20 Most Recent Canon PowerShot S2 IS Digital Camera Questions & Answers

Normal 0 BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH – FIXED AT LAST - After doing several hours of research on the internet, I have been able to eliminate the problem on my Powershot S2 IS. I started with the “fix” as suggested by guidofoc in a post on the “flickr” site. Thanks guidofoc! His procedure did fix the problem for me but it only lasted a day. The next day, back to the same old black screen. For the next few days/weeks, when I wanted to use my camera, I did the same procedure and it would come back to life but would be black again the next time I powered up the camera or a day later.
Back to internet research! On the “Fixya” site, I found a picture of the camera shutter and diaphragm blades. This picture was posted by “andyhutton” who was also having the same “black screen” problem. He had disassembled his camera and found what appeared to be an oil exuding on the shutter diaphragm blades. He disassembled the camera, cleaned it thoroughly, and reassembled it. This fixed his camera. Other information I found indicated that what appeared to be oil was a little “stiffer” than oil, almost hard. It was thought that this was happening after leaving in a hot car other high temperature environment.
All this made sense to me but I didn’t relish the thought of tearing the camera apart and reassembling it. This procedure reportedly took about 6-8 hours. And this was by a person who considered himself, to have a reasonable amount of mechanical ability. I definitely DON’T RECOMMEND this approach unless you have tried all else and are ready to junk your camera. Using this information I theorized that if I used the temporary fix procedure and then repeatedly activated the shutter, perhaps the “wiping action” may wear down the frictional areas and free up the shutter blades to move more freely. I tried it. Voila! It has worked now for the last 6-8 weeks without a failure. Here is my final procedure:

Set the camera in Tv mode, (delayed shutter mode) set the shutter at 15 sec, click to take a picture and during that 15 secs (like, after 7 seconds) open the battery, compartment which cuts contact with the battery circuit. Close the battery cover. At this point the camera works fine for me but only temporarily as noted above. Sometimes however, this procedure had to be performed more than once. Here is the key to the permanent fix. While the camera is working via the temporary fix, take many, many pictures. Hundreds! I probably snapped 400-600 pics. The idea is to wear down the little patches of hardened oil on the shutter blades. For the next three of days I took hundreds of pics each day. Basically, I just aimed the camera at the wall or whatever and snapped off several hundred pics.

Now that I seem to have my camera working permanently, my plan is to NOT leave my camera in a high temperature environment, and to try to use it regularly. Maybe, not unlike many other things, if it gets no regular use, it may start to deteriorate.

No guarantees but I do hope this helps someone.

I have the same problem with my Canon S3 IS. I was about to buy a new camera and somehow bumped into this post. I tried this solution twice and it WORKS. Thanks a lot.

A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. The symptoms of a stuck or "sticky" shutter are very similar to CCD image sensor failure. The camera may take black pictures (for shutter stuck closed), or the pictures may be very bright and overexposed, especially when taken outdoors (for shutter stuck open).

To confirm a stuck shutter, put the camera in any mode other than "Auto", and turn the flash OFF (you don't want to blind yourself for the next step). Next look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter. If so, please see the following for further info and a simple fix that may help:

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-fix-for-stuck-shutter.html

I have the same problem with my Canon S21S, and I was blown-off by Canon "Support" a long time ago. They won't fix them even though it is the same problem as with the S11S because they're too cheap to spend the money.
So my solution is simple: DON'T BUY ANYTHING MADE BY CANON! EVER!

Try a hard reset of camera electronics. Canon may have a hidden code to do this with. Suspect your electronics are fubar and you may have to go shopping since repair is not cost effective. Shame - good camera.

Take it to a service centre

E16 Image sensor readout timeout error.

press star, press 28, press function, press clear, press error and then press ok. then press the shutdown. and on off your machine.

I'd try replacing the battery first. It is common for a low power battery to not allow the camera's computer to read what it is supposed to do correctly. If the new fully charged battery doesn't fix it, I'd then contact customer service.

Check this http://www.e18error.com/

If you are closer to your subject than the minimum focus distance of the lens the camera will not focus and therefore will not let you release the shutter.

Hi, if the card has never worked in that device before you should probably check they are compatible. Some cameras will only take an SD card of a certain size. Some will only take SDHC but not SDXC. Check the spec of your card, is it the correct class, etc...that may throw up a resolution to your issue GOOD LUCK

Following information is not mine but from another site. This is a cut and paste since i didn't want to give you the bad news. Now the news; I e-mailed Canon tech support, and received a suggestion to remove, wait for 20 minutes, then reinstall the batteries. I confirmed that they were fully charged, and restarted the camera. The lens extended, but the LCD display is sometimes shot through with horizontal lines resembling static, which are recorded in photos taken afterwards (examples attached.). The camera now starts up randomly, and the lines come and go randomly. The only offer Canon has made after this was to offer an "upgrade" to a refurbished S2 IS for $299. That's about the price of a new one online! I have decided not to buy any Canon digital camera again. I would, however, like to try to get this one running with a degree of reliability. Canon S1 won turn on E16 error HELP Canon Digital Photography Forums This is all the info i found. Hope this helps. also sorry about the camera.

Try a different card first.

Yes you can. But you have to visit a canon service center and order them to your lense.

Hi,

"E18" indicates an error that involves the lens unit or lens cover in your camera .This error appears where the lens is prevented from properly extending or retracting .The error may also be displayed if the lens camera has been subjected to an external shock, or if a foreign substance (i.e. liquid, sand, dirt) enters the camera.Hold the camera so that your fingers do not touch the lens unit when you are shooting. Make sure the camera is off before the camera is placed back in the case. Exercise caution to ensure that the camera does not accidentally power on while the camera is stored inside the case.If you cannot clear the error code by turning the camera off and then on again, or if the error code is displayed frequently, a camera malfunction may have occurred and might require service from canon.Or else try pressing the power button on and held it down while extending the zoom lens. The lens will extend out and the camera will be freed from the error.


Thank you !!

if the button does not react while pressing try to visit the nearest service center and have them replaced