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General discussion

Blank Screen on a Canon Powershot A610. HELP PLEASE!

Apr 13, 2007 11:52PM PDT

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!

Discussion is locked

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More on Canon fixing the camera
Jan 14, 2010 6:31AM PST

In my email to them, I included part of the email/post from them about if it was a CCD issue, even out of warranty, they would fix it. They emailed back quickly with that entire document, and we went from there. There was no hassle, no arguments, no problem. So when you contact them, be sure to include at least part of that document - so they know what to look for on their end. If it's someone new, they might now know, so if you help them, you get what you want!

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I have the same problem with my camera...
Apr 26, 2010 6:29AM PDT

After reading all the posts, I called Canon, only to be told they had no idea of any recall related to a bad CCD or black screen. I did read the quoted reply on this site, that was from Canon but I was told if I couldn't not produce the whole document, then they didn't know what I was talking about. Has anyone, lately, gotten their Canon A610 fixed by Canon? Or are we spinning our wheels?

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Canon A610
Apr 26, 2010 7:52AM PDT

Apparently you did not read all of the posts in the thread.
The thread was started several years ago and got longer as more was learned about the problem.

It has nothing to do with the CCD sensor.
There is a problem with the CCD sensor on some older Canon cameras, but not the A610.
You can read all about it here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html

You will notice that the A610 is not on the list of affected cameras.

....

There is a problem that occurs on the A610 where something in the shutter/iris unit sticks and you get a blank photo.
But Canon has not issued a recall for that problem.
Some people have been lucky enough to get Canon to fix the problem for free, but more people have been denied any free fix.
Canon charges a little over $100 to fix it.

If you read all the posts in the thread you will find that several people have gotten their A610 working again. Do more reading to learn what they did.

Also some people have had some luck with Canon by being a squeaky wheel and filing a formal complaint with the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

..

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Yea its just pretty shady
Aug 27, 2010 9:39AM PDT

I called about my a610 which has been dead for a while but i didn't bother to do anything about it because i own several other newer canons so was not urgent. But they clearly knew right away what i was talking about, its probably so common that they have to actively deny repairs constantly. I rarely used that camera for the last few years and it failed, this is poor quality build and service, there clearly is something wrong with the model they are trying to sweep under the rug to save money. I've been a damned loyal canon customer and it totally pisses me off that they are doing this.

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similar
Nov 1, 2010 7:04AM PDT

I had a similar problem with my little A70 (see above posting, username pootocanon !), screen just gave up doing anything. But of course this always seem to happen just after the warranty dies doesn't it ? I did find a forum comment somewhere at the time, and Canon had put a note out to say it was a `known fault' and they would repair out of warranty but only if it was just that fault. I reckon the best thing is to get the repair done as quickly and cheaply as possible and sell it as a refurb.

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Jackpot...
Nov 5, 2010 12:46PM PDT

I had a similar issue with my A610. Did the fix posted on the previous page and on the 4th try it worked. Camera seems to be functioning perfectly again... thanks for all the help on this site!

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Canon A610 Powershot
Dec 23, 2010 9:52PM PST

Mine had a blank screen except for the icons but would not take any pics. Took it to Best Buy Geek Squad who in-turn sent it to their camera repair shop,they told me it needed a new lens ??? 130.00
I said go ahead since I could not buy another camera so equipped for that amount.
We'll see if it was worth it or not when I get it back. Mine was 8 months out of warranty and they said SORRY.

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blank screen on PowerShot A610 - CCD problem - I have it too
Aug 14, 2011 5:39AM PDT

I have this blank screen problem.
As it started, I was able to "play around" with the camera to get it going (it could take a few minutes to finally get a picture to show up on the LCD screen).
Now, it's probably fully dead.
I'm not sure how long ago I bought it.
Thanks everyone for the reports about the A610 !

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Add me to this long list of failed Canon A610 cameras
Sep 17, 2011 5:15PM PDT

I discovered the black LCD problem on my A610 about a month ago. After reading much on the web about the problem. I decided to just purchase one of the lower priced new cameras and forget about it. Its a pity because the camera is hardly used and looks like new. I took maybe 30 pictures with it never dropped or abused it. I've owned it since it was new and certainly haven't gotten my moneys worth of use. Too many problems with these point and shoots so I'll just be buying low end models until I hear better of them.