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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.
My Powershot A460 has developed this error. The lens won't extend - there's no noise or grinding as others have described. I've tried all the fixes I've found but nothing has worked so far.
I have just fixed the E18 error on my Powershot A610. The problem with my camera was that the lens got stuck halfway out when switching the camera off. No amount of banging or coercing the lens in the camera would fix it, so I had to carefully take it apart! Now there are lots of little screws that hold the various facia's of the camera on, and suffice to say it took me an hour just to figure out how to expose the guts of the machine. But after my ingenious fix,(which i'll get to) I realised that you don't actually need to take all of the whole damn thing apart! What you need only to get to is the contacts on the base of the lens motor. The motor is situated on the right-hand side of the camera (when pointed at you) next to the lens body. Don't get confused with the flash capacitor which is situated on the right top of the camera (next to the flash bulb) I accidently touched the contacts of the capacitor with my screwdriver and got a BIG SHOCK! (but it didn't hurt it)
So if you've located the little lens motor on the right-hand side of the camera, all you then need is a 3 volt dc power source like a transformer, and poke carefully the positive and negative ends of the 3 volt transformer on to the contacts on the bottom of the lens motor and hold for a few seconds while the lens moves either fully out or fully in. Once its done this the camera should have cleared itself of whatever was jamming it.
This fix worked for me, but do so at your own risk, and a certain level of electrical repair competancy is required to be able to pull this off. But hey, if you're only going to bin it in any case it can't hurt to give it a go!
Oh, and once the lens motor has been freed you need to carefully re-assemble the camera, making sure all the screws go back where they belong.
Have fun! I didn't, the stress and the shock nearly killed me! BUT MY CAMERA LIVES ANOTHER DAY!
I have a Canon Powershot A80 which had an E18 error. Thanks to the information from users on this site, the camera is now working after giving it a good hard whack with the palm of my hand on USB side. I haven't been careful with the camera and it's been dropped and has probably gotten dirty, so it may not be completely fixed, but at least it takes photos now.
My Canon Powershot A95 worked great for about 3 years. For brief glimpses of time, I can still coax the camera to work but it is gradually, slowly dieing.
My E18 error is a little different from the descriptions I've been reading. Yes, when I turn the power on, the lens extends, there are several beeps, the lens attempts to retract, there is a clicking noise for several seconds, the E18 error shows on screen and the camera shuts down. On my Canon, the additional symptom is that the screen sometimes shows static before the camera shuts down. Often, the camera remains on and shoots pictures distorted by static. The distortions vary in intensity. The camera does sometimes recover as if it needed to warm up.
The best way to explain the degraded photo quality is to show some examples.
Light picture distortion:
http://nosepilot.com/PowerShotA95/Canon_E18error.JPG
Heavy picture distortion:
http://nosepilot.com/PowerShotA95/E18error_CanonPowerShotA95.JPG
Really pretty picture distortion:
http://nosepilot.com/PowerShotA95/CanonE18StaticImageDistortion.JPG
Over the last several months, the condition has been slowly getting worse.
It used to be that the camera would work properly in the manual or program setting of black and white.
I used to be able to warm up the camera by taking about 20 distorted photographs. Today I took over 100 photographs degraded by static. The camera recovered for about 5 photographs. It shot about 25 more degraded pictures then recovered for the last 40.
The Kodak I bought as replacement has it's own issues after several months of use. This must be the new way things work. Cameras can no longer be expected to work decades. They can no longer be expected to perform reliably.
I own the A 80 Powershot since years and are more or less happy with it. I was in Egypt last week when all of a sudden I got the E 18 error message. It was not in connection with sand or dirt but I was in a room this moment.
Got the E18 today on my S2 IS. Lens is stuck out and it makes a bunch of clicking sounds when I try to turn it on. After a few seconds, the clicking stops and the E18 appears. Not a big fan...and not sure what to do yet.
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate this site. I looked at the E18 Repair section and tapped my A80's USB covered part on my desk and to my surprise - it's ALL BETTER!!
Thanks much
Just encountered an E18 error. Has all of the "classic" symptoms. Just wanted to add mine.
Bukie, don't feel bad. I sent a camera to a place called cameraservicepro.com and they had it for over two months and it came back with a different problem, now they don't even want to back it up. I don't know that site you used for yours but it's probably a normal time frame for a repair, even more so since we're in the holiday time.
I have a Canon SD900 Digital that has this lens error. I can't believe how many others are going through this. Shame on Canon for not helping us with this problem. I tried the tips on this site but they did not work on mine. I guess I have a $500.00 paperweight if I can't get it repaired at a reasonable price. Good luck to everyone, this is very upsetting as I loved my camera :(
Hi Bukie. I too used www.camerasandparts.com for my Canon. Mine is an SD850IS that they fixed a lens error on. Mine got held for parts but it was only with them for under two weeks even with the hold for the parts. All in all, they did an amazing job, the camera came back like new. I had a friend who also used them for a power problem on another model, his was a bigger sized camera but I don't know the model of it. They only had his for a couple of days, he was shocked at how fast his came back. I'd say a few weeks is normal considering the fact that they're not only repairing it but they're doing all of the services on the camera too. I've heard stories that some shops can take months, I think camerasandparts.com is the best by far for these Canons. When you get it back, you'll be happy with their work, I would call them perfectionists on these Canons. As far as price with all of the services you get there and the warranty too, I think they're still the best deal by a mile. I'd definately use them again if I had another problem. If you ask for Andy, he's a Manager I spoke to and he can probably help speed it up. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll be happy in the end.
I've just tried switching on my new S90 and got "Lens error, restart camera" message. The camera is a little over a month old and I keep in my trouser pocket inside of the protective cover it was shipped in.
I sent my Canon G9 to CamerasAndParts.com to get a lens error repaired. They have had my camera for 4 weeks now. If you've ever used this company, how soon did they get it back to you? This seems to be a common problem and they are saying it's on hold for parts. I'm starting to think I'm getting ripped off. Has anyone had the same experience?
This message is a bit windy... I hope it helps someone. I have a PowerShot A95 (about 4-5 years). About 6 months ago there was a battery leakage problem (it corroded the battery contacts preventing the camera from powering up). I tried to scrape the contacts inside with a jewelers screwdriver to no avail). I bought a new camera. Last night I decided to try resurrecting the beast one more time. I partially dismantled the camera (eleven screws and some prying, pay attention to screw locations and length of each screw, write it down). I was able to pull the contacts (the bottom ones) out of the camera to clean and scrape the corrosion off. I then reassembled the camera. It powers up now! Unfortunately it displayed the E18 error code. I turned it on, the lens would come out a for few seconds, retract then E18 message, and turn off. I did this a few times and watched the lens barrel. The second ring would rotate counter clockwise as it was extending. So, as I turned on the camera I grabbed hold of the second ring and helped it turn ccw when extending, and clockwise when retracting. I did this a few times. Fin ally the lens clicked slightly and turned a few degrees more CCW. After this procedure the E18 error message went away and the camera works like it is supposed to, no more problems.
I purchased a Canon PowerShot A620 about 4 years ago. Up until about 2 months ago, the camera was working great. Then it started going through batteries like crazy. The next thing that happened was difficulty turning the camera on/off. The last problem before the camera died was I turned it on, heard a grating sound and the lens stuck open. MInd you, I have taken excellent care of this camera. Never dropped it, never exposed it to bad weather. I never got the "E18" error. It just quit working. To return it to Canon and have it repaired was going to cost $188 - half of what I paid for it. I tried all the recommendations to fix it. It is now sitting on my desk, in a pile. I'm so hopping mad at Canon right now. I will NEVER, EVER buy another Canon camera. The trust that I had for the company is gone.
Canon PowerShot SX110. Kept getting Lens Error. Tried taking a sharp knife and prying the lens loose. Eventually whacking it on the kitchen counter on the side where the USB cable inserts dislodged the stuck lens. It seems to be working fine now. I was prepared to ruin the camera when I whacked it. You have to hit it pretty hard.
Thanks so this site my cannon power shot a95 is working again. I did the hard tapping and imagine my surprise when it started to work again. I feel so cheated by cannon. I should of done my research prior to buying. Of course not exaggerating my camera started acting up within weeks of my extended warranty ending!
MY A470 HAS NOT BEING WORKIN FOR ABOUT A MONTH OR TWO, AND I KEEP GETTING THE LENS ERROR, RESTART CAMERA AND MY CAMERA DO NOT CONTAIN A RESTART BUTTONANY SUGGESTONS PLEASE?
I have an SD1200 and I had the problem with the lens error message. I tried smacking it and doing all of the remedies listed, no luck on mine. I used www.camerasandparts.com and they were great. I just got my Canon back and I'm happy to report it's just like new again. They serviced the whole camera and for everything included with the parts and shipping was $79. If anyone needs a hand with one of these errors, try that site. They just deal with powershot's and they are wonderful at that. I primarily spoke with Alex there but they all seemed to have excellent knowledge of these. Another good site I used in the past was united camera repair or something like that. They fixed a Nikon for me a while back but the better experience was definately camerasandparts.com I hope everyone gets through this problem, it was a real annoyance but I am very happy with it again. lots of luck :)
Fixed mine yesterday by smacking it against my dresser, lens side down. It had been broken for over a month and I got fed up with it - now it's working fine.
I got the freakin error message and now my lens is stuck out. I cant take any pics. This is horrible.
As I was reading posts about the E18 error, I was getting very discouraged... Then I came across the post which suggested to tap the camera on the counter. I kinda thought this was a joke, but I did it anyways, and I am still in shock, IT WORKS! Thank you so much for posting. I hope it helps others!
i have a power shot A1000IS.
i tried to push the lens inwards and it worked. but, when i tried to turn the camera on,the lens won't come out. and the camera says " lens error,restart camera". until then, i can't see any pictures in the camera.. i pressed all the buttons in the camera, but it couldn't work..Any help??
I smashed my powershot a70 on my desk and it totally worked! Who knew?
È ó ìåíÿ æ*ïà E18 ñ ixus 70 =/ Ïðîáóåì-ñ ÷èíèòü, ïðîáóåì-ñ...
I tried all of the options until I turned it on and twisted the larger lense at the same time and the problem was fixed. Thank you so much!
I have Canon PowerShot SX100 IS and the same error and nothing help. My lenss is inside. No drops or anything like this was happen! Sounds (from inside of lens) like something come out or gets lusse. Im thinking that my last help will be skrewdriver and i'll see what's going on inside.
After going sandboarding my Canon Powershot A40 would not turn on, and gave an E18 message.
I googled it, found this website, then tried the method of banging the camera on the rubber USB cover on the table gently a few times after pressing the on button. It made a slight grinding sound and gitteringly opened. Thanks!
I dropped my SD870 and broke the lens. From what I've been reading, this seems to be fixable. Can anyone tell me the best place to get this fixed. I called Canon and they seem much to expensive. Any advise? thanks
I bought Cannon's IXUS750 camera in Nov. 2006. It suffered E18 error in Dec. 2007, just out of the Warranty period!
I bagged it for more than two years. Last week, i took it to Cannon's official service shopi in Guangzhou,China. The workor's told me it would cost me at least 200RMB for solving the E18 error. I had leave the camera there and been waiting for the result.
OMG! I am soooo glad that I looked up help for the E18 error that I had on my Canon Powershot S30 camera and found this site. After reading other tricks that people have tried the gently whack with the hand on the side of the camera made my camera lens retract just fine and the camera work great again! This info is priceless. It saved me from throwing out the camera and going to buy a new one! Thank you thank you.
Hi Joe. I took your recommendation and just signed up for a repair service at www.camerasandparts.com I spoke to Shannon there earlier today and they really seem to know their stuff. I'm sending them a Powershot G9 that first had a lens error, restart camera error message. My husband was trying to fix the lens problem and now it has no power as it won't turn on. I've never dealt with them so hopefully they're as good as I've heard. After speaking with them today, I felt so confident it will be perfect. Thanks for the feedback Joe, by the way what kind of camera did you send them?
I went to Utah 11-13-09 on the way we stopped in Las Vegas. I had one too many drinks and dropped the camera from the table to the ground while it was on. I tried to turn it off and it went off but the lens wouldn't retract. I could view our pictures but I could not take any, even video. I get home and find this website. It was very helpful. I charged the battery, put the camera lens up on the desk, put a book on top turned it on and pushed down ever so lightly and it went down. I turned it off. Turned it on and it worked perfectly. Only issue i have now is that the lense cover is bent a little from where is hit the ground. Now when i turn it off it wont go completely flush because it gets caught on that cover. But i can run my finger nail around it and it will seat perfectly. Thank you for the info. I am way out of warranty and did not want to take it apart, upgrade, or have money to send it in/
...sorry the correct website is camerasandparts.com.
SOoooo happy I found cameraandparts.com. I am an amatuer photographer that recently became a victim of this dreaded problem. I tried all the home remedies but the problem only got worse. After reading the other postive reviews about cameraandparts.com, I decided to to give them a try (I had nothing else to lose). These guys know Canon cameras and so far my camera was returned like new.
Spotted E18 error message when camera stopped working, no longer under warranty so googled e18 error and found very helpful websites like this one!After a bit of gentle fiddling, lens finally retracted when I gave it a firm whack with palm of hand whilst pressing on button. Really pleased as have newborn baby photos of 6day old daughter on camera! Not a time for it to stop working!
If you're in the Atlanta area, go to vphotoatlanta.com they're not bad for repairs. If you're going to have to send it in, use camerasandparts.com for a Canon model, I'd say they're the best for these but you would have to send it in. There are a few more if you google for repair, all the best with it.
Don
My Digital IXUS 500 has been working great for over 5 years. howver, just as we were starting a hot ait ballon ride the lens does not retract. My wife gave it a slight push and now it doesn't extend when powered up. After 2 attempts to extend, 3 beeps we get the infamous E18 error message. I tired a few repairs that were suggested without much luck.
The directions worked beautifully on solving the Canon PowerShot A610's E18 problem. Thanks!
Hi Jim. I see you also had a great experience at CamerasAndParts.com I had a perfect experience with them too. My situation actually started off as a nightmare when I first sent my SD1000 to Houston Camera who kept it for over three months and did nothing. I demanded my camera back and it was returned still not working and in the same unopened bubble wrap I sent it to them in. I'd stay away from Houston Camera, they were terrible. I ended up getting it back and sending it to CamerasAndParts.com That site is the best for these problems on the Canons. Got my camera back in just over a week and it came back perfect, cleaned and working so perfect. I highly recommend that site as I see others here do too. Very trustworthy and honest people. I dealt with Shannon at that company and she was just terrific :)
I had the error that said lens error please restart camera. There are some places out there that can fix these and I had a very good experience with mine, no problems anymore. I found two sites, one was called www.camerasandparts.com and the other I found was www.royalcameras.com I chose www.camerasandparts.com through a recommendation. I spoke to Andy at camerasandparts.com and I was surprised to find out this is all they deal with, they really have incredible knowledge of these Canon Digitals. I also contacted Royal Cameras but I didn't get a response right away. When I called again, I spoke to a nice individual but I almost felt like I knew more about the problem than he did. They were a little more expensive and they just repair the broken part where camerasandparts.com actually installs the brand new original Canon part and it still comes out for less. My SD770 powershot ended up costing $79 for everything with the new lens and all the servicing for the camera and the shipping back to me. I'm sure Royal is also good but I picked camerasandparts.com since the parts where brand new and original and they really seemed to know there stuff on these Canon's, plus all the servive for the camera came included too. I hope this will be helpful if you need a hand with this error problem.
Powershot G9, two years old. As the lens was extending, I barely touched the side of it, slowing it down ever so slightly. I've tried all the tricks explained here, no can do. My first and last Canon after maybe 8 cameras, 4 digital ones. Never, EVER Canon again.
I purchased my Canon Powershot SD1100 in April 2008. I received the LENS ERROR message today (November 2, 2009) after taking a picture. It died for absolutely no reason and is only 18 months old! I'm livid. I'm on vacation and now I can't take sentimental pictures and I don't have the money to purchase a brand new camera...
Hi.
My camera has had NO problems for years (I purchased it in 2005 - as of time of writing its Oct. 2009)....and then today, when i was changing the battery, the shutter wouldn't close, and I got the stupid message! But now, it only lets me view pics...when i turn it off the lens stays out (noramlly pulls back and shuts off so it can fit in the camera case).
This made me $#@! angry...as I WAS PREVIOUSLY happy with my camera...but now it looks like I'll have to buy a new one (dunno if I'll purchase a Canon again)...
Anyway....that's all from me.
This is a great site, told me EXACTLY what I needed to know...
Peace,
-Al
PS A95 has worked great for years, now, nothing but E18.
We have a Power Shot S2 IS, it has recently started to get the E18 error and the lens does seem to be stuck.
My cannon power shot A95, has just started with the E18 problem, lens will not contract. I also had the black screen problem sometime ago but was repaired FOC by cannon even though it was out of warranty :)It's out of warranty so will have to try own repair for the E18 issue:(
Cannon A530 was dropped directly on the open lens, so I knew it was not sand or something stuck - so ruled out the tapping trick. When powering on/off, the lens did rotate out/in very very slightly. Since the impact was pushing it in abnormally, I decided I needed to get the lens back out fully, vs pushing it in even more. I took note of the direction of rotation of the ever so slight outward movement. Then I grabbed what little I could of the larger ring and powered it on and twisted the same direction - with enough force to "do something", but not to break it. I repeated this about 20 times, each time getting a little more lens out. Finally it just extended out all the way and continues to work after about 100 power cycles. Oh, and it still takes pictures. :)
I just fixed my Canon Powershot SD450 by following the tips on this web site. In my case, just simply rotating the larger and smaller lens sections VERY GENTLY fixed the problem - - the lens now retracts when the camera is shut off, and the camera is taking pictures fine again. THANKS SO MUCH
I have the E18 error with my Canon PowerShot SD400. My camera is not under warranty anymore. I will try to fix it myself following the explanations on this website. Thank you for this useful website.
I have owned my Canon SD1100 IS for less than four months now (purchased in July 09)before i came upon the lens error. I did not drop or shake the camera. I took a picture of my boyfriend, reviewed it, switched to shooting mode to take another one, and the error occurred. My Canon did not give the exact "E18: code, but after a little online research i have surmised that my "lens error" is the same as the E18 error. As most of the experiences also state, the CR reps at Canon refused to mail me a shipping label. Fortunately, the advice on this website was enough for me to fix my camera myself before having to deal with Cannon anymore, but who knows for how long this thing will work, since it has broken in only 3 months of use.
For a lens error, you can get it fixed for not much at all. Try either CamerasAndParts.com or UnitedCamera.com or AdvanceCamera.com I know those three sites are very good, I used CamerasAndParts.com because they are the only ones that I know give you a Brand New Original Canon Lens Assembly, not rebuilt and I had perfect results with them on another canon about a year back. They only work on canon powershot cameras and they include the service and they're still the best price, but either one of those three shops is good for these lens error's, good luck
Have the E18 "failure to launch" issue with my Canon S400. I'm going to check out the DIY answers before I go pay for repairs. Thanks to everyone for your feedback.
I have the canon powershot a560. Had my first lens error at 7 mos of ownership, sent it back still under one year warranty. 2 months later, same problem, $90 problem...I use a camera case 90% of the time. Very disappointed!
I have an CANON SD1000 and it has a lens retracting and power up issue. I was told to replace the battery and found a deal, 2 for $25. Got em today but it didn't solve the problem. Ironically a friend stopped by and said she has a CANON SD 900 and gave it to me to look at as I was interested in buying it. Lo and behold, it has a lens retracting and power up issue! It simply will not retracxt the lens and powers up for a few seconds before it rudely terminates itself. If there is a quick fix, will someone please tell me. If not, I will never buy another CANON product.
I had ours looked after at camerasandparts.com great experience, they installed the new lens and serviced up our canon completely. Try that site if you have an E18 error, that site will solve your problem. good luck
I too have felt the wrath of the E18 error. Lense comes out on turning on but displays the error. Won't retract back into the base. Thanks Canon. I've told everyone I know about it and now people with a canon camera are worried it will happen to them.
PowerShot S2IS. Camera is several years old and has had moderate use. Lens sticks in position, mostly extended, motor chatters for a while and then displays E18 and shuts down. Sometimes lens will move. Unrelated to type of battery used (new, old, rechargeable NIMH, alkaline or lithium primary). Disassembled and cleaned mechanism, gears of light contamination, no change in behavior. Cleaned motor speed/position sensor and wheel and all gears. Still no change in behavior. Camera takes good pictures but lens is sticking on operation of zoom as well, making camera more trouble than it's worth, mostly inoperable.
I have had a Powershot A470 for about 4 years, it has put up with being dropped (the top of the case is bent above the flash and viewfinder) and with being exposed to sand - I accidentally dropped the case on a beach, and never quite got all of the sand out.
Yesterday, however, out of the blue I got the E18 error. I looked at this site, and tried pressing on the lens lightly, then twisting it lightly (it was stuck part extended and making awful noises) and hey, now it's working great!
I don't believe this is a design flaw in canon cameras. I use Nikon DSLRs for wedding work, so I don't consider myself a Canon fan, but I've had a similar problem with a Nikon Coolpix 2100 digicam in the past, which I fixed by totally disassembling the camera and taking a bit of sand out of the gears. I had no idea how it got there in that case.
I think this happens to all makes of camera. Canon have just suffered from having an error code that applies to a range of causes which has led to people thinking it's the same problem.
If you want a reliable camera, don't buy a compact camera. By nature of their small size and cheap price, they are not engineered to the same standards of robustness that people seem to expect. They aren't sealed and dirt will eventually get in and cause problems. Buy a waterproof camera if you want to avoid this.
Same here for me. Less than 2 years old and now beeping, won't contract. Canon wants $200 to fix it and it cost $350 when purchased new. They will still not admit that they have a problem. Won't be buying another Canon again.
After 45000th exposure of my Canon S2 IS camera, the E18 error appears once a week.
E18 followed by shutoff on both shoot and playback mode. no lens movement, only the sound as internal motor tries to engage. have been very careful with it. but camera is now reduced to status of paperweight. a very expensive paperweight. nobody has a use for paperweights.
I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS. I got this E18 error message once when using the telephoto lens attachment. I did not drop or mistreat the camera at all. It was still under warranty, so I was able to send it back for repair. However, that was about one year ago and I had the error message come up again. I tried several of the methods listed here since I had nothing to lose and the mehod of actually pushing the lens seemed to work(for now anyway). Too bad Canon won't stand behind this issue. I like their optical products, but am leery about buying another camera from them now.
We had an E18 error as well on our Canon. We went to www.camerasandparts.com and had it repaired. We just got it back and it's perfect now. They installed a brand new original canon optical unit and totally serviced the camera. They even did the firmware update and everything including shipping was just $79. An awesome deal, amazing place to deal with. Just thought I'd recommend them if anyone needs help. They only deal with Canon Powershot's, no other brands. Those people really know their stuff.
Yep, happened to me. I have a PowerShot S50 that's about 6 years old. Stumbled across this site trying to fix it. Let's see how it goes....
Thanks for your great advice! Pushing down on the lense worked for me! I heard the "click" and my A70 is as good as new. Almost tossed it but now I have a great spare!
We had an expensive cannon camera that got inflicted with the E18 error. We followed all online guides on fixing it yourself, but nothing worked. We made the mistake of buying another Cannon and that one has died just barely past its one year warranty. It just won't turn on. We won't be buying another Cannon ever again. I really miss those 35 mm cameras, great quality, camera's last forever and the quality is great. Technology isn't always great after all.
Hello. I recently had the same problem. The "Lens Error, Restart Camera" Message is generally caused by an issue within the Lens Assembly / Optical Unit of the camera. The camera will require repair but not to worry as it's pretty painless. Just don't smack / hit the camera as many people say to do, that often causes further issues and can throw off the focus in the optical unit as well. Some shops will try to repair the existing lens in the camera and others will either install a used lens assembly or even a cheaper rebuilt part, I'd recommend staying as far away from a fix like that as possible. The best way to take care of this is to simply replace the Complete Lens Assembly with the Brand New Genuine Canon Part! This will completely get everything looked after and the camera will perform like new again! The website that Specializes in these Canon Digital Cameras is www.CamerasAndParts.com That is the only placed I'd get this looked after! I was so pleased with their work, and I know you will be too! For $79, they'll install the Brand New Genuine Canon Lens Assembly, plus they completely service up the camera as well. Return Priority Shipping is even included in the cost! If you use the link below, that will get you to the right place:
http://www.camerasandparts.com/coleerrese.html
During Checkout, use Promo Code: SAVE10NOW for an Instant $10.00 Off which is what makes the total only $79
I have error E18 - my camera goes black, flashes the E18 message, beeps, and then shuts off. This camera takes great pictures so this really stinks.
My teenage daughter was on a school trip to France and one of the sightsee was to the famous cabaret show in the Moulin Rouge in Paris. As no photography was allowed, they kept her Canon Ixus and upon return at end of show, the staff return but it fell to the ground. th eteacher who is pretty good in all cameras, having been on several school trips and handlong all sorts of camera situations, could not figure out the error and a panic phone call in the middle of the night to Melbourne in Australia did not help. Anywa, upon return, I saw the E18 error and a search on google revealed your site. I thought it is impossible to get a fix on digital cameras. anyway, treid all your options 1,2 and 3 but no luck. so last resort, option 4, pressed hard and heard the click and the lens in place. Voila, it worked and told my daughter who was suitably impressed with dad's maverick skill...but real thanks to your website and the simple and clear instructions. No need to harrassed Canon staff at all and I am a real happy camper, now.
Thank you for the helpful info. I checked the camera manual and of course no mention of an E18 error. I have had my power shot E80 camera for 5 years and have had no problems till this error. I was amazed that a little can of compressed air solved the issue. Thank you!!!! We are heading away in a couple of days and I was not looking forward to having to purchase a new camera.
I use to work at Canon and let me tell you a few things to help understand how things work. The Support folks are actually pretty nice people. They try to help as best they can. However, there is only so much they can do. If the camera is broken. Their ONLY option is to have you send it in for repair. I read the long story about the guy who talked to everyone about a refund. It was very entertaining. You need to understand that Canon makes a profit on the camera ONE TIME (when they sell it to the retailer). After that there is no money to be made. Not like a printer with ink. The camera division of Canon is very strict about refunds. The printer division is more flexible. The Camera division makes all the decisions about exchanges and refunds. The Support Center and Corporate Customer Relations (who work for the President of Canon) take the recomondations (mandates) from the Camera Division. Almost always will Canon turn down a refund request for a camera. Believe it or not the same is true with most all the cameras you will find from Nikon, HP and everyone else. My recommendation is to READ THE WARRANTY! You would be amazed how many people "feel" like they should get this or that. I would always refer back to the warranty. That is a legal and binding document. They are required "by law" to stand behind the warranty. Yes, it would be great if dealers went above and beyond the limits of the warranty. Sadly, most do not. If we ran businesses by how we fell, many more would fail. Someone needs to make rational decisions and those are the businesses who are successful. I may not work for the comany any longer but I am still a fan of Canon products. I have a Canon printer and scanner and digital camera I have had for 10 years now and they work great! Yes, I would love a new camera. When I am ready to replace any of these items I will consider Canon first, while looking at the others (LOL).
Thank you for the wonderful right up ..on how to fix the problem.
it worked ..i had to be a lot rougher with it to finally get it to work ..i tried the rapping on the table on the usb bit last...and bingo ..it now operates.
the lens was stuck in on this one.
it was a good find ...someone had chucked it away :)..their loss..my gain.
all the best.markj
I also have had my canon (sd900) and received my first lens error message. This camera is awesome. I tried taking the battery out, and well as the camera card to no avail. It did not work. I have taken great care of my camera over the 3 years that I've had it (special case, etc.)
Powershot A470. Bought it as an emergency camera (my xti failed!), and it lasted 4 days until I got the "lens error" message.
My Powershot A610 had a lifetime of ~17000 exposures, when it occured. Lens locked in extended position. After extensively (but gently) smacking, pushing, twisting it, it moved back to closed position and locked again.
Since I didn't want to access the CANON support, I decided to open the CAM and do it myself, using the Russian picture guide "http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/gdtster/album/25644/" as a reference. Dissassembling the components went well, disconnecting the cables was a bit tricky in some cases.
But: I did not open the "Black Tube", the optical unit, completely. Just opened the 4 screws and smacked and jogged the inner parts a bit, then closing it again. Reassembling the gearbox was a pain. Before reassembling the components, I applied a low voltage (~ half battery voltage) to the Zoom-motor to make sure it was moving again, and to reache the extended position needed to remount the optical finder.
Reassembling the components and the case was no problem. At the end, the camera was back at live ... Puuhhh !!!
Here are some tips:
- preserve the screws on sketches or pictures so that you will remember the location of each single screw
- Flash capacitor has High Voltage - discharge with 1K Resistor!
- Be gentle with flat cable connectors, some of them have a flap to unlock
Helo
I have a question:
-does anybody know, where can I buy lens gear for IXUS 50 (without lens)? Thx
Canon Digital Ixus 750, couple years old never any problems. My daughter dropped it from about a foot or two up onto a carpeted floor with the lens extended. Tried all the suggested fixes, still getting the E18 error :-(
Powershot A 560 and the same problem. Perhaps it may helps somebody in Germany if I mentioned the German text: Objektivfehler: Kamerastart.
Thanks for your support.
I have a Canon S30 and the E18 error occurred when the lens was out and the camera powered off because of a dead battery
I have a S50 which I've had for 5 years with no problems. The E18 solution of gently pushing down the lens worked great! Thanks
I just bought a A80 in ebay as broken. It had the Famos E18 failure ... HAD ... with this superbe webside I decided to try the bumping fix and IT WORKED!!! Wow! That was really an easy fix :o) Thanks for this summery of good infos!
Had the problem with my Powershot A75, followed the advice on this site, cleaned around the lens housing with compressed air and it worked immediately. Thanks!
It doesn't work on my Canon Powershot A75!!! I tried your methods and they don't work. I took of the big lens cover thing and turned the big lens around and it fixed the problem for awhile until the E18 pops up again when I turn it off or put the big lens cover again.
Afflicted camera is a PowerShot S2 IS. Bought new short while after they came out. Worked great for me until about a month or so ago. I have treated this camera like gold and never hit it against anything. Of course the wife uses it to take some baby pics and the next time I go to use it it starts to exhibit problems. Took a while for the E18 error to actually show up though. Soon after, viewfinder went black and camera would not respond. Googled and found some remedies. What initially worked was setting the camera to "TV" and popping the battery cover just after pressing the shutter button. This was rather hit and miss and would not last more than one picture and that would be dark and blurry. Tried the compressed air with no luck and finally resorted to striking the camera body against a hard surface. Surprise, surprise! It worked! I had to hit the camera on either side a couple times to finally get everything to clear up. I could actually see the view finder getting brighter and brighter and soon the little bit of half moon that was showing in the bottom of the viewfinder went away. Seems to have fixed the problem to about 95 percent of normal and I am happy again. Was not looking forward to paying someone to repair and did not want to scrap the camera to buy another camera. I am not holding this against Canon as the camera worked great for about 4 years and like I mentioned earlier, I do believe the wife did something to it and did not tell me.
Works like a charm! This is my kids camera and I'm keeping it going for them. You folks rock!
Had the E18 error. Followed the advice and ... success !!
Thanks !!
I got the E18 error while taking photos at the Castle in the Clouds in Moultonboro, NH. I stopped using the camera and found this website when I got home. I tried the steps on the repair page (batteries out, tap, blow out lens area) and now it works.
The camera has served me long and well, and I am not yet ready to put it out to pasture - thanks for providing this website!
had the e18 error...used the compressed air cleaning fix described and it works now. The lens does not retract all the way but if I assist it a little it works just fine.
I use S2 IS. I have the same E18 symtom as other people in normal operation. I bought it in 2005 and E18 happened in 2007. The lens can't work since then. After 4 months suffer with missing my important journey memory, I saved it back one night, and it survives until now. Because of warrenty, the way I revived S2 IS was:
1. Turn on the camera in shot mode and it will sruggle with noise.
2. Flip it up side down, make the bottom of camera upward.
3. Use fist to knock downward the bottom of the camera with "quick and deep" force. Increase the force carefully to minium the possible damage to the camera.
It revived at my fifth hit and retreat its lens. I guess the key track of lens is at the bottom side and it may get stuck when I zoom the lens in certain angle.
Last week, my S2 IS shutter can't close automatically any more, and all the pictures are over-exposured and white. Even in the dark place, the pictures also have horizontal white stripe. I think it may be enough for it to serve me 2005~2009.
Digital Ixus 55. Great camera, annoying error. Showed up from one moment to the next without any exterior conditions that would justify a lens block.
I have a Canon PowerShot S1 IS and it gives a E18 error very often. It only happens if I use the zoom; never as I only start the camera and make pictures without the zoom function.
Never worked in very dirty circumstances, but I have made (or at least tried) pictures in nature.
My next camera will of course not be a Canon.
CANON IXUS 500 FAIL
E18 error message. Lens is closed and will not open. Cant recall that anything out of the ordinary has happend to the camera.
I have an A70 bought in 2002.
After a year , I started to have an occasional E18 and the CCD error. By 2005, I found out by chance that Canon would repaired for free and indeed that's what happened when I contacted . I sent out the camera and came back repaired. The E18 error disappear and the blurriness in the images was gone. however, it didn't last very long and the camera started to have problems in situations where required a lot of focus adjustment and pics would come out in many instances out of focus and/under/over exposed. Occasionally, vertical lines would show up. I found that by squeezing the cammera at the time of focusing would remove the problem and the camera would take a normal pic. Now (Sept/09) the cammera started to give the E18 error again. I tried taking in and out the batteries and it didn't work. Then I hit the camera on the side where connection of the computer is and it did work. IT is working normally for now.
I am planning to by a new cammera and it will not be a Canon.
When turning my Canon A80 on, the lens moved out as usual, then it immediately retracted, beeping and displaying the E18. Thanks to the good advices on these excellent pages, the error disappeared after a few light strokes in the table, hitting the USB rubber pad.
My Ixus 860 started complaining about a "Lens error" a couple of days ago. I tried the commonly suggested fixes to no avail then guessed that the high-pitched mechanical noise might be related to the shutter that closes over the lens, not the gears that move the lens in and out of the body. I flicked my finger several times against the front surround of the lens, tried powering on again, and the camera started working fine again. I hope this experience helps others!
About a year ago my Powershot A620 started to make a grinding gear noise when I would zoom the lens in and out, sometimes resulting in the E18 error. This problem has only gotten worse.
The Canon site has estimated repairs @ $89. Since this is a well known issue and Canon won't take responsibility, I don't think I'll be buying another canon.
I have a Canon Powershot SD30 - Digital ELPH. I've had it for many years and kept it in great condition and just got the E18 error.
Had my camera for 2 years, E18 error, on vacation and terribly disappointed
Believe it or not, but with my Ixus v² I was able to fix the E18 error for the second time - after having had the same trouble 2 years ago - with the "banging nonsense" ;)
Due to my experiences, you have to bang it with the plastic leash on the left side on a book. Might work for you too...
Good luck!
I am having the same issue Black screen with error message and lens jumps up and down
The Lens Error started with my camera, a AS590 just 14 months old. Never had a problem like this with any camera. It was in a clean case, no sand or dirt possible.
Tengo este error en mi powershot s2is, empezó alentizandose el zoom y luego murió!
I'm having this problem with my powershot s2is...it started with a delay on the zoom...and now it's dead.
Ich habe seit heute das gleiche Problem. Fehlermeldung e18. Dabei habe ich die Kamera immer in einer Tasche gehabt und sie wirklich gut behandelt. Kamera: Powershot A95
I've had my A75 for a few years and kept it in the case and clean at all times. Today in Amsterdam while at Rembrandt's House I got the E18 code. It's happened before; always at the most inopportune times. Last time in Venice! I gently push the lens back in but it is hit and miss. Guess at this point, if I break it - oh, well. I am very disappointed in quality of this camera which originally sold at Costco for about $300. If I still lived in the states I'd take it back there. They are pretty good about returns and keep track of purchases in their computer system.
i just received this E18 message as well and I had this camera since 2005 in which I took excellent care of it.
My SD500 (5yrs old) started showing the E18 recently and recent photos have been out of focus,
tried taping and twisting but now the lens is stuck and the motor whirring!
Oh dear, oh dear, i feel a new camera may be calling. Now how about a digital SLR this time......?
I had a E18 error on my Ixus 80 IS ("Lens error, restart camera"). The camera was still under warranty, but Canon refused to repair for free because they found "traces of sand" in the camera. Canon let me 3 options: 1) Let repair the camera at my own costs (132 EUR) 2) Get the camera shipped back unrepaired for 40 EUR or 3) Let Canon kindly throw away the camera for free (!). I chose the second option and started dismanteling the camera. After having removed all possible screws without success, I found this link from Gadget on e18error.com: http://treasure.perjantai.net/~gadget/ixus/en.php, and realized I had missed the hole with the motor axle. So I rotated the axle as indicated by Gadget and assembled the camera. Now the camera is working again, so thanks Gadget and thanks e18error.com!
RE:Powershot A95. The fisrts one was trouble-free for several years but it was lost to a thief. Bought a used one from E-bay. Worked well for 1 year then the lens jammed. I tried everything short of disassembly so far. This one is totally dead. No response at all to power button.
I had the E18 lens error on my Canon Ixus 70 after going to the beach. I tried all tips (compressed air, tapping on USB side, etc.) but nothing worked. Then I decided to dismantle the camera to find the problem. I bought some mini screw drivers and opened the camera. After spending several hours, I found the problem was inside the lens, it was full of sand. I removed all sand grains in the cog wheels and in the lens and gently assembled the camera in reverse order. Camera is now fully operational again and everything is working perfectly.
If none of the described tips work, try the above. It's worth the try. You don't have to be an expert (I am neither). All you need is a set of mini screw drivers, enough light and a lot of patience :-)!
Digital IXUS 60 with a "Lens Error, restart camera" problem. (Same as an E18 error) I was able to partly dismantle the camera and free up the cogs in the gearbox (full of sand). Thanks for giving the tips and ideas!
I had received the E18 message a couple of times on my Canon S30 Powershot. The other times I charged the battery to full and it worked again. Today after about 30 photos, the camera just quit working and nothing helped. I read posts on this board and tried forcing the lens by turning to the right and pushing--did not work. I then followed the tip of tapping the padded end on my end table and it worked like a charm.
I have an ixus 85IS. Six month old, under guarantee. Lense froze extended and lense error message, black screen. Off to Canon repairer, refused repair 'sand in camera'. There is sand, they sent a pic, but useage was normal, and my 5yr old olympus still works fine and had much more use. Quoted £85 to repair. Contact Canon again, say repairer decision final. Crap. can't believe after all the rave reviews.
Thank you so much for your web-site that helped me repair my Canon PowerShot A520. I had dropped it with lens extended and got an E18 msg with lens stuck partway open. I tried the suggestions, but the one that worked for me was gently pressing on the lens on the side with the widest gap and the lens popped back in place. The camera works and that's what I'm grateful for.
Not sure if its E18 or not. I was at a wedding on 8/15. In the chapel taking photos when the LCD screen went to plaid(scrambled in all colors) and then the camera just shut off. It now will not go back on and the lens is stuck out fully extended. I changed the batteries, SD card, tried everything....nothing...it won't even turn on. Its a Powershot S5IS. Any help?
I got an Ixus i and after 3 1/2 years it went nuts. First, the menu buttons started to malfunction. When I press it, it runs by itself. And secondly, the E18 error. This one was the horror of all horrors! My husband kept teasing me that I made the wrong choice and it's time for me to buy a new digicam. Yup, I will buy a new one but not a Canon brand, ok.
My lens is stuck out in the error 18.
pisses me off. I haven't dropped it or been in sand. I keep it in a camera bag and don't use it that often.
Well I had the same problem with my SD 550 I tried to fix it with these instructions and it got worse so I went out and got a new camera and it is not a cannon and will probably not buy another, got the casio instead. Cannon is going to loose some good customers with this crap.
I have an A60, and the following method worked fine:
>>>Another method is to tap the padded USB cover part on a hard surface, for example, a desk. It sounds so simple, but very often in works.
<<<
I stumbled across this site and I think I can help many with this issue. First off, don't hit the unit. I did that on an SD500 and it did start working but it totally threw the focus off on the lens. I later found a site that warned about that issue. I had two cameras with the E18 error, I sent them to www.camerasandparts.com and they totally took care of them. Both cameras got Brand New Lenses and completely serviced up. I kid you not, they came back literally like new! All that site specializes in are these Powershots, here's the link and I'll list a coupon below that I used: http://www.camerasandparts.com/coleerrese.html
There's an Instant Coupon Code for $10.00 Off! The coupon was to have expired but it's still working as of today. During the checkout, enter promo code: save10now and that will do it. You get a Brand New lens installed and the camera gets totally serviced too. They told me they have a system where they connect the camera to and it adjusts the unit to exact canon spec, mine are both unbelievable amazing now, they perform amazing. Hopefully that helps, if anyone has questions please feel free to email me at: bigday7@live.com I originally got referred to that site from a guy who runs a tech department for a college. He swears by them, they are really the best answer for these powershots, good luck
i tried tapping the side thn the lens started moving and the screen was all blue with a few lines
No abuse or dirt - just stopped after one picture after years of use.
Ixus 700, tres años, bienvenido e18.
CANNON SD1000...awesome camera...had it for over 2 years...out of warranty and now the lens error that I googled and found out that it is a very common issue with the CANNON....never again will I ever buy a cannon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing! I tapped the padded side of the cover once and the lens moved a little. After pushing the lens in, shutting it and trying to reopen - it worked! Thank you!
This was a suggestion posted on the website.
Same E18 killed me and the reason was vapor I guess went inside. So I used hairdryer and vacuum on sides of the lens drum. It did not work for long time I keep turn on and off finally it worked. Keep On and OFF when you force the dry hair inside + use vacuum either it evaporates or dust sucked out.
i came across your site while looking for camera "out-of-focus" fix problems or something like that on google..Great site/blog you have and i thank you for helping me solve the problem: i put my Canon A430 on its back with the lens extented and then powered off so as to retract lens while i thumb pressured the lens down until a click was heard - tested & fixed!!
Oh thank you! I just fiddled with the lens and pulled it and it did click (thought I broke it, actually!) and IT WORKS! Such a huge relief because it is NOT in the budget to buy a new camera and I really like this one! Note to self: Don't Let Kids Drop The Camera Anymore!
my canon digital ixus 5oo showed the E18 error when i was on holiday. i must admit that the error might have occured due to sand, because i was on the beach a few time where i used my camera.
My Canon Powershot S2 IS is experiencing the E18 notification as described in this website. I have just contacted Canon via email and am hopeful to receive quick and satisfactory response. I also have a Canon Digital Camcorder and several years had a problem with that camera. Canon quickly repaired the camera and even paid for shiping so at this time I have respect for the Canon company. We'll see if they come through.
I have a Powershot A620, purchased Nov. '05. It's been banged up a couple of times before (I carry it in my bike jersey while mountain biking), but this time the front cover plate popped loose from the top plate. When turned on the lens made more clicking sounds than normal, and the screen stayed dark, except for "E18". I turned it on and off a few times, and found that if I pinched the body more or less into place, it would work some of the time.
I just now completed a partial teardown, and was able to refit all the body parts back to their normal positions,...and it works like a champ!
I love this little camera!
ps I'm on image # 13471.
I tried twisting the large part many times, but the only thing i hear is a jamming noise.
My Canon S2 IS stops with the lens blocked off while saving a video, appeared error 18 and now when turns on the lens go ahead and back, very fast, moving aprox. 1mm and after 15s stops giving the error message 18, the restart of each cycle it moves to 1 mm front, i can still watch the videos and see the photos, disassemble the camera, removed the gears and motor in the lens is working like a laundry machine fast and is going the same way that the gear in place.
Minha canon S2 IS travou com as lentes para fora enquanto gravava um vídeo, apareceu erro 18 e agora, quando ligo a lente fica em um rápido vai e vem e pára dando a mensagem erro 18,a cada reinicio desse ciclo ela avança 1 milímetro a frente, i still can watch videos and see the the photos, desmontei a câmera, liguei se as engrenagens, e o motor da lente fica nesse vai e vem rápido do mesmo jeito que com a engrenagem no lugar
thanks - got the error and forcing it shut actually worked. Bet that isn't in the manual
I purchased a Powershot A1000IS in December 2008.
It's worked great until today. This morning i took a 1.5 min video, put the camera down/turned it off. Then an hour later I wanted to take another shot.
I got the 'Lens Error. restart camera' message
How can 'sand' or 'something' obstruct a lens within an hour of me using it, in the exact same environment. I take prestigious care of my gadgets.
This is unacceptable Canon.
E18 on the A75. Either tapping or blowing air from CPAP solved the problem. Thanks
Thanks guys brilliant site I have a cannon Powershot SD1000 Digital Elph. Had a 'lens error turn off and power on again'.The lens had stuck in the open position. Tried all your tips, turning the large part nearest the body cleared the problem after a few clicks. Great help guys saved me a lot of hassle. Thank you.
I just tapped the camera on my desk on the USB end couple of times and it worked.
I think its the dust!
This tip helped me:
>>>Another method is to tap the padded USB cover part on a hard surface, for example, a desk. It sounds so simple, but very often in works.
<<<
Bought a Canon PowerShot A95 and used it for a year and now won't work because of E18 error. Will not buy Canon again.
Hi i got a very starange experience.. i am getting very blurred images on zooming and when i did 100% zooming the camera shut down without closing the lenses. it also shows the E18 error on screen
I just would like to say this morning I just simply turned my canon sd790 and I must have turned it on and off to fast the lens stopped half way to close and I tried to turn it off but to no avail I received the same error message.. so I most of your posts and what worked was the Force lens method which is turning the lens to the right while pushing it inwards with a bit of force Only do the pushing and turning like 3 times and dont push the lens all the way in wait a min and turn the camera on again and poof the error no more .. thank you guys for saving my camera and mostly still believing in canon to be a good brand
A40. Bought it in December 2002. Worked fine for 6.5 years (probably 15,000+ pictures) ! E18 in July 2009. Took 30 pictures on July, 28th, then, the next day, when turning it on, the lens wouldn´t come out, throwing an E18 !
Canon 2s Is not abused. Worked well for 2.5 years.Camera turned on Suddenly lens extends shutter freezes up. Internet suggested solutions unsuccessful. Contacted Canon ...would not fix for free.
A75. e18 on 2nd day of 10-day backpacking trip. No photos for 9 days in one of Earth's most spectacular places. Thanks Canon.
I started getting the E18 error message off and on the one day I was at Machu Picchu. Nice timing! The camera (Powershot A510) would work every few tries. By the time I got home, I kept getting the E18 error. Found this site and tried tapping the camera firmly on the rubber USB cap. It worked!
Tapping worked! Lens extinsion and retraction a little crunchy sounding (grit,sand)but so far so good.
We were using our camera out in the Nevada desert and got the E18. Now working to fix the problem.
My Canan A570 just died today. All I did was turn the power on,it take one shot..then the lens froze.
Its never been dropped or abused...tryed all of the suggestions to fixing it.. nothing works.Warranty is up too. I guess you're lucky if you can get more than a year out of something these days!
i have had my canon powershot i2is for just over 3 yrs and had no problem very trustworthy until today e 18 came up and lens is stuck . I would like to think I could buy another Canon camera but wary now.
I've had my Cannon A80 for over 5 years and it's never given me any problems until recently when I got the E18 message. After checking the manual and seeing my only option was to take it to be repaired, I decided to check out the web. Thank you for your wisdom. All it took was a tap on the USB cover and it works like new. I'm off to Hawaii next week so I'll take the entire list of fixes with me just in case.
I had an Ixus 70 for about 13 months. Got a 'lens error' message when on vacation. None of the 'fixing methods' worked. Took it apart but couldn't get past the lens mounting screws which are 000 size and very tight.
My Canon A70 was giving me the E18 error for the last year or so. I replaced it but recently decided to check it out. After monkeying around awhile, the display screen went out, so I sent it in and Lo and Behold, Canon sent it back fully functioning for no charge!
Nothing worked on my Canon Digital Ixus 80 IS, so i had to open and inspect it. Here is the fix with pictures:
http://treasure.perjantai.net/~gadget/ixus/en.php
Do exactly what everyone else did. I was persistant and repeated all the steps mentioned by the many others. I thank them for their ideas and was very persistant. It saved me $100 (just a quote for repair) and possible saved me from buying another expensive camera. Good Luck just repeat the steps mentioned.
My Canon A460 got stuck with the lens out and the Lens error - restart camera message. Followed fixya's suggestions 1 -4, tapped lens with palm, and it worked, but sounds terrible when retracting or extending. Camera is 2 years old.
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