Canon S2 IS Shutter problem (blank viewfinder and LCD)

read my post 60#

YOU'RE A GENIUS! Thanks so much, it worked like a charm.

Just turn the camera on and off and it does the same thing. Nothing magic. However, it WILL happen again and again. And sooner or later, the shutter will not open at all.

I don't know where you tracked down this information, but it worked very well (in my case about 8 times opening and closing the battery case.

Thanks a lot chernew. After a couple of weeks frustration looking for fixes your suggestion worked first time. Does anyone understand the reason this does work?

47moggie

We had to get rough with Canon but they did fix my S2 IS FOR FREE!
Just mail it into Canon and keep arguing.
I replaced the S2 with a Canon D40 anyways

Hi,
This is an update to the Powershot S2-IS CCD issue which has been ongoing.

My Canon S2-IS started showing signs of classic CCD failure after my last trip to South Asia. Since Canon has a service advisory out for the S1-IS, I thought my camera would be repaired FOC. I was asked to send in the camera and was sent a repair charge for $128. I refused since I still think it is Canons fault.
However, my story ends happily. This is what I did. I contacted the Better Business Bureau and filed a complaint against Canon. Today I got a call from Canon and was given the one time free "courtesy repair." The procedure is exceedingly simple. Use this link to get to the BBB http://welcome.bbb.org or go directly to the complaint page directly https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx. Go ahead and describe the problem to them and also Canons stance. Explain that the S2 has the same signs of CCD failure as the S1 and it is still not included in the recall advisory.

If enough of users get to Canon via the BBB they will feel the pressure and get off their ...

I am glad you got a satisfactory result.

Sometimes it pays to push a little harder.

...
..
.

My camera sent to Canon for the same problem. They wanted 190.00 to repair it. Told them to stuff it. Tried the opening and closing of the battery door around 30 times on 3 seperate occasions. It worked. But there is always a but. When I am in sunlight all I can see through the view finder or lcd screen is bright white. Something must be wrong with the aperture. I don't know.
He is the letter I recieved from Canon regarding the blank screen problem...
Thank you for your E-mail inquiry regarding your PowerShot S2 IS.

I am sorry to learn of the difficulty you have encountered with your camera. We have determined that the service bulletin mentioned in your e-mail occurs on a limited number of Canon PowerShot & digital video models. Your PowerShot S2 IS is not subject to this potential malfunction as such, the no charge repair program described in the advisory does not apply to your situation.

If you would like to obtain a second opinion we invite you to forward your camera directly to an authorized repair facility.

Hi,

Same problem with brightness here. The "open battery cover while in picture mode" trick worked but now I can't take pictures in sunlight either. Does this happen to everyone with the "black viewfinder" problem? Tried opening and closing the battery cover a few more times to see it would fix the brightness issue but no luck so far. Any solutions out there? Thanks

Just read my posts on here #60 we can't let them keep getting away with this Iam going to call my local TV stiation in the morning

> To whom it my concern I bought a canon powershot S21S in December of 05 from dell I paid just under $500 for it then in the beginning of this year 08 it started to mess up the camera has always been kept in a bag and taken good care of thats why I didnt understand what happen A friend told me to look up on the Internet thats when I found out I wasn,t alone.I called the company below this is what happen next....I told them..
>The LCD screen will not iluminate when camera is turned on.(black screen) In order to get the camera to work for a couple of pictures, the battery door must be opened and close then you can take a couple of pictures before it goes black again.This started around the beginning of this year. Upon investigating online I found over 100 plus complaints of the same and Similar models with the same problems, Which seems to be a product defect. I called canon they sent me the paper work via email then I dropped off the Camera,with the proper service request form and printed copies of these complaints. An E-mail was returned later that day (11/17/0 to us stating that the camera could be fixed for $146.64 . I then contacted M.J. at Canon Factory Service and pleaded my case that so many others had the same problems M.J.(the man I spoke to)... stated that our camera wasn't one of the models in question when I tried to tell him I saw the posts of other people.(see in links below and others)like ours and so many other models with the same defect he told me that they did'nt have control over the Internet that all the complaints come from the same person (THEY checked them out??) I feel that canon is not willing to help their customers until you say the bbb I feel they are deceving and they make it seem like its your fault and your the only one,and they never heard of any other problems with my model. He even said, HE HAD THE SAME CAMERA and it worked just fine. Then he said the best he could do is 10% off when I said fine I'll call the bbb he said do what I needed to do. Then he said hold on after a few minutes, he came back and said I talk to my supervisor and we can give you 50% off He then lowered the repair cost to $73.32.and emailed a new estimate.then he said (CAN YOU PAY right NOW)? HUM???. I told him I will call tomorrow. But I feel that the repair should be free and, I also belive I should get some if not ALL OF MY MONEY BACK!! for the camera because it is defected and they have known about it for a long time. I have missed out on alot of pictures like when I went to a friends wedding and many more. I can't belive that they can keep getting away with this and some people have just paid thinking that there is no hope so I am fighting for all the people that did'nt get satisfaction and will be emailing them a copy of this report because 500$ is a lot of money to pay for something that you have to spend a lot of time trying to get it fixed and then still have to pay have for the problem too. its not right that a company can keep getting away with it( in the info i found in the complaints you can read them I think THEY should get the repair money back too. I have a friend who works for a local radio station he said he would help me if i need it. I also thought about calling my local TV station I know they have a consumer help line
>I feel that we should not have to pay for what seem to be a product defect. That is why I decided to contacted the BBB. The camera is a Canon Model:Power Shot S2 IS. bought in 12/05 PLEASE HELP!!
> Serial Number 9883A001(AA).
> Can you please help us as we saved a long time to buy what we thought would be a good camera and last us a life time (over $450.00) Below are just a fraction of the many links to the complaints we found:
>
> http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html
>
>http://www.epinions.com/review/Canon_PowerShot_S2_IS_Digital_Camera/content_403298946692
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_PowerShot_S2_IS
>
>http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102-0.html?forumID=58&threadID=228519&messageID=2606003
>
>
>

Good luck Beagle:
I hope it will send a message to Canon.
Will be doing the same here.
enough is enough

I had the same issue with my camera and the black screen. I hope this is not a faux pas by saying this, but I found a solution on a different forum. I was so happy to find the information that I signed up for a CNET account to be able to share it with the rest of you.

Here's a link: http://www.fixya.com/support/t990187-canon_power_shot_s21s_screen_black


Here's a synopsis of what to do:
-Turn the camera on in shooting mode.
-Turn the mode selector to shutter priority ("Tv").
-Use the four-way button on the back to set the shutter speed to 15 seconds. That's right, 15 seconds.
-Press the shutter release. Count to seven, then pop open the battery compartment.
-Wait several seconds, then close the battery compartment.
-You may need to repeat the above sequence several times to unstick the iris. If that does not accomplish it, you will likely have to send the camera in for repair.

Been there, done that. The Cannon Rep said that "All THE POSTS ON THE WEB CAME FROM THE SAME PERSON"
Yea Right. It's a defect problem! When you spend some $500.00 on a camera, you shouldn't have to open doors, shake batteries or stand on your head.

Must be a defect as I consider this camera as nearly new. Its a defect and I, for one, will never buy another Canon product and I recommend others don't either.

Hi help me contact as my people on this fourm as you can they won't let me post same message to every one on here I did get a few thank you I still don't have my camera back yet. I need it for christmas

please read my post #60 #64-65 they wont let you send the same message to everyone... It will get worse mine started in about feb this year so I tried the open & close door thing and it worked for few months now does not work at all you'll be sorry if you dont look into it before your at a wedding and miss taking pics canon won't own up if we don't stick together on this in the morning i am calling my local tv station i live in wi

Everyone seems to talk about failed CCDs, but the trick of opening the battery door while the camera is in picture mode seemed to fix my stuck shutter (similar symptoms to broken CCD).

I have all the chirps and tweets turned off on my camera, so i'm accustomed to listening to the shutter and aperture clicks that it makes while turning on/off, moving from bright to dim situations, focusing, taking pictures and switching from camera to review mode.

I diagnosed a stuck shutter not bad CCD in my camera because normally, when I turn on the camera in photo mode it will click open the shutter so the LCD shows me the scene. Then if I point it to a bright scene from a dim one I can hear the aperture flip open. Same goes for focusing, usually it opens the aperture all the way during the focus mode (half-pressed shutter). The lack of these clicks made me peer into the lens and see that the aperture was open, but instead of a iridescent CCD peering out of the shutter opening deep inside, there was a dull black shutter covering the hole.

A combination of opening and closing the battery door in photo mode and gentle tapping of the lens barrel while both powered on and off freed up the shutter for me. It started by being open just a crack, and after some more tapping and opening of the battery door, it ended up opening and closing fully while taking test photos.

I too had stored the camera for 2 months and had this problem upon taking it out of storage. I guess I just need to take more photos from now on.

-Turner

chernow, you are my hero! saved me some bucks too!

Really stuck shutter, but after 15 to 20 times, I lost count, it went from blank screen and pictures to a picture of my mug! Have turned the camera off and on and in out of picture/viewer mode half a dozen times. Still working! Thanks for the advice!

hi good luck if you get it to work for awhile then it will go out again for good thats what happen to me and they said it was over a year it takes that long to show up. i filed a compliant BBB and waited it has made me crazy i finaly payed my 73.00 just to get my camera back by christmas. I am not giving up read post 60 Iam trying to get anybody who will listen to me canon should not get away with this don't give up please send a letter to BBB. because canon is out of VA,the address is. Canon I. T. S., Inc.
850-K Greenbrier Circle
Chesapeake, VA 23320. and the BBB is, Better Business Bureau of Greater Hampton Roads
586 Virginian Drive
Norfolk, VA 23505
Phone (757) 531-9400
Fax (757) 531-1388

Has anyone had theirs fixed by these guys? www.bsodpowershotrepair.com
Hope canon gets their heads out from where the sun don't shine and add these to the "recall". I have one and my brother has one with the same problem.

canon told me i was the only one having this problem and would not fix it for free so if eveyone writes the BBB mayby someone will do something I bet you bought your camera in 05 good luck

I sent my S2IS into Canon and received a repair estimate for $174 via email today. I also own a S1 IS that also has a problem with a failed CCD.

I called Canon back tonight and was told that there was not a problem with the CCDs in the S2 model. I told them that I had read hundreds of posts online indicating differently. I told the woman that I had two Canons with the same problem. One that was covered for repair and one that wasn't. I asked if she could suggest who else I could speak to. She put me on hold and brought her supervisor on the line. After a very short conversation with him, he told me that he was going to waive all the repair charges and perform the repairs required. He did insist that it wasn't the same problem as the S1. Told me it is usually an iris problem. I told him that I had tested the shutter and it had opened and closed on exposure.
I was prepared for a battle and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't necessary. I think you should try again.

Comment posted on Apr 13, 2009
Official Canon Response; 13.04.2009

Thank you for contacting Canon product support. We value you as a Canon
customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you. I apologize for
the difficulty you have experienced with the image on your PowerShot S2
IS.

Unfortunately, from what you describe, it sounds like there is a camera
malfunction. We could try to reset your camera to see if we can clear
this issue:

1. Insert a memory card with known good images on it into the camera.

2. Power the camera on to the Playback mode.

3. Press the DISPLAY (DISP) button to enable the LCD panel, and observe
the LCD.

a. If the images are displayed properly, please proceed to step
four.

b. If the images are not displayed, or a "NO IMAGES" message
appears, please ensure that the memory card contains known good images.

c. If the card contains known good images, and the issue persists
with a second memory card, the camera will require service.

4. Switch the camera to the Camera mode. You may use any shooting mode
(i.e. Auto, Manual).

5. Press the DISPLAY (DISP) button to enable the LCD panel.

6. Point the camera at a well-lit scene and observe the LCD and/or
viewfinder.

We should also reset your camera to factory defaults as well:

1. Remove the batteries, date & time battery and memory card from the
camera.

a. Your date and time battery (CR1220) is located in the the same
compartment as the AA batteries.

2. Let the camera sit with the batteries and memory card removed for
approximately 20 minutes.

3. Reinstall the batteries and power on the camera.

If the LCD and/or viewfinder remain black, the camera requires service.

Since the camera is more than one year old, it is out of warranty. We
have two options available: you may participate in the Canon Loyalty
Program, or send the camera in for repair.

I also had the blacked out lcd display. Perhaps the camera should not sit for more than a few months without use. Meanwhile I followed the tip offered by another poster to temporarily get the camera to function normally, but after an hour or so without use, the problem returned. Prior to me performing the "trick", I observed that the display worked ok in the playback mode, but wouldn't work in the picture (camera) mode.

I really like this camera but got tired of fiddling with this problem. So I decided to get the camera fixed and finally called Canon customer service. I explained the symptoms I encountered and also mentioned that this problem appears to be common amongst other S2IS owners as noted on the forum here on CNET. The Canon customer service rep was very nice and entered the info into their system. He then suggested I complete a repair request form and send the camera to the service center in Elk Grove Village, IL.

I completed the repair request and indicated the problem being that the image would not be displayed on the LCD and that it could possibly be a defective CCD sensor as noted in my research on CNET. I also noted that if this part is truly defective, that the camera needs to be fixed with a non-defective part and that Canon should make this right. (Of coarse I was fully prepared to pay for the repair).

Well, my thanks to Canon because they made it right. It was repaired free of charge and was considered a one time courtesy repair. It was reported that the optical unit assembly was not operating correctly and was replaced. In addition, further inspection and cleaning was also performed.

Considering my camera was purchased in 2005, well beyond its warranty period, I'm grateful to Canon and appreciate their loyalty to their customers. I guess I have nothing to complain about and will definitely consider purchasing another Canon camera again someday.