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SX240/260HS - lens scratches caused by the protection curtain?

Started Oct 29, 2012 | Discussions
TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
SX240/260HS - lens scratches caused by the protection curtain?
1

I always take extreme care of all lenes and never even touch the front element.

Now this is the story - I got a new SX260HS from Amazon in July 2012 and it delivers brilliant results for a P&S.

I am really happy with it and it comes out of his Grupler Neopren softcase only when I take photographs with it.

If there is dust on the front lens - I blow it away.

Well despite of all care - about two weeks ago I discovered one 2mm scratch on the lens left of the center. No chance to blow it away - it clearly looks like a scratch - and it is a scratch. I thought 's... happens' and couldn't discover any problems visible in my shots.

Unfortunatelly the scratch seems getting deeper each tiem I look at it and today I even discovered three more scratches down and right from the center. They are smaller but definitelly scratches. All four scratches run vertical and in the meantime the big, first one produces a visible stain on some shots.

There is no other reasonable explanation for this and I thought if someone else suffers the same problem then maybe a production failure of the blinds that Canon uses to protect the lens and which move bottom to top and reverse coud cause the damage.

Any opinon and/or recommandation from other users of the a.m. or other Canon models are highly appreciated.

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MisterPootieCat
MisterPootieCat Veteran Member • Posts: 3,123
Pretty common on the G10/11/12

It's unfortunate that Canon can't get something so simple figured out by now. I'm waiting around to see if the G15 has the same problem. I would definitely send the camera back to Canon and ask them to fix it.

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cednicek New Member • Posts: 7
Re: SX240/260HS - lens scratches caused by the protection curtain?

I have faced this problem also on my Samsung WB600. I cannot figure what can cause it, because I think I am super carefull about my stuff. Always used air ballon to get out of dust with camera facing down and used Lenspen. It can be the protecting curtain, what else? I have only one "scratch" and it makes me mad

OP TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
Re: Pretty common on the G10/11/12

Yes - I have contacted them already. See if - what is Canon's reaction.

I wll keep you informed.

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OP TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
Re: SX240/260HS - lens scratches caused by the protection curtain?
1

It is more than that - the growing number and itensity of scratches make the whole camera unuseble.

I wll keep you informed

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OP TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Today I have received my SX260 back from the Canon Service center.

They have replaced the complete optical unit under guarantee.

It took about 10 days.

Thank you Canon - hope this time the lens will not be affected by the portection curtain again.

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Ppp999 New Member • Posts: 2
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.
1

Hi guys, thanks for sharing your experiences. I bought my SX240 one year ago and it had a scratch on the same spot. It happened within a month and I thought it was my fault. Apparently it isn't?

OP TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Hi - the same happened to me again with a SX240 I bought 2nd hand in March.

Condition was excellent but on vacation it happened that the lens tried to extract while the camera was still in the bag - and again a significant scratch damaged the frontlens element in the center. After multiple discussions first with the repair service and two weeks later with Canon direct they blamed two sand corns found within the lens motor to be the reason for the scratch on the lens. They also claim to have detected a drop/shock damage within the camera and denied repair under waranty. I wonder how a camera damage inside the body can happen while the body itself doesn't even show the slightest scratch.

In the end they asked ~ 2004 US to replace lens and shutter and sent back the partes (screws in a extra bag) after I refused to pay for the repair.

This was definitelly the last second hand from ebay for me and the last Powershot camera for me.

Cheers, Tom

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Ppp999 New Member • Posts: 2
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Hi Tom,

What happened with the camera which was replaced under guarantee? And why did the replacement worked the first time and not this time?

OP TOMSDPR Contributing Member • Posts: 935
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Hi,

I gave the SX260 to my brother in law because he was looking for a travelzoom with GPS camera and I didn't ever use this feature. During the repair of the SX260 I had the chance to buy a nice S95 and comparing the IQ i decided to keep this little gem instead.

Later I was missing the 25mm and the 500 mmm as well when travelling. So I came to the SX240 from ebay. The SX240 still does a good job and the scratch is only visible in wideangle bright skies and aperture smaller than F4. Not a real problem. I have created a SX240 album in my galleries.

Feel free to compare S95, SX260 and SX240.

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MSNL New Member • Posts: 1
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

I was at a friends house who has the SX240HS as well and noticed he had the same scratches on the lens as I did. I thought that was pretty awkward, but we thought it was just a coincidence at first, but we're both very cautious with our cameras. So when I noticed some more scratches after the recent holiday (no beach or sand even near us), I started wondering and Googled it. Then I landed on this forum post. Seems we're not the only ones. This is too much of an coincidence and definitely we're not sloppy with our stuff. Seems like a production error to me. I contacted Canon, because it's over a year old (scratch is there for almost a year now). I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Capnjasper New Member • Posts: 1
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Hi all.

I found this forum by searching on Canon SX240 lens scratch because I just encountered this problem with my camera. The camera is only 6 months old. Canon's service centre have examin dt he camera and have responded that the damage is due to "use of force". I know there has been no use of force. They want £92 to repair it. Reading the reports on this forum and looking at the number of lens assemblies sold on Ebay convinces me that there is a manufacturing fault. I don't expect to get any further with Canon so I will probably try replacing the lens myself. I'm resolved not to buy any more Canon products. I still have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 which I shall continue to use and thsi has been very reliable.

brianj Forum Pro • Posts: 14,657
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.

Capnjasper wrote:

Hi all.

I found this forum by searching on Canon SX240 lens scratch because I just encountered this problem with my camera. The camera is only 6 months old. Canon's service centre have examin dt he camera and have responded that the damage is due to "use of force". I know there has been no use of force. They want £92 to repair it. Reading the reports on this forum and looking at the number of lens assemblies sold on Ebay convinces me that there is a manufacturing fault. I don't expect to get any further with Canon so I will probably try replacing the lens myself. I'm resolved not to buy any more Canon products. I still have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 which I shall continue to use and thsi has been very reliable.

Mine was also scratched, but it didin't matter because the lens assemble started having E32 errors which meant the whole camera was junk which really annoyed me because it was the best image straight from a camer that I had ever owned.

When I googled E32 error it mostly seemed to refer to the in lens IS system, anyway mine lasted just a little more than the one year warranty period, so I wouldn't worry too much about the scratch.

Brian

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(unknown member) Veteran Member • Posts: 6,192
Re: Canon replaces lens on SX240/260HS - lens scratches repair by guarantee.
1

Sorry to hear you had problems as you really liked your SX. I hate these sort of lens covers in any make as you have to baby them more than the lens. Any case which is not hard is a danger and any accessories in the case pockets are a danger. One day the makers may put the lens surface a bit farther back from the blades but that is obviously beyond the wit of the designers. A micron sized distortion of the blades seems to take up all the clearance.

Edit: In some ways you have to have a perverse admiration for the people who make the stuff over the dogged way they endless repeat the same flaws in each iteration blissfully unaware of the problems. This is not directed specifically at Canon.

brianj wrote:

Capnjasper wrote:

Hi all.

I found this forum by searching on Canon SX240 lens scratch because I just encountered this problem with my camera. The camera is only 6 months old. Canon's service centre have examin dt he camera and have responded that the damage is due to "use of force". I know there has been no use of force. They want £92 to repair it. Reading the reports on this forum and looking at the number of lens assemblies sold on Ebay convinces me that there is a manufacturing fault. I don't expect to get any further with Canon so I will probably try replacing the lens myself. I'm resolved not to buy any more Canon products. I still have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 which I shall continue to use and thsi has been very reliable.

Mine was also scratched, but it didin't matter because the lens assemble started having E32 errors which meant the whole camera was junk which really annoyed me because it was the best image straight from a camer that I had ever owned.

When I googled E32 error it mostly seemed to refer to the in lens IS system, anyway mine lasted just a little more than the one year warranty period, so I wouldn't worry too much about the scratch.

Brian

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