Why does camera say lens obstruction? - EasyShare Kodak Cameras

The reason you cannot get the lens to do anything is because, as you yourself have stated, it is obstructed. If you remove the obstruction, the lens should function normally.

Turn off your camera, take out the battery, remove your lens, check for obstructions on glass and connections, replace lens. put in battery, then turn on camera. you should be set.

When a camera notice the lens does not move, it is afraid to damage gears or the motor, of it powers down everything involved the lens. It then gives a message as you read.
Because the camera can't know what is casing this, it only can warn.
It "hopes" if it did run the lens to an obstruction, powering it down will relieve the tension. That is way it says power down.
Remove the battery, check the lens barrel if any obstruction is limiting the free movement of the lens. and then replace the battery. switch it on again.
If you accidentally touched the lens, while it was coming out, it could have given the same error. When after switching on the camera, and you are sure you don't obstruct the free movement of the lens barrel, but it comes back with the same error, you should contact a certified repair centre for your camera.

This video illustrates troubleshooting steps for a lens obstructed error:

Chances are something is blocking the lens. It could be a lens cap, or your finger, or even a grain of dust or sand.

Here's the best first course of action:
1. Turn off the camera
2. Blow sharply into the areas around the lens/lens cap.
3. Turn it on again and see if that resolves the problem. Be sure nothing is physically obstructing the lens. (No lens cap, no finger, etc.)
4. If blowing doesn't work, try using a can of compressed air like you would buy at an office supply store, and blow out the area around the lens and lens housing. Chances are, if nothing was obstructing the lens that you could see, it might be a bit of dust or sand. Even a little sand can totally screw up the lens and keep it from moving in or out.
5. If this doesn't work, you should take your camera to a camera shop and have it professionally inspected and cleaned. Check out how much this will cost, though, before you do -- it might not make sense to pay what they want to charge, versus just buying a new camera.

"Lens obstructed, remove lens cap." This is the message the camera states. My camera does the same thing. It is refurbished. The camera was only used a couple of times and the problem started just as the 90 day warranty ran out. I suspect this is a common problem and these cameras should have been thrown away instead of selling them. It seems that it is not a " stuck lens problem".It seems to be an electronic problem rather then a mechanical one. Has anyone fixed this issue? Has anyone contacted Kodak for a price?

It seems that many people think that sending a camera back to the manufacturer is helpful. Most of us want help to fix it ourselves. If it is under warranty most know enough to send it back. If it is out of warranty the repair cost for most problems is more then it cost to replace it.

Lens errors (lens obstructed on Kodaks) 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:

Unfortunately, many cameras that fall prey to lens error problems (Lens obstructed on Kodak's) can only be corrected by professional repair. But, here are some troubleshooting steps that you can try that may 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.