zircon Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Jill and I have a simple digital camera (Panasonic Lumix, I believe) in the rectangular point and shoot form factor. A few months ago we dropped it and now when it turns out, the lens.. thingy.. moves out, but then it doesn't open up, and then just moves back. So, it's broken somehow, but it does seem mostly functional. We thought nothing of it at the time because we had a spare camera, but now that's broken. We bought a new camera on our honeymoon and that just got stolen, so now, we'd really just like to fix the old camera. Anyone know how or WHERE to fix something like this? Can it even be fixed? It doesn't look really damaged... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwaltzvald Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Turn the camera off. Take the camera in one hand and with the other gently take one part of the lens and gently move it round in a circular movement. Do so with both sections of the lens. You will hear a click as it pops back in place. Power the camera on. Had it happen to me once and that fixed my camera... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Erm, the lens is not movable. When it's off, it is completely retracted, so your suggestion wouldn't work. It's worth noting that the shutter itself is easily movable. It's not stuck at all. It just doesn't open when the camera is turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I once fixed a friend's camera by smacking it repeatedly onto the palm of my hand. Sounds stupid, but it worked. (Presumably something inside was out of alignment.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobaltstarfire Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 That sounds like something you'd have to send it in for maintenance for. It'd probably be cheaper to just get another new camera, and hope no one steals it this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 A similar camera would be $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 So I kinda guessed on which Lumix you had based on your "in the rectangular point and shoot form factor." and did some digging into the problem (and similar) and came across this. It may be of some help, if nothing else it is a place to start. I recently had the lens cover stick partly open. There are 4 segments to the lens cover, and if we number them from the top, number 2 was not closing.I gently flicked the segments a few times, in case there was a grain of dirt causing it to stick (although the camera has never been in a dirty or dusty environment). This caused the lens cover to close fully each time, but now it would not open fully, segment 1 would not open, although it would stay open if moved by finger. Anyway, after a bit of fiddling, I got it working properly again. The way that the lens cover appears to work is that only segments 2 and 3 are pushed open or shut by springs, segments 1 and 4 are pushed open and shut by tiny tabs that catch on segments 2 and 3. If the segments somehow get pushed out of alignment, then they either bind (causing the cover not to shut), or they get disconnected (causing the cover not to open fully. Now I am not sure exactly what I did to get the mechanism form the stuck open state to the not opening state, but from there the way to fix it is to: -With the lens open... - Hold segment 2 in the closed position with firm finger pressure (which will tend to push it towards the lens). - Push segment 1 towards the open position until you can see that it has cleared the edge of segment 2. - Lift segment 2 way from the lens so that it will rub past segment 1 as you... - Move segment 1 to the open position. - Repeat if necessary to get the technique right. I can't provide any guarantees, and I am not about to repeat the excercise on my camera, but it was a lot easier than sending it off for repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwaltzvald Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 So hey did you ever get it fixed or did you have to replace the camera..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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