Turn the power on and off again

Hi,

When you turn on the camera and the lens extends, there is a small protective shutter on the outside of the lens that should open. Turn the camea around and look into the lens. Did the protective shutter open?

If not, give it a little nudge. Sometimes they can stick. If it doesn't open, or if it does/is open and there is still nothing on the display, then there is probably a more serious problem internally.

Hope this helps
Randy

Look into the lense while setting the shutter speed at a half second or so (slow enough for you to see the shutter open and close) and click the shutter release... you should see the shutter open and close. If you don't see this, then you may have a 'sticky shutter' resulting from lubricant seeping into the shutter/aperature mechanism and preventing the shutter from functioning as it should.(Common problem reported with the S2 and S3 cameras... and probably the S1 as well)

I have gotten my S3IS to take pictures by turning on the power, then opening the battery compartment door and reclosing it repeatedly until the shutter opens (from the power surge) and an image appears on the LCD.

After confirming the sticky shutter was indeed the problem, I pursued a more permanent fix.

A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. 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, 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.

This could be a software problem. The only thing you could do is get the camera to a Sony dealer for the reinstalling the software.

A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. 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, 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.

try to remove the battery for a few minutes this should refresh its system once you power it up again.

Sounds like you might have accidentally pressed the DISPLAY button on the back of your camera. It turns the screen on and off to save batteries. Turn on your camera, and press this button once again to turn the screen back on.

But if your camera is also taking black pictures,
a stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. 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, 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.

A stuck shutter is another common failure mode for digital cameras. 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, 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 the following for further info and a simple fix that may help: http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-fix-for-stuck-shutter.html

ok
Look at the door of your DVD shutter. There might be very small hole. This is an emergency Shutter open point. Make off your player, insert a long pin inside the hole, press it gently, you will notice that the shutter is openning, pull it out side, and take off your data DVD from the tray.

Thanks
Iqbal

Congratulations on fixing the problem! However I just wanted to let you and everyone else who reads this solution know that the part which failed on your camera is not actually the shutter. The shutter is deep inside the lens assembly right next to the image sensor. What you were dealing with was simply a protective cover for the lens. David Millier Advance Camera Repair