FZ5 zoom lens carriage stuck

yes dust in mechanism or broken gear but ti not easy

your camera lens may be stuck in the barrel.

1) Make sure that the batteries are in good condition
2) Check and clean any dirt or corrosion from the battery terminals.

If the power supply voltage suddenly drops during initialization,
or when the lens is trying to extend itself, it could produce this
kind of error.

3) Make sure that the lens extension tubes are not mechanically
jammed.

4) Remove the batteries, turn the unit ON and wait for it to fully
discharge any internal capacitors, then put the batteries back
and try to turn the unit back on. This should fully RESET the
internal CPU.
===

Generally this kind of error means that the camera's internal
computer is trying to activate the lens zooming motors, but
the motors fail to move as expected.

Other causes could be:
a) burned out ZOOM motors
b) burned out motor drive circuitry
c) bad motor positioning sensor
d) defective computer components
e) failed internal firm-ware.

none of these cause are user fixable.

Hope this helps
Martin

I posted a solution yesterday on Fixya, but can't find it. Same problem, same camera, solution reached on Feb 10 2009 after a couple days of frustration. I gently wiggled the lens by pushing my fingers one on either side (not the outer ring, but the inner ring, but keep your fingers off the glass part). It moves perhaps a fraction of a millimeter, but it moves. After I did that, the problem went away. It's hard to describe, just a gentle 3 or 4 times push on either side; you may have to change finger positions to get the movement. It apparently only takes this to get the lens back on track. Good luck, it's a great camera. Lee

There is some kind of grit or something in the lens gearing mechanism, preventing its movement. Take it to a repair facility, or replace it.

I had the same problem and fixed it.
The problem is related to the lens not working properly and jammed up.
When powering on the camera, the focus goes in and out and the lens spin and then the message is displayed to turn camera off.When I turn the camera off, I noticed the lens did not fully hiberate into the camera like it did before the error message.

So to fix the problem I did the following:
Turn the camera on, when the lens extended out, I slightly rotated the outer most lens clockwise and counterclockwise to free the lens from the jammed position.

The error no longer appeared and the camera stayed-on.When I shut the power-off the lens completely hibernated again like normal.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Please eject camera battery and clean with a pin your battery tip in your camera with care fully.

Hope its helpful to you

if you spill any thing, like a soft drink,tea,coffee,etc. anywhere around the camera, when the lens barrel is open, it will cause it to stick when it is closed. so when it dries, you are stuck. put fresh batteries in, and with a rubber mallet, lightly tap on the face of the lens, when the camera is powering-up. do not hit it hard. after two taps, my camera lens opened up. you can clean the barrel with some wd-40, with a q-tip swab. use very sparingly. and next time, be very careful where you lay-down your camera. you never know......

The symptom of "remove lens cover" always showing can be caused by two different things. If the lens assembly has become jammed and will not move when the camera tries to extend it - this can cause the message. On some cameras a stuck-closed shutter can cause this message as well. The symptom you describe of seeing two images prior to the failure is strange. I cannot make any kind of conclusion from that information without further elaboration. Does the lens extend when you turn the power on? If not the lens is jammed. Do you see nothing but black all the time on the screen and the captured photos? If so the shutter is stuck closed. Either of these problems will require complete disassembly and re-setting of the lens elements. Check with your manufacturer and see if they will fix it under warranty. If not, there are service providers available on the internet who can service your camera. David Millier Advance Camera Repair

hi Susan, i think that your camera has lens problem and it is not fixed without opening the camera. just go to nikon shop. good luck...