Concerning the faulty CCD sensor issue:
It seems like some people get the repairs they want from CANON--others are not. Here are some tips from one of those who got a free A610 repair.
Please note: I strongly suggest that you return an A610 for a defective CCD sensor problem only if you feel fairly confident (from others' comments here or feedback from a professional camera shop) that you have a CCD problem. Otherwise, it makes it more difficult for others.
A. Canon's Stance.
Canon has NOT put the A610 on its advisory list (i.e., they will fix it for free), because their position is that the purchase of faulty CCD sensors from Sony occurred before the manufacture of the A610. (Interesting, though, that so many of us have similar problems, with cameras purchased around the same date.) It appears that Canon will NEVER acknowledge that the CCD is faulty on the A610.
B. Starting the Complaint.
1. Emailing customer service will do no good, other than getting a standard form with a repair estimate of over $100. Perhaps it will at least increase your anger and frustration; paradoxically, you'll need these emotions for the persistence required by the free repair pursuit.
2. Phoning Customer Service does some good, if you're very persistent. You'll get the standard, 'the CANON is not on our list of "advisories."' Do mention the CNET thread, and the similairy of the complaints. NOTE: See if someone (and get their name) will cede that if the CCD sensor is the problem, CANON will fix the camera for free. Also insist on free mailing there and back.
3. As mentioned above, take your A610 to a camera shop for an estimate, and get an opinion on what is wrong with the problem.
4. Call Factory Repair. Here's what may happen:
a. Rep. says it's not on the advisory.
b. You ask for supervisor, she or he repeats the line above.
c. After stating that you will not pay full price for an apparently defective sensor, the supervisor will give you the "good news" that CANON will fix it for 1/2 price--with time the supervisor may take an additional 25% off.
d. You ask for anther supervisor, preferable one of the two names that people have already recommended here. Politely but firmly and-- most of all, truthfully--plead your case. State when you bought it, other CANON products you own (and that you won't buy in the future--perhaps save that as a last resort), that you didn't mishandle the camera, that a CANON rep. said a CCD problem willl be repaired for free (if this indeed happened--see point 2 above), etc. Politely insist on a 100% free repair, and free postage there and back, if you have not done so already.
e. If you get a nice supervisor, have been persistent but polite, and detailed (have dates ands names of anyone who talked with you, if they said anything at all helpful), the supervisor may give you a one-time 100% free repair--as a "courtesy" from CANON. They will NOT ADMIT that there is anything wrong with the CCD sensor. Fine, just get it repaired.
C. Getting the Camera Back--Finding Out What was Wrong
1. If it was the CCD sensor, you should get a working A610 back within 7-10 days. The invoice may be completely uninformative. It may state that there was a repair to the "optical system." Hey, CANON--the entire camera is an optical system! The invoice will probably not state anything specific abut what was repaired.
D. CANON--Tear Down Your Wall of Silence!
SO, either CANON is exceptionally nice and consumer-oriented--fixing problems that aren't their fault as a "courtesy," or there is a defective part--that CANON doesn't want added to the "advisory list." Adding a camera is a costly proposition for CANON, because it means that they will fix the defective part for free. Another hypothesis: Perhaps it is NOT the CCD sensor that's faulty, but another part that is defective beyond what one should reasonably expect.
E. Recourses, Legal and Economic.
1. CANON USA (headquartered in New York City) is a division of CANON, INC., of Japan. Your state's consumer protection agency/division may offer some protection; however, if you're out of warranty, it's possible that finding legal liability will be difficult. A lawyer on this thread would be helpful.
2. Always purchase an extended warranty when buying a CANON product.
3. Never buy a CANON product.
4. If you really feel that CANON did not act in good faith, let others know via word of mouth and review, especially on widely read sites such as CNET and AMAZON.com. Many have done this already.
F. CANON--Hero or Goat. All this may sound harsh. However, if CANON knows, or should know, that the A610 has a faulty component and is not telling us, and, as a result, we're wasting time and energy to persuade company reps. to fix the camera, then they deserve it.
Conversely, if all of these similar complaints conform to what one should reasonably expect from a $300 camera, then perhaps CANON has done nothing wrong, and CANON deserves our GRATITUDE for responding to so many of us with a free or discounted repair.
I've had my Powershot A610 (swivel LCD) for a little less than a year and half. It hasn't had any major problems, except for an E18 error last August from a lens that wouldn't retract, which was fixed by Canon and covered by my warranty.
Starting a little while ago, I would power up my camera and the screen would be black. All the icons were still visible, and I was able to take a picture, but when I switched over the mode to view the picture, it too was all black. However, after taking one or two of these "black" pictures, the camera would return to normal and function as it always had.
Today, I turned on my camera and the screen was black. However, even after taking HUNDREDS of blank photos, the LCD is still black (still, icons and the blue "Canon" logo appear at startup). I went onto the Canon website and typed in my serial number, etc. and was informed that the repair would be at least $107 plus applicable taxes and shipping (I'm not under warranty anymore), but of course that quote might go up once they receive the camera. I've read online that dead CCD repairs can be quite costly, but I don't really know.
What I'm really wondering is the rough estimate for the repair of my camera. I would send it to Canon and wait to receive the final quote, but I do need a camera in about 3 weeks. I was kind of hoping to purchase a smaller model, like an SD600 or SD1000 anyway, and if the repair is going to be substantially more than the original Canon quote, I'd prefer to just purchase a new camera now. I found an SD1000 for only $260 at Circuit City, so any repair costing more than $150 doesn't seem too worthwile to me at this point.
Also, by no means am I a camera expert. Based on my research I think the problem could be a dead LCD or CCD, but I really have no idea. I'm pretty sure that I've covered all the possible troubleshooting options (new batteries, switching shooting modes, pressing the display button), but any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks!

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