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General discussion

Canon E18 Error

Jan 11, 2005 8:15PM PST

Has anyone out there experienced an E18 error with the Canon Powershot A95? I'm trying to decide between the A75 and the A95 at this point. They've both received decent reviews from Consumer Reports, but there's no mention of any E18 problems in their reviews. Just trying to get some feedback. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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E18 error...HELP!!
Oct 21, 2005 3:27AM PDT

i have an S400. i tried the turn method, and its still making the clicking noise and shutting off on its own. the lens is extended and wont go back.

any advice is appreciated.

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Try this
Nov 28, 2005 3:09PM PST

I too have an S400 that had the lens stuck in the extended position, and tried the twisting and tapping to no avail. What did work for me though is this: Using your two thumbs push firmly on the end of the lens barrel and force the lens mechanism ALL THE WAY back into the closed position. Turn on and you should hear a click as the lens catches and extends. Turn off and you might hear another click as lens retracts. Cycle on/off again and you should be all set. YMMV.

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Fix your E-18 Error on Canon Cameras
May 18, 2005 2:10PM PDT

My sister had an E-18 Error Code on her Canon Powershot S500, a Birthday Gift received only 6 weeks before th error code occurred. After Troubleshooting on the internet for Fix-It Websites, I came upon this CNET Forum website.
Her camera was stuck with the lens not retracting. Previous websites suggested trying to snap the lens gently back into place. She would turn the camera on and off while trying to gently turn the lens and pop it back into place. It didn't work when the camera was OFF. She turned it ON, but after five seconds, the error code would come on and shut the camera down. So Finally, she turned the camera ON and within those first five seconds, she turned the lens in all 3 sections until she heard it "SNAP" Into place. She turned the camera off and the lens retracted. Then she Turned it on and the Camera worked like a charm after that!
B. Young, California

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Frustrated
May 21, 2005 3:31PM PDT

Hi,
I dropped my Canon Powershot A75 last night, while it was on, and when I picked it up, and turned it off, the lens wouldn't fully retract. I have tried twisting the lens like people suggested, but I'm not having much luck. There doesn't seem to be anything to "snap" into place. Am I twisting the wrong way? I also tried replacing the batteries, but that didn't do anything. Any suggestions? If I bring the camera to a shop (I bought it online), do you think they would be able to work with it? I just bought the camera in November, so I'm a little frustrated. I guess this will teach me to be more careful with it! Any help would be great.
Thanks.

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Same thing!
Jun 19, 2005 4:31PM PDT

My camera acts in the same manner as did yours. Its getting really frustrating and now the backlight to the LCD is flickering, I even tried replacing the batteries. As for the lens I also tried 'clicking' it into place, nothing happened. What should I do??

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E18
May 25, 2005 12:55AM PDT

Hello, my name is diedra. Ok i have a canon PowerShot A60 and it is acting up. Whenever i turn it on it beeps then says E18. I tried what happened to your sister and it still is beeping. It isnt all the way in but it is so close it is hard to push it in or whatever. So, i can't push the thing in or pop it in. Im wondering if you have any suggestions. Oh yeah and did the pictures she take stay on the camera after she popped the lens an stuff back in? Because i took some pictures and im wondering if they are still on there. Please reply to sporty_31_09@hotmail.com A.S.A.P!! This is kind of important right now.
Thanks a lot
Diedra

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Pics should be on memory card
Jun 19, 2005 1:25AM PDT

Tke the memory card out and load them onto a computer to view or at one of the local photo machines at a Walgreens wtc. As for the lens, if it pops out all the way, gently turn it clockwise till it clicks... see what happens, if turned too far, turn it back a little and when it clicks it will close fully.

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Worked for me !!!
Jun 19, 2005 1:23AM PDT

Cannot get the wife to stop viewing pics on the camera after taking them. Battery ran out. E18 occurred on next powerup. Twisted the lens with a fresh battery installed and it clicked. E18 is now gone and camera works fine.

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Also worked for me
Mar 30, 2008 6:05AM PDT

You have to twist hard. Thanks for the advice.

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Thank-you so much!
Jul 14, 2005 7:25AM PDT

I tried what you suggested after returning from the Camera store where they told me it would not be worth fixing the camera (cheaper to buy a new one). Then, just to be sure I checked on the net and found your message, tried it and it worked! I'm so happy we are leaving for vacation tomorrow and I wanted to use my camera.

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re; Fix your E-18 Error on Canon Cameras
Jul 18, 2005 7:25PM PDT

Thank you, thank you. Your advice fixed my Canon camera. Thanks again for sharing this information.

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My PhotoShot A75 got the E18 and Now im screwed!
Jun 27, 2005 1:38PM PDT

well.. wow. today in the car on the way to the movies with my friends today and wow my camera decided it wasnt gonna work. my friends dad tried to fix it and so did all my friends nothing was working.. so i took it to future shop and they basically said i was screwed. its my dads camera and i cant send it back for reasons. now i dont no if i can fix it coz this camera was very expensive and now you all who've experienced this get its very irratating when it decides not to work anymore. Im completely out of ideas and have no way out of this. if any body noes how to fix this please email me hockey_xo_hunni@hotmail.com and tell me how if you can this is really important to me and wow im totally gonna get told i did something wrong and never be trusted again. but this did juist happen out of no where so i dont get it. anyways please i need your help. thank you - katey arsenault,age 14

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E 18 error
Aug 7, 2005 5:56AM PDT

Just happened--E18--can it be fixed?--Is it worth the cost? I have heavily used the camera for 7 months. Jody

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E18 error fixed
Aug 31, 2005 3:42PM PDT

I have a Powershot A80. It got a little bit of splash at the beach, which immediately sent it into E18 error state when I tried to power down, lens barrel stayed extended. I thought it was dead. I removed batteries then tried again later. Lens barrel closed, then powering back up extended the lens. At that point, though, I heard a non-good clicking noise, and E18 appeared again. It sounded like problems with auto-closing lens cover. I saw somewhere and saw that connecting the AV cable to the camera could fix the problem, I thought that was hogwash. Well, it worked like a champ. I switched camera to review mode, plugged in AV cable, and lens retracted perfectly. The lens cover stayed open, though, but a few on-off cycles and blasts from an air can knocked loose whatever was holding back the lens cover. Camera now works just as it always did.

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E18 Error
Oct 13, 2005 7:26AM PDT

I am very disappointed on the Canon brand. I bought a new camera, POWERSHOT S410 on September 2004 and less than 6 months later it didn?t work. It kept showing ?Error 18? and I was unable to use it anymore after that. I spent around $400 USD in all: camera, SD memory card, battery (it used a special battery), and case. The guarantee with the store had ended so they recommended that I call Canon directly. Canon then told me to send the camera for inspection and that they would either repair it or send me a new one. A couple of weeks later I received a letter stating that there was a problem with the lens and that if I wanted it repaired, I needed to pay $117 USD. Also, they stated that if any additional internal damage was found, a revised estimate will be sent for my approval. Of course I am not willing to spend anymore on a camera that will surely fail again. I prefer to buy a new camera and I will never buy a Canon again.
This same problem happened to my sister, who bought the same camera on the same day as me. The only difference is that her?s failed when it was still under store warranty so they exchange it for a new one. Now she?s afraid that her new camera will fail again.
All of my friends and family know about my camera problems so they know not to buy a Canon product ever.

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E18 Error
Nov 2, 2005 5:30AM PST

After I received the estimated repair costs for my camera's E-18, I sent Canon a letter stating that I was very disappointed and that I intended to pass the word around about my Canon camera problems. I told them I was posting bad reviews for all Canon cameras.

I declined paying $117 for the camera to be repaired and called to investigate when they would be returning my camera. They were insulted by my letter but I didn't care.

A couple of weeks later, I received my camera fixed, free of charge. I guess the letter worked after all! Anyway, I already bought a new camera because I don't trust that the Canon won't fail again.

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Complaint Letter
Jan 11, 2006 10:55AM PST

I am another victim of the E18 error as it has now occurred 2 times to me. However, this time I am not under warranty and they want to charge me $128 for the repair. I ended up calling Canon and spoke with a manager and tried to haggle with him yet he was pretty unresponsive in helping me out. All he could do was a 20% reduction in the price so now it's down to around $103 I think with shipping.

I still would not like to pay the ridiculous amount of money to repair the camera and want to send a letter in like you did. Could you please explain more in depth on what you wrote to Canon about in the complaint letter because I would like to do the same. I feel this notorious error is unacceptable, especially that it has happened twice to me now. I will give a fight, but I need some guidance first. Thank you.

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Strange
Apr 10, 2006 6:59AM PDT

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I have had three Canon's including my latest the A610 and never had any problems with Canon, and I would highly recommend Canon, these Powershot A series models are the best for the money as far as I am concerned, pitty that you judge a company on such a small failure rate...

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Avoid canon like the plague.
Oct 28, 2005 7:22AM PDT

E18 stuck lens is not covered after one year.
I'm spreading the word about the $500.00 canon disposable cameras. Your lens sticks open and e 18 error message pops up. What a great price for a less than two years of careful and moderate use.

I'm getting the word out after many, many calls to Canon camera in Alberta and Ontario of which I also had the displeasure of talking to an obnoxious and cloned middle manager of some sort. You know the kind. Repeats the speach found on their website about dropping camera or strong contact or meteor collisions or blah blah blah.

In fact all email responses and phone calls have the exact same cloned and scripted statements. Blame the consumer and deny any knowledge of this widespread flaw in their made in Canarctica cameras. I also made several trips to repair shops, including Canon and 2-3 hundred bucks is not worth fixing an a60. Aside from the canon shop playing dumb, the other camera stores and repair centers all know of this manufacturing flaw.

I invested about $800.00 for the camera, cards and accessories. Now they are worth squat. Do a search on the internet and you'll find lots of sites with e18 stuck lens info. Also there's even at least one possible class action in the works.

So be warned. When your warranty runs out, so does any resemblance of customer support and you will be screwed when your lens malfunctions. Repairs cost far more than the camera and try to find a camera that will take flash memory cards.

Never again. Goodbye customer service. Goodbye canon. Anything but a canon after the way I've been treated.

Brian
Victoria
Canada.
Phone me canon. Fix my camera. Oh right. I forgot. As you insinuated, I must have dropped it. Guess I must have simply forgotten.

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Has this E-18 problem been seen on other Canon models?
Nov 18, 2005 9:19PM PST

Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears that the E-18 lens problem is confined to the Canon Axx and Sxxx series. What about the SDxxx (Ixusxxx) or Sxx series? I am sure that owners of these models, like the SD550 or S80 would want to be aware of any potential lens problem with their camera. Thanks.

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Wonder...
Nov 19, 2005 11:12AM PST

other brand cameras have the E-18 equivalent problem ?

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Canon A620 and E18?
Nov 25, 2005 3:54AM PST

I would like to purchase a digital camera (something small but effective to carry around easily) and I find the Canon A620 the most attractive. I've never owned a Canon, but this E18 error is the only thing making me doubt this choice. Has anyone experienced this problem yet with the A620? Thanks.

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A620 and the E18
Dec 21, 2005 4:20AM PST

I am in a similar situation. Did you find out anything on the A620 and the E18 ?
Thanks,
Jim

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A620 and the E18
Dec 21, 2005 10:42PM PST

I have the same problem. Were you able to find out any more information.

Jim

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E18 happens on SD models, as well
Jul 12, 2006 11:17PM PDT

These are the models I've heard of developing the E18 error. There are some SD models here, as well:

- A60
- A70
- A75
- A80
- A85
- A95
- A510
- S30
- S40
- S100
- S110
- SD200
- SD300
- S400
- SD450
- S410
- SD500
- S2 IS

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E18 error message with the A620 ?
Dec 21, 2005 4:08AM PST

Do you think that the same problem will exist with the A620 ?

Thanks,
Jim

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A620
Dec 21, 2005 6:59AM PST

I have not heard of E18 on the A620.

Could it happen....
Yes, if you drop the camera.

...
..
.

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E620 and the E18
Dec 21, 2005 10:19PM PST

Does an extended warranty give additional protection against the E18 error message ?

Thanks.
Jim

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A620: about as useful as a solar telescope
Dec 25, 2005 3:32PM PST

Just bought my A620, took about 10 pics with it and got this dreaded E18 error. The piece of crap is not even 48 hours old. Nope, not dropped or anything like that. Just wonderful Canon technology at work. If I can return it, I will.

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A620 with E18
Mar 8, 2006 11:32AM PST

Have A620, hardly used, never abused, with E18. Lens is stuck in. Adjustments recommended elsewhere in this thread have not worked.