Optio S problem...

Its possible they might fix it for you, but not in that time frame. Try hitting the power button alot. Mine did the "stuck" thing twice, the first time it fixed itself. the second time... it didnt.

I sent it in, knowing what i read on here (i am the guest that posted on may 14) and knowing there was a little dent on one of the corners.


IMPACT DAMAGE. @#&^$

I just called in. Yep, that little dent means the warranty is void, even if the problem with the lense isnt a result of impact, because it SHOWS impact damage, the warranty is void (my camera waited 11 months to go bust, though, i was so excited when i learned it was still under warranty. #$%@.)

Yeah. SO the estimate for anyone wondering? 144 bucks. they gotta replace the lens and the case. but, it comes with a 1 yr warranty. not that that'll do much, i bet, if it happens again they'll just site impact or water or sometihng and make me pay. grr.

sorry, slightly annoyed here. I dont currently HAVE 144 bucks to spend on it. I already spent 20 bucks to ship it there. Now I gotta beg my dad for a loan or something.


Im really worried now. The camera is definately WORTH 144 bucks. but what if it happens again? what if it really is a design flaw and I'm going to be spending another 100+ dollars in a few months. I dont have that kind of money to spend. certainly ill be extra careful in the future, but... i hadnt dropped it when the problem occured!

are you guys paying to get it fixed?

Hi 'guest'

My advice is to get any current damage recorded with your Pentax Workshop. When they fix it this time it should be allocated a 'job' or 'reference' number.

Keep this number safe, so, if the lens were to stick again and they try to blame it on 'impact damage', you can quote your reference number in the hope that they'll realise that the dent(s) are old ones.

I have the same problem with my camera, lens is stuck out. beeps and then screen goes off. any ideas???

had some kind of problem with my optio s. not only that with the lens stuck, but couldn't take any picture even if I could see what's on the display. I just did the restore function button, and from that point on, the display went all black. someone says it's the software that caused this kind of problem. what do you think?

Did anybody ever get any good news back from Pentax, or figure out a way to fix this problem? I pulled my camera out of my pocket today and the lens was stuck halfway out. It sounds like the same problem you guys had, maybe. Did the lens just get stuck on something (maybe a piece of sand in your cases) and the motor blew? That's what it seems like to me. I'm sure Pentax will say "impact damage" but in fact I think it's just bad design on their part.

-joachim

Same problem with mine (bought 16 months ago, so it's out of warranty). Lens stuck in the "out" position; depressing the "on/off" button causes beeping, brief display of green light round on/off switch and focus status light by viewfinder; and main window is illuminated for about 3 seconds - then nothing. It got dropped while switched on, but it was a very, very minor impact with no apparent physical damage.

The warranty expiry, and the slight accident, mean I'm going to have to pay to get it fixed. Has anyone had this problem permanently, successfully solved by a repair? Is it worth paying for? Either way, I thought I'd add my comments to support the campaign: Pentax, the Optio S IS prone to this fault!

Well, my 8-month-old optio S had the same symptoms.

It was such a small impact that I could hardly believe when I saw it.

I took the camera to the shop where I bought it and after more than a month I have just been informed that this damage is NOT under warranty.

They didn't even bother to tell me how much would it cost to have my camera repaired. Just told me it's cheaper to buy a new one .

A friend of mine had this very same problem a year ago or so, but then they DID fix the camera free of charge! I guess it was one of the first Optios that were sold (or sent to repair?) at least in my country (Spain). Hence the "good will"?

I have already heard about many others with this camera and this problem. For me, it's unacceptable that PENTAX is doing nothing in regard to this situation.

It is a very nice gadget with a very unfair defect: weakness. I do will buy a new one, but it obviously won't be a PENTAX!

--Vivus est qui pataleat.

seems i may be another victim of the stuck lens. i wasn't even in possesion of the camera when it happened, my friend returne dit ot me with the same exact problem you guys are describing, and hopefully someone has gotten something out of pentax, i really am angry that i may have to pay 100+ just to get it fixed.

My S4 too - my wife's actually - trying to fix a memory problem (no pictures but no space to take more) and it just went - screen blanked out (but still lit) and lens stuck out. I am recharging the battery - could be that it was low, but that should mean it closes itself down normally.

I bought this as a present for my wife - she is really upset, but she has looked after it like jewellery - no impacts, no sand, no nothing. Bah!

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This stuck lense issue certainly seems to be a common problem.

I had the same problem with my Optio S at 11 months into the warranty, but unlike most of the other stories here, Pentax were excellent. I rang the service centre, told them the problem and they advised I send it to them. I sent it in (very carefully wrapped), and the repaired camera was back in under a week! Really couldn't ask for better service.

So don't lose hope completely if you have this problem.

Just to update my previous post from (ahem) October, the camera is working fine now.

I fully charged the battery

I formatted the camera's memory, but using the 4-way controller as an OK button, not the buttons under the screen. For some reason this seems important.

I inserted an SD card and formatted that too - and touch wood it has not misbehaved since!

So it is possible to shoot some of this trouble

I have an optio S - anno June 2003. Travelled with it for about a year before I started having "stuck - lens" problems.

The "fix" described above - is only posible when getting the optio S to stay alive - right?

I bought a new battery - but still the camera shuts down - when the lens is trying to leave the camera house.

My first thought - before finding this forum - was that the lens was stuck - because it might be blocked "physically" by dirt of some kind. It seem that the lens mecanism/motor is not totally dead - as it makes noise and opens the slighty before powering down.. So does anybody have experience with dis-matling it and celeaning it?


Morten -Copenhagen

I've got the same len stuck problem. Fristly, it stuck in the "out" position. I played on every combination of the buttons, removed the battery and SD card and put them back for several times and couldn't fix it. Just when I was about to turn my S4 into an expensive paper weight, I put back the battery and the lens moved back into it's off position. I switched on the S4 and everything seems fixed. I tried a few shots and everything seems returned to its good old days.

When I was so happy and brought along my S4 to my last holiday, after taking a few pictures, my S4 went dead.... it refused to start and a red light flashing. I thought it might be the battery problem and so I inserted a fully charged spare battery. When I switched in on again, strange things happened, the lens remained in it's off position but the back light of the screen turned on. The screen remain black out while only showed "A90" on it. When I turn my S4 off and then on again, nothing happened, only the red light flashing and no respond on any button, couldn't even trun if off... have to remove the battery...

I discovered that if I press the "MENU" button below the screen while I turn on the S4, the screen shows "VER 1.10" and then back to the "A90" and then hang. I suspect the S4 has some sort of software problem. Does anyone know how to "Reset" the S4?

Hi
I had the same lens stuck problem 6 months ago an optio S. I went to pentax customer service and they told me that the lens are died and it cost the half price of the camera to repair it. So, I put the camera.

A few day ago, before buying a new cam, I searched on web to see if there is the same kind of problems with Pentax competitors compact products... the response is yes.
But I have found an interisting site that describes how to disassemble and clean the lens of canon ixus:
http://www.ixus-world.de/index.htm?tips/repair_guide/e18_01en.htm

So, I have tried to disassemble my optio S and now, it works!!
I cannot show pictures like on this site. But, I can provide some helpful advices during the disassembling:
- be patient, It takes me 3-4 hours to disassemby and 1 hour ro reassembly
- the objective is to get the lens, so remove all items that are in the way.
- once the camera open, remove the soft electronic element on the top of the SD card reader.
- To extract the SD card reader eletronic card at the right of the screen, you have to unsolder the two connectors of the battery(on the top) and the two microphone wires(on the bottom). It is sufficient to separate the two cards to unplug bus.
- the big capacitor is just stick with glue. So, do not hesitate to force to extract it.
- once the lens part is extracted, remove the lens motor on the top. Then, you can check if the lens gears move freely. In my case, at this moment, they were stuck.
- Continue to disassembly the back of the lens, now you are inside of the lens and you can clean it. Personnaly, I have not seen dirty things inside. But I reassembly the lens back. The gears was no more stuck and when i move it, it opens the lens.
- Then, reassemly the camera and cross the fingers.

My cam works just since yesterday evening. I hope that this fix will ok for a long time but I doubt since the optio mecanical design seems to be too fragile.

Manu -
PARIS

Many thanks to Manu. I think more than a few of use will need to use the dismantling advice in the future.

My Optio S also had a stuck lens, although it was in the closed position with the camera refusing to start. The camera was 9 months old with no impact damage. After reading all the previous threads I was concerned that I also had a lens problem.

I returned the camera to Pentax UK for fixing under warranty. I expected an impact warranty waiver reply, however, my camera was quickly returned fixed under warranty. The fault was listed as being a jammed lens.

Although I am very happy to have a working camera again with thanks to Pentax UK, I wonder how long it will last?

Regards
Steve