I have the same exact problem, does anyone have a fix for this

The problem usually happens because dirt or sand get into the lens mechanism. But it seems that more and more people are showing, who took great care of their camera, and still started having trouble.


Here is how to fix it.
Before trying any of the suggestions, make sure your Camera has fresh batteries in it.

1) Remove the batteries from the camera, wait for a couple of minutes, then put them back in and turn the camera on.

2) Try compressed air. With a fine tip blow off gun and dry compressed air (20 lbs) set the tip between the lens turret and the camera body and turn on the air while moving the tip around the lens. It should remove all dust and sand. Turn the camera on and it should function fine.

3) Another method is to tap the padded USB cover part on a hard surface, for example, a desk. It sounds so simple, but very often in works.

4) Try forcing the camera lens:

Turn off the camera. Place it on the back with the lens facing up and take a look at the spacing between the lens and the lens housing. If you notice that the gap is not even all the way around the lens, the problem should be easy to fix. This type of a problem usually occurs if the camera was dropped while the lens was extended.

Simply - VERY GENTLY - press down the lens on the side where the gap is the biggest. You should hear a "click" as it pops back into place. Try powering the camera back on.

If the lens doesn't extend at all or it extends, and then retracts again, do the following. 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.

Another version of this fix would be to pull and twist on the largest ring of the lens while turning the camera on. Listen for a "click". If at first the focus seems to be off, turn the camera on and off and take lots of pictures, close ups and distance. Focus should slowly start improving.

I hope this helped you. Thank You for using FixYa

Lens of the Camera doesn't retract:
---------------------------------------
Before trying any of the suggestions, make sure that the Battery is
fully charged and in recording mode.

1) Remove the batteries from the camera, wait for a couple of minutes,
then put them back in and turn the camera on.
2) Try compressed air. With a fine tip blow off gun and dry compressed
air (20 lbs) set the tip between the lens turret and the camera body
and turn on the air while moving the tip around the lens. It should
remove all dust and sand. Turn the camera on and it should function
fine.s

3) Try forcing the camera lens:

Turn off the camera. Place it on the back with the lens facing up and
take a look at the spacing between the lens and the lens housing. If
you notice that the gap is not even all the way around the lens, the
problem should be easy to fix. This type of a problem usually occurs if
the camera was dropped while the lens was extended.
Simply - VERY GENTLY - press down the lens on the side where the gap is the biggest. You should hear a "click" as it pops back into place. Try
powering the camera back on.

If the lens doesn't extend at all or it extends, and then retracts
again, do the following.
(a) Turn the camera off.
(b) 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.
(c) Power the camera on.

Another version of this fix would be to pull and twist on the largest
ring of the lens while turning the camera on. Listen for a "click". If
at first the focus seems to be off, turn the camera on and off and take
lots of pictures, close ups and distance. Focus should slowly start
improving.

This is probably THE most common failure among digital cameras. There's a halfway chance of fixing it yourself, described here: http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

I am having the same problem

You may be lucky like me .My wife turned on the Casio Lens down and got same problem as you.
I dismantled the front face of camera to gain access to the lens system and found that one of the plastic sprockets had its teeth slightly twisted!I managed to straightened these carefully with a knife and now Casio good as new....zoom also working perfectly.
This is an easy fix and from what I hear people are giving up on an out of warranty camera,when in fact they maybe abke to easily fix it themselves.
I dont mind helping anyone ...my email is [email protected].

Hi,
The dreaded E18 error happens to many Canon cameras.
This error occurs when the lens is mechanically stuck. Sometimes you need it to be serviced and most times you can fix it, but even then it's a good idea to have it serviced soon. The cause to this may be dust, dropping and other mechanical problems.
1. Check if the battery is full
2. Check for visible mechanical problems (obstacles, debris). You may notice the lens is not exactly straight - in this case this is the cause of the problem.
3. Turn the camera off.
4. This needs to be done with gentle force: Take the camera in one hand and with the other gently take each part of the lens and gently move it round in a circular movement. Do this with both sections of the lens. You will hear a little "click" as it pops back in place.
5. Power the camera on.

Hope this helps!

What is the camera model?

I had exactly the same problem. Lens stayed open, when powered on you get three beeps and nothing. I found when I pulled the lens out a little harder it gave a little click. When I powered on it worked perfectly.

Do not try to fix it. Return under warranty- this should not have happened.

E18 is the error that comes when when the lens is stuck, so if the lens is stuck out, turn off the camera, carefully turn the lens until you hear a small clicking noise, then turn it on. I had the exact same problem, and that fixed it for me