The lens won't retract and i can't turn the camera off. I have the extract the battery to turn it off. When i put the battery back and push the on-button i hear the lens motor slip but nothing happens. The screen looks black. In broad daylight i can sea something on the screen and can use the menu. I can use some menufunctions like setting the screen light so i can read the menues. But returning from the menu the camere freezes again.

Hello Doris, You can "GENTLY" try to push the lens slowly back into the camera with the palm of your hand, note I said gently and slowly, do not use force !!! Then turn on camera and see if this helped, if not it is repair time.

I would wait until your battery comes in, if there is no change then yes I would take it in to have it assessed with a estimate first giving the option to go ahead or not.

Try resetting the camera by removing the battery for 20 mins. then replace the battery go to the camera's menu and set the Date and Time.

Copy and paste this website into your browser for solutions:

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

Lens errors are fairly common. Usually it's sand or grit interfering with the lens extension mechanism. Or the camera's been dropped with the lens extended. Or the camera has been powered on, but the lens had been blocked preventing its extension. Or the battery ran down with the lens extended ...
Here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try that may (or may not) correct it. They only seem to work for less than 40% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty (or repair cost approaches that of the camera), they're worth that try. Some of the later steps do involve some risk to the camera, so carefully weigh your options before deciding to conduct them.

Sorry about your moms camera Terry... but it sounds like it needs the lens replaced. If the lens is stuck out at an angle you can *SNAP* the inner lens section back into place if you're lucky, and it will work again like normal.

I don't know your model, but a refurb lens can usually be installed for about $75 including return shipping. You should check the replacement cost of a used camera and see which is cheaper in the long run.

Hope this helps!

Thomas Drayton
Owner, Darntoothysam.com Digital Camera Repair

Things to check first for a camera that won't turn on are battery contact points, and micro switches that are located on the battery and memory card doors. Troubleshooting tips on other things that need to be checked may be seen here. These tips won't work for every case, but they're worth a try.

If the camera's lens will not retract out, then eventually shuts down, here is what you try to do.

Hold the camera from your right hand with the lens facing down. Then tap the base of the camera to your left palm while turning the camara on; do this several times until the camera's lens retracts out.

This problem often occur when the camera was taken outdoor or in the beach. Sand or a tiny granule of dirt might got stuck in the base of the lens.

Lens error is usually caused by mechanical faults concerning lens assembly. The lens cannot extend or retract fully, the error is detected and lens error is returned.
Sometimes this can be fixed playing with the lens during extraction or retraction to help the lens asset getting back to normal.
More often the camera lens must be disassembled and re-assembled by a technician to fix the problem.