Help with Canon ELPH Repairs?
So, does anybody out there know of a friendly, competent and economical camera repair shop in Halifax?
A few years ago, my parents gave me a Canon ELPH as a birthday gift. It was a complete surprise, and I have loved it ever since. It takes great pictures (as far APS goes), is well built and especially great for travelling.
Last month, I was in California for a job interview. On the way home, I unfortunately packed my camera face up in the front pocket of my carry on, which the desk attendant in LA strongly urged me to check. I don't like checking bags, but I thought we weren't on a particularly tight itinerary, and baggage claims in Halifax is usually pretty convenient. So I checked my bag.
The camera has a soft case, and it can be accidentally turned on so that the lens extends out of the camera body, while in the case. This happened somewhere between our rental car in LA and picking up the bag in Toronto. Then, the bag must have been either dropped, or packed beneath some heavier bags, because the zoom lens was forced out of alignment. It's now jammed, and the camera can't turn on or off.
Air Canada explicity disclaims any liability for electronic items packed in checked bags, including cameras, so I expect my only recourse is a (costly) repair. Just in case there was some way the problem could be fixed from the inside, I took the camera apart tonight. It was a very interesting exercise. I'm not to only one who's disassembled an ELPH, although I went farther than that guy did. I didn't desolder the LCD to get at the viewfinder optics. Rather, I removed the 4 screws that hold down the circuit board on the back of the fil compartment so that I could see the back of the lens. I tried to force the lens back into place, both pushing from the inside and pulling from the outside, but it won't budge.
Just in case anybody else out there wants to take apart their ELPH, here are some of my notes.
I have what I think is the original ELPH, so other models may be slightly or entirely different, especially the newer Z3 series.
By the way, I looked for service info, and the only thing I could find on the net is a L.L. Service Guide from Micro Tools. $44.95 USD is as expensive as the repair fee I hoped to avoid, so I forged ahead with only my wits to guide me.
- Remove any film in the camera. Take off the battery cover, and remove the battery.
- To get the shell apart you need to take out 8 silver screws. There are two visible on each side, two on the bottom and one on the back. The eighth screw is hidden beneath the film compartment release knob. To remove the release knob, use a small piece of metal (like a straightened paper clip) to push out the hinge pin that holds in the spring-loaded tab. The eighth screw should be visible, but be aware that this screw is reverse-threaded.
Be sure to keep track of all the screws and small parts. Once all eight screws are out, the shell should come apart. It's a tight fit, so it may take a while for it to come apart, but it doesn't need to be forced or twisted. I think either half should be able to come off, but I found it easier to take the front (lens side) off first.
- Place the shell aside, and make sure that the rubber pads and silver buttons from the top of the camera remain in their correct positions. The date, title and timer buttons are only held in place by friction.
- To remove the film compartment door, remove the screw on the lens side of the hinge. That should expose a hole that will allow you to push the hinge pin out the opposite side of the camera body. Use the paper clip from the previous step. Underneath the hinge there is a small rubber pad that the hinge rests on. Take care not to lose it.
- There is a small piece of black tape across several wires leading to the flash. Carefully remove it and put it aside.
- There are four exposed screws on the back of the camera, roughly at each corner of the back portion of the circuit board. If you remove these four screws, the circuit board and the plastic backing for the film compartment should lift up easily.
At this point you should be able to see the film compartment and the inside of the lens. The motor that powers the lens is at the bottom of the camera. The cylinder next to where the battery would be is the capacitor for the flash. Be aware that this capacitor can probably store voltages that may be lethal, and it may not be discharged just because the battery is removed. It seems to be fairly well protected from accidental shorting, but if you don't know what you're doing, stay away. Better safe than sorry, and don't say I didn't tell you.
I didn't disassemble the camera any farther than this. I did take off the black tape covering most of the front, the yellow tape on the side and a few more screws, but they weren't needed to get at the film compartment. I could see more screws inside the flash compartment, and under the folding PCB board that wraps around the camera body. I'm guessing that the plastic frame of the camera innards splits into several subassemblies, but at the very least some careful disconnection of the circuit boards is required. At this point I decided it's more worthwhile for me to take the camera to a repair shop and get an estimate. If it's more than $80 or $100, I think I'd rather put the money towards a new digital camera.
Ah, the drawbacks to being financially challenged...