Display is partially blacked out

observe the tv if its focusing well..if not the,the horizontal stage is defective..if the focusing is ok,you need to set the unit to service mode to make the adjustment nessesary to fixed the problem..or sometimes ther is an internal adjustment..if you are lucky enought

A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras, particularly for the SD1000. The symptoms of a stuck or "sticky" shutter are very similar to CCD image sensor failure. The camera may take black pictures (for shutter stuck closed), or the pictures may be very bright and overexposed, sometimes with lines, especially when taken outdoors (for shutter stuck open). To confirm a stuck shutter, put the camera in any mode other than "Auto", and turn the flash OFF (you don't want to blind yourself for the next step). Next look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter. If so, please see this link for further info and a simple fix that may help.


By the way, my wife's SD1000 also has this problem every once in a while. I easily fix it by using the following steps from the link: powering on the camera, opening and closing the battery door, and flicking the end of the lens barrel with my fingertip (or you can tap it with a pencil as discussed in the link).

When you take off the lens and fire off a shot, does the mirror go up and return or does it stay up? If not, is it possible that it is staying up when the lens is connected? When you fire a shot, can you hear it returning?

This can be either a mirror or shutter problem. Take off the lens and fire off a few shots while you look inside...you may be able to spot the problem. I don't think you will be able to fix it but a repair facility can.

Change the display settings on the computer desktop, try various sizes.

If using programs like word or firefox change display size with shift/mousewheel. Also change font sizes for best view. Don''t worry about resolution numbers, adjust for good picture.

When booting up press f8, go into safe-mode. See if the screen still behaves the same way, If so... I don't think there is much that can be done except using an external monitor on the laptop.

But if it looks ok, I would set the display settings resolution to 1024x768 and freq. hz to 60

In safe-mode you may not be able to set to 1024 but have it set to something in safe-mode so when you reboot it the normal mode it will have reset some of the display settings and hopefully fixed that for you. If the problem persists, check on the freq hz setting and try to go as low as possible, probably 60hz.

G'luck

The likely problem is the shortcut button which sits below the ISO button. The factory default for this button is image size. Every time you press it (or catch with your thumb) the image size will change. catch it enough times and it will get down to S (640x480). Why this was chosen as the preferred shortcut is anybody's guess!

The button can be changed to do something else less severe (e.g. cycle the display on/off). This is done via "MENU", then the 1st tab (looks like a camera) then "SET SHORTCUT BUTTON" then select the most appropriate option (page 61-62 of advanced S3IS manual).

It's happened to me several times to once in a lifetime pictures (Ankgor Wat in Cambodia).

If the camera operates normally and the only problem is no picture is visible on the lcd in record mode and playback mode,then the lcd needs to be replaced.

I wouldn't blame your wife's grandfather. This might be a defective CCD imager. If so, Canon should fix this for you for free, including free shipping both ways. This is regardless of your camera's warranty status. Please check the following two links for more info:
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/11/canon-digital-cameras-showing-black.html

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&fcategoryid=225&modelid=13390&keycode=2112&id=29819

Applicable cameras include:
A40, A60, A70, A75, A80, A85, A95, A300, A310, S1 IS, S60, S200, S230, S330, S400, S410, S500, SD100, SD110, IXUS V2/300/400/430/500, IXY Digital 200a/300a/400/450/500

Hi: When you say small horizontal screen, ¿Do you mean picture does not fill the screen completely from top to button? ¿Do images display normally though they are smaller in size? ¿Is color and definition of signal OK? Please answer so I can have a better picture of the problem.