Lens won't retract

I had the same issue. It showed "access" and switched off. I opened the camera carefully and finally reached the lens unit. The lens unit, the sensor and the motor with gears are a single unit. It is very compact. Usually no dust can enter inside to block it. The motor had a fan like wheel with two sensors around it which controls the focus. Sometimes the motor can get stuck. In my case, I replaced the motor sourced from a broken camera (same model). It worked well. Still it is showing some focus issue till 2.5x optical zoom. But after reaching or crossing 2.5x, it works fine. Please be careful when working with a Sony Camera. It is very complex in nature and is delicate.

I had same problem, and I just removed all the screws being careful to remember where everything goes, took the back cover off, gave a good blow into it and then put it all back together and problem solved! Hope this helps someone else! :)

Hello all--this seems to happen with this camera. What you do is give it a sharp rap. I looked online and found this response by many people and it works.( Don.t know if i am allowed to put the web site)Better than $600.00 for sony to fix it.
I am going to fight their monopoly on this.

Hope this helps someone
Linda

I have exactly the same problem - the lense wont retract, then when I turn on the camera there is a beeping noise and the screen says "turn the power off and on again". I can with gentle pressure push the lens back in, but next time I turn it on I get the same reading!!!

I have used this camera extensively, but not significatly dropped it or exposed to sand etc.

Any fix would be appreciated!

Hei, I had the same problem with the lens, after carefully pushing it in while pressing the power button, i tapped the camera on a desk surface, just a tap and it worked again.

I have the same problem of lens stuck up during power on and the error message is " turn-off and on the power again." I followed the advise of bbrrss : "Give it a good smack on the palm of your hand. Works immediately" and luckily, it worked :-)

I had the same problem with the lense not fully extending when turned on, and not fully retracting when turned off.
I heard about giving it a sharp tap so I used a firm surface (kitchen table) put down a layer of newspaper (say about 10 pages) to act as a pad (so that you dont break anything). Then I gave the camera a firm "rap" (with the power off) with the lense facing upwards. I tried a gentle rap initially then got a bit firmer until it equated to a drop of about 6 inches (dont actually drop it as you need to control it so that the camera lands exactly flat on the surface). Turn the power on and off each time to check if you have been successful. I only needed to do it twice - worked perfectly !

Give it a good smack on the palm of your hand. Works immediately. Remove batteries for one minute afterwards and you're good to go!

All of a sudden I faced this problem while trying to put the camera to on mode on camera mode while on very low batteries.A moment ago the low battery signal had flashed on the screen but due to urgency, I tried to take a shot and got stuck. Even by replacing with a new set, the problem persisted.

Prevention
I feel that the camera should have ample power at any time so that the lens does not stucks up in between due to sudden power failure.

Solution

Even though if it occurs due to your bad luck, just give a steady and genle push while switching the camera off. It is a sure & only remedy and certainly better than going to the service outlet where the minimum charges (even to examine ) are Rs 1250/-

Origin

The origin of this problem is friction. As the camera gets old, it is liable to attract this problem more often . So as you you turn a veteran user, always keep in mind to keep the battery potential high and keep the unit covered when not in use. The boom needs an early boost of current to come out or go in which is not possible with low batteries or alkaline batteries.

I had exactly the same problem - I read all the responses. I pushed the lens did not help I got the same reading. I tapped the camera still nothing. I figured what did I have to lose. I gave it a sharp rap. It worked !!
Thanks
Juan

Hi fellow disappointed Sony DSC-W5 owners!
I'm having problems with the lens retraching as well. I also can't get my camera to stay on for more than a few seconds. The batteries are fully charge...The LCD shows the low battery signal and the word "Access" at other times. It's very frustrating. My camera is only 1yr 1/2 old! Have any of you sent your camera to Sony? If so, what did they say was the problem? And, what did they replace? From the information I found on the internet, it looks like this is a much larger problem than I thought. I think there should be a recall! 
From Grand Rapids, MI

It seems that there is a friction in the lense movement,which is stopping lense to retract. one of the reasons --------- have you dropped it or used it on a beach, entering of sand into the movement is a common problem.