Lens bent on S95

VarmintCong

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Our 1 year old dropped the camera while the lens was extended (he turned it on and then dropped it). Can't seem to bend it back, and don't want to force it to much.

Anyone experienced this or have ideas on how to fix it?



 
Don't know anything you could do short of sending it to Canon for repair. Even if you could get it straight it probably wouldn't work the way it's supposed to work.

Depending on cost to repair you might be better off buying another camera.
 
Don't know anything you could do short of sending it to Canon for repair. Even if you could get it straight it probably wouldn't work the way it's supposed to work.

Depending on cost to repair you might be better off buying another camera.
Are there local Canon repair shops or you have to ship to Canon? My mother in law needs it for a trip to Asia in a couple weeks.

Edit: Did an online repair request (assume since it was dropped it'll be an out of warranty repair) = $160 + tax. Ouch.
 
Our 1 year old dropped the camera while the lens was extended (he turned it on and then dropped it). Can't seem to bend it back, and don't want to force it to much.
Not that it makes any difference but how did the picture he took come out?
Anyone experienced this or have ideas on how to fix it?
The damage is already done, I'd nudge it a bit, two or three times if necessary, maybe it'll pop back on track.
--
'I don't necessarily believe everything I say'!
 
Not that it makes any difference but how did the picture he took come out?

The damage is already done, I'd nudge it a bit, two or three times if necessary, maybe it'll pop back on track.
Can't even check, it shuts itself down.

I tried moving the lens back into place, it's stuck really hard. I'd have to use a hammer or something.
 
Your best bet is to send it to Canon for repair. If you would rather just get a different camera instead of spending the $160 esitmated repair cost (I'm always looking for a reason that I need to replace my "obsolete" 2 year old gear with the latest iteration of it!), my recommendation would be to take a run at repairing it yourself. I've never taken apart an S95, but in my experience with a few other small cameras that I've taken apart if you are careful you shouldn't break anything and you should be able to dissemble it to some extent with a set of small screwdrivers. If you do it, I'd take pictures (with a different camera or a phone cam) along the way, and also sketch outlines of the various parts where you are removing the screws from, with the screw holes drawn onto the sketches, and tape the screws down at the appropriate locations so you know which goes where when (if?) you put it back together. Once you get to the problem area, you might find that something just slipped out of it's place and you might be able to reposition it.

I'd only do it as a last resort once I had determined that I wasn't going to pay to get it repaired, though, as usually things don't go back together as easily as they come apart! Good luck if you do it.
Not that it makes any difference but how did the picture he took come out?

The damage is already done, I'd nudge it a bit, two or three times if necessary, maybe it'll pop back on track.
Can't even check, it shuts itself down.

I tried moving the lens back into place, it's stuck really hard. I'd have to use a hammer or something.
 
Your best bet is to send it to Canon for repair. If you would rather just get a different camera instead of spending the $160 esitmated repair cost (I'm always looking for a reason that I need to replace my "obsolete" 2 year old gear with the latest iteration of it!), my recommendation would be to take a run at repairing it yourself. I've never taken apart an S95, but in my experience with a few other small cameras that I've taken apart if you are careful you shouldn't break anything and you should be able to dissemble it to some extent with a set of small screwdrivers. If you do it, I'd take pictures (with a different camera or a phone cam) along the way, and also sketch outlines of the various parts where you are removing the screws from, with the screw holes drawn onto the sketches, and tape the screws down at the appropriate locations so you know which goes where when (if?) you put it back together. Once you get to the problem area, you might find that something just slipped out of it's place and you might be able to reposition it.

I'd only do it as a last resort once I had determined that I wasn't going to pay to get it repaired, though, as usually things don't go back together as easily as they come apart! Good luck if you do it.
Not that it makes any difference but how did the picture he took come out?

The damage is already done, I'd nudge it a bit, two or three times if necessary, maybe it'll pop back on track.
Can't even check, it shuts itself down.

I tried moving the lens back into place, it's stuck really hard. I'd have to use a
Thanks, yeah, I'm gonna call Canon (online repair thing doesn't work). My wife nixed the idea of me trying to fix it myself. And it's worth more than $160 so I might as well have it repaired.
 
VarmintCong,

You may want to take this more as a recounting of my experience rather than advice but, for what it is worth, I had a similar experience when I fell with my SX260. The lens was "bent" at the second joint so the camera would not retract and shut down. I was in Alberta on a two-week motorcycle trip and this was my only camera so I thought, "take a chance". I gently but firmly pushed the lens to straighten it and it popped back in line with a small click.

So far, about a month later, it is still working as it did when new although it has a couple obvious gouges in the end of the camera body. It apparently hit the ground on the left end of the body and not on the lens itself. Good luck.
 
I had a similar problem on an SX220. The top part of the three-stage lens was bent just like on your S100. Panic. The lens was stuck, the zoom didn't work anymore.

Instead of trying to push the piece back into place, I gently pulled/turned it to remove it from the camera. That freed up the zoom, which worked again. I zoomed the lens all the way to the max tele-position (meaning: the remaining parts of the lens were completely out of the camera-body). I pulled the battery out to keep the lens from retracting automatically because ONLY in the full-zoom position it is possible to click the detached part of the lens back into place (there are some notches that need be aligned).

You could try the same on your S100. Maybe you need to try out several different lens-positions...
--
G.D.
 
Hello,

$160+ is way too much to pay to repair a S95, and no guarantee the lens will ever be as sharp as before it was repaired.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Go out and buy a new P&S's.. They are so cheap these days.
And, you don't have much time before the trip.

Just my 2 €.

God luck.
 
it will take more than a couple of weeks for Canon to repair it.
--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida
 
VarmintCong,

You may want to take this more as a recounting of my experience rather than advice but, for what it is worth, I had a similar experience when I fell with my SX260. The lens was "bent" at the second joint so the camera would not retract and shut down. I was in Alberta on a two-week motorcycle trip and this was my only camera so I thought, "take a chance". I gently but firmly pushed the lens to straighten it and it popped back in line with a small click.

So far, about a month later, it is still working as it did when new although it has a couple obvious gouges in the end of the camera body. It apparently hit the ground on the left end of the body and not on the lens itself. Good luck.
Thanks - I tried many times but it's jammed really good, I pushed about as hard as I could without using tools. It won't budge.
 
Instead of trying to push the piece back into place, I gently pulled/turned it to remove it from the camera. That freed up the zoom, which worked again. I zoomed the lens all the way to the max tele-position (meaning: the remaining parts of the lens were completely out of the camera-body). I pulled the battery out to keep the lens from retracting automatically because ONLY in the full-zoom position it is possible to click the detached part of the lens back into place (there are some notches that need be aligned).
Interesting, I didn't try turning it, will definitely try that when I get home tonight, thanks!
$160+ is way too much to pay to repair a S95, and no guarantee the lens will ever be as sharp as before it was repaired.
Better to be safe than sorry.
Go out and buy a new P&S's.. They are so cheap these days.
My mother in law is gonna borrow a camera for her trip, so the wait is not a problem. I figure the S95 I could ebay for $200-250 after its fixed, so it's worth $160 to fix. (not that I would ebay it)

I would guess Canon will just use a new lens assembly, rather than try to repair this one. If it's not sharp I'll send it back, I'm sure their repair is warrantied.
 

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