Canon S2IS Friends are touring Europe and presently in the Alps, with a broken camera. They asked me to try and find a solution. The problem is with the zoom...when they full zoomed the camera stuck and quit with a message 'E18'.

Had the same problem after 2 years and 12000 shots on the camera.
couldn't fix it myself using above suggestions.
The easiest solution is to buy a new camera.

Little knowledge is dangerous. The best way is bring the camera to a qualified technician, Do try to consult the service center for repair but first ask for the charge because if you fail they might charge big enough that can buy new camera better than those you purchase before....... JAgger

The Ei18 error is so infamous that it now has it's own wikipedia entry & webpage! See below: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E18_error http://www.e18error.com/ Tips on how to try & fix it are as follows: 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. Please update the question & let us know if the information given was useful to you - Good Luck!