Digital Camera Repair #2 Problem? Broken Lens

Digital camera lens repair is as common as LCD repair, but it’s #2 on my list because it’s harder to repair a digital camera lens and there are so many different types of lens problems whereas a broken LCD is a broken LCD no matter how you look at it.

Basic Lens Care Tips:

- Do not leave the batteries in your camera in the camera bag. The power button can be pressed accidentally causing the lens to extend and get jammed because it cannot open properly inside the bag.
- Try not to drop the camera with the lens extended.
- Do not attempt to pull or twist the lens barrel if it’s stuck, it’s not going to fix it.

I would have to write a book to fully explain lens problems fully (hmm.. what a great idea!) so I will do what I can to make this easy to follow and as helpful as possible.

The lens is made up of many different parts… Let’s start with the several pieces of glass referred to as the lens elements. The outer lens element is prone to being scratched and scuffed, and usually has a special coating on it that you DO NOT want to clean off with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), or Windex or something similar. Nothing to worry about if it’s not there, it’s not a big deal. Try to always have a clean lens (how do finger prints get on the glass anyway??) & free from wear.

The inner-most lens element is responsible for the fine focus and resides directly in front of the CCD. When you press the shutter button half way down to focus, this part moves forwards and backwards till it’s in the correct position and your image is in focus. You won’t be messing with this part of the lens… unless you feel like removing the lens from the camera and then tearing down the lens to get at it’s ‘guts’. It’s kinda fun the first time, but uh… I wish you luck getting it back together properly. The tearing apart stuff is awesome, the putting it back together is a drag!

The lens has two small motors with their own gears that connect to the two main parts of the lens. The larger motor drives the lens barrel in and out when zooming. The smaller motor drives the fine focus element mentioned above and controls the focus. If you get ONE GRAIN of sand in these gears, they will jam and the lens will “error out” as we like to say. Open it up and clean it out if you like, but it’s not easy. The larger of the two lens motors usually has 4-5 different gears that if misaligned will cause the lens to jam. If the lens is already jammed up, you might as well try and see if it works, right?

Then there is the CCD, “charge-coupled device” which translates the light that enters the lens into a digital signal that the camera can record.

There was a very large CCD recall for Sony camera lens repair over the past few years that covers many manufacturers like Canon, Fuji and Nikon and not just Sony, but Sony provided the CCDs to many other manufacturers for their cameras so they do have a large amount of defective cameras on the list themselves. The defective CCD’s cause the camera to take solid black photos, or purple/pink “dripping paint” photos, or they have repeating white horizontal or verticle lines on the images. If your camera does this, call the manufacturer and tell them you want a repair under the CCD recall no matter how old your camera is! If your camera is on the CCD recall list and they are still doing the recall, you can get it fixed for free.

Got spots on your images that get bigger and smaller as you zoom in and out? Most likely there is a spec of dust on your CCD. You will need to remove the lens and then remove the CCD from the back of the lens and clean it off. Don’t lose the gasket that goes around the CCD, don’t get any other dirt inside the lens and don’t leave any fingerprints! Tall order I know, sorry, I’m demanding. =)

Let’s see… what else? Your lens is part way out, stuck at an angle because the camera was dropped while turned on. Now please read that carefully; the lens must be stuck part way out or all the way out, and one section of the lens MUST be stuck at an angle. For this repair tip to apply the lens must not be moving at all, and be aware you may follow these instructions at your own risk. The following repair trick works, but I am not responsible for your actions or anything you do to your camera.

Ok, it’s stuck at an angle and you want to try and repair your camera lens yourself. No problem.

Hold the camera with the angled part of the lens resting against the edge of a table, and the rest of the camera hanging over the side. Do not place the camera facing down with the “Canon Zoom Lens…” chrome ring section flat on the table. The round part of the lens barrel is what we want on the flat surface of the table. Now… here is the tricky part… press the angled part of the lens back into alignment by pushing down on the lens on the edge of the table. Put your fingers on the LENS below the angled part to support it and press firmly but still gently (how do I do that? I don’t know.. you just do it) and the lens will either POP!! back where it belongs and the lens will work again or it won’t move and no harm will be done, or worst case scenario one of the guide pins that move inside a small slot inside the lens will break and the lens will be ruined.

I told you it was at your own risk!! Digital camera repair is fun… right?

Ok, how are we feeling about lenses? I think we have covered most of the basic problems, and possible solutions. You may buy a lens to repair your camera in several ways; the most expensive would be to call the manufacturer as they typically will charge 0 or more for the lens assembly.

Do a Google search for “digital camera repair” and you will see at #1 the only site that has affordable digital camera repair and DIY parts… Darntoothysam.com!