Camera lens repair vs. lens barrier repair
I just wanted to clarify a difference between two different Canon lens repairs available for digital cameras: Lens Error repair, and Lens Barrier repair. Some people might not realize the difference, and they are very different.
I’ll start with the lens repair service; I’m going to pick the Canon SD1000 Lens Repair Service as an example.This repair covers all the E:18 Lens Error (for older Canon models), the “Lens Error, Restart Camera” (for newer Canon models), the E:61 Errors (for Sony models) and the various other error messages for the other camera manufacturers.
Generally, you must replace your jammed or broken lens (even with lenses that have obvious physical damage) with a brand new, OEM lens. Please note however, that the CCD (the part of the lens that actually captures and converts the image to its digital counterpart) is not replaced, and your original CCD will be used. Sometimes, if the damage to the lens is severe enough, the CCD might malfunction as well. And if your CCD goes bad, your lens is not necessarily bad, and all you need is a new CCD.
The second type of lens repair is pretty much exclusive to Canon lenses at this time.
It is the Camera Lens Barrier Repair. Again, I’ll use the Canon SD750 Camera Lens Barrier Repair as an example.
This type of problem generally does not cause your lens to E:18 (or one of the various other error messages). The barriers on the lenses are used to keep dust out of the lens mechanism, and to protect the glass when the camera is turned off.
Sometimes, if there is a slight impact to the lens, these barriers can be knocked out of alignment, or pop off even if the impact is just right.
As long as there is no serious damage to the existing lens housing (these lenses use plastic as their means of holding this assembly together unfortunately, so there is always a chance the housing can crack or break, preventing this type of repair altogether)
This type of problem is fairly easily repaired, and is far cheaper than a lens replacement, because there is no lens that is needed to replace! (Again, if the plastic housing is damaged, depending on the severity, you could need a lens replacement) The lens is still perfectly functional without the barriers, but unprotected against scratches or dust.
Hope this helps clarify what repair your camera might need.
