camera trouble

[mark smyth]

My camera or memory card is failing and I hope it's the latter.

Any idea why it's doing this?

[mark smyth]

Anyone? I need a camera for my survey work

[JohnLonsdale]

Anyone? I need a camera for my survey work

What have you done to troubleshoot the problem?

[Natalia]

Mark, describe what exactly there are such defects arise, when you do a series of pictures, or periodically? details are necessary...
But even better question to ask on a photographic forum - for example here http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/  or contact in site Сanon...

At me Nikon and Pentax, but on one of my cameras of the such didn't happen...

[David Pilling]

I had a Canon A95, and the pictures started to go - purple skies, turns out there was a manufacturing problem with the image sensor and a free repair by Canon. Suggestion Google if it is a known problem with your model.

I'd guess you could test the memory card by plugging it into a PC, I expect there is free software to test cards. They do wear out eventually.

[David King]

1. Have you tried the obvious and put another card in the camera?  If it is the card this will tell you immediately.

2. Have you reformatted the card?  Many people just delete pictures from their cards and then carry on from there. Reformatting will clear file system corruption and quickly erase everything on the device so it is clean.

When I return home with new photos I almost immediately download them to my computer and then always reformat the card.  In more than ten years of doing this I have never had a problem with a card.

3.  If it is not the card then there are only two other possibilities.  It is either the camera or you!  Your pictures look as though they are over exposing.  Some cameras (albeit normally more expensive ones) have a function called 'Auto exposure bracketing'.  This takes three pictures at different exposures.  Do you have this and have you accidentally knocked the setting to it.  I wouldn't expect you to have done this but it is a possibility.

4.  If none of the above its the camera.

5.  Two choices.  Repair or throw it away and buy another one.   Think I would do the latter.

5.  There are only three service centres for Canon cameras as far as I know:

 A.J.Johnstone & Company Limited

395-399 Central Chambers
93 Hope Street
Glasgow
G2 6LD

Tel: 0141 221 2106
Fax: 0141 221 9166

Web: http://www.ajjohnstone.co.uk

Colchester Camera Repair Services

6 Kings Court
Off Newcomen Way
Severalls Business Park
Colchester
CO4 9RA

Tel: 01206 843 322
Fax: 01206 843 323

Web: http://www.camera-repair.co.uk

H. Lehmann Limited 

CRC (Tasktron Ltd)

Unit 3 Wintonlea
Monument Way West
Woking
Surrey
GU21 5EN

Tel: 01483 776 060
Fax: 01483 721 389

Hope all this helps!

 

[mark smyth]

Thanks for the input everyone.

It's a card fault. I just formatted, is that a word?,  and it didnt help. I've never formatted it  since I bought the camera in early 2007 but it will now be part of my daily photographing and editing routine.

It took a while to find an old card and it worked.

Thanks again

Maybe I should upgrade to a new compact or go DSLR

[Darren]

I had a Canon A95, and the pictures started to go - purple skies, turns out there was a manufacturing problem with the image sensor and a free repair by Canon. Suggestion Google if it is a known problem with your model.

I'd guess you could test the memory card by plugging it into a PC, I expect there is free software to test cards. They do wear out eventually.

I had this issue too David - with similar results to Mark's. That was also a Canon model (A70) with a similar known fault. We used the free repair service too. Glad to see Mark found it was the card though!

[David King]

Pleased to hear you got it sorted.  Always worth trying every cheap option first before having to take the expensive one.

[Maggi Young]

I'm interested to hear the fault seems to have been with the card- my first thought would have been that some setting had been accidentally changed -  from where I'm sitting it is all to easy to do stuff like that and not know it!

Ian has several cameras but,you know, it is the wee compact that he uses for  the majority of his shots on the Bulb Log and even for viewing at large size in presenting a talk they perform really well. I wouldn't have believed it could be so good.

[Anthony Darby]

I can recommend A. J. Johnstone and Co. They repaired a camera of mine and shipped it out here as it the fault took longer than anticipated to fix.

[David Pilling]

Ian has several cameras but,you know, it is the wee compact that he uses for  the majority of his shots on the Bulb Log and even for viewing at large size in presenting a talk they perform really well. I wouldn't have believed it could be so good.

After the Canon A95 (above), I have done the DSLR experience - bought all sorts of bits and bobs and lenses. Each lens costs as much as a compact. I'm not convinced. although I'll probably carry on - after all I've got all that kit to use. I've developed stronger wrists, would you believe 750gm for a (modest) lens alone.

If I look at the photos closely then yes the DSLR ones are better, but at a glance, or after they've been scaled down to go on the web, I'm not so sure it makes any difference.

The days of the DSLR seem short, the mirror which gives it its name is on the way out.

Compacts have a smaller image sensor which should give them a better depth of field - more stuff in focus.

[mark smyth]

It's the camera  about half of the photos I took today turned out to be like those above

[mark smyth]

This has been on my wish list for so long
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-IXUS-230-Digital-Camera/dp/B005I8XMJA/ref=dp_cp_ob_ph_title_0

[Paul T]

Not good, Mark.  Sounds like time to get a new one unfortunately.