I have a black screen on my camera.The pictures takes black. Everything else works fine. I think it's a CCD sensor problem.
Normal
0
BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH – FIXED AT LAST - After doing
several hours of research on the internet, I have been able to eliminate the
problem on my Powershot S2 IS. I
started with the “fix” as suggested by guidofoc in a post on the “flickr” site. Thanks guidofoc! His procedure did fix the problem for me but it only lasted a
day. The next day, back to the same old
black screen. For the next few
days/weeks, when I wanted to use my camera, I did the same procedure and it
would come back to life but would be black again the next time I powered up the
camera or a day later.
Back to internet research!
On the “Fixya” site, I found a picture of the camera shutter and
diaphragm blades. This picture was
posted by “andyhutton” who was also having the same “black screen”
problem. He had disassembled his camera
and found what appeared to be an oil exuding on the shutter diaphragm
blades. He disassembled the camera,
cleaned it thoroughly, and reassembled it.
This fixed his camera. Other information I found indicated that what
appeared to be oil was a little “stiffer” than oil, almost hard. It was thought that this was happening
after leaving in a hot car other high temperature environment.
All this made sense to me but I didn’t relish the thought of
tearing the camera apart and reassembling it.
This procedure reportedly took about 6-8 hours. And this was by a person
who considered himself, to have a reasonable amount of mechanical ability. I definitely DON’T RECOMMEND this approach
unless you have tried all else and are ready to junk your camera. Using this information I theorized that if I
used the temporary fix procedure and then repeatedly activated the shutter,
perhaps the “wiping action” may wear down the frictional areas and free up the
shutter blades to move more freely. I
tried it. Voila! It has worked now for the last 6-8 weeks
without a failure. Here is my final
procedure:
Set the camera in Tv mode, (delayed shutter mode) set the
shutter at 15 sec, click to take a picture and during that 15 secs (like, after
7 seconds) open the battery, compartment which cuts contact with the battery
circuit. Close the battery cover. At this point the camera works fine for me
but only temporarily as noted above.
Sometimes however, this procedure had to be performed more than
once. Here is the key to the permanent
fix. While the camera is working via
the temporary fix, take many, many pictures.
Hundreds! I probably snapped
400-600 pics. The idea is to wear down
the little patches of hardened oil on the shutter blades. For the next three of days I took hundreds
of pics each day. Basically, I just
aimed the camera at the wall or whatever and snapped off several hundred pics.
Now that I seem to have my camera working permanently, my
plan is to NOT leave my camera in a high temperature environment, and to
try to use it regularly. Maybe, not
unlike many other things, if it gets no regular use, it may start to
deteriorate.
No guarantees but I do hope this helps someone.
Hi dblthisyear, others- I stumbled upon this forum last week. Hadn't used my camera for ages (~3 years) but tried to apply the fix of Tv mode clicking. I must have clicked 100s of pics in an hour, but the shutter didn't open. At all. Should I continue with the same, or take it to professional repairmen?
I have appreciated the solutions provided for the black screen problem, and I too was able to get my screen back. But now I have another problem. My outdoor pictures are drastically over exposed. I can successfully take indoor pictures with the flash and an occasional outdoor picture is OK. Any suggestions remedies?
it worked for me have to see how long will last
Thanks for this tip ... Sorted my issue also.
Thanks a lot!
Canon pc1155 S80 not work this trick
WOW just did this and after an hour got it too work, thank you so much, saved me from buying a new camera.
Mine worked for a day or two. I tried the delayed shutter method again, but now the ccd seems not to get sufficient light, under all conditions. The view finder picture sometimes are fine, but other times also too dark. Please help!
×
This is what causes the problem. Oil on the shutter and diaphragm blades. I still don't know where the oil is coming from. Cleaning diaphragm, shutter and all surrounding plastic parts has worked well for me. Not a really easy part to get out though. Some places will repair for around $99.
This is really so helpful to me. Thanks a lot 4 this thread first.
If anybody has any problem how to set the S2IS in 15" exposure mode. Just set the wheel to TV mode first and thn tap the jog dial(left/right/up/down-keys) to the left till it sets to 15".
This technique works for me ....gr8!!!!!!
Thanks again 4 the information...
Opening and closing the battery cover is what brought the viewfinder back to life for me. The problem was that the problem would come back all the time! The real trick (again, for me) for the fix to stick was to use the camera on a regular basis, several times a day, for several days. I would take pictures several times a day, 7 or 8 shots at a time. After a few days, I cut back to once a day and then to every few days. It is totally fine now. I do make a point of snapping a few pictures at least once a week...I don't want this problem to come back to haunt me!
To all that has and have the black screen with the S2 series Canon camera. I would like to thank you for your continued support in trying to find a fix for the camera.
I will consider myself one of the lucky few here. As I have stayed in contact with Canon on their site where I located a place to ask for help. I used this site and started letting them know what my problems with my Canon S2 series camera and exactly what I thought of a company that did not honor their product. With persistence and I am certain getting in touch with the right person, I have a camera that I can now use. They fixed my problem with out charging me anything at all. My camera is almost at the 2yr mark of ownership on my part. Canon came through for me and repaired this camera without a charge. Although they didn't extend any warranty at all on their repairs..But as it stands now, I do have a camera I can use again and get the same good pictures that I originally got when I first purchased the camera.
I would suggest that you do not give up on Canon and stay consistently on their behinds and you could possibly be as fortunate as I have been. Although not one of the us that own a Canon S2 series should have to contend with all of the **** that we have put up with to get Canon to honor their faulty product.
My Canon S1 IS has a black screen and have tried the Tv solution recommended for the S2 IS buthis does not work. Any other suggestions, please.
Can't say for you, but my camera was unused for years, and when I tried to use it, it had the black screen. I had to keep doing this exercise described above for at least a dozen times, maybe more. It finally worked!
×
How can I set the exposure time to 15 sec???
I am thankful, too for the solution. It worked! Same two-year-old camera, same problem as everyone else. I don't see where anyone has answered the question submitted a couple of times about how to set the exposure to 15". Here's how: With the camera set to Tv mode, I saw a 1/125 setting at the bottom. I pressed the left arrow button on the back of the camera repeatedly until the setting changed to 15". Then I snapped a picture (while the screen was still black), counted to seven, and opened the battery door. When I put the batteries back in, it worked!
Had the same prob. Just had to add my kudo's to everyone else's. Frozen80, you da man! Question tho: how you come up with such an arcane solution? I mean, you just sitting round, and say "Hey, try dis! Set to TV mode, etc, etc, etc..."? Really, where dat come from???? Still, thanks again. I got my camera back in working order!!!
Thank you frozen 80, i work at a camera shop and some one brought a camera in with this problem and went on about it was all our fault, our manager ended up giving him a free S3 is, he was going to throw out the camera but i said i'd have a go at it. after about an hour of trying your technique it finally worked. Thank you greatly for this your going to make me look like a genius in front of my coworkers who said it was hopeless :) health and happiness to you sir!!
Go to the canon web site they have an advisory out on this I just got mine back actually they kept my S1 IS and sent me a new S5 IS because "they did not have the part and wanted to expedite my repair"
Here is another site I found when I encountered my problem
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1164376280.html
I sent my camera in per Canons instructions, received an e-mail a
few days later(1/9/08) confirming that they would repair it a few more
days later (1/16/08)I received another e-mail confirming that it had
been repaired and shipped. Today (1/17/08) I got it and to my very
pleasant surprise the box contained a new S5 IS!!! I will be sending
them a very nice THANK YOU for it after I post this.
PS: e-mail accepting repair 1/9/08
1/16/08 e-mail stating it shipped on 1/15/08,
received 1/17/08 via FED EX
I had the same problem. The solution given fixed the issue. Why is Canon not recalling S2 IS models?
Thanks! a ton ..... my camera now works ..... I hadn'tused my camera for around 2 years and now it shows black screen with white square..... when I read this blog ... I felt like how come this complex thing can be resolved by this trick ... then I thought to try it .... the difficulty I had is that I have no knowledge of camera and its settings ... so for people like me who knows very little about camera .... here is how you should proceed ....
1) on top of camera is a round button with different symbols ...make symbol TV aligned with small blank line on camera body.
2) on lcd screen you would see some numeric value 1/100 or 1/200 or 1" or 10" somthing like that ..... you just need to press arrow keys left/right < or > to change this value ... arrow keys are above set button ......keep pressing arrow key and you will see that it moves from count 1/400 till 15" and vice-versa .... keep pressing arrow key till you see 15" on lcd screen.
3) press the shuttor button (the button which you press to take photo) and wait for 7 seconds and then open the battery cover ....
4) Keep repeating this till you screen becomes bright and you start seeing something in lcd screen ............
I tried 15 times without any success .... I was disappointed and was going to leave this exercise but suddently on my 18th attempt ...it worked .....
Now it takes picture like new ....
I figured out after 12th attempt to set the exposure interval through diff way ..... so that 12th attempt I set the exposure time as below:
1) set camera on TV mode
2) Press menu option
3) there are 3 major categories on top ....select the first with camera symbol .... under this catefory there are multiple options (first option is Flash Sync) select option self-timer .... it has three options underneth.... 10, 2, C ...select C .... under option C you need to select exposure time as 15" and number of shots as 1 .....
4) press set button to select option C and then press menu option .....
5) Now between shuttor button and camera on/off button ...there is a small round button .... when you press this button ....the value on lcd screen changes ....... keep pressing until value C comes ..... this means you have choosen exposure time as setup under C (we setup as 15" as above) ....
6) Press shuttor button ..... a red light will keep flashing till 15 seconds and then it takes picture ......... you need not to take picture here but just count 7 after pressing shuttor button and open the battery cover .....
7) Again press that small round button and selectC and then press shuttor button ...wait for 7 seconds and open the battery cover ..... keep repeating this for 20 times atleast .....
I am writing in hurry hence pardon me for any spelling mistakes
Take care ...bye
Manoj
Thanks! a ton ..... my camera now works ..... I hadn'tused my camera for around 2 years and now it shows black screen with white square..... when I read this blog ... I felt like how come this complex thing can be resolved by this trick ... then I thought to try it .... the difficulty I had is that I have no knowledge of camera and its settings ... so for people like me who knows very little about camera .... here is how you should proceed ....
1) on top of camera is a round button with different symbols ...make symbol TV aligned with small blank line on camera body.
2) on lcd screen you would see some numeric value 1/100 or 1/200 or 1" or 10" somthing like that ..... you just need to press arrow keys left/right < or > to change this value ... arrow keys are above set button ......keep pressing arrow key and you will see that it moves from count 1/400 till 15" and vice-versa .... keep pressing arrow key till you see 15" on lcd screen.
3) press the shuttor button (the button which you press to take photo) and wait for 7 seconds and then open the battery cover ....
4) Keep repeating this till you screen becomes bright and you start seeing something in lcd screen ............
I tried 15 times without any success .... I was disappointed and was going to leave this exercise but suddently on my 18th attempt ...it worked .....
Now it takes picture like new ....
I figured out after 12th attempt to set the exposure interval through diff way ..... so that 12th attempt I set the exposure time as below:
1) set camera on TV mode
2) Press menu option
3) there are 3 major categories on top ....select the first with camera symbol .... under this catefory there are multiple options (first option is Flash Sync) select option self-timer .... it has three options underneth.... 10, 2, C ...select C .... under option C you need to select exposure time as 15" and number of shots as 1 .....
4) press set button to select option C and then press menu option .....
5) Now between shuttor button and camera on/off button ...there is a small round button .... when you press this button ....the value on lcd screen changes ....... keep pressing until value C comes ..... this means you have choosen exposure time as setup under C (we setup as 15" as above) ....
6) Press shuttor button ..... a red light will keep flashing till 15 seconds and then it takes picture ......... you need not to take picture here but just count 7 after pressing shuttor button and open the battery cover .....
7) Again press that small round button and selectC and then press shuttor button ...wait for 7 seconds and open the battery cover ..... keep repeating this for 20 times atleast .....
I am writing in hurry hence pardon me for any spelling mistakes
Take care ...bye
Manoj
×
I have the same issue with my S2 IS model. I tried the trick here and tried resetting to factory default. But no luck..Then i contact canon, after couple of emails and phone call they asked me to send my camera to service center. And now they are asking me $110 to repair a crappy known issue. When i told that this is a known issue and there are 10000s people facing same issue.. they are offering 50% off on labour cost and i feel thats really disgusting way to handle customers.
I have an S1 IS with same problem and after trying for several times solution of Frozen it works. Camera stay in an arm-pack and in a indoor enviroment ... so don't know why it stuckes. I set to TV and start taking pictures, after 2 pictures taken I take off batteries and then insert them again, camera restart automatically and start working.
Thanks.
I had the same problem with my Canon PowerShot A610 and with the solution that Frozen80 posted it worked (note took about 15-20 attempt). I can not thank you enough.
The solution by frozen80 is awesome! Thanks
Ive got some possibly good news. My camera got to the point every time I shut it off even for a few seconds I had to do the TV/open battery door several times. Well I stuck it off in a corner for a couple months. I got it out the other day and it took me about 20 minutes of doing the trick to get it to work but when it finally broke free I swear I felt it. Ever since that it has not messed up once. I just picked it up after it sit a day and a half and it worked when I hit the power button 1st time. Only time will tell if it is fixed. In the mean time I have contacted the BBB. No answer yet but its only been a week and with the holiday I figure give it a couple more weeks.
I also kept fighting with Canon, and finally sent a letter to the Better Business Bureau and to Canon's Corporate office.
That seemed to do the trick, I got a call back from CS yesterday, and after arguing with them some more, they said they would do a one time courtesy repair that won't be waranteed.
I'll take it, I just want a working camera again. I'm sorry, but a $500 camera should not die after 2 1/2 years.
I am so excited! This technique fixed my camera and most likely saved me a lot of money! I was ready to buy a new camera! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!
S1is problem was faulty Sony CCDs - the S2is problem is related to a sticking iris. Canon will not play ball at the moment.
Methinks a consolidated action is required to make Canon realise how many people are suffering with an expensive lump of junk!
My S2is has just started doing the same thing (24 months old) and having researched it appears that it's a very common failure of the camera - the iris seizes and doesn't open. Setting the camera to AV mode, 15 sec exposure, firing the shutter and then opening the battery cover sometimes solves it, albeit temporarily. The S1is had a recall based on the CCD failure, but so far Canon have refused to do anything with the S2is. I contacted them last week in the UK, and the response was "tough"! I'm very p***ed off with them - it cost me £400. Hoping that eventually it will be recalled and I'll get it fixed.
Success!!! After nearly an hour of repeating the steps it finally worked! I bought this S2IS in 2005 when it first came out, and used it for 13 years until I encountered the black screen and at that point I thought it was it. So 2 years later I found this article, and I revived my camera. I love it, so much sentimental value with this camera over the years. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is an amazing camera with good zoom and have taken nice pics with it. didn't want to junk it. there is no service centre in visakhapatnam (india) where i live. i was told to take it to hyderabad (700 km away) for repair.
this solution is amazing and has saved so much money for everyone. i took out my S2 IS after a gap of 4 years. my batteries had died. so took the chance of buying new set of batteries and wanted to try out the given solution of setting to Tv mode and opening the battery case. it worked for me after trying for about 70-80 shots over a period of 5-6 hours. and now i can't tell you how happy i am. camera working seamlessly after 4 years. amazing. god bless the person who gave this solution. my flash doesn't seem to be working. will have to see why it is not working. thanks once again...
Thank you very much it worked I do not have to buy a new camera I took first to a camera shop they suggested to buy a new one these people should be trained for better service.
Omg omg omg... I thought I was doing the fix.. about 30 times.. really depressed, no results... Then I started using the RED-centered button near the viewfinder (eyeplace) to shoot the shot.. it showed the red "rec" in the screen, and counted down.. when it got to 7, I'd pop the battery cover and get a beep... and after about 6 of these I got an image! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!
Thank you it worked for me but the problem surfaces again after few days.But the battery open trick fixes it quickly.
Same issue on the S2 IS with the black screen. Did the TV/15"/Take pic/Open and close battery door about 20 times....VOILA, it works!! On the (approximate) 15th time or so, I could see the image slightly...it was really dark, but for the first time in a year, I saw something. I took about 10 more pics, not it is clear. I guess letting it sit around so long didnt help anything, made things work. I will use it more often now!
Thanks.
The same worked for me too.
Much appreciate your help.
Regards,
Raghav
Thank you for this solution, my canon now works again correctly. When I asked our canon servis, they have only solution to repair it - 190euro
I had the same problem and with the solution that Frozen80 posted it worked (note took about 15 attempt). I can not thank you enough. Like everyone else I love my S2 but did not want to pay to get it fixed...
Awesome! Excellent! Thank you so much! Certainly saved me a lotta bucks for the service!
Amazing, i did not beleive my S2 IS would start working with these instructions until I realized it. It works but perform as instructed. I think the removing batteries exactly after 7 seconds is essential. It did not work well when i removed the batteries immediately i made a shot. Although the black screen does come back after i go to review mode when i switch it off and then switch on my camera works just normal.
Thank you so much for this solution.
This solution worked for me (several tries to get it to work). THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this information!
I will probably follow the advise suggesting to take a few pictures daily for a while to (hopefully) prevent another iris issue.
Amzingly, i experienced the same problem with my S2IS, it've been 1 month ago when it's starting to show horizontal lines for all pics i took...
dunno what's caused it, but several weeks before, i see blank image after taking pictures...
here in indonesia, it cost about $30 just to have your camera inspected, not included to fix the problem
Wow it did work.
Thanks. So many people with that problem I hope they find this site. :-)
53,303 views
Usually answered in minutes!
black screen when looking through eye sight ,symbols are shown ,will click but shows black squre instead of photo on computer ,have formated?
I have the same problem. Some technical service told me the problem: the sensor unit is damaged and the cost is more than $300. Any body have any solution?
|I ahve the same issue, My viewfinder is black, even if I take pics, this seems balck as well. ANy help appreciated.
I have found a solution for my S2IS black screen. The problem is the iris is stuck. I don't know what cause this, it could be dust or wet air or both.
The solution is:
1. Move the camera to TV mode(the wheel with AUTO,M,TV,...)
2. Set the exposure time to 15 seconds(15")
3. Take a picture.
4. After 7 seconds remove the batteries and put them back on.
5. Repeat the procedure until it works.
Note: You could also just quickly remove the lid of the baterries and put it back on.Also repeat the above several times until it works.
Yes, we bought this camera in September 2006 & by Dec 2007 it was experiencing the black screen problem. We contacted canon immediately and all that they offered was a very expensive process of them looking at the camera to see if they could fix it. We were not willing to put that much more money into a camera we had had only for 1 year. We were very disappointed with canon's warranty/repair program. We bought another camera and are hoping that eventually they will recognize the problem & fix it!
I have taken my S2 all over the eastern sea board and into the Carribean to take some of the best pics around! It wasn't until I got back tothe states that the same thing started happening to me. I tried batteries, ac/dc adaptors. and another camera buff said that the iris is stuck. I bought mine at Best Buy with the 4 year warrenty and thank God I did that. I just sent mine in thru Best Buy and hopefully the a S5 will return in its place. Either way it will either get fixed or replaced due to the Best buy policy. Sometimes its worth the extra $$ for the warrenty. I am pretty hard on cameras. and I wanted to piece of mine to make sure that i am covered. I just sent it in last week so I'll let you know what happens. They told me two weeks and call them. I got one week left.
I have had my PowerShot s2 for 2 years and it had worked fine. I tried using it this week and it powers up fine. I can view pix on the memory card, but all it see is a black screen with the little icons showing.
I get a white outline square in a black screen in the view finder. that's it. I changed the batteries, and memory card but to no avail.
I've had my camera for about 1 1/2 years. I used the camera on
Christmas this year, and didn't touch it for one month. I've now had
the same problem with the black screens and it hasn't corrected itself
unfortunately.
I found many webpages where many more people have had the same
problem. Many people contacted Canon receiving different results such
as free shipping and repair (even outside the warranty), to no help at
all. When I called they said that they will repair the camera for $119
or offer the S3 for $175, but they will not acknowledge any recurring
problem.
I will not settle for this, especially considering that this was a reason that the S1 was being recalled. I'll write again when I get more results.
20/02/2008 Just tried my S2is and found to have the same problem as everybody else, everything seems to be working fine but you get a black screen and the shutter won't open. Tried a few things mentioned but nothing seemed to work.In frustration I've switched on and off a dozen times or more and it's now finally working. Hope this helps somebody else. Cheers Daz.
Had the same problem and the solution worked very well.
Thanks. Father daughter date night tonight would be no good without pictures.
I had the same problem and was getting ready to pay for repair.
Your solution worked the first time.
thank you......
JC
This was the same issue I had - Ritz camera wanted $139 to fix it, regardless of the issue. Â Your tip fixed it after 2 tries - THANK YOU!!!!!
Todd
black screen
I have the same problem with a black screen. I tried the fix others have described by turning it to TV, changing the exposure and removing the batteries. It worked the first time but then the probelm came back. It worked the second time but it is no longer working at all.
I spent too much for this camera and have not had it long enough or taken enough pictures for this to happen.
WHAT A RIP OFF !!!!!!!!
My old cannon AE1 camera has worked for more than 25 years !!!
I have the same problem of Canon S2 IS black screen but I couldn't get my camera work by the offered solution. Could you please suggest any other solution
Hey , after approx. 10 tries it worked ....awesome.....Thank you very much for this solution!!!
Have had the same re-curring issue for several months. Turning on and off would normally help but then this AM it would not. I originally thought it may have been my rehargeable batteries so I went out and spent over 20 bucks on new ones. Checked the internet only to find out that this is more of a common problem than you would imagine. Thanks to whoever suggested opening and closing the battery door - at least for now that seems to have solved the problem.
Thank you to everyone who posted...I am another Canon S2 owner with the black screen problem...My problem occured while I was on vacation...Luckily for me I had a backup camera to use...Frustrated as I was I happened to find this web site...Surprised to read about the same problem shared by many...I tryed the solution offered and it took care of the problem...I'll now keep my fingers crossed for continued proper working...Shame on Canon for putting S2 users through this...Cheers to you who offered and provided solutions...Thanks again.
black screen will not take any pictures
Thanks! The fix worked!
frozen80's procedure worked for me after 5 tries - thank you for such a straightforward solution to a problem that would have been very expensive to get repaired.
I have a black screen on my camera
When I turn on my camera it is just a black screen. I tried the TV mode, 15 second thing, but Im not real sure on how to set the exposure. The only manuals I have for the camera are in spanish. Help??!!
I have the same problem with my S21S. A long time ago, I tried to find-out what size SD cards would work on this camera. Since there was NOTHING listed in the specifications, I tried a 4GB card. The camera simply would not recognise it, but worked fine when I returned the 1GB card to it. A few days ago, I popped-in a 2GB card to see if that would work. The camera seemed to accept it, and created a directory on it, but this is when my screen went blank. the only thing that is constantly present is a small hand symbol. The stored images can be displayed, and the menus work... I think its locked-up. Is there an "all reset" button, or sequence somewhere? I tried the "15 second exposure - pop-out the batteries" fix about 97 times; next I'm going to slam it against the wall...!
Opening and closing the battery cover is what brought the viewfinder back to life for me. The problem was that the problem would come back all the time! The real trick (again, for me) for the fix to stick was to use the camera on a regular basis, several times a day, for several days. I would take pictures several times a day, 7 or 8 shots at a time. After a few days, I cut back to once a day and then to every few days. It is totally fine now. I do make a point of snapping a few pictures at least once a week...I don't want this problem to come back to haunt me!
Worked well. Thanks as I was dreading a need to send the camera to a service centre with its delays and costs.
OMG! I have been goin crazy for the past half hour or so! Kid you not, In tears crazy. I'm going to a concert tonite and I was like arrggghhhh now what am I gonna do!
I've been opening the battery door quickly in hopes the dreaded black screen would go because unfortunately this has happened before and doin so with the battery door always solved the problem. Needless to say tonite I did the same thing but to no avail.
So I did some searching and found this solution and it worked! I can breathe now.. THANK YOU!!!
I had the same problem, black screen on the view and lcd display also..Sent it to canon for repair, they confirmed it was the ccd image sensor, wanted to charge me $127.00 to repair or they would sell me a "refurbished" S3 IS for $175.00. Needless to say, I had already paid out $349.00 for the camera and I sure didn't want to put out any more money for the same camera or buy a refurbished newer model only to possibly have the same problem. I had the camera for 18 mos before this problem developed. Now thanks to your sight I can use my camera again. Not sure how long it will work, but at least I got results without any extra added expense...Thank You so much...
I have had my Canon S2 for about 18 months. It just having this black screen problem. My viewfinder is a black screen with icons and it takes a black picture. I am able to see my other pictures with no problems. I tried the solution, but it only worked for a few shots. I called Canon and I sent my camera off on 4/23/08. I am waiting for a response from them. I will post when I get results.
I did the fix(iris)...worked the first time. Now I can view through the viewfinder and the lcd screen and take indoor pictures. Outdoor pictures take only with an almost total white wash out. Is there a fix for this, without sending the camera in for repair?
Looks like it is the same problem I am having.
Both viewfinder and LCD screen are black. Everything else works fine.
Not sure about the pictures though, did not have a chance to take a look.
Posted solution did not help. I am thinking it is sensor problem.
Since I had this camera for 24 months Canon politely told me to send it to factory repair center. Looks like it is going to cost me.
Is there service advisory from Canon regarding this problem?
There was one for S1 IS.
Having the same problem with my S2 purchased about 2 years ago. Black screen appeared about 6 months ago and have been hesitant to pay for repairs when the same thing could happen again. This is obviously a part failure and Canon need to issue a service advisory for the S2.
The fix suggested works restores the image but the black screen re-appears when a photo is taken which renders the camera useless.
I have the same problem with S2 IS. I sent for repair and Canon came back asking $127 ($119 + $8 -Shipping). Canon just need money and that is it. Is there a way to send a feedback to Canon about this issue? We all have been writing on different sites but I am not sure Canon is aware of it.
I have the same problem - S2 IS. The lcd and view finder both go blank. Opening the battery lid and quickly shutting it back on brought the camera back on. I hope the trick works every time, because I am not very optimistic about canon cameras. I had a Canon ZR65MC camcorder too, and this had a problem with the CCD. However, canon repaired that for free since it was a known problem that would show up in all units of the model. Not sure about the S2 IS problem - here too, lots of people seem to be facing the same problem, and the cameras are less than a couple of years old! Keeps me wondering that my dad's 20 year old analog camera is better - it still works like gold!
have (had) the same prob with this camera - fortunately the prob. cleared again after repeating the suggested procedure (Tv, 15", batteries out then in again) a few times. Hope it'll work next time i get this prob. too.
This seems to be the strangest approach to problem solving I can imagine - thanks so much, it worked! I did not set to 15 seconds just used default.
Just wrote that I tried this (totally illogical to me) approach and had success...but I did not set time to 15 sec (thanks for instructions on that) and then every time I pushed half down to verify focus, etc it went so dark as to be useless. Went back and did the full 15 sec shot, took the batteries out, tossed salt over left shoulder (or was it right?) and now it seems to be fine. Had not been taking pictures for weeks/maybe months. Changing batteries and reformatting 2g card did nothing at all. Thanks. Hope to learn if recall/support from Canon, camera is 25 months old.
Works like a charm,
many thanks, just saved me 200€
(estimated cost from service shop)
Stefan Sweden
screen appears black along with the view finder also,
all other functions were working fine
The solution is:
1. Move the camera to TV mode(the wheel with AUTO,M,TV,...)
2. Set the exposure time to 15 seconds(15")
3. Take a picture.
4. After 7 seconds remove the batteries and put them back on.
5. Repeat the procedure until it works.
Note: 1. You could also just quickly remove the lid of the baterries and put it back on. Also repeat the above several times until it works.
2. Do step 4 while the screen still blank after taking picture.
Thank you so much for the above solution. First, I repeated step 1 thru 4 several time, it did not work. Finally, I tried just 1 thru 4 and then just repeat only cycle power by just open and close the battery lid. Picture is back on now.
My screen is dark like black whenever I'm in shoot mode. Every other thing else works well, the flash, play back, speakers and every thing else work. If I record on movie it records the sound but no pictures, just can't take pictures.
I've removed the batteries and replaced it, I've set it in TV mode set the exposure to 15 and taken pictures then remove batteries after 7 seconds several times and it just don't work. Now I don't know what to do.
black screen no picture
i have the same problem. i tried as it was told earlier but how do i set the exposure time to 15 seconds? is that in the settings?do i need to go to menu and do that? but i dint find any option in menu for that..
I have the same problem with my S2 IS, but the battery door trick doesn't work at all for me. Canon wants me to pay for this repair; they won't even negotiate, other than to offer me a refurbished camera at a retail price.
Of course it is my fault that my camera failed: I BARELY USED IT! (That's when they break - when you keep it like new in a safe and fail to use it EVERY DAY!)
NO MORE CANON PRODUCTS FOR ME!
Thanks to this website i saved some money on the repair. Took me a while to get the iris working again. After a million tries i finally got a view of a red dot from my laptop. Walla!! (FIXYA!) Now i am a member. good luck to those with the black screen of death . DON'T GIVE UP !!
Tanks man, you save me all the trouble of sending the cam to canon...
This technique actually WORKED FOR ME!! Yippeeee!!Â
But one key piece of information: start counting the 7 seconds immediately after pushing the button to take the picture. Don't wait until the whole 15 seconds are up and THEN count. No, push the button, count to 7, open the battery door WHILE the camera is still "taking the picture."Â
I did this three times and on the third time it worked and opened up the iris. I turned the camera off and then back on, the iris was stuck again. So I did the technique a couple more times and got it back open. Then I took a million pictures to "exercise" the iris. Turned off the camera, waited five minutes and then turned it back on - iris still opened! Yippeee!
Good luck!!
I sure wish I had found this thread a couple weeks earlier! At first it was just intermittent and turning the camera off and on corrected the problem but then it became a permanent problem so I sent it in. Canon still has my camera and wants $158.76 to fix it. I had already decided to have them send it back and start looking for a Nikon (and in the meantime store it away until Canon finally admits there's a problem). I've missed it a LOT. Thanks for this bit of hope. I'll post again if this solution works for me too!
I had exactly the same problem and the tick worked after five times removing the batteries.
Many thanks
My S2 IS came back from Canon today after I refused to pay to get it working again after only 2 years. This is the first time I've had a camera quit on me in such a short time. I tried this technique and it worked for me as well (after a few tries). Going to preview mode does mess it up again but at least now there's a way to fix it again. THANK YOU so much. You're my HERO!
I have the same problem and thank you so much for this fix! Although the problem returned once since just last night, at least I know how to fix it.
I did call Canon this morning and explained this ... they really are no help and don't seem to care or understand how common this problem really is. It's only fixable for free if you have the S1. Even though the problem is exactly the same, they claim that the part used with the S1 is not the same as the S2. They are going to pay for the shipping, so I may send it in for service just to see what they say. I won't pay a dime to have it fixed but it sure would be nice if they corrected the issue for free! We'll see...
Same problem with my S2. Canon refused to fix and I got an estimate of $170 to fix it.
The tip found here worked. I was ready to take my camera apart to fix it myself. I will keep putting pressure on Canon to help with the cause towards getting them to fix all S2s that fail.
Worked like magic...3 times. In the steps, you should mention - "do not switch of camera and remove batteries... just remove the batteries"
ms
I may be stupid but I cant figure out how to set the exposier time to
15. Could some one please explain how to do this We need to put
together a web page on yahoo groups or something where every one with
this problem can get together for a head count.
Thanks a lot!!! It works!!!!
hey i had d same prblm...but i tried out ur tecnique....frozen80 u ROCK DUDE!!! thanks alot...im in 7th heaven now!!!
frozen80 you are the best. We had the same problem. I called Canon. They walked me through a "fix" with no result. Told me to send it in for repair...at a minimum cost of $150. Then I found this support and it worked. Thanks.
Ya KNOW -- IN reading these posts Canon has totally blew it as a reliable company honest toward a purchase of ANY of their products.
I bought this camera like 2 years ago at Circuit City for over $500, and I am having the same problem.
The "trick" did not work, although I know my batteries were getting low anyway.
But the point of the matter is, you spend that much money on a product that takes a dive in such a short period of time -- NONE of their products must be any good,,,,,SO F---- Them!
I had the same problem. Couldn't understand why I would have a problem because I haven't used the camera in a while. So much for logic. I am on vacation and did not know what to do other than search the web. This was my first stop. Your solution worked. Thanks for making my day!
I had the same problem and was very lucky to find this solution. Thank you!
Had the same problem since about a year ago and gave up on it... We have a baby on the way though, so I figured I needed to get an operational camera. Magically, the solution offered here actually works, even after the camera had been left for dead for over a year! Thanks!
Thanks very much. It worked for me too!
Same problem, but the fix doesn't seem to work.
Thanks for trying!
Yes. I am facing the same problem
Its is said that PUT the exposure to 15 seconds... My question is how to do that ?
Same problem. Black screen with white box. Tried "fix" about 25 times so far and hasnt worked. Wondering if you're supposed to wait the full 15 seconds, then 7 seconds after that (i.e. 22 seconds) before opening battery cover, OR if you interupt the shot at 7 seconds (i.e. before 15 seconds)? I've tried both to no avail. Anyone with suggestions would be welcome. Canon told me they've NEVER heard of this problem and it will be $150 to fix. Given the multitude of responses here, they're obviously full of it!!!
Same issue. Canon denies a problem exists
Mine to resolved. I had to repeat these steps several times. Each time I repeated the blackness started reducing and finally I am taking pictures now. Wow!!!! thanks to Frozen80 for the solution.
I had luckily decided to not go for the repair when Canon Service Center here in India asked me to pay 9700Rs.
yeah i was pissed when i happened to me. I actually didn't throw it away, I kept it hoping some day canon will come to their senses and put an advisory like they did with the S1 IS. arrg...well i still can't trust it. the trick worked. Thank you soo much! But when I turn it off, sometimes it'll happen again, so it's not like I'm taking this to any important trips anytime soon.
Canon S2is BSOD- tried the TV mode, 15 seconds setting, clicked shutter button and removed batteries and the sticking aperature began opening again!
same problem on my S3 IS , if i do TV mode 7 second fix i can can it going eventually till camera is turned off, then same thing all over again. Canon support great at answering emails but not accepting responsibility, make have to change brands!
I also have the same black screen problem.
It's not an ideal long term solution, but Frozen80's fix has certainly worked me in getting my camera working again. Thanks!
I also have the black screen problem with my S2 IS (which is just over 2 years old). Strange as it seemed, Frozen80's solution appears to have done the trick and my camera is now usable again. Not an ideal long term solution but it has certainly got my camera working again. Thanks!
I want to try this trick but can not find anywhere how to set the exposure time to 15 seconds. I can not find my english manual and tried the Canon site but no reference to setting exposure time.
thank you, my canon now works correctly again
Thanks. Your method worked. Tried around 20 times and then LCD came back to life for photo taking
Thanks. Your method worked. Tried around 20 times and then LCD came back to life for photo taking
I also noticed that using live view ( taking photos using the LCD screen instead of the viewfinder also helps. Just set the camera to live mode and keep trying to focus os something. After a couple of minutes, in my case, the LCD screen starts working again anabolic you can take pictures in this mode.
×