E18 error message on Canon S3 1S

[Hayley]

I LOVE my Canon S31S. Have had it 14 months and taken some great shots with it. Yesterday, just while taking photos, I hear some rapid beeps and the screen goes black. White text says 'Lens error,restart camera' and the lens was stuck in the out position. I couldn't restart the camera as the lens just kept trying to move, all the while making this sickening grinding sound like gears missing.
I jumped on the internet and did a search for E18 error and came up with pages and pages of complaints about this error in heaps of different Canon cameras...all different types. It would seem this is a major Canon fault. Even those with cameras still under warranty had little to no success with getting them fixed, and many had the problem repeat at a later stage. Some people offer quick fixes which involve forcing the lens back in...I am not keen to do anything to my camera with force. And these people have said they did this just before binning the camera.

From what I have read,it would seem my cameras life is over. I am so MAD...i LOVE this camera and paid $700 for it in August last year. If I were to replace it, I would want another Canon...but after reading all the complaints,even with the super duper expensive Canons having the same issue...I don't think I'm game to go for another Canon again. Why don't Canon fix this problem!
Anyway...just needed to vent...no easy answer. Would you believe there is a whole website dedicated to this error message! Argh!

Anyone else on here use a Canon? Are you worried now?

What other brand of camera can people recommend. Not one that requires a Ph.D to operate...... I thought I was 'upgrading' when I moved from years of Sony's to Canon.

[zweck]

Call Canon and see if they can fix it. I had my S3 for 1 1/2 years and took about 12000 pictures so far and no problem yet.

Good luck,
Marie

[XaiLo]

Unfortunately the E18 error is a generic error code and does not relate to one specific issue. Nevertheless it still means there is a malfunctioning camera no matter what the cause.

[Hayley]

Xailo,
Thanks for your post. I guess when I searched for the message my camera gave, which was 'Lens error,resart camera', the E18 was what came up and I assumed that someone had identified this particular problem as being the one I have with the lens being stuck out.
Marie...you have taken roughly the same amount of pics with yours as me...my camera is 14 months old, but I have read of them having this problem even as early on as three days after purchase. Sounds like a ticking time bomb. I'm just glad I wasn't about to photograph a wedding or on holidays as you can't replace those moments.
Hubby has just bought a set of tiny screwdrivers to take the back off and hoefully blow out any dust etc. Bet he ends up with one screw left over after he puts it back together!

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posted by Ce8053 on Nov 16, 2007Report abuse


My zoom will not work. I can take pictures if I don't zoom, but as soon as I try to zoom in, the screen goes black, the camera beeps a few times and a message that says "lens error, restart camera". However, upon restarting the camera, nothing changes - it still won't zoom!. Also, when turning on the camera, when the lens first comes out...it sounds funny, like it is puttering. Help?
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Best Solutionposted on Nov 16, 2007
By mydigihelp
Rank: Wiz
Rating: 84%, 22 votes


Its possible there is a gear that is stripping out, or out of alignment, and when you go to zoom, the camera is encountering an error and that is where you get the error from.

[XaiLo]

No worries Hayley, I actually own an S3 and previously an S2 that one day just inexplicably fell out of my hands... let's just say I didn't need an error message to tell me it was trashed sad part was I just purchased it. The good thing was the S3 was about to be released so I waited a couple of months and picked it up instead. If you're going to be in the market for a new camera I strongly recommend the Nikon D40... I purchased it to replace my S3 and have been pleased with the transition 99% of the time my the S3 sits in my draw. The D40 really holds its own, glad I made the investment.