The Hamster Clinic (or the Repair Advice Thread)

twowheelsonly

Make: Nikon /Nikkor

Item: Lens

Model: 80-200 f2.8 D

Fault: Not focusing in 80-135(ish) range. Working fine 135 - 200

History: Bought 2nd hand approx 2 years ago. Worked fine until about June this year. First noticed the problem after shooting at a road race that any photos in the shorter range were blurred. Usually shoot sports at about f4 but have tried it at different f stops with no difference and likewise auto/manual focusing. Lens has taken a few knocks but no major drops or anything that I'm aware of. On closer inspection it looks like somebody has opened/attempted to open it previously but for the amount of use it gets it's in pretty good condition. Occasionally slips from autofocus to manual focus as well - this is not a major inconvenience but I was thinking that it may be related??

Any advice welcome,

Thanks in Advance..

vloops

Make: Canon


Model: G9

Fault: Lens jammed and Lens error reported, I pushed it back in..the camera operates but when lens extends past a certain point the mechanism "clicks" and lens gets stuck again

The camera was dropped I'm just wondering if its worth fixing?

thanks

zerohamster

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Make: Nikon /Nikkor

Item: Lens

Model: 80-200 f2.8 D

Fault: Not focusing in 80-135(ish) range. Working fine 135 - 200

History: Bought 2nd hand approx 2 years ago. Worked fine until about June this year. First noticed the problem after shooting at a road race that any photos in the shorter range were blurred. Usually shoot sports at about f4 but have tried it at different f stops with no difference and likewise auto/manual focusing. Lens has taken a few knocks but no major drops or anything that I'm aware of. On closer inspection it looks like somebody has opened/attempted to open it previously but for the amount of use it gets it's in pretty good condition. Occasionally slips from autofocus to manual focus as well - this is not a major inconvenience but I was thinking that it may be related??

Any advice welcome,

Thanks in Advance..

Heya, sorry for the late reply. The last few days I was quite busy.

I would be more than happy to have a look at it for you and I would say the AF/M switch could be related as it shouldn't just change mode for no reason without external force applied.
If it has been opened before it could have something out of place inside but impossible to tell without being able to see it.
If you want to PM me for details I'll get back to you as soon as I can and see what I can do for you?

zerohamster

vloops wrote: »

Make: Canon


Model: G9

Fault: Lens jammed and Lens error reported, I pushed it back in..the camera operates but when lens extends past a certain point the mechanism "clicks" and lens gets stuck again

The camera was dropped I'm just wondering if its worth fixing?

thanks

Seems like a catch in one of the lens assembly is broken and/or a sensor is not telling the zoom motor to stop working when at a certain point resulting in the jam.
Both of those faults can be caused by impact and it would usually needs a new lens assembly as the parts are not available seperately.
It should be worth repairing though.
PM me for more details if you would like.

nicknackgtb

Make: Canon

Item: Lens

Model: 24-105 F4L

Fault: Motor noise after focus has been achieved

When/how it happened:

Just noticed the other day that the lens makes noise after I have focused, not sure what the story is as I look after my lenses well. It has about 3 or 4 seconds of noise after the focusing.

I tested it on video also and you can hear the motor on the video which I need to get sorted.

HAve you any suggestions? where to go, rough price on fixing etc?

Thanks Zerohamster

zerohamster

nicknackgtb wrote: »

Make: Canon

Item: Lens

Model: 24-105 F4L

Fault: Motor noise after focus has been achieved

When/how it happened:

Just noticed the other day that the lens makes noise after I have focused, not sure what the story is as I look after my lenses well. It has about 3 or 4 seconds of noise after the focusing.

I tested it on video also and you can hear the motor on the video which I need to get sorted.

HAve you any suggestions? where to go, rough price on fixing etc?

Thanks Zerohamster

Hey,

Just a quick question. Are you sure you aren't hearing the IS mechanism working (will stop after a few seconds of having your finger off the shutter release or back button focus).
Try turn IS off alternatively and if it doesn't make the sound then it's just the IS you are hearing.

Cheers

nicknackgtb

zerohamster wrote: »

Hey,

Just a quick question. Are you sure you aren't hearing the IS mechanism working (will stop after a few seconds of having your finger off the shutter release or back button focus).
Try turn IS off alternatively and if it doesn't make the sound then it's just the IS you are hearing.

Cheers

Will try IS when I get back to my camera but never heard the lens making this noise before, its fairly prominant and esp in video, you can really hear it and that is what I mainly do now. Will have a look and get back to you. thanks for the quick reply mate

esdras

zerohamster, I need to fix my camera asap, it has some spots in the viewfinder and sensor. Are you working these days?
Thanks,
Esdras

zerohamster

esdras wrote: »

zerohamster, I need to fix my camera asap, it has some spots in the viewfinder and sensor. Are you working these days?
Thanks,
Esdras

If you want to PM me with details I'll see what I can do for you.
Cheers

esdras

zerohamster wrote: »

If you want to PM me with details I'll see what I can do for you.
Cheers

Done :-)

Wabbit Ears

Make: Nikon

Item: DSLR Body

Model: D90

Fault: The autofocus is only working once or twice and we have to switch on and off the power to get it to function again. This is happening for all lenses. Taking shots is Point, half depress, click, switch off and on, rinse repeat.


When/how it happened: In the last month



Any Ideas on what can be done for this issue?

roosterman71

Make: Fuji

Item: DSLR

Model: S2900

Fault: The lens does not pop out when the camera is on and a message appears on screen

When/how it happened:
The other day when I turn it on it gives a message on screen telling me to turn off/on the camera again. I tried that but it keeps coming back.

I tried replacing the batteries, using a different SD card and all to no avail.

Before when I turned it on, the lens popped out a little but now it doesn't. I've googled, but nothing much shows up to help

Any ideas?

zerohamster

nicknackgtb wrote: »

Will try IS when I get back to my camera but never heard the lens making this noise before, its fairly prominant and esp in video, you can really hear it and that is what I mainly do now. Will have a look and get back to you. thanks for the quick reply mate

Heya,

Did you get that sorted?

zerohamster

Not to jump to conclusions first, try checking the AF mode in case it has accidentally switched to another mode other than single shot as sometimes on the AI focus type mode it can seem like a fault.

Other than that I can't make a guess but would be happy to take a look at it and find out for you if you would like, Pm me.

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

Make: Nikon

Item: DSLR Body

Model: D90

Fault: The autofocus is only working once or twice and we have to switch on and off the power to get it to function again. This is happening for all lenses. Taking shots is Point, half depress, click, switch off and on, rinse repeat.


When/how it happened: In the last month



Any Ideas on what can be done for this issue?

zerohamster

roosterman71 wrote: »

Make: Fuji

Item: DSLR

Model: S2900

Fault: The lens does not pop out when the camera is on and a message appears on screen

When/how it happened:
The other day when I turn it on it gives a message on screen telling me to turn off/on the camera again. I tried that but it keeps coming back.

I tried replacing the batteries, using a different SD card and all to no avail.

Before when I turned it on, the lens popped out a little but now it doesn't. I've googled, but nothing much shows up to help

Any ideas?

Sounds like the lens has a fault as is common with bridge and P&S cameras with those symptoms. Has the lens had any drops or falls lately?
It would probably need a new lens mechanism.
PM for more details if you would like.

Carter P Fly

zerohamster wrote: »

Not to jump to conclusions first, try checking the AF mode in case it has accidentally switched to another mode other than single shot as sometimes on the AI focus type mode it can seem like a fault.

Other than that I can't make a guess but would be happy to take a look at it and find out for you if you would like, Pm me.

Looking at your other thread, I checked it was still on AF-S so I took a q tip and iso alcahol to the cameras contacts and gave them a good clean as opposed to the wipe I gave them beforehand. Seems to have cleared the issue up so thanks hugely for the advice.

posture

Hi ,
Hope you can give me some advice,
My camera keeps shutting down showing a fault e32. Also the shutter on front of camera does'nt open fully after turning on.
Just wondering is it worth sending back to cannon as its 120e to send away.
Thanks in advance.

racheljev

Make: Sony

Item: 18-70 lens

Model: A350

Fault: Grinding noise when camera is turned on and off.

When/how it happened:
Happened few weeks ago when someone else used camera. I think there's something caught inside the lens casing. I've another lens which works fine. After the camera turns on, it seems to work ok. I've tried focussing on different objects far and near to see if the lens catches/grinds - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. If I switch from AF to MF and focus myself, it's ok. But it still makes the noise when it switches off. Any ideas?

nicknackgtb

zerohamster wrote: »

Heya,

Did you get that sorted?

Hey man

It seems to be the IS that's the problem alright. What should be my next move to getting this sorted or is it a major issue etc?

Cheers

zerohamster

Carter P Fly wrote: »

Looking at your other thread, I checked it was still on AF-S so I took a q tip and iso alcahol to the cameras contacts and gave them a good clean as opposed to the wipe I gave them beforehand. Seems to have cleared the issue up so thanks hugely for the advice.

Glad you got it sorted, I hadn't considered dirty contacts by the way the lens was behaving in this case. Glad I could be of service.
If cleaning with isopropyl alcohol doesn't work you can also try lightly rubbing a rubber eraser across the contacts as most rubber erasers will remove tarnishing and oxidisation from the surface of the contacts.

An interesting read here that I would recommend before using a rubber eraser as there are a few extra details that help to protect you gear from damage if using this menthod:
http://www.robotroom.com/PCBTarnishEraser.html

zerohamster

posture wrote: »

Hi ,
Hope you can give me some advice,
My camera keeps shutting down showing a fault e32. Also the shutter on front of camera does'nt open fully after turning on.
Just wondering is it worth sending back to cannon as its 120e to send away.
Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Sounds like something is jammed, obstructing or broken off in the lens assembly stopping it from functioning.
Has the camera had any impacts lately?

zerohamster

racheljev wrote: »

Make: Sony

Item: 18-70 lens

Model: A350

Fault: Grinding noise when camera is turned on and off.

When/how it happened:
Happened few weeks ago when someone else used camera. I think there's something caught inside the lens casing. I've another lens which works fine. After the camera turns on, it seems to work ok. I've tried focussing on different objects far and near to see if the lens catches/grinds - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. If I switch from AF to MF and focus myself, it's ok. But it still makes the noise when it switches off. Any ideas?

That's an odd one, if there is something inside the lens casing you should hear a rattle or something if you shake the lens. Does the camera do this with no lens attatched or is it coming from inside the lens?
I would have normally said it was something to do with IS or anti dust cleaning on the sensor but the IS is also on the sensor with Sony DSLRs. If the sound is coming from the body I would say it is the IS/Anti dust cleaning mechanism making the noise.

One little check you can do yourself would be to make sure the picture is centred with the viewfinder.
The IS/Anti dust can break but when it does the sensor will usually sit off centre either to the bottom or to one side and you should be able to see this if the item you have taken a photo of is not in the centre of the photo taken when you had it centred in the viewfinder.
You could also see this if you used the camera's manual sensor clean mode where you can access the sensor and you would probably notice it being to one side.

source: I have an A100 with that assembly damaged and it does the same thing with the noise but usually when it is turned on rather than off (I believe the IS system trying to function just causes it to vibrate and make the noise).

If you need more details PM me and I'll see what I can do.

zerohamster

nicknackgtb wrote: »

Hey man

It seems to be the IS that's the problem alright. What should be my next move to getting this sorted or is it a major issue etc?

Cheers

That's good news to hear I'm pretty sure. The IS system will usually make a activating sound and then a quiet sound that you could describe odly similar to the sound of a rolling bowling ball down a bowling alley but a lot quieter and softer with the odd spike when the IS needs to make a big correction (sorry for the abstract comparison there).

With IS on and using small movements horizontally and vertically whilst looking through the viewfinder observe the lagging motion that tells the IS is working (ie moving the camera left and right a very small amount but the image in the viewfinder stays relatively motionless).
It's hard to describe other than saying that if it is working it should feel like the viewfinder lags as it is trying to remain in the same point.
If you have used other IS lenses you will probably get what I mean.

If during that test you notice the image in the viewfinder vibrating or not lagging as it should then there would appear to be something wrong with the IS.
The IS could also be functioning as normal and just be louder than it used to but if it still functions fine then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

kulareggae

Originally Posted by racheljev
Make: Nikon

Item: Camera

Model: 8700

Fault: Lines in pictures

When/how it happened:
Happened few weeks ago when someone else used camera. I was told its a setting that the sensor in the camera is too sensitive to the natural light, as it doesnt happen at night.

patdahat

make: panasonic

item: screen

model: DMC-TZ15

Fault: when the camera is powered on the screen is white in color asn will stay white in all the different mode's even in the playback mode. it taking pic's perfect and everything else is ok.

when/how it happened: before it went white totally, i taught the color was a bit gammy a few time's before it went totally.

patdahat

make: Panasonic

item: reset button

Model: DMC-FZ8

fault: i have been messing with the setting's and wondering if there is a way to reset it to the factory setting's.

when/how this happened: trying to take better/ clearer picture's.

zerohamster

kulareggae wrote: »

Make: Nikon

Item: Camera

Model: 8700

Fault: Lines in pictures

When/how it happened:
Happened few weeks ago when someone else used camera. I was told its a setting that the sensor in the camera is too sensitive to the natural light, as it doesnt happen at night.

It sounds like the sensor is damaged, either that or the lines only happen when pointing directly into sunlight or bright lights (which is normal on P&S cameras, the line would appear to extend from the bright object and is usually magenta). Do the lines appear regardless of what you are pointing the camera at during the day or only when pointed at very bring things?
I wouldn't say it is a setting in the camera as there is no setting I know that causes this behaviour at any time of the day/night.

zerohamster

patdahat wrote: »

make: panasonic

item: screen

model: DMC-TZ15

Fault: when the camera is powered on the screen is white in color as in will stay white in all the different mode's even in the playback mode. it taking pic's perfect and everything else is ok.

when/how it happened: before it went white totally, i taught the color was a bit gammy a few time's before it went totally.

The LCD in the camera has failed for whatever reason and the white you are seeing is the backlight.
You would most likely need a new screen if it wasn't a connector issue that was stopping the LCD from functioning properly.
New screens are about €65 for that model so if you are interested in getting it repaired then PM me and I'll give you more details.

zerohamster

patdahat wrote: »

make: Panasonic

item: reset button

Model: DMC-FZ8

fault: i have been messing with the setting's and wondering if there is a way to reset it to the factory setting's.

when/how this happened: trying to take better/ clearer picture's.

This should be the order the setup menu is in and just go to the highlighted (well...bold) option below and that should do the job.

Hope that helps.

Setup Menu (same in record or play mode):

Clock Set - Set the time and date
World Time - Set the world time used by the camera
Monitor - Adjust the EVF brightness
Guide Line - Enable or disable Rec. Info, Histogram, and Grid lines
Travel Date - Adds an icon indicating which day of your vacation the image was taken
Play on LCD - Show playback images on EVF or LCD
Auto Review - Auto review after capture (off, 1s, 3s, Zoom)
Power Save - Auto power off delay 1m, 2m, 5m, 10m, Off
Zoom Resume - Camera returns to last zoom position before last power off.
MF Assist - Enlarge center of screen during manual focus
Beep - Camera beep sounds, On or Off
AF Beep - AF lock sounds, On or Off
Shutter - Shutter release sound-effects
Volume - Internal speaker volume control
No. Reset - Reset file numbering counter
Reset - Reset all settings to factory default
Video Out - Video output signal format, NTSC or PAL
TV Aspect - Choose 4:3 or 16:9
MF m/ft - Choose method of measurement used
Scene Menu - Display scene menu Automatically when selected or never
Dial Display - On or Off
Language - Menu language; English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Japanese

kulareggae

zerohamster wrote: »

It sounds like the sensor is damaged, either that or the lines only happen when pointing directly into sunlight or bright lights (which is normal on P&S cameras, the line would appear to extend from the bright object and is usually magenta). Do the lines appear regardless of what you are pointing the camera at during the day or only when pointed at very bring things?
I wouldn't say it is a setting in the camera as there is no setting I know that causes this behaviour at any time of the day/night.

Ok is there anyway to fix this?

The lines show regardless of what i point at during day