I have a 6 month old Ricoh R8 camera cracked screen

Hi Russell, Sounds like drive function problem. Almost like it is trying to over-travel. This is going to need service / repair before any damage is done.
Best Regards, Russell

The problem is discussed here, but that didn't fix my problem: http://dp-master1.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1013&thread=28522715&page=2

After I left the battery out of the camera for several months, the camera date backup battery seemed to have run out of charge, and then the problem fixed itself. Very strange, and not a perfect solution, but a solution, if you can figure out how to force the internal memory to reset.

The manual can be downloaded from the manufacturer's web site at
http://www.vivitar.com/files_products/400/ViviCam_7022_Camera_Manual.pdf

If the crack is only on the glass then the camera and the screen will work, albeit the crack may hinder viewing. If the crack involves the electronics as well then part or all of the screen will be inoperative, making it difficult or impossible to use the menus, compose new pictures, and review old pictures, however the camera will still record images to the memory card for subsequent transfer to a computer. If the crack is symptomatic of deeper internal damage then the camera may not work.

This is due to failure of ccd imager chip in your camera, replace ccd imager chip to get live view in lcd to take fresh pictures.
Let me know if you need ccd imager chip part number.

If camcorder shows old recorded tapes picture with correct colors in LCD but does not show live view in camera mode to record new movie then its ccd imager chip failure.
And if camcoder shows live view and old recorded tapes in its eye piece view finder but does not show any thing in LCD the its problem of broekn/ cracked flexible wire between lcd board and main board of camcorder.
Let me know your finding with bit detail to provide you solution/ helpful info.

If your screen works in playback mode, the screen and flexible circuit boards are intact. To shoot an image using the LCD screen you must first activate the "live view" function in the setup menu, and then press the live view (Lv) button to view your image on the LCD.

It could be that you've used the SD card in a PC/Card reader etc? I've had a similar problem in the past, but so long as I reformat the card every time it's been in my PC, it seems to be ok. However, it also seemed to be more the case with cards that had been used very frequently, so if you say you've tried a few cards, I could be wrong - but might suggest giving the re-formatting thing a try anyway to see if that helps.

This is a known problem, they wont easily admit it but we had 2 R6's and an R7 with the exact same issue. If you look on ricoh site they had a firmware patch for the R6 to try and fix this issue but it dis not work.

Lady at ricoh UK admitted there is a design fault with the Ricoh R6 and R7 and she sent me an R8 which has a whole new redesigned mechanism.

Dont let them sell you useless kit, get a replacement free of charge or complain.

My viewing screen is black. I had successfully taken a picture, viewed it, and turned the camera off. When I turned it back on about 30 seconds later, the viewing sceen was black. I can 'take' a picure, but it comes out black. Help!

Internal video out connection may be bad, try using the provided cable to connect to TV and disconnecting to see if it returns to normal.