Powershot fails SX260, SX240, S95- systematic or bad luck?

Tom,

I have to agree with Toomanycanons.  I've owned the G5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, and 15; the S50, 70, 80, and 90; the SD800IS, 850IS, 870IS, 880IS, 950IS (2); the A710IS; SX230HS (3), and the SX260HS; and no scratches on any of them.  I've had the S90 for 4 years, and had the G7 for 4 years.  I've carried them in shirt, pants, and jacket pockets, in tote bags tossed in with water bottles and other odds and ends, although usually in a soft case.  Those kind of blades were used with film PnS cameras and I had a number of those from Canon, Ricoh, Pentax, Yashica, and Olympus, and no problems there, either.

I never use a wrist strap, as the camera dangles and tends to bang into things as you use your hands. Like when using a hand rail on the stairs, or reaching for a door knob.  Instead, they have all been used with a lanyard (neck cord) on the smaller ones and a neck strap on the G5 and G6.  I am also extremely caseful to keep them away from sand or grit.

Those blades are aluminum and should be too soft to scratch glass.  They could damage the lens coating if pushed in while opening.  However, I think it's more likely that some kind of hard, abrasive grit like sand has gotten between the blades and the lens, and the opening or closing of the blades has ground it against the lens.  If it were the blades themselves they would have to held inward against the lens while camera is turned on.  Or, permanently deformed to touch the lens - but then they would probably jam open in their recesses.

You said you were very careful with your cameras.  Have you let anyone else use them?  Taken them to the beach?  You're not the first to have these problems - I can recall a number of posts.