This problem may be corrected by Canon for free if you suffer the above symptoms. But before reading further, first verify that you didn't just accidentally turn off the LCD. To check, turn the camera on and press the "DISPLAY" or "DISP" button once. One other thing to check is that black pictures can sometimes be caused by a stuck shutter. Continue reading below, but if your camera is not on the list of affected cameras, please see this other article for self-fixing a stuck shutter.
Potential symptoms may also include purple scratchy lines showing up on the LCD monitor and the camera's pictures. Other reported symptoms may be extremely distorted images (one reader likened them to the movie "Grudge"). Or blank or black pictures or black videos with good sound being recorded on the camera's flash card. You may suspect that the camera's shutter is not opening, but this is not the case. Note that the camera's menu functions should show up without any problem.
A large batch of potentially faulty CCD image sensors (from another vendor who shall remain nameless) were installed on a large number of Canon cameras over the space of a few years. The sensors may go bad prematurely with time, especially if you live in humid areas. A big thumbs up to Canon in that they recognized this problem, and are willing to fix your camera for free if it is experiencing CCD problem symptoms, especially for the free shipping and handling both ways :-). Under the recall advisory this is regardless of the cameras warranty status! I recently got an old A300 fixed this way. They are not going to ask for receipts or any of that.
Potential symptoms may also include purple scratchy lines showing up on the LCD monitor and the camera's pictures. Other reported symptoms may be extremely distorted images (one reader likened them to the movie "Grudge"). Or blank or black pictures or black videos with good sound being recorded on the camera's flash card. You may suspect that the camera's shutter is not opening, but this is not the case. Note that the camera's menu functions should show up without any problem.
A large batch of potentially faulty CCD image sensors (from another vendor who shall remain nameless) were installed on a large number of Canon cameras over the space of a few years. The sensors may go bad prematurely with time, especially if you live in humid areas. A big thumbs up to Canon in that they recognized this problem, and are willing to fix your camera for free if it is experiencing CCD problem symptoms, especially for the free shipping and handling both ways :-). Under the recall advisory this is regardless of the cameras warranty status! I recently got an old A300 fixed this way. They are not going to ask for receipts or any of that.
Please note that your camera must be experiencing these symptoms due to a faulty CCD, and not due to other problems. If the problem is due to your dropping the camera, you might be out of luck. Note that they're going to look for dings and dents. They also are not going to repair your camera just to change out the sensor. If your camera is working fine, they don't need to (and won't) fix it.
The list of problem digital still cameras include:
A40, A60, A70, A75, A80, A85, A95, A300, A310,
S1 IS, S60,
S200, S230, S330, S400, S410, S500, SD100, SD110,
IXUS V2, V3, 300, 400, 430, 500, II, IIs,
IXY Digital 200a, 300a, 320, 400, 450, 500, 30, 30a
Canon's United States advisory listing the program's details may be found at this link.
UPDATE (October 3, 2010)
Canon has posted on their website that they are gradually phasing out the free repair for SPECIFIC CAMERA MODELS. The phase out schedule for the specific cameras is as follows (and may also be seen here):
PowerShot S40 - 3/31/2010
PowerShot S200 - 3/31/2010
PowerShot S330 - 3/31/2010
PowerShot S230 - 7/31/2010
PowerShot A70 - 2/28/2011
PowerShot S400 - 2/28/2011
PowerShot A60 - 3/31/2011
PowerShot A80 - 6/30/2011
PowerShot A300 - 7/31/2011
PowerShot A310 - 7/31/2011
PowerShot SD100 - 8/31/2011
PowerShot SD110 - 8/31/2011
PowerShot S410 - 10/31/2011
Note that many cameras on the advisory list are NOT mentioned in the phase-out schedule, and they are STILL ELIGIBLE FOR FREE REPAIR under the advisory after 3/31/2011. These include A75, A85, A95, S1 IS, S60, s410, S500, SD100, SD110, and their IXUS / IXY counterparts.
END UPDATE
Note that for other countries, go to http://www.canon.com/ and click on "Support" in the left column. Then click on your region on the map and select your country. Go to the Digital Camera "Support" page for your country, and find the page describing support for your specific camera model. Your country's CCD advisory should be included somewhere on this page. If not, contact the official Canon digital camera support office listed on the Canon website, as they will be knowledgeable on the advisory. Again only contact the "official" Canon support centers listed on the website. If you go anywhere else, they may charge you for the repair, and merely ship the camera to Canon for the free repair.
Note that many cameras on the advisory list are NOT mentioned in the phase-out schedule, and they are STILL ELIGIBLE FOR FREE REPAIR under the advisory after 3/31/2011. These include A75, A85, A95, S1 IS, S60, s410, S500, SD100, SD110, and their IXUS / IXY counterparts.
END UPDATE
Note that for other countries, go to http://www.canon.com/ and click on "Support" in the left column. Then click on your region on the map and select your country. Go to the Digital Camera "Support" page for your country, and find the page describing support for your specific camera model. Your country's CCD advisory should be included somewhere on this page. If not, contact the official Canon digital camera support office listed on the Canon website, as they will be knowledgeable on the advisory. Again only contact the "official" Canon support centers listed on the website. If you go anywhere else, they may charge you for the repair, and merely ship the camera to Canon for the free repair.
This is a worldwide advisory, and as you can see in the comments below, there's yet to be a country that sells Canon products that has not honored this advisory. Unfortunately, some country's websites are poorly designed, and make it very hard to find their advisory (as example, this link may help save some time searching for those living in Australia).
For those in the U.S. or Canada (other country's procedures may vary slightly), you will be directed to call 1-800-828-4040 for further assistance. Or if you wish, you may also contact Canon via email at CareCenter@cits.canon.com. Make sure you print out the above advisory and have it in hand when speaking to the customer service representative. State the problem you're experiencing with the camera. If for any reason it starts to sound like they want you to pay for shipping or repairs, MAKE SURE that you let them know that you are aware of the advisory for your camera, and quote the following paragraph from the advisory:
"Effective immediately, and regardless of warranty status, Canon will repair, free of charge, the products listed above exhibiting the above-mentioned malfunction if Canon determines that the malfunction is caused by the CCD image sensor. Canon will also cover the cost of shipping and handling in connection with this repair."
You should receive several emails from Canon. One includes a short repair evaluation form that you'll need to include with the camera, along with a free UPS shipping label that you'll print out and tape to the camera's shipping box. In addition to Canon's repair form, make sure you print out a copy of the advisory and include it in the package. Also include a short note stating that you're aware of the advisory, and that you're submitting the camera for free repair as per the advisory. Just drop the box off at any UPS drop off point.
If instead of the above you receive an email that infers that it's your responsibility to arrange shipping and/or pay for the repair, REPLY BACK IMMEDIATELY again quoting the above paragraph from the advisory, and also include the above link to the advisory in your email. (Note, free shipping applies for the U.S.. Other countries may vary on shipping arrangements/payment for this advisory).
One important note. Some readers have been reporting that Canon had offered them as a replacement a refurbished "upgrade" camera, BUT at an inflated price. Not sure what this is about, but if this happens, recommend turning them down. The upgrades that have been reported seem to be older model cameras at much higher prices than the going price on ebay. Recommend pushing for and demanding the advisory dictated free repair with free shipping on your old camera. If offered a replacement, it should also be free.
Another reminder for you owners of cameras that are not listed in the advisory list of problem cameras, including other non-Canon cameras. If your camera is not listed in the above list of problem cameras AND it is taking black pictures, there's a good chance that your camera is experiencing a stuck shutter. Don't fret, as there are some simple fixes for this, albeit it may be a temporary fix. Please see this article instead for some tips on how to unstick that shutter.
Hope this helps some of you out there. Canon really does make quality cameras and stand behind their products. Please remember to come back and leave a comment below on how things went. We're all curious, and your feedback may help others!
And finally, the following videos may help you understand what you're getting with this free CCD repair. An SD100 (IXUS II) is the camera being repaired. Don't try this at home (I know I won't):
Part 1 SD100 CCD Repair
Part 2 SD100 CCD Repair
Camera Repair
Posts
525 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 525 Newer› Newest»My PowerShot A85 started having the same problem after a weekend in Missouri with temperatures above 100 and very high humidity. Pictures were purple with lines through them. After an online search and discovering this site, I contacted Canon and they were very polite, emailed me a free shipping label, repaired the CCD and returned the camera to me all for free. It's working fine and I am one happy camper. Thanks, CR, for pointing me in the right direction.
Was happy to find this forum as my Canon PowershotA85 also had the CCD problem. There was a little delay with my receiving the repair form and label as the service person I first called wrote my e-mail address down wrong. After a couple of days, I tried e-mailing Canon and got the needed paperwork promptly.
Canon received my camera on September 5 and shipped it back to my on September 9. It is hard to beat that, and the camera appears to be fine now.
A620 with ccd failure just the faintest purple image on lcd when held up to direct sunlight. 2years old and unsure of Canon in the UK and how they have responded to complaints. Have emailed through Canon UK website nearly a week ago and have yet to recieve a response I would imagine many of these cameras are now failing big time as the sensors reach a certain age.
I would have ago at repair if I could find a supplier of the ccd block as I would have nothing at all to lose.
Great site guys!
I may be able to help regarding the UK - try the registered repair centre in the Stoke on Trent area I have just had 2 Ixus 500 cameras repaired under warranty only cost a couple of pounds postage and a little patience - unlike others it took about 3 weeks to turn around. now 4 year old cameras - 1 was from ebay! are working beautifully. the nearest centre to me is in essex - they did not reply to my query but the other responded in a couple of days to tell me just send the camera - no battery or card. Good luck
Pam
just t say once again, if you have a problem witth purple images, no mater the state of the cam, where you bought it, where you live... etc.. you will get it fixed for free if you hove a model in the list dont worry you will get it fixed!!
for free...
Thanks for the advice Pamela. I am giving every avenue, including the repairer you suggested a try now as it would be such a shame to bin a mint camera that has had limited use. I will let you know how it turns out.
Hi,
Thanks for this forum. I have A95 bought end of 2005. Recently it shows similar issues like the LCD images going blurred and flickering; and if I take a picture, nothing will also be the same. But sometimes the camera comes good and I can take pictures. The issue started happening when we went to a riverside and a waterfall. Hope this is also a CCD problem. I will try to get in touch with Canon representative on Monday itself.
Thank you so much!! I have the unusual situation of owning 2 sd110 which were bought at the same time and which are both experiencing the black screen, distorted images, horizontal lines at the same time! I will contact Canon immediately! Thank you! MMT
Thank you for the information. I own a Canon A70 whose CCD conked out a couple of weeks ago. I emailed Canon help center and they promptly mailed me a UPS shipping label. I mailed it out soon afterwards and about a week later, my repaired camera reached me looking nice and shiny (they had actually gotten rid of some bumps on the outside and apparently had cleaned the exterior) and in good working condition.
I think I will stick with Canon cameras from now on just for their awesome customer service :-).
My IXUS400 has a problem which might be CCD, but I'm not sure. The picture is totally pale with horizontal white lines (like a badly tuned TV picture).
But, it still takes good video.
Does it use a diffent CCD for the video?
I'd like to be sure before I call Cannon UK, as I just know they'll fob me off if they detect any doubt!
Timo,
Yes that sounds like a CCD failure. The video signal is from the same CCD but from a different output line on the ribbon cable than the still image. So yes, it is common for one signal to go bad while the other one continues to operate properly. Submit it to Canon. But don't go into technical details on the phone. Just talk about the distorted still image that your getting, and that you wish to submit it for evaluation and possible free repair under the CCD advisory.
CR
I bought my Canon Powershot S60 when it first came out, so have been using it for a few years. Never had any issues with it until about a month ago (which happened to be a hot and humid week). I had totally forgotten about the CCD advisory (because I didn't experience any issues when I read that advisory a couple of years ago). A web search brought that CCD advisory right up. Anyway, I ask for the shipping label to send the camera in for repair. According to the service notes, they changed the lens assembly, the front cover, and did some other electrical updates (not sure what that refers to). I also noticed that they did hammer back out some of the dents on the rear cover.
By following advice from this forum, I got Canon S60 fixed from Canon.
From my experience, Canon's service is excellent.
Thanks a lot...
Excellent blog. Thank you for doing this. My A-95 started displaying "abstract art" in the LCD on a recent dive trip. (Yes, this camera is exposed to "warm and humid environments"!) At first the problem was intermittent, but now it is persistent, rendering the camera non-functional.
I found this site with a quick Google search and followed the links. Canon has been contacted and responded positively and quickly. So far, so good. I'll post here with the results.
Thanks for this post! The LCD on my Powershot A85 stopped showing image data, but still showed the menu items. I wasn't interested in paying to have it repaired, but thanks to your posting, my camera is going in to Canon be evaluated for free repair.
great blog, thanks for the info.
i think i have the CCD problem. the camera shows a red line across the top of the LCD and uploaded image, plus a red tinge to the whole image (LCD and uploaded pic). i did drop this camera (powershot a80) around a year ago...it has worked fine since that, but i figured that was the problem. now i've dismantled the camera (complete with small shock from the flash capacitor, of course) completely, and was wondering about flogging it for spares on ebay. happened across this fine blog and wished i hadn't dismantled the damn thing! i'm now wondering whether it's worth re-assembling it, then asking canon if they'll repair it - there is a very small dent in the outer housing where i dropped it, and i shall tell them that i dropped it but it worked fine for a year after that. worth a try, do you think?
Follow up to my post above: Canon repaired my A95 without a hitch. I followed the instructions in the original post. Canon's response was prompt and their service was great. Total time from shipping my camera out to return was less than 3 weeks. Everything seems to be in good running order.
Thanks to this web site for identifying this problem and the appropriate links. Very helpful!
I have exactly what sounds like these symptoms with an Ixus 60 bought in December 2006. The camera has been fine up until last week when it started displaying the blank screen intermittently (you can see noise on the screen and the icons are displayed, and viewing pictures is fine). Cycling through the display mode brought the CCD back to life, but a week later, it's now black the whole time.
Canon refuse to pay for collection, inspection, or repair, even if it turns out to be the same problem with the CCD, because the model is not on their list. Not happy about this, as even if I pay to send them the camera, I'll still be out of pocket if they fix it due to the same fault!
Any comments? Anyone know any Ixus 60's that have had the problem, that have been fixed, paid for by Canon or otherwise?
Many Thanks,
Matthew Collier.
I'd like to thank you for this website. I was prepared to throw out my Power Shot S200 when I found your article. I sent in my camera and within 8 days they had sent me a refurbished Power Shot SD 750. While it's not my old camera, I can't complain! Canon has earned my loyalty. Thanks again!
OMG, what an amazing blog! I'm not sure if mine is covered under distorted image...is it just black screens that occur with this fault, as mine appears to be over exposed (just a bright light)and the picture is fine looking through the screen, it's just when I take the picture. I know it's a different problem, but if anyone can help me with it I'd be highly greatful as I love my camera so much.
mich,
No, it's not just black images. There are many other symptoms, including distorted images, strange color tinted images, over exposed images (like yours) etc... If your camera is on the list, your best bet is to contact Canon.
CR
"The IXUS Lazarus Effect"
I'd like to really thank this blog for resurrecting my dead Canon S200(sort of). A few months ago, the camera started showing black and purple streaks on the LCD instead of a normal image. The camera had been in the shelf for a long time and I rarely used it. There was no reason for it to break like that. I was disappointed with Canon upon seeing that the camera became defective.
Fast forward to last month when I stumbled upon this great website. I called Canon and sent my camera for repair, free of charge. 2 weeks later, I got a box with a refurbished Canon SD750. Canon replaced my old camera with a newer model. It was really cool. I'm very impressed with Canon's support and commitment to their products. My next camera purchase will most likely be another Canon. I'm currently eyeing the Canon SX10 with 20x zoom. I have renewed faith with Canon -- thanks to this website.
Great Blog! After reading your blog, I contacted Canon and sent my S230 in for repair. They where great about keeping me informed regarding the repair. Yesterday a package arrive from Canon and it was a refurbished SD870 IS instead of the S230 that I was expecting. I was upset due to the fact that I have many accessories for the S230 that are not compatible with the SD870 IS, such as Canon underwater housing, 2 batteries, 4 CF card, AC charging system and DC charging system. I contacted Canon and they said that they would replace my accessories. The SD870 IS's specs indicate that it is a better camera than the S230, although the SD870 IS seems to be built not as durable as the S230. If they replace all of my accessories, am I better off with the SD870 IS?
anonymous,
Please see my August 4th response to another S230 owner. I understand as I'm a happy S230 owner myself. But let's face it, it is 2008, and the optical image stabilization of your new SD 870 is a HUGE technological advance.
CR
I'm so glad I found this site. I emailed Canon at the address you give for them a couple of months ago when my Canon A60 started taking a bunch of psychadelic color pictures and Canon never wrote me back. I was just going to throw the camera out when I found this site. Too bad I already bought another camera.
hi,
I found this post a couple of weeks ago when my S60 started acting up. It seemed like I had an CCD problem. (the bottom 2/3s of my screen would go purple and black and totally streak). I called canon and told them what happened and they said it sounded like the CCD. This weekend I get a repair form back from them and they say i need to pay them for the fix. I talked to a rep today at canon and she said if i wanted it fixed i would have to pay and wouldn't tell me what was broken on it. I was wondering if i could send you a jpg of what the image looks like on my camera and if you could tell me if it looks like a CCD failure? I found another site with an image from a CCD failure camera and it looks like mine. thanks.
Kirsten,
First of all, the following assumes that the camera was in good working condition other than the CCD failure symptoms. Remember a CCD failure might also be caused by a dropped camera. You had no major dings/dents on the camera did you?
OK, I believe you, it wasn't dropped. Then please see the comments posted here January 21 through 30th concerning a similar situation over another S60. Have a feeling that you may be dealing with the same person at the service center. BE VERY CLEAR TO THEM THAT THE CAMERA WAS SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION AND REPAIR UNDER THE CCD ADVISORY. Stick to your guns, and demand to speak to a supervisor! Refer them to this site and tell them you're keeping everyone abreast of your progress, along with Canon customer service (1-800-OK-CANON). If they do not correct this to your satisfaction, Call 1-800-OK-CANON again and relay to them the problem you are encountering with the service center. Particularly that you are dismayed that the service center is apparently trying to charge for an advisory repairs.
CR
This thread regards Canon, but I have the same horizontal white lines in my Pentax Optio M10. Do you know if there's a similar fix/replace offer for Pentax? Thanks, Steve.
Great Post! Had a black screen with my Canon Powershot A80. Sent it in and not only did they fix the ccd, but they also replace the top piece as it was damaged previously all at no charge! It only took them three business days to get the camera back to me as well. Awesome customer service!!! Thanks for the post. :D
Thanks for the heads up! I just got my S400 back after 3 weeks. I just sent it in (on my own dime) and it was repaired, no questions asked. I did submit a thorough diary on the the defective display symptoms.
Let's hope it works for another 5 years! It's an antique since it was still being made in Japan at the time!
This was a life-saver! I ran into something similar with my 6-year old, very-well used SD230, randomly did a google search, and stumbled across your blog. I was able to ship my camera off to Canon in Canada, and they send me a brand new, upgraded ELPH as a free replacement. I had already resigned myself to having to buy a new camera, so I'm pleasantly surprised by the way this all turned out. The new camera is incompatible with my old memory cards and accessories, but they did send a new memory card/battery/charger, so really I'm not out all that much (certainly a lot less than what it would cost to buy a new camera).
Just stumbled across this advisory while looking for DIY repair info. The YouTube of the SD100 repair was pretty daunting -- besides, I don't have a replacement CCD/ribbon-cable.
Wish I would have found this BEFORE I ordered those two Canon SD1100 IS cameras from Dell yesterday!
It's interesting that Canon has been sub'ing refurbs of other models. Hopefully my refurb will be compatible (accessory-wise) with the SD1100 cameras I ordered!
Thanks!!! I did what you said and stuck to my guns. I talked to a supervisor and explained the problems i had with my camera and that i had photos i could send them showing a CCD problem. The supervisor told me that he believed me and that they would wave the fees and fix it free of charge. I just got my camera back and it works as good as new. thank you again!!
Just to let everyone know that Canon is still fixing the inoperative LCDs I'll give this update. The LCD stopped working on my Canon PowerShot S410 that I have owned for 2 years. The LCD would work in Playback, but not in Shooting Mode. Pictures taken would be totally black. I called Canon as directed in the article, and in 2 days I had a free UPS shipping label and the necessary Evaluation Request form sent via email. I boxed up the camera as directed and have sent the camera off for repair. The Canon rep I talked to was very helpful and eager to help. I will give a further update later upon results of the repair.
Great Post! I just called canon and I am sending in my sd100 with the same black screen but menus work fine problem. I will keep my fingers crosssed! Thanks for the help and the link!
Update on Comment Dec.23,2008. I sent my Canon PowerShot S410 into Cannon for repair on Dec. 23 as directed. I was notified by email a few days later it had been evaluated and would be repaired free of charge. On Jan 5, 2009 I received the repaired camera at no charge to me including no shipping & handling charges. Now if the if there is no repeat, I am totally satisfied.
AWESOME!That's great.
Thanks for the site. I experienced a large purple line on my A85 at the top of the screen and Canon repaired it for free.
QUESTION:
My mother-in-law has an A75 and although her's shows faint horizontal lines when zooming in and out, her main concern was the 'grinding' noise of the lens motor upon focusing. Wondering if anyone has experienced the same noise and if Canon will fix it for free. It happens after turning it on when the lens is all the way out, after zooming in and out, and immediately after turning the camera off when the lens starts to retract. Thank you, DK.
Thanks for this informative website. I called Canon after reading this. I have a Canon Powershot S3 IS that is only 2yrs old and started having problems right before Christmas with the LCD being black ..all the icons appear but no pictures. They told me that it's proabaly a problem with the CCD but my camera is not on the advisory list so I would need to pay....or buy another camera...or keep this one and wait and see if it gets added to the list. The camera was not cheap and only lasted 2 yrs! How frustrating!! In the meantime, I am without a camera and have numerous photo opportunities of my kids. Oh, well - had to vent somewhere!!
I have an A70,working and an A95 with just black screen,no purple blobs or distortion.I looked through both lenses when taking a picture.The A70 shutter opens and closes,but the black screen A95 doesn't.Is this a ccd fault,or an unrelated shutter problem.
Excellent question! I just compared the shutter movement on an A75 and an A95. Yes, you should see movement of the shutter on the A95 if operating properly. I can easily see the shutter move on mine. In comparison, I also took a picture with an S30 that I own with a known "stuck open" shutter problem. Didn't see any movement with the S30.
This brings up a good point for the previous two A95 owners who were slugging it out with the repair centers. Try taking a picture and looking down the lens. Do you see any movement of the shutter?
CR
Note that I have deleted the previous discussion with Abhijit and Winny concerning discerning shutter failure from a CCD failure. The reason being, I don't want people worrying over whether they have a stuck shutter or a CCD failure (if they own one of the listed models, it's much more likely they are experiencing a CCD failure). Also I feel that the above method (visually sighting shutter movement) would be a more definitive method of determining an operating shutter from a stuck shutter than comparing produced images.
Overall recommend letting Canon take a look at your camera if you are experiencing the symptoms described in the blog post. Stuck shutters are rare occurrences. If you own one of the listed model cameras, it's much much more likely that you're experiencing a CCD failure that Canon will gladly repair for you for free.
CR
...and Anonymous, still recommend sending that A95 off to Canon after contacting them as per the steps listed in the advisory. Make sure that you are very clear that you are submitting it for evaluation under the CCD advisory (include a note stating such, and a printout of the advisory with the camera). Let Canon determine if it's a stuck shutter or a CCD failure. If they do tell you it's a stuck shutter, tell them to send it back unrepaired.
CR
I was ready to buy another Canon Powershot when I stumbled on this website. I called Canon and found
their customer service representative most helpful.
Indeed, my 5 year old A75 was part of the recall.
Canon promptly e-mailed me a pre-paid UPS shipping label. I received my camera yesterday in
tip-top shape. Thank you for this valuable
information.
Thanks. Excellent post. I've got the same problem. But I'm in Vietnam, don't know if Canon service center in Vietnam fix my camera for free.
K$,
Of course they will. The advisory applies to Vietnam also. Here's thelink to the Vietnam advisory. And here's the contact links to Canon Vietnam.
This blog is awesome! I turned on my S230 the night before we flew to Belize and found the purple screen problem. So disappointed because I had the underwater case and all to take snorkeling/diving pictures. Found this blog, contacted Canon and sent the camera back once we'd returned from vacation. Got a refurbished SD850 back soon after.
Based on the experiences of another commenter above, I wrote a polite email saying that I was happy to get a newer model but a bit disappointed about replacing the underwater case (which runs hundreds of dollars), in addition to a few other accessories (memory cards, extra battery) that I didn't mind so much about, and could they offer any assistance?
Well, the next morning I get a very courteous call from Canon customer support saying they'd replace all my Canon-branded accessories. Free shipping label, I sent everything back, and got replacements appropriate for the new model! I am so happy!
Kudos to you and to Canon, who were unfailingly polite and supportive. I loved my S230, I love the SD850, and I'm likely to continue with Canon cameras in the future.
Just had CCD repaired on my 4yr old A85. All it cost was £5 to send the camera recorded delivery from Belfast (NI) to the nearest repair centre in Glasgow. Many thanks for the info.I would probably have binned it otherwise.
I need BIG time help... My baby (the camera), Power Shot SD300, seems to be having issues with the LCD screen (according to the symptoms you've mentioned in other comments). I didn't see anything advice on SD300. The screen has a mind of its own. It occassionally works, it's totally black, OR it will give me horizontal lines every now and then.
How can I resolve this?
Thanks so much,
Chanel
i have new digital camera, but his pic quality down day by day. i want to sell it.
awesome...I'll be contcting Canon tomorrow
Thanks again for keeping up with all these post for the last few years! Cannot believe my eyes I found this site and recall! I stashed my Canon A80 away and hoped I would get it fixed one day...
* My question is, I have taken the camera apart but assembled it back together cleanly. Noticed nothing stating in the advisory of them not repairing it because of this... Any word on this before I contact them?
PS: I posted some photos of my beloved A80 w/ 82mm wide-angle lens on Flickr.
- Jim
Jim,
Recommend contacting Canon to arrange repair as per the advisory. Wouldn't mention the disassembly, and hope for the best.
CR
Sent the camera back today! I will keep you posted how things shuffle out...
Thanks again for this great page!
Hi all, been reading about Canon problems. I sent my daughters almost 4 yr old A95 to have the ccd unit replaced. everything went smooothly re the transaction/mailing etc. It works now, but it sounds odd! When you press the button to take a pic, it almost squeaks!(a squeeky sneeze) And reviewing taken picture sounds like a laser shots. Sorry these descriptions are so lame, but i know the camera didn't make these noises when i sent it to them and yes, it is the original unit, i checked the serial number.
Any thoughts? Do I send it back, is it scratching something inside? Anybody else experience this with a ccd replacement? Or these weird noises?
thanks
My s1is started to take purple distorted images,every thing else worked ok, the shutter opened,zoom,focus all ok.I sent it to a uk canon repair centre,requesting the free repair of the obvious faulty ccd imager.They agreed that the ccd was faulty,but the camera has traces of sticky liquid,and requires a new optical unit,at a cost of £100.I argued that the camera worked fine,apart from the ccd,but they wont budge.What can I do next.
Many CCD failures were noted to occur after extended periods of camera non-use. Recommend using your camera regularly, as a potential preventative measure from reoccurrence of the symptoms. Make sure some of these photos are in outdoor daylight conditions. An alternative is to take a close-up photo of a lit standard light bulb. Another variation is to set the shutter open to 15 seconds while photographing the lightbulb. Some people have reported this as a means to jog the CCD back to life.
Definitely sounds like a repair issue, and has been a previous problem with the camera in the past. There is a defect in the sensor of the camera, and happens quite frequently in this model. I would try and contact Canon about it, and see if they'll repair it for free. If not, its probably going to cost more than the camera is worth to repair it. Good luck, and if anything you can upgrade to the S5, a good camera without the sensor issue.
Comment posted on Apr 13, 2009
Official Canon Response; 13.04.2009
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&fcategoryid=225&modelid=13390&keycode=2112&id=29819
Official Canon Response; 13.04.2009
Thank you for contacting Canon product support. We value you as a Canon
customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you. I apologize for
the difficulty you have experienced with the image on your PowerShot S2
IS.
Unfortunately, from what you describe, it sounds like there is a camera
malfunction. We could try to reset your camera to see if we can clear
this issue:
1. Insert a memory card with known good images on it into the camera.
2. Power the camera on to the Playback mode.
3. Press the DISPLAY (DISP) button to enable the LCD panel, and observe
the LCD.
a. If the images are displayed properly, please proceed to step
four.
b. If the images are not displayed, or a "NO IMAGES" message
appears, please ensure that the memory card contains known good images.
c. If the card contains known good images, and the issue persists
with a second memory card, the camera will require service.
4. Switch the camera to the Camera mode. You may use any shooting mode
(i.e. Auto, Manual).
5. Press the DISPLAY (DISP) button to enable the LCD panel.
6. Point the camera at a well-lit scene and observe the LCD and/or
viewfinder.
We should also reset your camera to factory defaults as well:
1. Remove the batteries, date & time battery and memory card from the
camera.
a. Your date and time battery (CR1220) is located in the the same
compartment as the AA batteries.
2. Let the camera sit with the batteries and memory card removed for
approximately 20 minutes.
3. Reinstall the batteries and power on the camera.
If the LCD and/or viewfinder remain black, the camera requires service.
Since the camera is more than one year old, it is out of warranty. We
have two options available: you may participate in the Canon Loyalty
Program, or send the camera in for repair.
Thanks for putting this issue up. I was resigned to the fact that I would have to get a new camera because my SD110 died after a cross-country roadtrip last year. I sent my camera in with no problems and got a refurb SD790 IS back today from the Elk Grove Village, IL location. Thanks again.
Official Canon Response,14.04.2009
As a first step towards resolving your issue, we suggest that you restore the camera's default settings. You can reset all of the menu and button operation settings to default except for Date/Time, Language,and Video System. Please try resetting the camera using the following steps:
1. Take the SD card and batteries out of the camera for 20 minutes.
2. Please use a clean pencil eraser to rub the contacts inside the battery compartment and on the battery door. Please do not store the batteries in the camera for travel. The batteries will discharge even if the camera is not powered on.
3. Place a fresh set of (or fully recharged) batteries in the camera.
4. Turn the camera on.
5. Move the camera to TV mode(the wheel with AUTO,M,TV,...)
6. Set the exposure time to 15 seconds(15")
7. Take a picture.
8. After 7 seconds remove the batteries and put them back on.
9. Repeat the procedure until it works.
PLEASE Note: You could also just quickly remove the lid of the batteriesand put it back on. If this does not resolve the issue, the camera will require service.
Anonymous,
The steps you are listing regarding setting the camera to shutter priority (Tv) mode, and then repeatedly taking a 15 second exposure, followed by removing the batteries, is a fix for a stuck shutter. This is a common failure for many cameras, especially the S2 IS. This failure does resemble a CCD failure in that you get black pictures because the shutter does not open. As mentioned several months back, a way to discern between a shutter failure vs. a CCD failure is to turn off the flash, and look down the lens while taking a picture. The idea is you should see a little flicker of movement in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no flicker is seen, then a stuck shutter is suspect. Note that a stuck shutter does NOT fall under Canon's advisory, and will not be repaired for free. Sorry.
CR
thanks very much for posting this great info. my powershot A70 has exactly these symptoms. i called the 800 number a few minutes ago. am awaiting the promised shipping label.
I just got my Canon S1 1S back from repair. I am so happy. Your blog saved the day. My view turned black when I turned the camera on.
I communicated with Canon and they did the rest. My camera is as good as new. The way they handled this was amazing and it didn't cost us anything. So many companies just throw you under the bus.
Thank you for your information.
My A620 is having the black image problem. Canon wants me to send it to Elk Grove Village, IL for "inspection". I live in NY. Will post updates as I get details from Canon.
I just unpacked my Canon A610 from the carry case, and found out it would no longer take photos. I could still view the previous photos on the memory card, on the LCD screen, and the Menu is accessible on the LCD screen, just no new photos can be taken, they are all black. The camera is 3 years old but at the price I paid, this should last a lot longer. Today is a holiday where I live and I will be calling Canon tomorrow to ask for their help. I'll keep you updated.
Just a quick note. I had my S1 IS repaired in Romania even though I bought it in the States. Everything went very well. I'm not sure about the free shipping as they ere in 10 minutes walking distance. For Romania the authorised repairing service is http://www.crisprofessionalservices.ro. You' ll have to talk to them directly.
My camera too had the same problem, called Canon support and they are going to send me 2 emails in the next 24 hrs to get this repaired. Unfortunately, they are not sending me the box for me to send the camera except the shipping label.
i am having the same prob as others my screen is showing black n pic also comes black. my one is ixy10. The problem is, this model is not mentioned in Canons Support advisory. there in no canon office in Bangladesh. what can i do?? is it a ccd problem or shutter problem??
Anonymous,
Put it in manual mode and turn off the flash so you won't blind yourself for the next step. Now look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter open and closes. If no movement is seen then it's likely that the shutter is stuck, and it is NOT a CCD failure. If it's a stuck shutter, it's very unlikely that Canon will repair this for free. Sorry I don't have better news.
CR
well i looked it it i didn't see any flicker while taking picture in a manual mode, so it is likely to be shutter problem now can u tel me how can i fix it up?? is it a minor problem or major?
Anonymous,
Unfortunately repairing a stuck shutter is not easy as the mechanism is buried deep inside your camera. Would not recommend trying to open your camera to repair it, as it's very unlikely that you'll succeed. However, there is something you can try that might unstick it:
1. Turn the camera on.
2. Move the camera to Tv mode for most Canon models(the wheel with AUTO,M,Tv,...) But for the IXY 10 this is known as "Long Shutter Mode". Press Function and select the Moon/Stars icon.
3. Set the exposure time to 15 seconds(15")
4. Take a picture.
5. After 7 seconds remove the batteries and put them back in (note that the shutter should still be trying to open as you're removing the battery as it's set to 15 seconds exposure).
6. Repeat the procedure until it works.
Supposedly the removal/reinsertion of the battery with the shutter trying to open can "jog" the shutter open. Some people have reported success with this method, and they note that it required several tries. Hopefully you'll be lucky too. But if not, it may be time to consider retiring the camera.
CR
PS. This is a very common failure mode for cameras, and you've given me an idea for a new article with the above procedures. Thanks!
wel i tried ur way it did not work wat can i do now?? will there be any further problem on repeatedly doing it??
Anonymous,
Well if you've tried it repeatedly, then you've done all that you can for that camera. It's time to consider either professional repair, or retiring the camera.
CR
by doing it repeteadly i will not face another problem with the camera??
ps: i am egarly waiting for ur new article
Well, there are no other options that I can think of to help you. I don't think repeated tries will make matters worse, but there may be a possibility. You'll have to decide for yourself whether to continue trying or not.
CR
I bought a Power Shot S1 IS at a yard sale for $5.00 the other day, knowing that this is a wonderful camera. When I got it home, the screen was just black, contacted Canon and they are sending me a prepaid shipping label. The flash isn't coming up though....is there a way to fix that at home before sending it in?
can u give me some tips by which i can protect my canon ixy 10 from future problems
I got my canon A75 ccd repaired in 2006.
Now, my A75 is doing is doing it again. black screen with purple streaks.
These stupid CCD's were never corrected. They only last a couple years.
But hey, if will keep repairing for free, I'll keep sending it back.... again, and again, and again.
when i take picture with my Canon ixy10 camera, without flash the image comes blurr, as if the camera shakes. where as when i turn on the flash, there is no such problem. Is there any problem with image stabilizer??
Anonymous,
The IXY10/SD1000 does not have an image stabilizer. More than likely you're taking these photos without flash in low-light situations. In those cases, when the flash is turned off, the camera keeps the lens open longer to let additional light in. If the camera is not kept perfectly steady (ie. on a tripod) or if the photo subject is moving, then the picture will be blurry. The advantage of the flash is that it provides sufficient lighting so that the shutter only needs to remain open for a very short time so that movement effects become negligible.
The next time you try taking a photo without flash, place the camera on a steady surface and use the camera's built-in timer to take the shot. See if that improves the picture. If so, consider purchasing a mini-tripod to go with your camera.
CR
can u tell me where can i get tips to keep my canon ixy 10 camera in good condition, any web site or article??
6-1-2009 I had a 5 year old Canon A80 that turned up with a purple distorted LCD display. I was going to pitch the whole works in the trash and on a whim I googled the problem. I found this web site and after a little reading I called Canon tech support and described the problem. They emailed me a shipping label and I sent the camera in. Total turn around time was 5 days from talking to tech support until I received my camera back. They are still honoring their recall. I have been looking to buy a digital SLR. I have had Canon cameras for over 25 years. I was exploring other makes Nikon et all, because since my old lenses wouldn't work with the newer cameras I didn't feel compelled to buy another Canon. After this experience I am rethinking my decision and will probably stick with Canon. Service like this adds value to a big purchase.
Hey,
I am having the same problem you all faced with my Powershot camera. I emailed Canon in my country and the guy replied back and asked
"Please forward me the web page of the recall where it stipulates that Canon will bear the shipping fee."
Hmm... What should I reply ?
Anonyomous,
I'm sorry, I should have made it clear in the article that Canon USA (and Canon in a few other countries) is offering the free shipping, but it may not be available in all countries. However, the free repair does apply to all countries.
Please let me know your country, and I'll post you the specific link of the CCD advisory for your country. It's best to have a printout of this in hand when speaking to a customer rep. Also make sure to include a copy when you send or dop off the camera. Always be very clear that you're submitting the camera for evaluation and free repair under the CCD advisory. You may find the advisory for your country yourself by doing the following.
Go to http://www.Canon.com
On the left side of the page, select "Support".
On the map, select your region.
Then select your country.
Next look for and select Consumer Product Support.
Next select Digital Cameras, and look for and select your specific camera model.
On this page there may be a link that states CCD Advisory. If so, select it. If not, it may be listed in the FAQ's. Either way, it's linked from somewhere on this page. Try all the links on the page until you find it.
Good Luck,
CR
I thought I was going to have to toss my old Canon A75, but thanks to description on your blog, I know the problem is the CCD sensor, and I am contacting Canon for the free repair. Thank you!
I have had the same problem with my 5 year old IXY 30a, this is the Japanese model name for the USA model SD 110 elph, problem is I am based in Europe and when contacting Cannon support I got the following unhelpful answer
"With reference to your enquiry, I have checked the status of your camera and I am afraid it is not one of those recognised as having an issue with the CCD"
:-(, Any advice on who I could contact in Canon, or any link to a Canon site that lists the IXY 30a?
Thanks, Great Resource
I think your problem may be that you typed in 30a. The actual name of the camera is "IXY Digital 300A". Give it another try with what is in quotes.
And I apologize to my readers, but I will update the main article with all the different world names for the cameras. For the time being, here's the cameras on the advisory list:
A40, A60, A70, A75, A80, A85, A95, A300, A310, S1 IS, S60, S200, S230, S330, S400, S410, S500, SD100, SD110, IXUS V2/300/400/430/500, IXY Digital 200a/300a/400/450/500
CR
Hi, thanks for reply, no my camera is definetly the IXY Digital 30a, this is the japanese model name for the Powershot SD110 (USA ) and Digital IXUS IIs (ROW), all of these models were named in the original Canon USA Service Advisory from Oct 2005, at least as noted on this web page:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html
I cannot find a canon web page that mentions the IXY 30a, though the SD110 ( US equivalent model name) is mentioned, as is the IXUS IIs on the Canon Europe page.
Seems like Canon will not honor my request because the marketing name on my camera is different, and the buraucrats in Canon Europe say its not on their check list, :-(
I will keep trying
RESULT!, I asked Canon Europe to check back with HQ, and it looks like they did as I just received the following answer:
-----------------------------
Thank you for your enquiry regarding your IXY30 (UK model IXUS IIS)
We do indeed have confirmation that this model can and may be affected by the CCD image output failure, with regard to this may I ask you to send the camera to the following address for inspection.
Canon UK
Unit 130 Centennial Park
Centennial Ave
Elstree
Herts
WD6 3SE
Upon receipt of your camera we will contact you and advice.
Please ensure you package your camera securely and remove the accessories, i.e. battery and memory card.
---------------------------
Thanks again for your advice on this blog, I guess it has to be verified yet that the isuue really is the CCD problem, however it looks very like it, and I have checked for thge stuck shutter, which appears not to be the problem.
Will post final result when I hear back from Canon
I been experiencing these problems with my powershot a95, I immediately e-mailed canon to have it repaired, hopefully it turns out fine. Thanks for the info
Anonymous,
Think you'll be pleased. My wife's beloved A95 (I still like that camera too :-) had also recently fell prey to the black pictures just last month. Canon not only quickly repaired it, but they also cleaned it. Not sure what they used, the case is the same, but swear it looks brand new and shiny now.
CR
I have had the CCD problem with my video camera MV630i, sometimes when I tilt the camcorder, the picture comes back, but it will usually go back to being completely black or show a dark greenish blurry image if I expose it to high contrast views. Thanks to your advice I emailed them, and got a reply the next day. The email copy-pasted info from the website, but also gave me a list of repair centres to contact, and a link to their warranty info. They said the owner is responsible for paying the delivery to the support centre, but if it is the CCD problem, they will pay for repair and return delivery. I am going to confirm whether I need the warranty, and whether I have to pay for it if it is not the CCD problem. I have a question for you - do I have to contact the repair company directly, or do I just need to send the product with details? I assume I contact them first.
Contact them first, clearly letting them know that you'd like to submit the camera for evaluation and possible free repair under the CCD advisory. Also recommend when you do ship the camera, include a note stating the same, and include a printout of the advisory.
CR
Hi, I'm from Ecuador I have this CCD issue with my A75. The problem is that we have 2 crappy service centers. I called both. In the first technical center they said to me that they're only fixing cameras that they sell and the A75 is not one of them. The other told me that they don't have service center for digital cameras and that they could send my camera to the nearest one in Peru for the "convenient" amount of $90!!!! I rather fix it my self with the right instructions. To they exist? Thanx a lot for your advice.
My A70 developed this problem a year or two ago and I just put it in a drawer. A couple of weeks ago I pulled it out to check, still not working, and then Google led me here. Called the 1-800 number, got my eval. form and shipping label and set it in. Patiently waiting...
I have a Canon A95,it has some of the symptoms of the CCD problems,but the subject being focused on the LCD looks fine. The pictures it takes does have the purple horizontal line all across it. Dose anyone know what is the problem with the camera??
thanks
Anonymous,
Purple lines on recorded images are indicative of impending CCD failure. Their resolution may be too fine to be seen on the lcd screen. Anyways, contact Canon to have them evaluate for possible free repair under the advisory (include a note stating the same when you send the camera).
CR
Thanks so much for the help. I've been toting around a broken Canon PowerShot A75 for a couple years and didn't realize that I wasn't the only one with the CCD problem. Hopefully I can get it fixed for free! Also, props to all who give diy fixing a shot. We don't have to live in a disposable society and when it works it's very rewarding.
I sent my powershop a95 a week ago and i'm getting it tomorrow, they repaired it really quick and had 2 day shipping. its working fine now. btw, even if the camera is dirty, scatched or dented , they still fix it, mine had scratches on the lcd and a few dents at the bottom
My A70 (July 9th post) came back today and works great. Thanks for the info.
Great Article...looks like i have the same problem. I have a IXY 700 that i bought from Japan, i think its equivalent is IXUS 700. I am currently in Thailand. For the last 6 months i am getting blurred pictures. The LCD view looks ok, but after i click the picture comes out all blurred....sometimes its ok, but most of the pictures are blurred. Do you think i could have the same problem, the camera has not had a fall. Please help the Canon Japan site is all in Japanese.
Thanks,
Anonymous,
The IXY700 (a.k.a. SD550) is not on the Canon advisory list. As such, the symptoms that you are experiencing are less likely to be caused by a failing CCD sensor. You should check for other possible causes. First obvious one, check the lens, is it clean? Another, make sure that you're not in a special shooting mode such as macro or manual focus. This could also cause blurred pictures.
CR
Well, it took a while (4 weeks) but worth the wait, apparently Canon UK had problems sourcing the parts to repair my 5 year old IXY 30a (IXUS IIs), rather than keep me waiting they sent me a re-conditioned Ixus 80 is, appears brand new with all accessories, I'm very happy, great result, Thanks again Camera Repair !, :-)
The Canadian link for the service notice is:
http://canoncanada.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4304
Service Notice: CCD Image Sensor Advisory
an alternate phone number is 905-795-1111, since the original number supplied, somehow kicked me over to the US number.
Thanks for the great info-I am mailing my PowerShot A75 back to Canon. After talking to a tech, it does appear that the problem may very well be the CCD image sensor. They are sending me a package and shipping label to return the camera.
Hi, okay so I have the s410 and been getting the distorted pictures on the viewfinder in shooting mode. When I take pictures sometimes the pictures come out good and sometimes it is distorted, is this a ccd sensor problem? I checked the the lens and it is clean, it is not a stuck shutter problem.
Anonymous with S410,
Yes, those symptoms sound like CCD sensor failure. And your camera is on the advisory list. Contact Canon as outlined in the article for the free repair.
CR
thanks, I called them and they said that they are going to send me a label to send my camera in to be evaluated. I'll keep you posted on what happens.
I just stumbled upon (no pun intended) this article and just sent cannon a email explaining my problem and referenced this article.
I was about to throw my A75 (with low miles) out of my 6th floor apartment window but decided not to.
Glad I didn't
Man! the internet is great
Camera Repair, I owe you a debt of gratitude. My A80 is experiencing the exact symptoms that you detail. On a whim, I decided to look up when I purchased my camera, and (luckily, Amazon tracks all of this and still has it available), I purchased it on June 3, 2004 for the whopping price of $319.94. I'm amazed that even after 5 full years, I'm going to be able to send the camera in and get it repaired for free. I'm quite excited that I won't have an expensive paperweight just sitting around here :)
Thank you! I'll post back once I send out the e-mails, and I'll detail my experiences as they occur.
Thanks for a very informative site. Perhaps late for my Canon A60 with the CCD problem, but it gave me thousands of memorable pictures before the problem popped up. So I bought a Canon A570IS and like it as much (except half the batteries means it runs down twice a sfast). Trading up to IS and more pixels was good in the end anyway.
GG in Toronto
Aug 2009
Just received repaired camera back from Canon. I followed this site's instructions to a "T" and they worked great! Canon's repair was fast, complete and all within two weeks! Ah, that all customer services would be like this!
I sent my A-60 to canon after stumbling on your post. I had to remind them of their promise to fix for free once or twice, but they came though and were very nice about it over all. Its been working great for the past couple months and I use it a lot. I'll let you know if it fails, but for now I'm a happy camper.
I sent an email to canon support on Sunday afternoon at 1 pm. They wrote back to me in a couple of hours and looks like they are going to fix my 5 year old canon S1 IS for free. It had a black display (messed up CCD). Hurray!!!
I just happened to find your blog and WOW-it was so accurate in describing the CCD image sensor problem on my Power Shot A75. I followed your directions to the letter and "Voila" my camera was shipped free and repaired free within one weeks time. Thanks so much for all the great information The repair went off exactly perfectly and my camera is working great.
I found this website to be just what I needed. Great help! My canon Powershot A95 needed a new ccd image sensor. Where I had purchased the camera had told me it would cost more to fix it that it cost me new. Your website got me in touch with Canon. I explained my problem and mailed my camera in. They replace the ccd image sensor at no cost. Thank you so much...
Hey Guys I have Powershot A80 that i did buy from USA but now i am not in USA and frankly not coming back anytime soon. I have same issue but when i sent the Canon people an email they replied that this offer is only valid for USA residents only I am in Pakistan now how can have it fixed from Canon
I found your blog by way of a search link at Fixya.com (http://www.fixya.com/support/t349446-black_screen_no_images_taken) and was going to leave my S230 in the drawer.
Followed the exact instructions. It took about two weeks but I got my S230 fixed and returned today. No refurbished upgrade, but at least a working camera! :-)
if this CCD error happens again, are we able to send it back again for another free repair?
Thanks for this post! I have a PowerShot A95 that I got in 2005, which I really, really like. It has recently started having trouble focusing, and from time to time it takes pink-ish distorted pictures. I called Canon and after I described the problem, they immediately arranged for a free shipment and were really nice about it. Very impressive customer service.
Last year my 5-year-old Canon SD110 started getting the purple lines problem. A few months ago it got so bad I couldn't use the camera at all. After reading this post I figured this was my problem and wondered if Canon would still honour their service notice. So I've just got my camera back from Canon in Canada, and they repaired it for free! Needless to say I'm very impressed that Canon would stand behind their products -- even when it is an old (way off-warranty) 3.2 MPixel camera!
Waqqas,
Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, but was on vacation. Here is the advisory for Pakistan for your camera. Print a copy of this for yourself. Also, when contacting the service center, include the link to this advisory.
Here are the authorized Canon service centers in Pakistan that you should contact concerning this issue. Make sure that you contact only these centers in Pakistan, and no others, regarding this issue (Mega Business, and Mega Engineering and Service).
Good luck,
CR
pls help, when i insert memory card (XD Picture Card H512) to my card Reader CX400 , it shows up this " no image in the memory card" pls help
Lome,
Either the memory card has become corrupted, or the card reader has failed. Start with the easiest to check, the memory card, by using freeware picture recovery software to see if the pictures can be recovered from the card and downloaded to your computer. See this article. If you were able to recover the pictures with this software, then the card was indeed corrupted. You will need to format it in your camera to rejuvenate it. Keep in mind this will also erase the card, so only do this after you've recovered the photos.
If the above software wasn't able to find your photos, then suspect the card reader itself as they can go bad. However, card reader's are very inexpensive these days. Recommend trying a new card reader. Make sure that whatever reader you choose is stated capable of reading xD cards.
CR
A couple of months ago I've encountered something strange with my Canon A95. All of a sudden there were these white horizontal lines appearing in the pictures (on the camera LCD and when looking at the picture on the PC)and the images were slightly distorted. After looking around on the internet for a solution/cause I came across this blog. I've sent some sample pictures to the Canon authorised repair center in Holland: Techrepair.nl(there isn't one in Belgium, big sigh, and the other one in Holland just went bankrupt, again big sigh), to have them confirm the CCD problem. They answered back it was quite likely it was the CCD and told me that if there wasn't any damage caused by water, dropping or shaking they would repair it for free. After a couple of days/weeks I got a mail back saying it wasn't the CCD but the optical unit which needed to be replaced and that it would cost me 162€(since out of warranty)or 38€ to send it back unrepaired. Repairing a (now) less than 100€ camera for 162€ is ridiculous of course but I was hoping that for the 38€ (which I'm willing to pay)I would get a bit more info on the observed optical unit problem. Numerous mails asking what exactly was wrong (cause, repair needs,...) didn't result in anything. Overall communication with the repair center was bad and mails sent to info@canon.be went unanswered. Therefore my question to any of you is, with this limited info can somebody explain how the optical unit/lens can cause whitish lines to appear in the picure. Thanks for any support you might give since I miss my A95, which worked very well until now, a lot. Just for info: I urgently needed a camera to take pictures of my newborn daughter so I bought a Panasonic Lumix TZ6 as a replacement for my A95, and boy am I happy with that camera. Panasonic 1 - Canon 0
Michael,
A stuck shutter can cause symptoms that are VERY similar to CCD failure (black images if stuck shut, overexposed images with white lines if stuck open). You can confirm a stuck shutter by first turning off the flash (to avoid blinding yourself for the next step), then looking down the lens and taking a picture. You should see a tiny flicker of movement in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter.
Unfortunately a stuck shutter will not be fixed under the CCD advisory. However, there are simple repair techniques that may correct a stuck shutter. Please see this other article on this blog.
CR
Awesome! Thank you Lord! And you guys!!!
Reguarding CCD repair or replacement.
I sent out 3 cameras 1 week ago
all had purple fringing or no picture recorded
1 sd110
1 sd100
1 ixus iis (sd110)
sd100 and sd 110 just came back from canon repaired NO replacement camera
Mark in Flint MI
Anonymous,
But you now have working cameras (I like the SD 100/110), repaired absolutely for free! Lucky You!
CR
Great blog, thanks! My Power Shot S1 IS started in with the blur/lines/black/smudge stuff back in April but then was fine...until today. I thought maybe it was the batteries so changed them out but that didn't help. It was just as described, the image was distorted but the menus are fine. I called and so far so good. Waiting for email(s)/labels. Guy was straight forward & very helpfu.
Maybe customer service does still exist? If it goes as smoothly as it has for some I'll be sure and send Cannon a thank you card!!
DD
Thanks for this helpful post and all your followup comments. I just wrote them tonite and will await the response for my S500, which mysteriously stopped taking proper pix and started giving me purple distorted shots like this: http://cary.cx/media/purplePeopleEater.jpg
I want to add my two cents worth--this is an amazing resource. My Powershot is on its way back to the factory for a new CCD, free of charge. But I also want to say that you need to create a Paypal account where grateful users can make a small donation to you and your service.
Hi. Thanks for all the great information on this site. I can't remember whether I put up a posting but Canon Australia is honouring the CCD recall. I didn't know what to do when my well used A300 went blank and left it in the drawer for a while. When I stumbled across your site, I wrote in to Canon Australia and they told me to send the camera for inspection. They decided to give me a 10MP replacement for free! Although I miss the A300 (a really solid working camera), the 10MP is a nice upgrade. Thank you Canon Australia!
I'd like to echo the many previous comments about this site being a great resource! I too just got my A80 back in about a week with the CCD repaired/replaced for free. Kudos to this site and to Canon for standing behind their product! Thank you!
Hi,
Found your site after trying to find out what was wrong with my Canon A75. My camera started showing horizontal interference and distorted purple tinted pictures. So I contacted Canon support and they said it would be covered. Downloaded the shipping online and sent it off. Two week turnaround was the estimate for repair so I called to see the status of my camera.
Well, they said I needed to pay them $89.00 to start the repair. They said my camera had a different problem but I could buy a refurbish older model for $10.00 more. Seemed like a scam so I checked with my local camera shop and they ship out all their repairs to Canon with the average repair cost being $150.00.
I felt misled by Canon support staff and that my camera was being held hostage. To their credit the support staff sensed my frustration and offer a 20% discount on my repair bill.
Beware! No one can or should expect that your camera can be diagnosed over the phone and that it MAY OR MAY NOT be covered by this recall.
Hopefully my camera will work but next time I will buy a new camera probably not from Canon.
Anonymous,
If you look over the two years of comments here, you'd note that your experience is highly unusual. I must comment though that purple distorted pictures are highly likely to be caused only by a defective CCD. Which makes me wonder, please verify that you actually sent your camera to the authorized Canon repair center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois?
If so, recommend that you contact them again and ask them what is wrong with the camera that would cause purple distorted images? Would really recommend that you stick to your guns, and demand either the advisory repair or return shipment of the camera. And yes, you did right by not going for the "upgrade".
CR
Thanks for posting. I called right away and after few minutes I got to talk to a tech support. I mentioned that I have A60 and have blank screen or weird lines. He asked me my name and address and email address. He sent email right away and I got to read it while on the phone with him. He said the label will come in few days and after they receive the unit they will send it back within two weeks. A very happy customer here. I wish I called them 14 months ago when I had that problem.
Hi,
You emailed me the link for the advisory & fix on the CCD failure in my Canon A60. I just thought I'd take a minute to say thanks. Called them , they were very courteous & sent the UPS tag in 2 days . I just sent it off today & it looks like it will be a quick turn around. I really apreciate the fix , as I'm saving for a nicer camera & didn't want to put out for junk in the mean time for ebaying. Also love your picture. " That's hot".
Following up, I had a few bumps along the way to getting my PowerShot S1 IS fixed . . . they repeatedly got my email address wrong. I actually starting feeling like I was being "avoided" but no. It was a simple mistake that was resolved. After that everything went smoothly. I got the label, filled out the form, followed all the instructions and in less than 2 weeks my camera was back & working.
At first I thought "hey this isn't my camera!" but behold the serial # was the same. They'd actually cleaned it (not that it was *that* dirty) but it was enough to cause me pause.
My friend who has the exact same camera & problem just got his fixed too.
Thanks Do It Yourself Digital Camera Repair Dude!
DD
I have a PowerShot A95, that's about 5 years old.
It has all the symptoms I've seen above, starting off with the purple streaks, then progressing to the totally blank screen. This includes the actual pictures too, not just the screen.
I'm from Australia, and I'm just worried that my camera is too old. It's in great condition though, no dints or scratches, it's clear that we've taken good care of it.
Jess,
You'll never know unless you contact Canon. Here's Canon Australia's support center. I did a quick look on their website, but couldn't find any mention of the CCD advisory. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not honoring it. Maybe include a link to the US advisory (included in the article) to make sure you let them know that you're aware that this is a result of a defective camera component.
CR
Jess,
It took some real digging, but here's the advisory for Australia. Print it out, include it with your camera if you mail it, include the link in all correspondence with Canon. Make sure that it's crystal clear that they know that you want the free advisory repair.
Am sorry to say that although Canon Australia will honor the advisory repair, that it also appears that they're doing their best to hide this issue. Shame on them. Maybe corporate Canon needs to hear some feedback from dissatisfied Canon Australia customers?
Also see the posts from Aug 5 through Aug 28 2009 at this link.
CR
My A95 just started exhibiting this problem tonight, and I'm so glad I found the info here. I emailed Canon tonight (was past their phoning hours), and wonder how soon they'll get back to me, given the holiday. For those who have had this repair, how long does it take once you send them the camera?
I have an IXY digital 500 that has been sitting in a drawer for 3 years because it developed a fault whereby the LCD screen would be full of white lines and so would the resulting photo.
It's an intermittent fault but I remember several times when I wanted to use the camera the fault would appear at the worst time and turning the camera on and off didn't work.
The Menu screen operates fine and taking videos still works.
My problem is I live in Australia and the camera was bought for me by my Uncle while on a cruise around Asia.
I doubt Canon Australia would offer a free repair since the camera was bought overseas.
I can get a replacement CCD Sensor for under $30 from Ebay and am tempted to try to use the above videos to repair it. :)
I bought a replacement camera a while ago (Panasonic) but if I could get the IXY 500 repaired cheaply, then I would give it to one of my young nephews who has shown an interest in taking photos.
Apart from the sensor problem, the camera is solid and well constructed and did take nice photos for a 5.0MP compact.
Phantoma,
Don't go doing it yourself. Am pretty sure Canon will still do it for you for free. See my post a few posts above here on Nov 22nd. It includes the advisory and contact info for Canon Australia.
When you do contact them, don't go into great detail. Just mention that you own a IXY 500, experiencing possible CCD issues, and that you would like to have the camera evaluated for free repair under the CCD advisory (include the link).
CR
Thanks for your information on the Canon PowerShot A75 CCD image sensor issue. I was getting ready to give up on this camera, when I decided to check out the Internet and came across your information. Absolutely refreshing when a company stands behind their product. Courteous service, free shipping (UPS there, FedEx back), free prompt repair (from phone call to customer service to camera returned to me -- 2 weeks, 1 day). Only thing better would have been no issue in the first place, but I am now looking forward to many more years of quality use from this gem of a camera.
This free service is only for USA.
I have a five year old Canon Powershot A80 which I bought from USA. I moved to Pakistan some three years ago found this website and asked local Canon service center they fixed it for me Free of Cost. Now there is another issue that I am facing is that sometimes when I take picture it gives either a Dark Picture or sometimes to much light in the picture.
Joannes,
No it's not just US as you can see from Waqqas statement (by the way Waqqas, you may be now experiencing a new problem of a stuck shutter. See this other post for a possible fix).
The Canon link I've included on this website is from the US website. For other countries, you'll need to find your local Canon offices through their corporate website at www.Canon.com. Go to their website, and click on "Support" in the left column. Next click on your region on the map. Then click on your country. Then search your country's website for support contacts for your digital camera.
You should also be able to find a copy of the CCD advisory, although in some countries they tend to hide it (Australia cough cough). But if you can't find it, just let your country's support center know that you're very aware of the issue and how it's to be resolved.
CR
Joannes,
Oh my goodness, I just noticed that you ARE from Australia. Please see the posts above dated around November 22nd for contacting Canon Australia concerning the CCD issue. And by my post immediately above, you'll be able to see for yourself that just about every country that sells Canon cameras is honoring this repair (haven't seen one yet that hasn't).
CR
Hello :) I have a Canon Powershot SD1100, and recently, the LCD screen won't show anything, just plain black like how it would look when it's turned off. The display button doesn't work. But the weird thing is, I can still take pictures. When I connected it to my pc and uploaded what I have, the images all showed. What could it be? Please please help! Thank you.
mgnc8@hotmail.com
anonymous with SD1100,
Sounds like you have a "stuck shutter" which has symptoms very similar to CCD failure. But there are simple steps that you can conduct for this, without even opening the camera, that may correct the problem. Please see this other article on this blog site.
CR
Great Blog with lots of helpful information.
I live in Germany and bought a Powershot A85 for my parents some 4 years ago.
Same problem: blanc screen in shot-mode, display-mode fully functional.
They went to Thailand twice 3 and 2 years ago (winter time; hot and beginning to get humid), problem showed up maybe 1/2 year ago, after cam. had been out of use for a longer period of time.
I just contacted Canon Germany, by fax, citing said CCD-Sensor-Chip advisory (Canon U.S.)
I really hope they can help repairing the camera, but I doubt they'll do it completely free of charge.
Will keep you updated on the issue.
Klaus/Germany
I had this problem with my A95 Powershot that is 4 years old. I had immediate response from Canon Customer Service by e-mail. They sent free shipping label. They had a shipping and repair tracking and kept me up-to-date by e-mail and letter. From start (my first e-mail) to finish (receiving the repaired camera back) was less than 10 days. No charge and no problems. This is the BEST service I have ever received. It's easy to write and complain but I wanted to post something positive when it actually happened. Canon was great!!
This is very good quality and very useful writing i found on the net. Although i found it after 2 years you posted it, it is still relevant and helped me a lot!
_YAL
Thank you so much. I came across a broken SD200 at my friend's house. I luckily happened upon your site (2 yrs after original post!) and followed what you said...and now just a few weeks later I am the proud owner of a (refurbished) Canon PowerShot SD890 IS! Canon has amazing service! There was no cost at all to me, and the service was easy, fast and pleasant.
I think I read somewhere that they will stop honoring the warranty for this defect (CCD) in March 2010 - so if you have a camera that this might apply to, better get it in soon.
Thanks so much!!
nankie and others concerned about the March 2010 deadline,
This deadline only applies for three cameras, Powershot A40, S200, and S330 (please see this link). These cameras rarely seem to experience the CCD problem (although they do have the potentially faulty CCD installed). However, all other cameras on the advisory list will still be honored after March 2010 for this repair.
CR
I stumbled on your advice and can't thank you enough. Our office PowerShot S500 started taking purple and black photos. The camera shops said it was the sensor, but never told me about this Canon advisory. Canon had no problems with my repair request and it took less than 3 minutes! The only additional information for people with this problem is to be sure to remove all accessories before shipping (i.e., memory card and battery). I look forward to a favorable outcome for the camera!
Okay, I have a Fujifilm f470 camera. These cameras aren't made anymore so I don't know if I can get any new parts. Anyways, just today, I went to upload some pictures from my camera onto my computer. I went to plug the A/V cord (spelling?) into the camera and it just would not go. I swear I have uploaded pictures millions of different times and I never had trouble. And now, whenever I turn my camera on, the screen is black. It makes that noise that I usually hear when it comes on, but there is nothing on the screen. I also went to view past pictures taken and that was all black too. However, whenever I turn my camera to the video function, it is black until I start to record and it will work just when recording. So, I'm not sure if my A/V cord thingy isn't working or if that even had anything to do with the black images. Please help and thank you so much.
I want to say THANK YOU! I had no clue that my canon powershot was not working due to the advisory recall of the CDD image sensor. I thought i was gonna have to buy a new camera, but thanks to you all i have to do is send my camera in to be fixed FREE OF CHARGE! And they said I would only be without my camera for about 2 weeks. So again, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! Not many people give out info like this for free. You truely are a GURU!
Just a note of caution following all the plaudits for Canon.
My Powershot A85 developed the purple cast/lines CCd fault in Novemeber, and having been told about the canon advisory, sent it off to one of the three UK aurorised reapir centres (at my own expense as Canon UK don't pay postage). It was returne promptly,BUT no longer took sharp photographs, everything being very blurred, except on full zoom. Having contacted the repairer, was advised to return it, and on return from this repair, it was marginally better but not as it should be. Repairer again asked for the unit to be returned, and after evaluation, now tells me thatit has a faulty optical unit which is unrelated to the CCD problem and want to charge me £140 for a repair!
Co-incidently my daughter returned her A85 with a faulty CCd to the same repairer, and it has come back with the same out of focus fault.
Canon seem dis-interested and refer me back to the repairer or to the original vendor.
anonymous,
Have you tried contacting one of the other two authorized UK repair centers? Obviously the particular UK center that you've been dealing with seems to be having problems.
CR
many thanks.I had all but given up with my camera ,i had it all in bits,but couldnt find anything obvious to fix, stumbled upon your site, looking for help.Found that my symptoms were same as the failed ccd,mine was a canon s200 , bought in US.I took your advise and contacted canon UK (after putting it all back together), they were not happy to take my 10 year old US model camera, so quoting the advisory as you had advised they conceded.I offered to pay delivery to them to diagnose for free. the camera was replaced with a refurbished ixus 80is f.o.c.( dont know what happened to my camera ? ) This wouldn't have happened but for your site . thanks .ioan price.wales uk.
Just sent a (6+ year old!) S230 in for repair under the CCD sensor advisory.
They repaired and returned it in 8 days, round-trip.
Same camera, no refurbs, no substitutes.
Just sent a (6+ year old!) S230 in for repair under the CCD sensor advisory.
They repaired and returned it in 8 days, round-trip.
Same camera, no refurbs, no substitutes.
Just sent a (6+ year old!) S230 in for repair under the CCD sensor advisory.
They repaired and returned it in 8 days, round-trip.
Same camera, no refurbs, no substitutes.
Dear D.I.Y.D.C.R.
The demise of my Canon A85 was most heart-breaking, so in a fit of defiance, I googled "my camera is screwed" and here you are!
The decay of the CCD sensor was gradual - maybe nine months - purple streaking, no image capture, all very disappointing. Sometimes it would come back but last week it totally died.
Phoned Canon, shipped it to Elk Grove on 2/5 with a copy of the advisory and here it is on 2/10, fixed and ready for another five years.
Everything was smooth except the initial call-center rep seemed ready to fall asleep. I realized he probably had when I got a "how was your service?" email from Canon three days later. When I wrote that I'm still waiting for "service" my shipping label arrived within the hour.
Thanks very much!
johnnyd in Portland, ME
PS:
Is five days turn-around a record?
I have an excelent Canon PowerShot A95, but in the last few months the picture at the display as well as in memory is pink. Inthe web forums I have read that the error is rather common and that it can be solved in Canon services worldwide. Where is Canon service in Belgrade Serbia?
adiklic,
Here's the authorized Canon digital camera service center in Serbia. Contact no other facility but this:
PIXEL PLUS 3A Group d.o.o.
Profesionalni Foto Aparat, Objektiv, Profesionalni Objektiv, Bliz, Filmski Kompakt Foto Aparati, Digitalni Kompakt Fotot Aparat, Filmski SLR Foto Aparat, Digitalni SLR Foto Aparat, Analogna Kamera, Digitalna Kamera, Foto Printer, Dvogled, Video Projektor
Mihizova 22
11000 Belgrade, SERBIA
Tel: +381 11 3392 844
Fax: +381 11 3392 825
Email: servis@pixelplus.rs
Radno vreme:
ponedeljak-petak: 9.00-17.00
subota: 9.00-14.00
nedelja: zatvoreno
and here's the European advisory (arrived at from the Serbian Canon website) for your camera. Print it out and have it in your hand when your speaking with them. Also mail it with the camera.
CR
Just wanted to thank you so much for posting all of this information. I e-mailed Canon with the quoted information from their Web site. They sent a UPS ticket two days later. I mailed it in, and literally three days later they mailed it back to me, with not only the LCD problem repaired, but with a few new pieces. And cleaned, to boot!
I'm so pleased. Thank you again.
Our IXUS430 is showing a blank screen and doesn't take any photos - but I can see and download the previous pictures on the card.
Am I too late in trying to get my trusty IXUS430 fixed?
Cheers,
Rowan
Rowan,
Not at all. The link to the advisory in Canon Australia is contained in the article above (if you go looking for it yourself, you'll have a hard time finding it on their website. Makes me wonder sometimes if they're hiding it).
CR
Guys This blog is really helpful. I mean I got CCD Imager on my Canon PowerShot A 85 fixed after visiting this site. now I have got another problem. Sometimes my camera gives too bright picture and sometimes too dark. The flash does work i mean its not that its turned off or something. The picture is too distorted I mean the pixels are too far. The resolution I am using is 2272 X 1704. I really need your help.
Waqqas,
Could you upload and share some example pictures of what you're experiencing on photobucket.com or flickr.com? Would be especially interested in seeing the distorted pictures that you speak of. There's a few possibilities of what may be wrong with your camera, but would need to see the pictures first.
CR
I have uploaded the pictures now how can i share them with you guys
Waqqas,
Look for a "sharing" option for the picture. It should provide you with a link. Just copy and paste the link here.
But in the meantime, thinking over your description, there's two likely problems that may be the issue. The first to check for is a stuck shutter. See this link. If you don't see shutter movement, then that's your problem, and would recommend trying the fixes described with the link.
But if you DO see shutter movement, the other likely problem would be failure of the CCD again (that's why I'd like to see your picture). In that case, you would contact Canon again requesting repair again under the advisory. And yes this can reoccur in some instances, as I've heard some countries have been using refurbished parts for this repair. But they should still honor the advisory repair if the symptoms reoccur.
CR
Man thanks a lot but I dont think its Stuck Shutter cuz one I do see shutter move. and yeah I think I mentioned that my camera is A85 its actually A80. and here is the link to photos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_local/
Waqqas,
You'll need to update the "Privacy and Permission" section of Flickr to allow anyone to see the photos. Right now it won't let me view them. Would really like to see some examples, as there are some common indicators of sensor failure. But there is one other thing that you should check, and that is to make sure that you are taking these photos in "Auto", and not in any of the other manual modes of the camera.
CR
Man try now sorry for inconvenience
Waqqas,
Sorry but those pictures don't look like CCD sensor failure. Instead they just looks like poor shutter timer settings for the given lighting. The blurred pictures show movement, so the shutter was open for an extended period. Are you certain that you're taking these pictures with "Auto" mode selected on your mode dial? If you actually are in Auto, try one of the "semi-auto" setting like Portrait or Program. But if it still takes these type of pictures, then the shutter may be slightly sticky, even though it's opening. Turn off the flash to save batteries, and start taking many pictures to see if that loosens up the shutter some (you can erase them later). Good luck!
CR
okay, i am experiencing the problem mentioned. but my camera is not on the list, its the powershot sd1000... yip! It started about 13 months after first use, just like that out of the blue at my niece graduation ceremony. It never fell, i took very good care of this camera. My mom bought it for me when i picked up photography as a hobbie and i live in the caribbean where its mostly hot. She has it now. My question is what do i do? I really love this camera. And the problem is not the shutter
Mickey,
What exactly are the symptoms that you're experiencing? Is it black LCD AND downloaded pictures? If so, I can tell you the SD1000 seems to be particularly susceptible to stuck shutter problems. However, it usually can be fixed by Step #5a of this linked article. Check it out, and do the check first that's described on that page to see if you can spot shutter movement before trying the fixes.
CR
Ok, i turned the camera on and when i was looking to see the image there was nothing but blackness. And when i snap the shot there was still nothing but blackness though, it made the sound as if the image was captured. There just was not any image to be seen at all. My mom in NY has the camera, i told her about the ccd recall. She still has it so, i will post her this site so that she can check the advice offered. Will keep you informed.
mickey,
Again, please see this other article instead. Got a strong feeling that your problem is a stuck shutter and not CCD failure. The SD1000 seems to be particularly prone to this problem.
CR
Thanks Camera Repair! My Canon S500 has been sitting dormant since last June! I've been trying to find a person or place to just fiddle with trying to fix it for cheap before I threw it out, until finally I stumbled upon your site! You are a savior! You saved me the trouble of finding a brand new camera, when the rest of the S500 works perfectly fine!
I emailed Canon last night and they replied almost immediately with all of the information you predicted, the repair form, shipping label, etc. I'm off to UPS to ship my camera ASAP! Do you know roughly how long it takes for them to repair it and send it back? I'm hoping to get it back by April because I'm going to Japan and would love to use my S500, I'm too attached to it : )
You should easily have it back by then. It takes about two weeks maximum, and could be much sooner depending on how close you live to Illinois. It's ground shipped to Illinois, then fixed within a couple days of arrival, then Fedex'ed back to you.
CR
Just wanted to say thanks for all your help with my son's canon Ixus with a CCD problem. We're in the UK but I took it along to our nearest canon repair centre (found from the info you gave) and they repaired it for free. Even posted it back to me! Would never gave known to do this without your advice. Keep up the great work! Thanks!
I had my S410 start displaying / capturing pink distorted images. I sent my S410 to Canon and I was hoping to get a newer model but no such luck! Canon fixed my old camera and now it is on the way back to me.
I am very thankful for the Camera Repair's blog. I am amazed at Canon taking full responsibility to fix the camera and covering fedex/ups shipping both ways. Very very few companies would have done this given that the camera went out of warranty many years ago. Being a technology product it was completely outdated and outclassed by newer products. My next camera has to be Canon.
I pulled my A85 out today and it had the symptoms - called up Canon they are sposed to be sending me shipping emails. Kudos to Canon if everything happens as promised.
I have a canon A430 with the overexposure symptom. There is movement in the lens on 1/2 press of shutter. Can you clarify that there is not another function such as iris oerating at this point. Am ia ble then to rule out stck shutter and move on to CCS replacement?
PS even if you cannot help with this I am impressed buy your blog. Thanks for supporting photographers with such passion
Lawrence
tuscanmotorist,
I saw your comment in my email, not sure where it went here though. Anyways, for the A430 the internal shutter control flex cables can be the cause of this problem. It seems to be a fatigue issue with the cable, especially if the camera owner uses the zoom feature quite often. As example, Here's someone who disassembled an A430 to discover the same issue. Unfortunately, there is no simple fix for this problem, other than replacement of the ribbon cable (a non-trivial task).
CR
ooops, now I see your comment. Sorry but for some reason previously it was not showing here.
CR
I have an A85, purchased 4/2005, died late Dec 2007. Replaced it with a G9, which recently died. So while googling Canon digicam problems, I found your site and the CCR recall. When my A85 first died, Canon was not offering to repair that model. I'm so glad now that I held on to the camera as I just had it repaired for free by Canon. It looks to me like they peeled the Serial Number label off the body of my old A85 and put it on a new body as the edges of the sticker don't stay down. I've tested the camera and it seems to work fine. Now to figure out how to get Canon to repair the no power problem with the G9...
Thanks so much for your helpful site. You've saved me a ton of money and heartache.
Jeanne_bean, A85 and G9 owner
Looks like Cannons New Zealand customers are out of luck
http://www.canon.co.nz/en-NZ/Support-Services/Support-News/Camera-Service-Notice
After having my niece's camera repaired it looks like I am a too late to get my own fixed.
I knew it was too good to last.
Anonymous,
Please take a closer look at your link. They're still honoring this repair for most cameras. They're just discontinuing support for a few of the older 2MP cameras (and one 3MP that rarely encounters the problem). The same goes for Canon US. The few cameras that no longer will be repaired under the advisory are: PowerShot A40, Digital IXUS V2 (S200), Digital IXUS 330 (S330) (after March 31, 2010) Digital IXUS V3 (S230)(after July 31, 2010).
CR
Boy am I glad I found your site. I have a PowerShot A70, thought it might be the CCD, called Canon with the number you provided and they couldn't have been nicer. I even told them I had bought it used on Ebay. They sent me the UPS label via email, about 2 weeks later I've got a repaired camera at no charge.
Since most of the postings I read were over 2 years old, I happy they still replaced the bad CCD at no charge. Thanks, Lee
I have a Canon Powershot A95 and have a feeling that a student of mine has dropped the camera, because when I got it back she dropped the course (that was the first indication) and then it started acting up. My question is: I have the same symptoms as the other camera owners, so will Canon repair the camera or not?
Farrell,
Stop blaming the student. This is a very common failure mode for the A95. And yes, Canon will cheerfully and easily repair this for you FOR FREE (with free shipping in US). If in the US or Canada, call 1-800-OK-CANON right this minute. If outside the US, access your local country's Canon support site through www.canon.com. You'll see how easy it is.
CR
Thank you for the excellent blog, Camera Repair and I'm grateful to have found it. 400 comments and more than 2-1/2 years old and still going strong.
I bought my A60 about 3 or 4 years ago. I lent it to my dad about 2 years ago for his trips. As he had not used it for a year after that, I had taken it back just earlier this year. My dad had been careful with it and the camera has never been dropped.
At the time I got it back about 5 months ago, the camera would turn on just fine but I saw the symptoms of no image on the LCD display (staying blank/black) but I could see and navigate through the menu. I did confirm that the lens cover opened up back then when I turned the camera on. I don't recall if the zoom lens would come out, though. I also tried to take pictures anyways through the viewfinder, but didn't pay attention to the shutter, and the pictures all came out black. After reading your blog, it sounds like these are the CCD sensor issue that this blog and Canon's advisory are about.
I just found your blog yesterday and took out the camera again trying to see if it's a "shutter stuck" issue that's mentioned elsewhere in this blog. But, now the best that I can see when I press the power button is the LCD display lighting up (without the menu) for about a second or two before it turns off again. I had taken out the batteries (both the 4 AAs and the small "date/time" button battery) as well as the CF card overnight. The result is still the same, the LCD display would light up for a second or two before turning off.
Would anybody know what might be the cause of this last symptom and what I can try to at least be able to see the menu again and be able to click on the shutter button? I'm hoping to be able to figure that out first before contacting Canon about the CCD sensor advisory as the symptoms I saw 5 months ago were clearly that issue.
If Canon allows me to ship it to their repair center and found the camera not even staying on, would they at least ship it back for free to me?
I've been a Canon owner for almost 30 years, starting with the AE-1 SLR back in early 80s. Besides the A60, I currently have a Canon G2 (from 2002) that's still working well and an SD 1000 bought 3 years ago that's also working great.
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