Marking on inside of lens

You need to realize that the screen has 1 million pixels max, while the camera sensor has 12 million pixels. On the LCD you can barely tell whether something is in focus, right?

So if there is dirt or a smudge on the lens, or inside the camera on the sensor itself, you'll be much more likely to see it when you look at the final picture on the monitor.

Clean lens with a microfibre cleaning cloth (similar to eyeglasses or monitor glass) and see if that helped. Cleaning the sensor is probably a job for a camera repair shop. Good luck!

If the pictures taken are slightly misty, using a soft lens tissue (or spectacle cleaning cloth) wipe the lens delicately in one direction until the 'circle' has gone. Don't 'huff' on the lens as this will cause condensation INSIDE the lens.
If this fails to fix the problem, it may well be condensation build up inside the lens. If you have a sachet of silicone crystals (like the wee bags that come with a new pair of shoes), place the camera inside an airtight container with the sachet. Leave for minimum of 12hrs. This should absorbs any if not ALL of the condensation inside the camera.

Check for dirt on the front element of the lens. I am always amazed that almost every point and shoot digital I see has a filthy lens.

This can also be caused by condensation inside the lens or on the rear element

You cannot clean the inside, it it indeed has something inside. It is impossible to such a thing without complete dis-assembly of the camera.

Hi George

It sounds like a lens issue... Try:
1. cleaning lens (carefully!)
2. Could be condensation I suppose. Unlikely but make sure its fully warmed up and dry.
3. It could be a lens element misaligned possibly due to impact damage. Needs pro repair then.
4. Just a wild thought - it's not been left permanantly in some close-up mode giving a very out of focus effect?

Hope this helps,
Regards
Martin

I'm guessing it could be condensation, try gently warming the lense with a hairdryer.

Unless you have prior experience dismantling a digital camera, it could be quite tricky.
HERE is a service manual that should help. Its not the A610, but they are similar.
If your camera has a plastic ring around the lens, then it should be quite simple. Use a jeweler's screwdriver and try to pry out the ring. Once that is done, it should be easy enough to remove the lens barrels.
However, like I said, if you are not too familiar with this, it is best that you get it done by a pro. If it costs too much, then try giving it a shot yourself (nothing to lose anyways), and if you should screw up, there is always the option of buying a new camera :)

I wouldn't recommend taking this camera apart unless you are quite skilled with electronic repair. Even then camera lens assemblies are somewhat of a specialty area. So I guess the answer to your question is yes they are difficult to repair. A good camera repair shop should be able to help you for around $70.

This may sound silly, but did you check the shutter on the end of the lens when the camera is on to make sure that the shutter is open? Sometimes some dirt or sand can get into the lens barrel and make the shutter get stuck in the closed position. If this happens, gently open the shutter with a a toothpick or something (NOT your finger because of the oils and NOT something that will scratch the lens).

If the shutter is open and the pictures turn out black both on the camera's LCD and on the computer once you download them, then I'm guessing something happened to your CCD, which is the tiny electronic chip that records the light coming through the lens. Either something inside the camera has fallen in front of the CCD and is blocking the light (unlikely) or the CCD chip has died. If that's the case, I hate to say it but buying a new camera would be more cost effective (and probably cheaper) than getting it fixed.

there may be two reasons for this problem. 1. may be a defective or broken CCD. 2. the shutter is not working may be due to broken flex circuit cable. in any of the case you have to get it fixed from a professional camera repairer