I have a Canon IXUS970IS and the lens is stuck 3/4 out. I do not know how it happened as I loaned the camera out and it came back like this. I am told it just happened. There is no evidence that the camera has been dropped and the lens is straight and at right angles to the camera body. When I press the on/off button the motor runs and I can hear a clicking noise but the lens does not move. After a few seconds the motor stops and there is a message on the screen saying "lens error, restart camera. When I try to gently push, pull or twist the lens with the motor running or after it has stopped it will not move.

Hi,

please switch modes on your camera and check if the lens goes back in. If not, please use the zoom option to out and check if the lens begins to retract back into it's default position. Otherwise, you can restart the camera 2 or 3 times in a row to attempt to overcome the issue.

Thank you.

Canon E18 error happens when the lens gets stuck while trying to extend. The camera will beep a few times and the LCD will display a little E18 in the lower-left corner. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off.

The problem usually happens because dirt or sand get into the lens mechanism.

Instructions

If your camera is still under warranty, the best thing you can do is to take it to the nearest official Canon repair shop and Canon should fix it for free.

If your camera is out of warranty, or if Canon refuses to repair it for free (happens sometimes if for example they suspect the camera has not been treated properly) you can try some of the methods listed here to repair it yourself. These simple methods have helped a lot of people fix their cameras.

Before trying any of the suggestions, make sure your Canon has fresh batteries and it is 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.

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.

Hi,

"E18" indicates an error that involves the lens unit or lens cover in your camera .This error appears where the lens is prevented from properly extending or retracting .The error may also be displayed if the lens camera has been subjected to an external shock, or if a foreign substance (i.e. liquid, sand, dirt) enters the camera.Hold the camera so that your fingers do not touch the lens unit when you are shooting. Make sure the camera is off before the camera is placed back in the case. Exercise caution to ensure that the camera does not accidentally power on while the camera is stored inside the case.If you cannot clear the error code by turning the camera off and then on again, or if the error code is displayed frequently, a camera malfunction may have occurred and might require service from canon. Or else try pressing the power button on and held it down while extending the zoom lens. The lens will extend out and the camera will be freed from the error.

Thank you !!

There's really no way to restart it if there's a physical problem with the lens. Try to power it on again but if that doesn't reset it, the camera needs to be serviced. A great site for help with these is: camerasandparts.com They just specialize in service for the Canon Powershots and nothing else, they are fantastic if you need help with one of these problems. Try them, your exact SD780 lens error restart camera problem is right on the site for the SD780. Good luck, that's the place for help with a powershot, it just sucks that it happened while you are on vacation.

If the lens is stuck out then you will find it is usually one of a few reasons.

1. Check the batteries. (obvious I know).
2. The camera has been dropped or knocked.
3. The camera has grit or dirt in the lens mechanism.

Providing the batteries are ok then 2 and 3 usually mean a professional repair. The lenses tend not to be something that the average home user can remove and take apart. The cost of repair also might be more than the camera value so you will need to find a good repair shop near you and get a quote.

I am afraid you have the notorious lens stuck problem. If you google "canon lens stuck" or "canon lens not retracing" the results will be in millions. Canon's quote for repairing this issue is well over the cost of the camera itself. However all is not lost. It may be just dust. You can try to clean the lens contacts with isopropyl alcohol and see if resolves the issue. I have previously suggested placing the camera lens on the edge of the table and hit it with moderate force to force the lens back into the slot and I was surprised to know it worked for a lot of people!
http://www.fixya.com/support/t240817-camera_error_e45
Might be worth a try after getting a quote from canon?

Canon E18 error happens when the lens gets stuck while trying to extend. The camera will beep a few times and the LCD will display a little E18 in the lower-left corner. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off.

Instructions

If your camera is still under warranty, the best thing you can do is to take it to the nearest official Canon repair shop and Canon should fix it for free.

If your camera is out of warranty, or if Canon refuses to repair it for free (happens sometimes if for example they suspect the camera has not been treated properly) you can try some of the methods listed here to repair it yourself. These simple methods have helped a lot of people fix their cameras.

Before trying any of the suggestions, make sure your Canon has fresh batteries and it is 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.

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.
.

Put in real Kodak batteries. pull out the lens a bit. same just happened to mine

It is a flaw well know by users of Canon Powershot and Ixus cameras and is currently not acknowledged by Canon as a flaw in camera design.


HOW IT ALL WORKS:

Canon E18 error happens when the lens gets stuck while trying to extend. The camera will beep a few times and the LCD will display a little E18 in the lower-left corner. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off.

Apparently, people who posted about this incident on forums say they had to send the camera for repair and that Canon has horrible customer support and response time.

Here is how the E18 error looks like. You just get a black screen with small "E18" sign in the lower-left corner:



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 receiving E18 errors.

Instructions

If your camera is still under warranty, the best thing you can do is to take it to the nearest official Canon repair shop and Canon should fix it for free.

If your camera is out of warranty, or if Canon refuses to repair it for free (happens sometimes if for example they suspect the camera has not been treated properly) you can try some of the methods listed here to repair it yourself. These simple methods have helped a lot of people fix their cameras.

Before trying any of the suggestions, make sure your Canon has fresh batteries and it is 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.

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.

5) If that doesn't work, there is an online guide for dismantling Canon cameras and fixing the E18 error. (NOTE: Try this only if your camera is no longer under warranty!) It is a great guide with pictures and it can be found at

this link PLS RATE ME FIXYA FOR MY EFFORT

http://www.fixya.com/support/t102982-e_18_problem

happened to me a couple times & after recharging battery, still stuck, so manually pushed it in when motor was running trying to close it.