everything on it. For those that need help with this lens error E18 problem, they are really great. In my opinion, Canon should do a recall or something, there are too many of us here with this lens error problem. Mine works excellent again so I'm happy and I'm keeping mine in a protective case now.
Thanks, the "lens wiggle" trick worked great, not my son has a Canon A80 as his first camera!
I don't ahve a Cannon, but I used the instructions on my Fuji and it worked. I was getting a message that said, "Zoom Error", so I used air, and pulled and twisted the Zoom while holding the power button down. It is working fine now. THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is an older camera, and I knew it wasn't worth sending for repair.
Well got the E18 lens error after much complaining, consumer protection and FTC compaints , standing n walmart one day telling everyone what a POS canon is. Canon did the complimentary one time fix for free, I took about 10 pictures and now Im getting a BLACK screen. if i turn it off and on again I may get a screen and take a picture but its so dark you cant see it. Im hearing there is a problem with a CCD chip. So here we go again.. Im really starting to think this camera is junk.. its a Canon S2IS. JUNK JUNK JUNK
My mother got a Canon Powershot A520 which came up with the E18 about a month ago and I couldn't get it by jiggling the lens. Just recently I found this site, and emboldened by the fact that it had been sitting like junk on my desk for a month, I finally got the courage to give the thing repeated solid whacks on my desk as suggested, and it works again. Many thanks, and good luck.
Thanks for posting this. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me, but it at least got me started, and I ended up finding something that did work for my case:
I removed the memory card and turned the camera on without it inside, and the camera started but with a "no memory" error. I then turned it off, reinserted the SD card, and turned it back on...and it worked. Go figure. Hope that helps someone...
- Bryan
Just took a normal picture last night, tried to power down the camera and poof. Lens stuck, E18 pops up on the LCD. Canon FAIL
My beloved canon G9 got the lens error problem from just dropping it from about three feet onto carpet. My friend told me to use camerasandparts.com for help with the problem. They were incredible and my camera looks and works like new again. For those that have this lens error thing, you'll be happy with the service from that site.
I am having a E18 when turning on my camera. $800.00's later! My camera is a PowerShot S2 1S 5.0 Mega Pizels!
I was in the third day of a one week vacation and was using my camera to shot 60-100 pictures throughout a day, while walking around (this means lots of open/close).
It started first making some strange noise when opening and closing the camera (when lens are extending and retracting). Some time after, I got the E18. To me, it was a combination of dust/dirt/who knows what else and discharged accus. Went home, put the accus to recharge and next day all worked just fine... just for a few hours.
It then started giving lots of trouble and now is stuck with fully extended lens :( Am hoping that, once my accus are fully charged, I'll manage at least to shut it off.
CANON POWERSHOT400 del 2005: ho provato soluzione 3 - battere su superficie dura la parte in gomma della usb.
Ero scettico e invece ha funzionato! GRAZIE! ora spero che non ci siano problemi con le prossime foto.
This worked great!! My ex-wife had this issue on her camera so banging it on it's side was the best part of the fix :)
I frequently get the "E18" message and tried to fix the problem by cleaning the camera with compressed air.
It didn't work.
Sometimes at dissapears without any just as it occurs,out of the blue.
The camera is no longer reliable and that is the big problem.
I've recently had this error. Not very often, it started showing up some months ago in my Canon PowerShot S30. A really good camera otherwise, I bought it at Canary Islands in 2002 and still goes OK and takes vgood pictures (I'll be sad to change it somewhere near in the future). Thanks to the people working in documenting things like this, it's great!
Hello From France
I have this error since a few month, each time I have to remove and plug batteries.
But the camera stops after 1 or 2 photos and even immediately.
I'll try to follow the link to fix this !
Thanks
I tried the 'whack it against the table' method, and it worked. Relieved and flabbergasted at the same time. Reminds me of how I used to fix my first junker car in high school, just open up the hood and start whacking at it with a wrench. Worked every time.
Had my ixusi Zoom about 6 months, have been extreamly carefull with it. Have had the E18 error for a month, am going to try some of the suggestions on the site...
Most likely the E18 is related to sand or even lint getting into the workings of the camera. I had it with my powershot S50 (a fantastic camera) and now get the same "lense error restart camera" essentially that same message as E18 on my powershot A570 (not a great camera). Seems that the this point the best solution is to be forceful with the lense and help it move. However usually this results in lots of terrible clicking sounds in future opening and closing of the lense. Canon has a major issue here.
Thanks to this site I had the courage to open up my SD550. The camera had sand in it, but the problem was a little different - it was always out of focus unless I zoomed to 3X. However, later I would just get the E18 error.
I eventually found the problem in the bottom part of the lens assy - closest to the CCD chip. On my camera there is a seperate little motor for the focus. Opening up a little metal cover exposed the gear train. When I tried to move it manually I discovered that there were 2 grains of sand in the motor gear. That was enough! My camera is all back together and working as before. I spent about 4 hours on it. A few tips:
- put the screws and small parts on a piece of paper and write where they cam from.
- be careful with the ribbon cables! Sometimes it's better to disconnect them then twisting them around when your working on the camera.
- some cables have a plastic flap that releases the cable - if you see the kind that has a plastic piece that seems to sit on the pins, you may have to lift it up - it kind of a hinge.
- be careful with compressed air! It can blow off parts you didn't notice were loose - like gears.
- be patient, work slowly and carefully. If you get frustrated stop and come back to it.
- if it doesn't work, your probably no worse off than you were before - and you learned something about the inner workings of a digital camera.
Good luck
I have a IXUS 870 IS and the lens error has come up for no apparent reason. For love nor money I cannot get past it - very very disappointing
Just got the "Lens Error" today on my families P.S. 1200 IS.
Not amount of tapping slaming or battery in/out worked for me.
Woke up this morning ,"Mothers Day" and turned on my S2IS cannon which I have owned for long enough to be past any sort of warranty claim, and the lens came out in a jerky fashion and stayed out, leaving no other function possible other than viewing my "taken" pictures, out of focus and the E18 code in the bottom right hand corner of the viewfinder. Found this site which kind of shocked me to see the wide variety of cannon cameras and the amount of people having the same issue! Lovely , Just friggin Lovely!!!!
I had the "lens error, restart camera" error on my SD870. The lens was noticeably loose, so it was a mechanical error. I was able to fix it by turning the camera on and off, and simultaneously twisting the lens clockwise until it seated again. Worked great, and I didn't break anything.
Hello,
I have the S2 IS and I tried all the suggestions posted but none of them work.
I can still use the optical zoom as long as it doesn't go all the way.
Sometimes when i zoomed-in, it doesn't focus. That's the annoying part because when i'm taking pictures of birds, it'll take a while before it focuses and by the time it'll work, the bird's gone...:)
Ed
My camera is a Canon powershot SD960 and it worked fine until I went on a trip and the lens error problem happened to it. I didn't find this site until I got back from my trip and to my amazement, the hitting the camera made it work and the lens error wasn't there anymore. Over the week, I had two lens errors again but a simple hit on the camera and they went away. Finally it got stuck for good and I think if I would have hit the camera any harder I would have broken it more. I sent it to the site www.camerasandparts.com and they did a very good job. I got the camera back this afternoon and it appears to be working properly again. They charged $79 and it came back wrapped up nice and all cleaned and working normal again. I hope this problem doesn't happen again. For the price they charged, it was a good deal considering the camera is worth more than that. I think a class action suit against Canon should be in place. How can this not be a defect in the product, just look at how many people have this happening to their Canon cameras. After this, I won't buy another canon at any point, they should warranty this problem even after the warranty is up because this seems to be a defect in their product.
tried out the camera and its working great now, even the pictures are not slightly blurred. Canon called it an Optical assembly malfunction and they replaced the part. The camera is 2 yrs old, m\], and after numerous calls, arguments, standing a walmart one sunday, and filing a report with the fed trade commission and consumer protection they agreed to fix my camera " as a courtesy" dont give up they know its a defect. they just hope people wont persue the repair with them.
Our S31S is maybe a yr.old or so. Today itlocked up, says in red letters; lens error restart camera. Lens doesn't extend, it just makes a noise like it wants to but doesn' do anything but extend a mm back and forth, then nothing, then finally shuts off by itself. help!
Have a SD200. Very nice little camera. Excellent macro that we use all the time. Got E18 error code yesterday. Tried the bang approach and it works but has a buzzing sound now when lens retracts or opens. Noticed the buzzing comes from top left side of the camera. If I press the top when lens is working it quits working and the E18 appears. Do not press there and it works but the buzz is there. The lens drive must be under the casing at that point and pressing the case locks the drive mechanism. This camera also appears to have been dropped because the top left front corner is dented. I suspect some of the cause for this error is people holding the left side of the camera when shooting and pressing too hard on the top of the case which locks the lens drive up. I know I hold the camera there. Just my opinion.
E18 error popped up on Sunday as i was using my Canon S2IS to take pictures of a my grandsons First Communion. Lens locked and you could not shut off camera. After a few minutes of trying everything to get lens to move and camera to shut down, it finally shut off. Now when I turn camera on it works unless I try to extend (zoom) lens and then at about 1/4 to about 1/3 zoom the camera shuts off with the e18 error and lens still extended. Then when I try to turn camera back on the lens retracts and camera shuts off. Turning on a second time the camera comes on and works until you try to zoom. I will now try some of the solutions annotated on this web site.
My daughters SD100is has the error. The lens is fully extended. No amount of tapping on the camera seems to fix it.
Had the problem of showing 'Lens Error, Restart Camera' with my SD1100 Canon. Read at some site about gently tapping the camera on sides. Did the same and it worked.
I have the same error on my Cannon Powershot and nothing works to fix it. I've had the camera 2 yrs. What a waste of money. I surely hope that Class Action lawsuit goes through. I'll never buy another Cannon as long as I live!
Canon Ixus 60 'lens error' with the lens stuck in the 'home' position.
I took off the casing by taking the 6 screws out from the sides and base make sure you use the correct screwdriver. Be careful the top of the casing is held together by a little catch which requires you to jiggle the 2 halves up and down slighlty with a small amount of sideways pressure. I bent mine but as it is made of metal it straightened OK. When the casing has been removed look down the side under the flash light and you will see two holes in the inner casing each with a plastic cog showing. Taking a small flat screwdriver in one of the slots of the dark coloured wheel and pushing it backwards and forwards at the same time as turning the power on and off after 4 or 5 attempts the lens popped open and has worked ever since. Be careful not to get too rough with the cog or you will damage it yourself and create a new problem, just keep moving it back and forth until you free the lens off. Good luck!
I don't have a E18 problem but I can tell you from reading this blog I will NOT be buying a canon camera.
looks like canon is not a the type of company I would want to do business with.
Found a Kodak camera I like that is comparable to the. powershot SX20 so sorry Canon maybe it will matter in the future as more potential buyers see this and read about the problems and decide to go to another brand.
I had my Canon Power Shot S2IS for about six years now. A few weeks ago I while was on vacation, I turn my Canon S2 IS on to take a shot and the lens came out, then back in. It did this for about 30 seconds, then it beep and I got the E 18 code with the lens stuck out. It been that way now for the past three weeks.
E18 happened to me yesterday at a dog play date. Lens apparatus was stuck in out position and camera wouldn't turn off when holding down button. It did turn off when I let it, by itself. Tried the listed cures, but the one that worked was pushing down the on button while jiggling/turning/pushing and pulling the entire lens apparatus. Then it sounded very "sandy" when going in and out so I did it again, got the E18, did it again and now it seems fine, without the sandy sound. My tote bag does indeed have sand in it so I cleaned it out for next time. Go figure. No more Canons for me either.
i had this e18problem with my sd450
and i have fixed it using the solution 24 http://www.avh.dds.nl/Fix-Canon-SD600-Lens
10x to arnoud by the way i tried some o the other solutions it is the only 1 that worked
I still LOVE the pictures from my A80, and I have DSLRs and newer Canons. Hit it on the palm of my hand, vacuumed it, and it works again! A18, BEGONE!
my lens is stuck in the open position and won't retract. E18 appears, and the camera turns off.
Thank you for valuable postings. After my 4 yr old dropped canon A510 with lens open, it would not shut and E18 appears. I forced shut the lens with batteries out and it worked!! Wonderful.
My Canon A75 has started doing what you all apear to be having trouble with. It won't open up the lens and then displays the E 18 eror on the screen. Its not young now, I bought it in 2004, and I have carted it all over the world but it was still working well until last week. I have tried all the basic fixes but nothing seems to work so its going to the doctors to see what the tech says. I thought about pulling it apart myself but I think that may be a sure fire way of having to buy a new camera. I had some trouble with the sensor about 2 years ago (pink washout) and canon fixed it quickly and for nothing so I hope I get on as well this time. I love the camera and don't want to replace it but if I do it will definatly be another Canon for me, no question about it !
Graham
In Feb, while in Jamiaca my Canon PowerShot SD450 stopped working. E18 was the only thing on the black screen.When I returned to the States...ahhh a computer! I search E18 and oh my..I can't believe that so many of us have this problem. I went to the Canon website search E18,HA
LOL,it returned no matches found.I miss my camera,I purchased a Kodak C190,but all the buttons are in the wrong place. Well good luck to us all and keep spreading the word,seems like more and more models are being effected!!! Don't by one till they get the flaws out!
To fix problem,
1.Power down Canon Power shot
2. Hold down center control button point to right,
3. hold down the Power Up camera button at the same time.
4. this will reset the E18 error.
i get the e18 all the time! especially when i am trying to take a picture quickly--and then it shuts down.
I am experiencing the E18 error with Lens opening on my Digital IXUS 40. Otherwise it has been a great camera. Can you advise how I might fix it. Thank you kindly
the method of pushing the one side of the lens that was out of balance works great.
after that i found it took a bit for the camera to focus well again - but now its working great.
i would suggest if the camera is under warranty to still get it checked out since the lens opens and closes a lot more slowly than before.
Canon s2 is, displays error 18 whenever I full extend the lens to 12x, when this occurs there is a mechanical locking sound followed by 3 beeps to which the camera switches of. In addition to this the camera also has focusing issues
Jay, I doubt you had a good transaction with teleplancamerarepair.com Research them and you'll see the reputation they have. There's a post below that shows they are graded an F with the better business bureau. I warn you because they got me. For a better experience try a more reputable shop. Good shops for these are darntoothysam and united camera or precisioncamera, teleplan has a reputation that you should looked into before using them. If I see a positive post on them, I'll try to post two negatives to warn people. They got me good on my sony camera. Now that my canon needs reviving I'm going with a good shop, not teleplan camera repair.
I tried some of the suggestions, Teleplan Camera Repair had a good blog on this too. I think i forced it a bit and ended making it worse. Sent it off to them and they fixed it! soooo good to have it back!
My A75 suddenly stopped taking pictures. At first I thought it was the display, but the display worked for everything except viewing through the lens. After cycling the power several times the E18 showed up. The camera is in otherwise good condition and quite clean.
I can't believe how many people go through this on these cameras, it was a shock to find so many people going through this e18 problem like I am. Mine is the SD400 and I got this error problem, nothing will seem to get me past the error. The camera is useless now, I'm buying a new camera and it won't be a Canon.
Same problem on SD750. It worked once after I hit it but it's stuck again with the lens error problem. Add me to the list of unhappy Canon customers.
I own a canon sd750 that did this error on my wifes birthday. It's very unfortunate and it's even more dissapointing to know how many others have this same problem. I tried the techniques on this site but none of the things helped mine. C'mon Canon, get with it and make a reliable product or back it up with a better warranty.
For Shawn, I didn't try to make you feel stupid, that just happened all on it's own. If you spent the day at the beach and then the next day you have a lens error on the camera, hmmm that's really a tough one to figure out. The camera has a lens error but you have a brain error. Any camera will do that after being exposed to sand. How much do you want to bet that if you have it serviced they'll tell you it's from sand, I can tell you that without even looking at it. Stop crying to everyone here for sympathy and go buy another camera and be more careful next time.
Listen CJ, you don't need to be rude, I am really upset with being on vacation and having this happen to my camera. If you were on vacation that you had saved for and you had your kids wanting pictures, you'd understand why I feel the way that I do. Yes we were at the beach all day but never once did the camera touch the sand. It was in my wifes purse when not being used and I see no sand on the camera right now. If you were trying to make me feel worse, well you did just that. I came here for help because I don't know anything about this and your comment was of no help to me except that maybe you tried to make me feel stupid. If you have nothing nice or positive to say, maybe you shouldn't say anything here at all.
My camera is the SD300. I got this e18 error and I hit the camera on the table really hard when it was turning on. Presto, it's working again. That's kind of a funny way to fix it but I'm not complaining, just happy it's working again.
Hi Shawn. You wrote a pretty long message but the only important thing that you said in there was that you went to the beach the day before, duh! Do you think maybe you got sand in there? I dropped mine and busted the lens and came here looking for help. You don't need a rocket scientist to figure your problem out, you have had the camera for a long time I'm sure considering it's an SD550. That's a good model as I'm sure you obviously know. Isn't it odd that the camera has never had a problem until you took it to the beach on your vacation. Sand is the worst thing for these lenses and the camera shouldn't be around sand unless you want a lens error. I am on my second powershot and both have been perfect. I just dropped my SD850 and while I am in fact upset, I'm not going to blame Canon for my wrongdoing. Grow up, your obviously mad because you broke your camera but when you say you went to the beach the day before, it doesn't take a genious to figure out that you got sand in it. By the way, the sony cameras are crappy and so are the nikon point and shoots. I had a nikon for about 2 days before taking it back, I got the worst pictures from taht camera and the zoom button was loose after two days and ready to fall off. I bet if you open your camera you'll find sand, duh. lol
I'm here on vacation with my family and this lens problem happens. I can see I'm not alone, I think Canon sucks for this. I'm on a long awaited vacation with my family and I would like to have pictures and memories, that obviously won't be happening. I don't have the money to buy a new camera while we're here so I'll likely just have to buy a disposable camera. Canon should be ashamed, I spent over $400.00 on this camera to find out that everyone gets this lens error problem. Canon will be hearing from me, this is obviously a low quality product with defects. I was at the beach yesterday and it worked like a charm, now this morning I get this lens error message out of the blue. I will never buy a canon again, nothing is making the lens work and now I can't get pictures of my kids on vacation. Don't buy a canon powershot because the queality is not good on these, too many people here have the same problem so that's proof that they are not good for quality. Nikon and sony is better, no more canons because they don't care about their customers if they make cheap products like this and charge over $400 for them. My camera is the SD550 and it worked very good until this e18 thing. I tried the things on this site to fix it and nothing works to fix mine. Get lost Canon, I'm finding a better brand. You have lost a customer forever because you make cheap products that have problems. I'm goint to tell people about my lens error e18 experience and share this website so people can see that your products are low quality and lots and lots of people go through this aggravation. Make better products or stop selling them, you should recall your powershot cameras because they do this for no reason. Yes, I'm mad and you would be too if you were on vacation with your family and the lens error happened and you don't have money for another camera. When I have money I'll smash this crappy camera and buy a different brand, my other camera was an olympus that I had for years without a single problem. If they still make digital cameras, that's what I'll be buying. You have a lost a customer forever Canon, not that you would even care. I'm sure you sell so many of these and they break on people and they buy more cameras from you. Not me, this website shows too many people with this problem and it happens for no reason. I am very upset Canon, no more of your products for me.
I just got this e18 error on a canon powershots S1 IS and it's a bummer. How on earth can I get around this, the hitting the side of the camera and the other tricks are useless and it sounds like the motor is going out. Any suggestions, I loved my camera before this.
Not So! Beware! Camerasandparts.com is a rip-off. These people have been “Shilling” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill as many digital camera sites and blogs as possible in order to get you to use their fake service. I’ve been ripped off by them along with others and we’re trying to post on every site they have “shilled” so no one else loses their money or their camera. They have a nice, innocent-looking website. When you try to check them out, you find all these positive postings which makes you think they’re legit, you send them your money for camera repairs, they instruct you to send your camera to Cameras and Parts, 1605 George Dieter, Suite 574, El Paso, Texas 79936 … then you wait, and wait and wait. Google Earth originally showed the address as a UPS store, then a mexican restaurant, then a pizza parlour. They generate automatic emails (via a Yahoo ecommerce storefront) … and they are all identical … they direct you to html pages that say delivery in 2 to 3 days, then later, 24 hours, then later back to 2 or 3 days ... so when your camera doesn't arrive, you try and email them at customerservice@camerasandparts.com just like they say. You now get "automated" replies from "bubbly" people who don't seem to exist like "Michelle" who starts out her emails with "Hi there!" and thanking you for your patience or "Peter" who wrote "I am looking into your order and there seems to have been a delay in the shipping of your camera. From my understanding it has nothing to do with the actual repair so let me see if I can get a hold of a technician for an ETA or a manager to go ahead and call you to get this all sorted out." (Yeah Right). Face it folks, you're not going to get your camera back and they already have your money. They have a phone number to call (915) 226-8296 which is an answering machine that tells you they are all “busy assisting other customers” and to leave a detailed message and they’ll get back to you. But the calls never come. It doesn’t matter when you call, you always get the recording. Decide for yourself but buyer beware … it is our opinion that camerasandparts.com is a total rip-off.
I just want to alert everyone of teleplancamerarepair.com I had a a horrible time with them and after researching them I can see that I'm not alone. There's a post below from someone named Prachi and the email is prachi@seota.com and they claim to have used www.teleplancamerarepair.com for a repair which I highly doubt. If you look further down the page there is another post from Tara and it was posted on March 19, 2010 1:27 pm and she says she used them for an S1 IS and she mysteriously has the same email as Prachi and when you go to seota.com which is where their email is from, you can see they are from the same location as teleplan camera repair and there is also advertising on that site for teleplan camera repair. Seems like they just make stuff up to try to promote themselves and pretend they're actual customers. I found someone online who made me feel that teleplan camera repair in hidalgo gave them some problems too. They have a Better Business Bureau rating of an F and when I checked them out I learned they are just a rather new place that started and they already have loads of complaints. This is a link to their better business bureau report, you'll see they have a F Rating and I'm not surprised at all;
http://www.bbb.org/houston/business-reviews/electronic-equipment-and-suppliers-service-and-repair/teleplan-international-in-hidalgo-tx-72001476/
There are actually many reliable shops where you can get these lens errors fixed, some of the popular ones are as follows:
forsterscamera,unitedcamera,advancecamera,precisioncamera,cameradoc,darntoothysam,cameraservicepro,digitechcamerarepair,camerasandparts,vphotoatlanta,camerarepair.com,royalcameras
If you do some research you'll find these are all good shops. I'm sorry to have to post this but I hate seeing companies doing what teleplan camera repair does. My friend had a horrible dealing with teleplan and after researching them, I know the way they do things and I don't think it's right. Most lens errors can actually be fixed on their own, if you need to have a camera serviced, go with a reputable place, also the hitting on the usb cover of these cameras works a lot of the times. Also try a local repair shop, you may have one in your own area that can fix a digital camera. Being a professional photographer, I can tell you from the experience of myself and many other professional photographers online that the better shops from the list above are probably Forsters Camera and United Camera. Personally I have had great dealings with Forsters Camera but if the estimate is too much then try United Camera. All of the above shops are reliable as I know many photographers from the blogs who have dealt with the other shops with very good success. Just wanted to warn others of teleplan camera repair.
my camera lense got stuck out so i read these tips and i found that pushing on the lense after turning it on worked after a couple tries!! whoohoo! :D
btw, before every swears off Canon forever. It should be said that zoom problems are by far the most common problem for ALL brands. As for the dreaded E18, its a generic error code Canon use's for all their camera's so of course there's gonna be alot of info on it :) (most brands don't even give a error code)
Most tilted zoom lens need to be gently pulled "out" in order to "pop" it back into place. If you know how the lens was hit, then you'll need to push/pull opposite the impact..
Powershot SD990 IS; had e18 error, sent mine to Teleplan Camera Repair to get fixed. Canon charged me even more to repair it, didn't want to give them my money. Tried few DIY techniques, no avail.
I took good care of my camera - never dropped it, hit it, screamed at it...
Getting ready to take Easter pictures of my granddaughter with a 4 yr old canon s2is, and suddenly the screen went black and an E18 error message showed. Camera shut down with lens extended.
Thank you. Your website was very helpful. I hae a Power Shot SD450 Elph. I used technique #4. I pressed gently on the lens and it clicked right back into place.
I bought my SD950 about two years ago from Costco, when this happened they didn't want to take it back which surprised me, I thought they'd take it back so long as I was a member but that didn't happen because they claim they changed their policy. I got this lens error message and I see that so many others have the same problem. I've enjoyed this camera so much so I sent it to have it fixed. The company that I used to fix it was www.camerasandparts.com and they were so great. I was dealing with Shannon there and she was the greatest. I have my camera back now from being serviced and it's back like new and all it cost me was $79 with that deal they have on their site for this problem. They replaced the lens and completely serviced the whole camera for me, shipping back to me was covered too. For those of you that need help, they are wonderful for the Canons. If you're still within the one warranty, go to Canon and make them pay. If you're out of warranty, that site I went with gave total first-class service. They said that there was sand in the lens part of my camera and after a long weekend trip to the beach a couple of months ago, I can see how it happened. These are really nice cameras but they seem rather sensitive for the lens portion. I hope everyone can get their cameras working again, when they work they're the best cameras by a long shot.
update on my Canon S2 IS. AFter writing to consmer affairs, FTC, satanding in Walmart camera dept telling everyone not to but Canon, and contacting Canon a bazillion times. they finally agreed to fix my camera at N/C, they called me today, camera is fixed they called it a optical assembly malfunction and replace the part. I should get the camera back tomorrow, and to try it out, and call the contact at canon back to let them know if I am satisfied, Imagine that... Dont give up with the customer service. they know its a problem they'll fix it.
My SD450 got the E18 yesterday in the plane for Japan. The lens comes out, cannot focus, and beeps.
I have to buy a new one in Japan. Shoot...
I bought my Canon S2 IS in 2006. I took good care of it.
The first E18 error happened this January (2010) when I was spending my winter break at lake placid in the Adirondacks national park. The temperature was very very low while we were snowshoeing up a hill. When I zoom my camera, it beeped before the LCD went black with E18 at the corner.
I thought the cold weather was the cause, but I have to change my mind when I use my camera recently, in fact three months later and it is spring already. The beep and E18 happened again while we are hiking near NYC.
I hope there are ways to repair it.
Très déçus par le SAV Canon, qui n’assume pas ses responsabilités .C’est sûr je n’achèterais plus Canon plus jamais et je déconseille tout mes proches de d’oublier cette marque.
E18 .Et tout se bloque, il fallait la secouer pour que l’appareil reprend fonction .Je contacte le service après vente canon, alors qu’elle sous garantie.
La réponse est un grain de sable est la cause de la panne. Comment est il possible que se grain de sable trouve refuge au fond du mécanisme du zoom .Donc il ya bien un défaut de fabrication qui fait que l’appareil est jetable après un certain délai en générale un an.
Oubliant Canon
The E18 error came up on my SD450 a little while ago. I tried everything listed on this website to repair it myself, as I don't plan to spend about $100 to repair a camera that is technologically obsolete at this point when it can only happen again. Now I'm primarily looking at subcompact camera that do not have external telescoping lenses.
I had my powershot sx110 lens error appeared. upon reading threads, my digicam finally fixed by tapping a little bit hard at usb port side. don't hesitate to tapped it or else your canon digicam wont work anymore. thanks a lot, i saved a lot of money.
Thanks to Hank Harjes for the 'clean the battery contacts' tip. Tried that and it limped back into life. Bit flakey but did retract the lens. Just need to clean the contacts inside the 5 year old Ixus 750 and it may live to shoot another day. It has had a hard life so I have no issues with Canon.
Camera salesman at Officeworks suggested I type in E18 into google. Well blow me down! I'm not the only one sporting this problem....love my camera, can't take photo's of my growing toddler. Tried your suggestions and it has extended all the way but is still not quite right. If this keeps up will have to buy another camera. One from Aldi with a 3 year warranty!
Canon PowerShot SD450. Have had this 3.5-4 years and have always treated it extremely well. Last used it in January and it was perfectly fine. Just tried to turn it on and got an E18 error. The lens comes out, goes back in halfway, then comes back out while the camera makes a noise (sounds like the gears "shifting), beeps, and then shows the E18 error. The lens is then stuck in the extended position. I tried banging the side, tried running a piece of paper along the edges of the lens casing (don't have compressed air nearby), tried pushing the lens and twisting it. None of these worked. I'm not sure what I want to do - whether paying $90 to get it repaired or going in and trying to fix it myself.
Either way, I am highly disappointed that Canon is not doing anything to address this problem. It appears to be a problem that is widespread and that has occurred for an extended period of time. I don't care if people think that this is "only" a point-and-shoot camera. All of us paid money for our cameras, and we expect them to remain functional throughout their lifespans. The fact that this problem has been around for so long and for so many models indicates to me that Canon does not care about its corporate or customer service image in the eyes of the "little people."
Ixus 75 lens error. Lens only extended half way. Tried everything else, so physically pushed the lens back in. It clicked loudly, and worked fine afterwards.. astonishing
The common Canon PowerShot Lense Error message,E18 is usually due to oxidized battery contacts. When turning on the camera, the lens is intialized along with the camera default settings which draws higher than average power. Sometimes called in-rush current. The fix is to clean the barrery and camera contacts.
Lens worked but had E18 on Canon Ixus 500. I held the lens and shutdown the camera. When it clicked I released the lens but it didn't go back in completely so I pushed it in manually. After that the E18 error was gone and I could use the camera again.
I have two CANON powershot cameras (older and newer versions)and EXACTLY what happened - the lens got stuck and would not retract
on BOTH!!!
I have a G9 and it says Lens error, restart camera. It is doing everything mentioned so I'm guessing it's the same thing but a newer message.
The error code E18 appeared on my lens yesterday, just as I was taking my preschoolers on a field trip!!!
my Canon S2 IS is five year old. the last times i use it was a half year ago. Now i was on a buiness trip and want to shot a project: E18
my luck after battery change se work normaly, but i recived this error 3 times an the pictures looks shuttert (Automatik programm with Flash light, oject i shoot was 2 meters away) i wrote the support. I report if something is new
well wonders never cease. Canon customer service called me today and offered to fix my camera at no charge and its 2 yrs old. Guess you have to bitch loud enough.. so dont give up. well see if it really does get fixed
Started camera with low batteries - died after first shot and lens didn't retrack. Put in new batteries and lens remains stuck, camera useless - E18 error
i have the same problem EXCEPT i don't have E18. The start-up picture will show up but you can hardly see because its black, and the lens won't extend out. How do I fix it?
This morning I've switched on my A2000IS, made some photos and after that when I wanted to switch off cam and then lens locked and cam start to beep. WTF I ask.
I have an Canon Powershot G5 and used it for three years with out any problem. All of sudden out of no where i got the "Lens Error" problem when i had visited the Niagara Falls. Since then i am unable to operate the camera. I took it to the Canon Service center in Bangalore they said it would cost Rs. 9000 and that was absurd. Since then i am using my camcoder as the camera. Bye bye to Canon and it's product i would shift my loyalty to other vendors like Sony.
I've had my canon (S1 IS) for almost a year and a half - went on vacation to Cali and half way through it stopped working, e18 error!
I tried fixing it myself but got so frustrated that I just ended up sending it to get fixed a few days back. Definitely didn't want to give canon anymore money so I sent it to teleplan camera repair, a photographer friend recommended the place. Too many special occasions coming up that I just can't miss. Never buying canon again for sure.
Canon Powershot SD850 IS. Loved this little camera. Was very impressed with picture quality. Took care if it like a friend and baby. I was even thinking of switching from my digital Nikon D200 to a Canon Rebel. Then the lens issue on a camera that has very few hours of use in its life. It really puts me off Canon. What a waste of money.
I put the files ver.req / vers.req in my SD card to check the version of my A570IS
The display of version info also showed E18, lens error.
But, I don't see any problem with the lens unless it is not quite focusing exactly.
My S80 was only 18 months old, and while I was deleting some photos indoors I found that the lens (which had been closed)was slightly open and stuck. The camera had been working perfectly normally till then. It was a 50th birthday present. I had not realised there was an issue until now as we are so busy. I was infuriated then and am angrier now, especially considering the purchase price
I filed a complaint with the FTC Federal trade commision, Maybe if we all do the same ,, Canon may be forced to fix this problem for free,
was taking a picture yesterday and all of a sudden the camera tried to shut down and a clicking noise and the E18 message. I have a canon Power shot S2 IS. at $500 you would expect it to work for more than 2 years. I contacted Canon, and later as Im finding out this is a comon problem , design flaw, and they could care less. They offered to fix it fo rme for $150 plus. or I can get a refurbished camera for a mere $199. Why would I want another camera that Canon will not back up. So far none of the fixes have worked. but since its trashed anyway.. Ill try a little harder. I will never buy another Canon product. and I hope ya'll do the same. I hear the class action suit was shot down. I hope someone else tried to protect the consumer. Canon should be offering a fix for their design flaw at no charge to the consumer.
My Canon G7 that I rely on heavily for work took a fall over the weekend and I have this lens error problem on it now. I tried the stuff on this site and it seemed to work for a moment and then the lens got stuck again and now makes a whining noise and the lens won't move, it just seems jammed. I'm sending it to be serviced at www.camerasandparts.com My neighbor used them last year for a small point and shoot canon and hers was restored like new. I'm wondering if this hitting of the camera is okay or if it might not be a good thing for the camera. I'm just going to have mine serviced professionally because I really need it to work for my job. I hope everyone here gets through this, I have been very upset since I dropped mine that I otherwise cared for so well prior to the drop.
The E18 Lens Error problem is a design flaw which, when it occurs, should be fixed by Canon at no cost and Canon should eliminate the problem from its new point-and-shoot camera models. Japanese companies used to be known for excellent quality but it is progressively less true as evidenced by Toyota's recent problems with its cars. Also, Sony has had consumer product quality problems. Canon should smarten up or they will be abandoned by consumers just like the car companies which made crap cars were in favour of better made ones.
I own a Canon SX100 which has had the dreaded E18 Lens Error problem twice. Each time, I had to smack the camera hard on the left side while turning the camera on which fixed the problem. I previously posted my experiences here. More recently, I was visiting one of my sons and noticed his older point-and-shoot Canon camera sitting in a basket. I picked up the camera and was horrified to see that he had hacked off the ring around the lens and gouged the camera body in his attempts to fix his camera's E18 Lens Error problem. I fixed it the same way as I fixed mine but I first had to twist the lens and push it towards the camera body before I gave it a few hard smacks on the left side while turning the camera on. I was able to put the hacked up ring back on around the lens. The camera works perfectly but it looks like it's been attacked with a knife, which it was. Don't give up on trying, it may take a few hard whacks with the palm of your hand but it does work.
My Canon Powershot SD1200 gave me the "lens error, restart camera" message" My Lens wont retract back in. So its off with the lens popping out. Great.....and to repair it's so expensive! I'm so mad
Got an E18 error message on my Powershot A70. Followed your advice - tapping the USB cover seemed to clear it - thanks!
Got the lens error on my S2 IS a few weeks ago. Likely due to camera trying to turn on (and lens trying to extend) while in jacket pocket. Suggested fixes didn't work, but were appreciated.
i have a powershot a650is and just got the lens error message yesterday with the lens refusing to retract...i love this camera adn its been thru a lot maybe i didnt take the best care of it but i didnt abuse it either, been to music festivals, twice to cuba, concerts never any problems im hoping i can get it to work again
My daughter's camera is displaying the same message. She is very disappointed as this is her first camera. Will try to repair as suggested.
This happened to my PowerShot SD 1100, it was due to sand getting into it during the summer, since then I have bought a new camera, which ironically is also a Canon.
New S90. "lens error, restart camera" after about 20 pictures. new batt didn't do anything. only resolution was to wait for the camera to cool down completely. another 20 pics and same thing. Camera is brand new,...never been dropped, nor been outside. shipping back to Amazon.
Did the light tap on the side of the usb and it is working fine now. dont know for how long but happy
Yes, i have exactly the same problem... i am one of those nurotic people who take a lot of care of my camera, but it still happened. Other than this, I was very happy with the camera...
I own a Powershot S2 IS...had it since fall 05...got the error message today. If I remember correctly, we bought this one b/c our last cannon (can't remember the # but it was a powershot) had the same issue. Grrrrr!
lens won't go in
same message e18
I have 3 canons, and all 3 have had this issue.
I have an SD1200 and this lens error just happened when I turned it on, my 11 year old was the last one to use it but he's pleading the 5th and not talking. I'm sending mine to www.camerasandparts.com to have it serviced, they did my S3IS E18 Error and the camera has been great ever since. I tried some of the tips on this forum and nothing seems to get mine working, I think just having it properly serviced is the best thing as I rely too much on my camera. The time I had my other one serviced, the experience was great and it proved to be a great deal, I'm going to do the same thing this time. No more Canons for me, this is it. It's a shame because the cameras are wonderful when they work.
A40 with E18 error. I am going to fix it myself me thinks though. The camera has has loads of miles put on it sort of thing. It is frustrating though.
our SD400 digital elph just crapped out halfway through our disneyland trip this weekend. the lens was stuck in the out position and would give a weird cranking noise and stay stuck, with E18 appearing in the display.
i messed with it a little, gently jiggling the lens back and forth and applying some light pressure to get it back in. eventually it went back in, but now everything is blurry in the viewfinder, and it will only take blurry pics when it does work — which isn't often.
i'm debating whether or not it's worth $80 to fix it, and sell it, or to just buy a new one. would be nice to have HD video. maybe this old one could be a toy camera for the kids...if i can get it working again.
you know these companies build these things with that exact expectation: that it will soon break down and you will just buy a new one with new, fancy features.
I was on this site a while back because I had this problem on my SD850 Canon Powershot. I chose www.camerasandparts.com to fix mine and I received it back quick and it's been fantastic again, as good as new. If you don't have an extended warranty to cover it, that website is great for Canon Powershot problems. I decided to share my experience because I had this same problem that many people go through but I am happy again with mine.
Hooray, it's working. I wobbled the lens, blew hard all around it and tapped the corner of the camera hard on a book on a hard table.
All working again. Beautiful, thanks guys!!
I also have an Ixus 70. The lens has been stuck out for a couple of months now, looked on Canon website and the only suggestion was to send in for repair. Camera is only 2 years old, my older Canon never missed a beat so this is disappointing and annoying. My daughter suggested I google and see if anyone else had a problem.
About to try all the fix it tips now. Thanks guys.
I had E18 error on Powershot A80...it was the little shutters on the very front of the lens that was my problem....I blew highly compressed air into these curtain shutter things all the way round....turned camera off and on.....working!!! great!!!
Hard bang on the usb connector rubber
cover removed the e18 problem
I have a Powershot SX110IS. The lens error started and thank god I found this website. I tried all your fix jobs and the one that worked is to hit the side of the camera on a hard surface on the usb connection pad. This camera is only 1 year and 3 months old.
Fix it by moving the lens from side to side. Unfortunately the dust/sand in the lens didn't get loose, and the lens cant move in and out without problems. My Canob Ixus 40 is about 5 years old, so it have served me well. I bought a new camara (Nikon d90) instead. It was planed to buy a new camara anyway.
Yep,technical tap on the side of an IXUS70 just fixed the lens error. A-mazing.
Thank you! I poof and poof to the lince and managed to cleaned and taped the usb side on the table. It worked! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Just had the E18 Error with my Ixus 40. Nothing worked for me. I just have to get a new camera instead .-(
Rocketman - Not sure what you mean about bypassing it? Do you mean getting around the error code? I don't think it's possible but try emailing camerasandparts.com and I'm sure they'll tell you. They're the best for the canon powershot problems, I'm not sure of their email address but it has to be on their site. Does anyone here know if a teleconverter lens can go on a G7 camera? If it can, where's the best place to get one at a good price? thanks
Thank you!! Awesome forum - Canon A460 - tried a whole bunch of stuff, tapped usb end of camera on a table, then just pushed and prodded the lens. Now it's working yay!
I have posted some pictures showing the dissembling of an S3 with the E18 lens error. I even unscrewed the lens and cleaned the gears (they were already clean) but that didn't fix the problem either. Does anyone know if there's a way to bypass lens check all together?
My S2IS displayed the E18 error while the lens was extended.
I tried tapping the USB on the table, but that didn't work.
I didn't have any compressed air, so I just blew really hard next to the lens connection.
When I turned the camera back on, it worked! Hooray!
Hello. My careful used, only 4 weeks "old" SX200is shows since yesterday only the message "Objektivfehler:Kamerarestart" and nothing else. Wether the lens gets into position, nore review is possible. I hope, Canon will fix this in warranty. I didn't drop the camera or the lens. Nothing. Sorry for bad english.
Last time I tried to fix my camera was about 5 years ago, I just dug it out of a drawer, and I am blown away that people are still having this problem and it has not been fixed by now. That Canon has not gotten its act together given the years and years this problem has been present and in still is business is a failure of the free market. Is Canon receiving Tarp money? Is Canon a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs?
Had this same e18 error message on my sd550 camera after I dropped it and I found out it was an error with the lens part. I sent it for repair to camerasandparts.com and it got back just in time for Valentine's Day :) I used it this afternoomn and again this evening and I'm so happy it's great again. I'm not sure who it was here that recommended that site to me but thank you. I'm super happy again with my Canon which I really enjoy. I'm keeping mine protected in it's case from now on.
My husband sat on my canon sd890 camera. The lens was stuck. I tried banging it against the tabe a couple of times and the lens came out a bit when I turned it on. I then pulled the lens out by my fingernail from the side of the glass. This worked and it is working again.
I have been so frustrated by this error. I tried the tapping, compressed air, and then started removing screws to take it apart. Thought twice about the last one, put the screws back in and tried this: While turning it on, reached in and pulled the lens out. IT WORKED. Good luck to all of you
Hi!
I recently dropped my SD850 IS while the lense was extended and got an error on the screen and the lense would not retract. after playing with it for a while i finally got the lense to go back in. Now i can take pictures, however they come out extremely blurry. The picture quality is awful now. is there anyway i can fix this or should i just send it in to be repaired?
You should all take your cameras back and claim using your "statutory rights" which cover you for 6 years against manufacturing defects - which this clearly is! Quote the 1979 Sale of Goods Act. Just print off all these complaints as a backup!
We were using our canon 80is yesterday when the lens closed and the lens error.restart camera message appeared. Turned it on several times but the lens wouldn't open. I just read a suggestion to tap the usb/av out cover, and lo and behold after tapping it a few times I pressed the power button and the lens opened. Thank you, I thought I was going to have to send it away or buy a new one.
I JUST got mine to work! I have a canon powershot sd1200.
Apply pressure to the lens on the outside silver rim then press the on button. Mine took a couple of tries but it retracted itself in and finally popped out!
Good luck!
I've been told www.camerasandparts.com is the best place to get these Canons serviced and after speaking to them on friday , I'm totally convinced they are. I have a Canon SX110 Powershot with the lens error and I'm going to have camerasandparts.com service it for me. The thing is I also have a Samsung Digimax Pro 815 with a lens error problem too, unfortunately camerasandparts.com won't service that Samsung model, they'll only work on the Canon Powershots. Does anyone know another good place to get the Samsung serviced? I wanted to have camerasandparts do both of them but from what they told to me, they'll only work on the Canons. If someone can recommend a good shop for the Samsung that I have, I would really appreciate it. You can email me at chadmarcustwins@comcast.net thanks a lot for any help
My Canon A610 gave me the E18 this weekend. I finally got the lens to close by turning the camera on and simultaneously pushing and turning (with a lot of force) the largest part of the lens. It is working again for now. I was afraid I was going to break it, but since it wasn't working anyhow and it isn't under warranty, I just took my chances.
I have S3 IS Canon and I was doing recording and suddenly got this error of Lens Error. I tried applying all the options suggested without opening the camera but nothing worked.
I have a Canon Powershot SD1200, and I got the same lens error problem. One thing that worked for me was to plug in my camera via the USB cable, turn my camera on, let it go through the automatic install on my computer, and then safely remove hardware and unplug my camera from the USB. That seemed to fix the problem TEMPORARILY. The camera will start working again, but sure enough the infamous lens error will rear its ugly head!!
I went to use my camera today and the lens stuck and the E18 message came up. Sounds like it is a fault with the product. I am disappointed.
I was reading your comment Vincent and I'd say to go with www.camerasandparts.com They serviced my SD1200 a couple of months ago and their service is top-notch. I see you like to support the small guy which is good but if you have a Canon Powershot camera, I'd definately go with camerasandparts.com They serviced mine just before Christmas and it came back perfect. I am so upset because I dropped it this morning when it was on and I broke it again. It fell off of a four foot table and hit the hard floor and the front of the lens came off and it shows me the lens error message now. It's going back to them again, I'm going to see if they'll warranty it since it's still under warranty with them. I know I dropped it but I may get lucky and they'll cover it for me. Even if I have to pay again, I'm still fixing it because I love the my camera.
Hailey
Well, the repair instructions are pretty much useless for the IXUS 60. The two cameras are so different I may as well have just pulled it apart myself without instructions - Which is pretty much what I did and no surprises I killed it for good. No loss really.
Don't attempt the repair unless you are a very patient person and have very very tiny dexterous hands.
Yep, same error here on my IXUS 60, just get "Lens Error, Restart Camera". It was over 3 years old and had average treatment, almost never used the case. Bought a new Ixus 80 today and will try to fix the IXUS 60 - got nothing to losse, its only a $200 camera anyway. They are good though, thats why I bought another one.
I have a Canon S3IS that displayed a lens error about a week ago. The lens sort of vibrates but does not move, and it says lens error, restart camera.
I took the camera completely apart following the S2 guide (the camera was similar enough to follow it) http://www.dcresource.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-22385.html
I managed to get it apart,confirm no major dust or obstructions, clean the lens gears, get it back together, and it turned on - to display the same error.
I am glad I took it apart as I am now sure it is dead no matter what I do. I am VERY disappointed as it was a beautiful camera until this
I bought a Cannon S5 SI about a year ago and thought it was the best camera I've owned. Then out of the blue I'm snapping this & that and I get "Lens error Shut off Camera".
I highly doubt that any dirt got in it because it was hardly used and always stored in it's proper case.
Luckily I purchased the extended warranty from Futureshop and it's on it's way to get fixed. Let's see how long it lasts.
My niece gave me a power shot A95 with a E19 code .
so while the camera was powering up i dropped it 3 feet of the ground to my prego floor and to my surprises the dam thing started working LMFAO!!!!
the only reason i did it cuz i read some threads within this forum that there cameras that have been dropped and they got the dreaded E-19 code and so i said what the hell it cant hurt ? LMFAO!!!!!
I was reading what you wrote Jeff since I have a Canon with a similar problem. I tried opening it up to do what you did and as embarrassing as it sounds I couldn't even get the case of the camera apart, lol. I think I got all of the screws out but it doesn't want to seperate apart. I think I mixed up the screws because one won't even go back in. It's rather frustrating and I almost wish I didn't mess with it. I'm somewhat mechanical but I think this is a bit too much for me since I've never worked on anything like this before. I'm also wondering if your fix will be temporary or if it will hold up. The bad thing is if you need it on an important day and that fix you came up with fails, that would be a bummer. I'm going to send mine into a shop and have it fixed. I know a lot of people use www.camerasandparts.com for these canon problems. I think they're pretty much the place for these cameras. I also saw another site called www.cameradr.com and the guy there seems experienced enough. I was thinking of trying that site since I like to support the small guy, just my way of thinking. Has anybody used www.cameradr.com before? If not, I'll end up going with www.camerasandparts.com as that's probably the safest bet for this. Any feedback would be great. I guess I should have said that my camera is the canon powershot sx100 model camera. I didn't drop it or anything, this lens error problem just happened during the week to mine.
DON'T THROW IT AWAY YET! I read about all the problems and was ready to ditch my PowerShot S2IS so I figured it wouldn't hurt to tear it apart. I ended up removing all the panels and wedging a folded up piece of post-it note on the outside of the stepper motor that drives the lens and it worked. I'm no electronics technician and I broke the wires to the front speakers while removing the case but at least I have a functional camera again. It seems like the motor bracket is weak so I 'reinforced' it..
18 Months ago my S1IS had the CCD sensor fail. Sent it to Canon. After a moth they sent me an S5IS . Great. The flash went out after 1 day. Then two weeks ago while in the middle of a shoot. The lens jammed and the camera shut down. Contacted canon. They want to send Me another camera if I pay them $199.00 .With only a 90 day warranty . I think I'm done with these guys.
I've had my ixus 110 for a month. Great camera. Yesterday took it out of its cover and randomly gave the the old Lens Error treatment. A little inconvenient as in the middle of Cambodia and there's a lot of stuff to be photographing! Not impressed!
The message I just posted below is a response for Steve but I forgot to put that in my message :)
Is it still under warranty from when you first had it fixed? If not, find another shop. The best ones that I know of for these kind of cameras are: www.camerasandparts.com and www.geeksquad.com I had a great service experience last year with camerasandparts.com for my SD780 camera. A coworker of mine used geeksquad.com a while back for a Nikon and hers came out fine too. I think for the Canons, www.camerasandparts.com is the greatest deal because of the service they also give you and they're skills and specialty is all with Canon cameras. Before using any of these shops, first try going back to the one you used first and tell them what the lens is doing now. Maybe they'll do it again for free or give you a discount based on the situation. If not, head to a reputable shop as I provided two good ones for you above.
We had problems with the lense not moving at all after a fall. We sent it back for repair and all worked well for about a month, now we have that E18 error when we try to shut off the camera.
Hey John. I was reading your posting, you are braver than me going into the camera. I guess I was afraid to go into mine since it was not a spare for me. I have a Powershot S3IS which I'm guessing is very much like yours. I turned it on and got a lens error and it just seemed to come out of nowhere. I wound up sending it to www.camerasandparts.com and it came back flawless. They said it was the Ultrasonic Motor that went out just as you said you thought was the problem on yours. It was only $89 for everything and that even covered the shipping back to me. It got back to me just flawless, they did such a great job and it's all serviced and working like it was when I bought it. Have fun with the camera you got, I just love my Powershot S3 IS and am so happy it's back like new again.
E18 Error. S1 IS Lens will not extend. Sounds like the lens motor is working though. I scrapped the camera and bought a new SX20 IS, Leap years ahead in technology, very nice camera. I found a lens replacement in Hong Kong for $40 and decided to take a chance. Very quick delivery, faster that local. The job of replacing a lens assembly is not for the faint hearted, but the camera was scrap anyhow. Long story made short I now have my S! IS back in working condition, why bother you ask, education. The lens assembly is a wonderfully complicated piece of electromecahnical art. I dismantled the old lens assembly and inspected it to the last screw. Everything mechanical worked flawlessly, could not get it to bind or stick or do anything that would cause it to malfunction. I then checked the lens extension motor and found I could hardly turn the gear on the end of the motor. I am not equainted with the operation of an ultra sonic motor but this may be the problem with others as well. Impossible to fix,its sealed, another nice piece of art.
Have fun with the E18's, I hope my new SX20 gives me many years of service along with my own repairs on my old and trusty S1 IS.
I had a lens problem with my SD1100 IS. After I took a 10 pictures, I decided to turn it off. Well it did but then it stopped. I freaked out and saw the lens error message so I kept turning my camera on and off hoping it would cause the camers lens to work properly. No luck. After an hour I was sad cause I just brought it last month. Well, after reading these posts, I tried everything. The last thing I tried was turning on the camera and trying to push the lens back in manually and it works!!!!!!!!!! so happy thanks for the post! =)=)=)
My canon S2 IS is shouting E18 error at me. Tried to clean the lens with compressed air, twisting the lens, nothing is working so far. I am so sad.
Great advice, tried tapping it on the USB cover and presto, it worked again!
Cheers
Hello...
First of all - thanks to all those who've posted their suggestions. I have a Canon S2 IS camera and I loved using it. However on this fateful day, my camera just touched its bottom into water, while I was trying to cross a small stream. Though immediately I was able to take few pictures, after a while it locked up and the lenses barrel won't move. Few seconds after I switch on, it would give multiple beeps with that dreaded E18 error. Since didn't want to experiment much, I took it to the lone Canon authorized service centre. They kept it for about 4 days and later I was told that the optics has gone and needs a replacement. This would cost me about Rs. 10000 ($200), which is almost 2/3rd of camera cost. Did not want part with that much money, I took it back home, unrepaired (had to pay a nominal charge for opening up investigating the problem) and wanted to try out the options listed down on this page.
Viola! One options really worked. I switched it on while holding the "Record" button and the barrel popped out, albeit with a little noise, indicating that some dust would have gone in.
Tried few times switching it off and on and now it works as usual. I tried with all photos as well as video shooting and confirmed that all is well!
Thank you so much for saving me a big money and did not have to throw away a camera that I owned for long.
I wish everyone all the best with their cameras.
Best,
KK
I had the lens error message on my SD780 and the lens was stuck halfway out of the camera. I tried hitting it and pushing the lens and pulling it and blowing air in it and everything else, my would not work even after trying all of the methods. Like many others, I used camerasandparts.com to fix mine. I just got it back and it's excellent and working just like new again. I found out that hitting the camera to free the lens can often do more harm than good. Getting it professionally serviced was very reasonable and my camera is super again. There are many shops online that can fix these lens errors for a reasonable price, I would say that's the smartest fix to get it done right.
Am on vacation, and was taking shots today, with no problems. Have had no problems up to today, at all... when suddenly, the lens of my s2is Cannon decided to get stuck. It is still stuck, tonight, and I am about to read the information ... hoping the internet info is going to solve my problem! I have another 11-12 days of vacation! UGH,... sad this is happening... hope it can be an easy fix, but who knows!
I've had my Canon PowerShot 95 for a little over five years. I have taken some amazing photos. The E-18 error troubles started after a year. I have never dropped it or gotten it dirty. I use it mostly to take pictures of completed jobs in our custom frame shop. Sometimes I am embarrassed when it won't function properly when I photograph a customer's work and they are patiently waiting. When I inquired about the problem at the independent photo store where I purchased the camera, they had no idea what the E-18 error was, but they would be happy to help me get it back to Canon to be fixed and I would be responsible for all charges.
I can easily go out to buy a new camera, but it has sentimental meaning as it was the last gift my Mom got me before she passed away. She meant for it to help my business and make my life a little better.
hi,
that's about a canon ixus 2.1 megapixels(rather old).
for a week I have had a problem when I tried to turn it on , I often had to push the buton 2 or three times. but this morning after having shot something, I received the message saying that I had forgotten tu put the memory card in it , I then put it in but without turning the camera off. Afer that I got the famous message A18 and the lens staying almost completely inside the camera. At first, I thought doing that had spoiled the electrical stuff and there was no hope to fix it.
I was already looking after a new one at the mall.
back home I had a look on the internet and as I had nothing to lose I had a try , pulling the larger lens with a grip as I turn it on and fixed it at least for this time.Now it works perfectly well.... thanks to the forums
A couple of weeks ago someone here recommended camerasandparts.com to me to fix the lens error, restart camera error message on my Canon. I got it back earlier this week and it's great again. Wanted to recommend that site for those who have these lens errors. They were fantastic to work with. Mine was dropped on a hard surface which is how I got the lens error, it seems like they restored my camera back to new again.
Thank you so much! Tapping it on the usb side completely worked. This post saved me a lot of time and money.
had success smacking it on the rubber side in the palm of my hand, then starting with the camera laying flat lens side up and blowing into lens.
S2IS, e18 error, had camera since October 05. Handman husband is dimantling....what have i got to loose. Was a great camera. Tried all suggestions from site....Let you know how things go :-)
I read your post Gina. I don't know royalcameras or mcvr.com but I can tell you that camerasandparts.com is where most people go for these. They're pretty much the place to go if you have a canon powershot problem. I think I've heard of mcvr.com before but I'm not positive. As for royalcameras, I've definately never heard of that place. In all honesty, camerasandparts.com is a great place for these since they have so much experience with Canons, I think that's all they work on. I think they now include all the service for the camera too. Have a look on the site and look for your service deal for your model, it's likely up there. take care
My A60 gave me the E18 message today (Jan. 10/10). Figured it needed new batteries, so put them in. Still had the error message. Googled "A60" +"E18" and got to this site. Tried tapping the USB cover on my desk. SHIVER ME TIMBERS! It works like a charm! Thanks so much for posting these suggestions!
Just tried to used my SD770 camera, and there it was the infamous lens error message. Nothing is making it work. I dropped my camera about a month ago but only from about three feet and the camera had worked all this time until now, plus when it fell it was on carpet and not even a hard surface. I'm sending mine to get fixed because the camera was the best when it worked. I've heard the best places for these are royalcameras.com camerasandparts.com and mcvr.com Any suggestions, please let me know, thanks a lot
My Canon powershot SD1100 just did this today, Canon has a problem with these that they obviously don't want to admit. I think a class-action suit should be started. Mine will be off to www.CamerasAndParts.com since I had them repair an SD600 for me earlier last year, they got it perfect and that's been my backup camera. They said my last camera got the lens error from sand, that could be possible since I used to take it to the beacha lot. As for my SD1100, it hasn't been used at the beach so I know this one just broke by itself. I wish Canon would pay or recall these but they don't. The website I used to repair mine does great work, the school where I work sends cameras there for repair too and they really go above and beyond. No more Canons for me after this. Their cameras are good when they work but they clearly have a problem from the beginning. Somehow after the cameras are serviced, they don't get lens errors coming back. Hmmm, Canon maybe you have a problem with your product when it's manufactured, just a thought.
Left my Canon Ixus 400 with my 3 year old unattended and subsequently found it on the floor with the lens half extended. Managed to get the lens to retract but showed an E18 error. I tried the wack on the usb side but did not work. Then I tried wiggling the largest lens barrel while extended and presto, working camera! Thanks for the advice. My advice to anyone is don't give up on thier camera, they seem quite robust despite these foibles.
Hi E18-community ;o)
this happened to my S30, I've got second-hand in summer.
Thanks a lot for your tips. For my S30 your suggestion "3)...tap the padded USB cover part on a hard surface..." did work fine.
Add me to the list! My Powershot SD950 which is under two years old now has a lens error. I tried the stuff mentioned here and it's not helping, it seems like my lens is totally jammed. I had a friend who used www.camerasandparts.com earlier this year for a lens error, her camera came back working like new again. I'm sending mine to that site, no other choice as I can't make it work on my own. Canon should come forward and help with this problem. It's obviously a defect in their design.
I could not believe my eyes when I came across this site! Just back from my holiday - took lots of fabulous photo's without any problem whatsoever. After downloading my photo's onto my computer I put the memory card back into my camera (Canon Powershot SX100IS)to format the card. On switching the camera "on" i get this beep beep beep with a message on the screen saying :lens error,restart camera. Have tried some of the "fix-it" suggestions without success.
So frustrating - i love my camera !!
I have an SD880 IS. After a few months of trouble-free use, I had it in my pocket with something else (I forget what), and when I leaned over to pick up something, I heard a click. The camera stopped working, and gave the "lens error, restart" error. There was a tiny dent in the ring around the lens that may have happened at the same time, or may just have gone unnoticed before. With a vacation coming up, I decided to try to get it to work. I figured Canon would reject any warranty claim, since it was probably my own fault. The lens didn't seem to be displaced, but I did try gently pressing on the opposite side from the small dent, which did nothing. I then slipped my fingernail underneath an edge of the lens, and pulled while pressing the power button. After several failed tries, the lens barrel extended partially, but retracted almost immediately. A couple of more tries, and the lens extended and stayed out. I took a couple of pictures, then turned the camera off & back on. It acted completely normal, and has since (though it's only been a day).
Same here. S2IS, e18 error, taking xmas pics w/kids on xmas day. Best camera I've ever had until now.
While taking pictures of the kids on Christmas morning, I got the E18 error on my 3.5 yr old S2IS. Now the lens is fully extended and I can hear a click, click noise as it tries to right itself. Very frustrating. I didn't bang it or drop it. It was totally random.
I have a cannon PowerShot SX100 IS, purchased in June of 2008. I never even started using this camera until I had it for about 4 months and it worked fine for about the first 8 or 9 months. One day while out taking pictures of the family, I took the camera out and bingo! I get the "lens error, restart camera". Like most everyone else on this forum, the warranty was up and to ship the camera to Cannon for repairs would have run over $150. I had the camera sitting on a shelf for several months contempating writing Cannon a very nasty letter of the quality of their cameras when I decided to do a little web research on other modes of getting the camera repaired for a reasonable rate at least. I was surprised when reading that so many people have had the same problems with Cannon cameras. I have a Fuji Finepix camera that is at least 10 years old and has been dropped numerous times, yet still works perfectly. After reading the stories of people turing on the power button and tapping the camera with success, I decided to give it a try. The solution for me was to hit the power button and firmly tap around the lens housing in a circular motion. It took a few try's to get the lens to open, but each time I did the power button and tap, the lens would open more and more. Eventually the lens fully retracked and the camera is now working fine. So it would seem that something got jammed into the lens mechanism. I am amazed that Cannon is not offering more support since this problem plagues so many of their camera systems. You would think that they would change the contruction of their cameras since this problem is quite obviously a manufacturers defect. I wouldn't be surprised that all the people that send in their cameras to Cannon for expensive repairs, Cannon workers probably just tap the cameras and mail them back to the owners. Sounds like a nice money making scheme to me. Two things have come out of this experience for me. The first is that this website is an excellent resource and it saved me several hundred dollars in needless repair costs. Second, Cannon cameras are in my opinion inferior quality and I will never purchase or recommend another Cannon product. Thank you www.e18error.com, best of luck to Cannon camera owners, hopefully this website solves your camera problem. Please don't buy Cannon products ever again!
As everyone know, this problem really does suck when it happens. I have an SD900 that's doing this and I had an older camera that did this error years back. The two places that I know are good for help with these are www.camerasandparts.com or www.mcvr.com I'm furious because I needed my camera for this weekend trip. Oh well, that's life I guess.
I have had the Powershot S2IS for about four years. Everything has been great except today while taking pictures on my vacation to Germany, I got the E18. I didn't drop it or anything, it was totally random.
My Powershot A400 was disabled over the holiday season. Its been very reliable for over 2 years and tho its hardly state of the art now, i knew it as my own and saw no need to upgrade. A friend used it a week before Christmas to take a shot of me and her son. She pouched the camera without shutting it down and it was then dropped. I knew nothing of errors in it and found this site. Its working again thru a combination of tapping the real lower edge on a hard surface, GENTLY prying the lens barrel with a small, fine tipped screwdriver and new power cells. Lesson learned: always recover your cam right away when used by someone else to be sure it is shut down properly..
Hello!
So I have the IXUS 500, i was using it the other night and when a friend borrowed it, they opened the battery compartment and battery fell out with lens extended. After this i was getting the E18 message.
I read your instructions and to me it looked like the camera lens wasnt extending as far as it should have before so i switched the camera on, waited for it to extend as far as it would and pulled it a bit farther. The whole lens snapped back into place and now my camera is back in perfect working order!! Best day ever!!
THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE TIPS I GOT E18 MESSAGE & WITH YOUR HELP WAS ABLE TO FIX IT -HAPPY NEW YEAR
I JUST PUSHED GENTLY ON LENS IT SNAPPED BACK INTO PLACE WORKED 4 US
Malditas camaras
1º mensaje del año ^^
Yup. Happened to us New Years Eve. Sucks, but hopefully will be fixed.
I have a Canon Powershot S2IS camera for last 4 years now but recently it has started giving me E18 error. This error comes only when I am trying use to the zoom feature. The camera beeps a few times and then turns power off.
I have a Canon SD870IS and it just got a lens error for no reason. On New Years Eve too, I am so dissapointed. I tried doing the things here but none of them fixed mine, the front of my lens looks like it turned a little bit and I didn't even drop it. I'll end up having to get it fixed because I really like my camera. New Years with no pictures now, I'll have to borrow a camera because of this.
I have had my SD500 for 3 and a half years and everything worked great until Oct. when I got this notorious e18 error. It was actually awkward at that time since it happened during my vacation. It ended up that I bought a one-time shot camera and took 27 pictures only. (: When I got back from the vacation, I googled it and found this website. Quite a few people recommended CamerasAndParts.com, and I thought I’d give it a try. Honestly, I was a little bit worried about it since there were few negative comments somewhere else on the Internet. So I contacted the company and had a few emails back and forth with Christina at the customer service department. The impression I had with Christina was great, so I placed my order and sent out my camera on 12/1 and it was delivered to CamerasAndParts.com on 12/3. About a week later, it was shipped back to me on 12/15 and I got it before Christmas. It's like brand new and works great. As a matter of fact, the lens was replaced with a brand new one. It's a fabulous Christmas gift to me. During my experience with them, I worked with Christina at the customer service department and especially a service manager named Mike. Mike helped tremendously and followed up with me several times to make sure I can have the camera back for my Christmas use. I know it's hard to believe any online vendors these days especially when you send in your camera and money for a repair service. CamerasAndParts.com did a fantastic job for my case and I highly recommended the company to anyone.
E18-I have used this great camera for 4 years without a problem. Indoors, outdoors, well below freezing and super hot climates, never a problem. Then one day it failed to extend the lens, after another try it worked great, the a few more E18's, and not it will not extend at all, a few minor lens movements then E18. Seems like a like a gear failure in it's little transmission. Just bought a new Canon SX20, Hope I get better milage on this one.
Standing on the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina and suddenly E18 on my powershot s70! I had the same problem several times during the years, but this time I coudn't fix it anymore. You can imagine my frustration!
I'm from Hawaii and brought my S1IS on a visit to Chicago in December. While there I had my first E18 experience. It seemed to be related to the cold because it happened several times while I was shooting outdoors but would always (so far,knock on wood, I'm posting from Chicago) clear after a while indoors warming up. I guess the cold somehow affects the lens motor. Just adding another bit of data to the collective knowledge base.
Hi Miriam. I read your posting with the situation, you're not alone as it happens to a lot of us and yes it's an awful feeling when it happens. Go to: www.CamerasAndParts.com to get it fixed and serviced. They're hands down the best for help with these Canons. If you look at their Complete Service Deals, that's what you'd want, just get the one for a lens error and pick your model. There are a few other good places to fix it but for a Canon, that one is excellent. While I'm here, does anyone know where I can get an underwater case for a powershot for not too much, the original Canon Housing is way too much. If anyone knows of a good aftermarket brand, please share your knowledge, thank you
My Canon PowerShot SD1100 beeps 4 times then displays "lense error, restart camera". Then it went dead. The lense cannot retract back. It just out of warranty. What do I do now? HELP!
My Canon Powershot SD1200 broke over the holidays, it got dropped and the lens error is now there. A piece fell off the front part of the lens and it doesn't look like an easy thing I can put back on or even fix the stuck lens problem. I've been devastated as I just bought the camera and I really loved it. Can anyone recommend a good place to fix this? I would so much appreciate any advice. Thank you
In the middle of a photo session, my Canon PowerShot S60 jammed in the open position. Recharging the battery had no effect. The camera played its little arpeggio, then beeped six times, then displayed E18 and nothing else. Visiting Canon's troubleshooting webpage was no help at all. Finally, entering E18 as a Google search term brought me here. I tried steps 1 and 2, to no avail, but when I tapped the USB port on my desk, suddenly the camera was responsive once more. When--if--Canon responds tomorrow to my e-mail request, I shall tell them that you good folks fixed what their website should have but did not.
My G9 showed 'Lens Error, restart camera'. It would not restart. I fixed this with some fairly robust pushing and pulling of the lens until I was able to push it closed and the cover slid over. On restart it worked fine.
I have a Canon Powershot A95 and the E18 message appeared while I was taking photos. I tried several of your suggestions without any luck and then decided to try tapping the soft covered USB port on the counter. To my surprise it worked! Thanks for your help.
I have a Canon G7 that I had a lens error message on. I tried the tips and nothing worked for me. I wound up using www.camerasandparts.com to service and repair the camera. I received it back last week just in time for Christmas. It came back wonderful, they did an excellent job. The bad news is that yesterday on Christmas Day it got knocked off the table and landed right on the lens, the front of the lens dented and it says lens error again, ahhhhhh, I was so mad! My question is do you think their warranty will cover this or they'd make me pay again. I literally only had the camera for a couple of days before the accident happened, I know it's not their fault but I'm wondering if they may cover it. Any thoughts on this, they have great Customer Service so I'm hoping they'll cut me a break. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much. I pressed on the lens and wiggled it until it popped back into the correct track and now it is working again.
Really appreciate the advice.
E18 message on Canon Ixus. Wiggled lens back into place and now works fine. Brilliant thanks. Will teach my children to respect equipment!
Power Shot A70, E18 message after owning and using since March 2003 (paid over $400).
Read website hints, used air compressor - no help. Then rap to desk on usb port cover once and it worked. Thanks.
I have a Cannon SD960 S power shot camera, an eror appear that says lens error.
I tapped the camera a couple of times to the side and the camera started working again
Having just recharged the batteries for Christmas I found the E18 message and all the beeping and clicking symptoms people describe.
Some sharp taps on the hand of the USB port end while the lens was opening seem to have fixed it.
Thanks so much to all who shared this amazing remedy!
the lens is stuck in the "retracted" form on my sd200
We have two canon ixus cameras which both gave the e18 error signal within one week of each other. ?programmed obselescence?
I had an E18 error on my SD550. I tried the tips on this site and I ended up damaging something with my focus, not sure if I hit it too hard or what happened. I ended up sending it to www.camerasandparts.com and it just came back. Wow, my Canon is like new again :) What a deal that site has for help with these and they really know these Canon's well. If you try doing it yourself, don't hit it too hard as I got my lens to move but it messed up my focus. My camera's great again, I'm taking care of it now.
My lens was stuck just a little ways from fully retracted. It wouldn't go in or out. I tapped the camera firmly on the side, IT'S FIXED
This was really usefull. I own a Canon Digital IXUS 60. I knew there was grit in the lens from the sounds it was making before it stopped working alltogther. I simply baged it on the desk a few time on the USB cover side and its now works. Im off out to buy some compressed air to get the grit out totally. thanks
Totally wacked the lens and then pulled the lens out while turning the camera on and it worked! It sounded like I was breaking it further, but I didn't and it worked! Now it is time for xmas pics!
I have a Canon Powershot SD550. It is about 5/6 years old. Never a problem until today. The E18 message appeared. Could look at pictures but not open the lens. As per the awesome instuctions in this site, I "violently" and lovingly, of course, beat the lens on my camera and after about 15 tries, it opened and is fine! Phew....thank you fellow E18 peeps!
Thank you so much for the help. I totally fixed my camera thanks to your tips. I take really great care of my camera and was told it would cost me approximately $100 to fix as well as shipping and handling. Now I'm saving that money thanks to you. I needed it just 4 days before Christmas. Now I can take photos of my family when I'm home. Thanks again!!!
i have been using my Ixus 40 for four years. I never had such problem. Today I wanted to take some photos in the cold, when I got that e18 error. First I thought it is caused by the extreme cold, but thanks to this page, I am going to visit the "how to solve the problem" page.
I came to this site before because I have an SD870 Canon camera that had this lens error restart camera message on the screen. The lens looked stuck and actually twisted though I'm not really sure how it even happened. I ended up using camerasandparts.com for this. I just received it back yesterday and it came back amazing, it is totally perfect again and cleaned and serviced and all. That's a good place if you have one of these lens error problems.
We've owned a Canon S45 for about 6 years. It's never given us a problem, that I can recall. Last night, it started displaying the E18 error and the lens cover would not shut. I was fearful that we were going to finally have to retire our trusty point and shoot. Thankfully I found this site and was able to use fix our camera. In our case, I was able to tap the camera by it's UBS padded cover on and end table and now the error is remedied, at least for now. I'm very happy that it was this simple Thanks for your help!
I had Lens error message on my Canon G9 and I have sent for repair as it was still under the warranty and when they sent the camera back claiming that camera been fixed I switched on and still was Lense error...
I think its all in luck, damn Canon
Now I'm sending for repair again..
For a lens error problem, I'd have it serviced so I know it's working right. Try either CamerasAndParts.com or RoyalCamera.com or AdvanceCamera.com I know from some friends that all three of those sites are excellent. I've never actually used any of them but as a semi-pro photographer I talk to many friends and others in the forums and those three seem to be on top. Hopefully that will help, I wish everybody luck with this lens error hassle, I have an older camera that just started having this error.
I just "fixed" a Cannon A80 E18 by removing the ring around the lens, blowing on the lens and replacing the ring,
I have one of the original Digital IXUS cameras. A few days ago, camera started giving the E18 error after years of faultless performance. Camera would only boot up if I pressed ON button for 12 seconds or so. Lens would then extend but LCD screen stayed blank. After another 12-15 seconds camera would simply switch OFF, retracting the lens & showing "E18" at bottom left of LCD.
After some fiddling around I ended up swapping the compact flash card (32Mb) for the original 8Mb card which came with camera. Problem instantly went away. I found any other CF card would work perfectly, but camera refused to work with this 32Mb card, even after formatting.
Maybe a problem with number of writes to CF card? However pc and card-reader can still read/write to card perfectly.
I had E18 error and the lens was always left half out...
I did the twisting of the inner lense with some pressure when turning the camera on and EVENTUALLY it did the trick after hearing the click of the lense getting back into place.. I gave the side of the lense a blow too to clear the dust. Thanks! (However, the opening is a little unsmooth now but oh well! It's on it's last legs it seems)
Thank you to whoever suggested twisting the inner lens while powering on. My lens was stuck out with the same error message everyone else has. Took some muscle but worked!
Have an SX100IS, just out of warranty and has already been repaired twice under warranty. Just tried all of the suggestions here and got it working by getting my fingernail in behind the lens as I powered the camera on and helping to pull the lens forward. The lens then extended as normal and is working fine now.
The lens error has happened in the past with the camera in my pocket and in its case.
Hi Ernesto. About that vpatlanta place having your camera and sending it back still broken because you rushed them, I think that's crazy. They had it over two months and basically did nothing and then to give you that story is unacceptable. I'd be mad for sure. I need to get an S3IS repaired with an E18 error, do you know of any other place. I want it back as soon as possible but I'm aware it will take some time. There are some comments of people that used another shop and since it's been there for a few weeks, they freak out. I guess people think that when their camera arrives, the place stops everything and starts working on their camera right then and there. Some people are ridiculous and obviously have too much time on their hands. I found a site called UnitedCamera that looked pretty decent, I'm wondering if anyone here has dealt with them before? Please share you're experience if you have or if you can recommend another shop that's good. I'd like to get it off soon as I need it for an event on January 31st if possible. I'm thinking I still have enough time but I'm guessing Christmas will slow it down. A recommendation would be greatly appreciated.
Eva, I sent my camera to a place called www.vphotoatlanta.com and they had my SD700 Canon for over two months until I demanded it back. I got it back unrepaired and they didn't even return my money. They said I told them to return it back but they don't refund. Supposedly I was rushing them so they kept my money and said when I have more time to send it back and they'll fix it. I wouldn't do business there again ever.
After 4-5 years the E18 appeared, we've done nothing to harm the device. I just put it down on the desk to do something else. When I picked it up to start taking photos again, the E18 came up.
Grateful for the site being here as a guide.
As yet not fixed
I sent a camera to royalcameras.com for repair. Nine weeks have past and it's still not received back. They say it will be done soon but I keep hearing the same thing. Anyone here deal with them? If so, how long did it take. It's a powershot sd1000 if that makes any difference. Thank you for any help.
I saw that posting about camerasandparts.com camera repair site. I just came on here to share an experience I just had with them, my experience was actually excellent. My sons G7 powershot camera got dropped and it made the lens error problem come up. We used them and the camera came back really quick. I'd say it may have been with them for a week, maybe a day or two over. In my opinion that was good for a turnaround. Maybe I got lucky, I expected it to take longer but they were very quick for us. I'm sure problems come up from time to time but if I had another problem, I'd for sure go back to them based on how it worked out for me.
Check this out:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7593_102-0.html?threadID=363878
I had the E18 message for the first time today on my PowerShot SD550; after finding nothing at all in the camera user guide I Googled E18 and immediately came up with this site..... first remedy I used worked, gently tapping the USB cover on a hard surface a few times. A very useful site, I was prepared to go out and buy a new camera is mine is out of warrenty and I didn't want to hassle with lengthy and expensive repairs.
Hi, Bukie, I too used camerasandparts.com recently. I haven't got my camera back either after a few weeks. So I have the same concen as yours.
Hi, Burke, I too used camerasandparts.com recently. I haven't got my camera back either after a few weeks. So I have the same concen as yours.
I had a lens error message code on my SD1000. I sent it to www.camerasandparts.com and it worked out perfect. I just got it back fast and like new. If anyone needs help, they are great for these lens error problems.
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