PowerShot A610 Lens malfunction

It has faulty CCD chip. When nothing displays in camera mode but playback works ok, the image chip is bad. Repair should cost you arond $125-175. Check Canon's website and see if this model is serviced at free at Canon for CCD chip service advisory. Company updates service advisory list time and time. Good luck.

What the problem looks like
The problem can take any of several forms, but all involve severe color shifts and/or severe distortions of the image. The images below show two examples (courtesy of Konica Minolta) of what the problem might look like, if your camera falls prey to it. In the early stages of the problem, the camera may still capture recognizable images, but with a washed-out appearance and a strong magenta or green tint.

What products may be affected?
Quite a number of products may develop this problem, including digital cameras, camcorders, and even PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) that incorporate an image sensor. The following is a list of affected models by various manufacturers that we are presently aware of. We will update this list as new information becomes available. We recommend that you check the site regularly for this and other breaking news.

This has happened to me. Canon service centre locally in Sydney Australia say it is a faulty shutter and will cost me almost the price of the camera to get it repaired. Camera is just 18 months old - very poor I think for this to have failed already - shame as good little camera.

As Jul 28, 2007 Guest stated, this could very well be a stuck shutter. But don't fret, there are simple fixes that may bring it back to life, albeit it may be temporary. A stuck shutter is a common failure mode for digital cameras. The symptoms of a stuck or "sticky" shutter are very similar to CCD image sensor failure. The camera may take black pictures (for shutter stuck closed), or the pictures may be very bright and overexposed, especially when taken outdoors (for shutter stuck open). To confirm a stuck shutter, put the camera in any mode other than "Auto", and turn the flash OFF (you don't want to blind yourself for the next step). Next look down the lens and take a picture. You should see a tiny flicker in the center of the lens as the shutter opens and closes. If no movement is seen, then you likely have a stuck shutter. If so, please see the following for further info and a simple fix that may help: http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2009/05/simple-fix-for-stuck-shutter.html