The Hamster Clinic (or the Repair Advice Thread)

Somehow I didn't see this until now :S

Depending on what has gone wrong it could need parts or at best the switch that detects the flash being popped up is dislodged (common fault) and needs to be reseated which although a pain to do, can be done without mich disassembly. PM me if you still need this sorted and Ill see if I can help you out.

MAKE : FujiFilm

ITEM : Screen

MODEL : JV-100 Compact

FAULT : Crack in screen from top to bottom

Sorry, just seen this sticky now. Is there a repair service in the Dublin Area that could fix this or is it even worth fixing? The camera has very little use.

If anyone can answer this I'd be very grateful.

I bought my dad a Sony MS-HX8B Memory Stick Pro - HG Duo for christmas, but not sure if it is able to work in his relativly old Sony DSC-P200.

Is this going to be ok or have I bought a memory card that is too advanced for the camera.

Thanks in advance.

kingofburt wrote: »

If anyone can answer this I'd be very grateful.

I bought my dad a Sony MS-HX8B Memory Stick Pro - HG Duo for christmas, but not sure if it is able to work in his relativly old Sony DSC-P200.

Is this going to be ok or have I bought a memory card that is too advanced for the camera.

Thanks in advance.

Im probably a bit late for this but the largest card his camera can accept is the MS-MT4G which is the 4gb pro duo mark I.

here is a comparison chart to tell you which cards are compatible.

Hope that helps and isn't too late.

Make: canon

Item: lens

Model: 24-105mm f/4 L

Fault: grit stuck under focus ring

When/how it happened: last week i was in portrane, and it was very windy. i am assuming some sand got into my focus ring. i didn't notice until last night - when you turn the focus ring, you can hear grit/sand. it sounds like only a grain or two, but i am worried.

would you be able fix this, or know of a place that i need to take it to get it fixed? i have taken it off my body for now and am not using it. i think i'll take my other camera to the beach next time and not such an expensive lens. i didn't think dirt was able to get into those L lenses.

batman1 wrote: »

Make: Nikon

Item: Flash mount and body

Model: D3000

Fault : Broken flash mount and cracked body

Look here >http://www.ebay.ie/itm/NIKON-D3000-TOP-COVER-UNIT-NEW-ORIGINAL-REPAIR-PART-OEM-/330543806553?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item4cf5f23859

shuffles88 wrote: »

Make: Nikon

Item: Auto focus

Model: D3000

Fault : Will focus manually but will no longer auto focus

I put my camera on the kitchen table and my puppy came along and tugged the tablecloth and pulled the camera down. I didn't see where it hit when it fell but now the auto focus will try to adjust but not to a level where it will allow you take a picture.

Does the camera give focus confirmation on manual (if it normally did and you aren't not using live view as that uses a different method for focusing).

Does the camera hunt back and forward or does it settle each time consistantly at a certain point (use one point and make sure you keep the distance the same so you can tell if the photo's are randomly focused or not)

If it isn't focusing or giving focus confirmation then it could be a number of things causing the problem. The two main things that would jump out at me would be the mirror or sub mirror being misaligned or the AF sensor being misaligned from the impact.

Was a lens on the camera when it fell and it would be good to check to see if the viewfinder center matches the actual centre of the photo (checking to see if the main mirror is misalligned).

If you want I could take a look at it? PM me and Ill see what I can do.

fillefatale wrote: »

Make: Nikon

Item: DSLR Body

Model: D40

Fault: A description of the fault.

When/how it happened:

The camera stopped working sometime at the end of August, I'm fairly certain my friend or younger brother allowed to the body of the camera to fall (there is no damage to the exterior so it wouldn't have fallen from a height, just general clumsiness when they were putting the camera on a surface). When I shake the body I can hear something small and loose rattling about inside. It worked for a couple of days after the fall, but now when I switch it on the lens does not focus (like the body does not recognize the lens) and does not take pictures.

Hi,

Sorry I haven't gotten a chance to reply in the last few days.

Have you taken the lens off to see is the mirror ok or perhaps something is moving around the mirror box?
I do repairs and would be happy to have a look and let you know what is wrong as the D40 has a few things that commonly fail.

Does the top lcd or rear lcd display anything when you try to shoot as sometimes depending on what it says can be indicative or certain faults.

Does the camera AF confirm in manual?
Also if you check another lens on the body to see if it focuses on AF.

Slightly Bunkers wrote: »

Make: Canon

Item: Lens

Model: 18-55mm IS kit lens

Fault: Auto focus not working. Can be used on Manual but with effort.

When/how it happened:

Not sure what happened. Went to take photos at a wedding and discovered the problem. The only thing that comes to mind is one day when camera was in auto focus a friend was taking a shot with and was focusing manualy. I wonder if manualy focusing while camers is trying to auto focus would cause any damage?

Hi,

Sounds like the focus barrel in the lens is jammed which would explain why the AF doesn't work but on manual can be forced. I would strongly recommend not using the lens especially forcing the mechanism as this will damage components in the lens. forcing the lens manually while most lenses are set to AF will damage the gears in the lens from the high torque caused by forcing the focus ring.

If you PM me I can help as there can only be a few parts in the lens that are causing the jam. Also if used on a beach or sandy area, grains of sand can jam up a lens gears/barrel, especially on cheaper lenses.

zerohamster wrote: »

Hi,

Sounds like the focus barrel in the lens is jammed which would explain why the AF doesn't work but on manual can be forced. I would strongly recommend not using the lens especially forcing the mechanism as this will damage components in the lens. forcing the lens manually while most lenses are set to AF will damage the gears in the lens from the high torque caused by forcing the focus ring.

If you PM me I can help as there can only be a few parts in the lens that are causing the jam. Also if used on a beach or sandy area, grains of sand can jam up a lens gears/barrel, especially on cheaper lenses.

PM Sent! Thanks

chuckjits wrote: »

Make: Canon

Item: DSLR main body

Model: EOS 450d

Fault: LCD Screen does not come on when you press play and it will not let you shoot.

When/how it happened:

Sitting at desk,Whilst adjusting F stop, switched to automatic mode. Wouldn't take pic so switched on and off, then removed battery, removed lens and memory card then reinstalled these. Flash popped up then I attempted to take another shot , Error 99 continuosly appeared and then Error 5, now a blank screen.

I have tried a different SD card and battery and rebooting without lens, with no success.

What I need to know is;

Will this be expensive to fix, would I be better off buying a new body?
Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Hi,

It's interesting that you got an error 5 during all of that. Error 5 usually points to the pop up flash being unable to pop up OR the switch that tells the camera that it is popped up is damaged/jammed.

Error 99 is a broad error that can relate to a number or faults such as shutter failure and motor failure for the mirror (which also rotates the gear controlling the pop up flash catch) so Im going to say it is probably relating to the motor considering the Error 5 would fit that also.

What could be happening is the camera could have jammed gears or the motor may be dead (happens a lot on 40Ds). Without examining the camera it is hard to tell what exactly is wrong but the blank screen could point to issues with power (not enough power to rotate motor causing error 5 and 99s). That would be the main suspect causes of faults which are all cheaper than replacing the body to fix.

I could have a look at the camera for you if you are interested in repair or if you want more info PM me and I would be happy to help.

chuckjits wrote: »

Thanks very much for the help, was in a bit of a rush though so ended up dropping it in to ISS. Gonna need a new LCD. Cheers again for taking the time.

Just so you know that ISS just send their stuff off to the UK and charge you extra for doing so. If you are thinking of getting a repair done through them next time it would be quicker and cheaper to send it to the UK ASF's directly as you won't have to pay that extra handling fee they charge.

Did they say it needed a new LCD from your description or has it been tested in the UK already as I can 99% say that the LCD could have indeed failed but that wouldn't cause an error 99 and definitely not an error 5 so I would expect to get a restimate as the LCD wouldn't be the root of the problem...

Either way keep us updated on what they say the cause was and what is wrong with the camera as I would suspect there is more to the problem then just LCD replacement (although that would be a nice ending to have).

I hope you get it sorted quickly and if the repair falls through give me a shout and Ill see if I can help.

Normally there is a certain tolerance with LCD screens as to how many dead/hot pixels there can be before it falls below the acceptable quality and is considered faulty so it may fall under warranty but could also fall under the acceptable number of dead/hot pixels to not warrant a repair under warranty (ie they wouldn't consider it needed repair rather than that type of fault not being covered).

Give the shop you bought it in a ring or Canon and ask if it would be under warranty, they will probably ask you to send it in to check though.

Cheers for the feedback, Glad you are happy with it and I hope the camera gets good use with it's new user.

I had completely forgotten about the back to be honest as the seals didn't arrive to jog my memory :eek:

I've been waiting for months for those seals to arrive and to be honest considering they haven't gotten here already I think they may have been a casualty of the postal system. I've fired off an e-mail to the supplier and also another to SPT enquiring about anyone else who can supply some seals quickly.

Will get back to you in a day or two when I have some solid info for you.

Sorry for the delay on this, completely slipped my mind.