Dropped my camera out of my packet, while it subsiquently opened and jammed the lens open. now it wont it go back in or take pictures and says lens error (duh) casio exilim ex-z77

Hi,
This error indicate that focusing ring got stuck or jammed due sand, dust, may be due to external shock caused by dropping the device.

• You can gently bump the camera to try to free the focusing ring.
• You can try to turn camera ON at the table (facing it to the ceiling), don't put camera down face to the floor when opening.
• If motor is running but lens won't retract sometimes lens would slip off with the gear or break off a tooth in the gear when it gets dropped. Try to gently move the lens barrel around with the finger and see if it is moving, but if tooth or gear is broken lens will move onces or twice then it will stuck again.

Else your camera need to be disassembled to get at the focusing ring at Service Center.

Good luck and have a nice day.
Rating the solution is highly appreciated.

Saw a similar problem recently, same cause, and result was the lens was jammed.

Did manage to wiggle it free after many attempts...it only stays on for a few seconds before faulting and going off...but it's a bit hard to get a hold on the edge of the lens to pop-out the low side.

Started by laying it on it's back and checking the level of the lens edges for the low spot, then used a thick sewing needle to lift up while turning the unit on (again and again) until the gear-ring popped back in during the lens-check at start-up.

Hello

Thank you for using FixYa for your problem

Zoom lens is jammed, It should be taken to an authorized repair centre for a repair estimate. Very few digital cameras have any user-serviceable parts.

Please rate our solutions and if you still have problems please call back for more ideas to help you

Thanks
Richard Scott
Technical Support
New Zealand

The best thing you could do is take it to a competent repair shop, tell them what happened, and have them fix it. If it is just sand jamming the lens cover, they shouldn't charge too much to fix it.

Alternatively, if you can move the lens covers at all, try gently working them back and forth in very small movements while holding the camera with the lens pointing down - basically just try to work the sand out and let gravity help you. Be careful though, you may get sand deeper into the camera's mechanisms this way!

Lens errors are fairly common. Usually it's sand or grit interfering with the lens extension mechanism. Or the camera's been dropped with the lens extended. Or the camera has been powered on, but the lens had been blocked preventing its extension. Or the battery ran down with the lens extended ...

Here are some things that you can do to try to correct it. They only seem to work for less than 50% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty, they're worth a try.

Lines across your pictures or pictures too bright are due to the shutter not closing correctly or at all.
to check this- turn camera on, turn off flash, turn camera around and look into the lens. Adjust the zoom so that the shutter and internal lens comes up to the end of the lens and whatch as you take a picture. You should see the shutter close completely over the lens. If it doesn't move or does not close over completely then there is your problem.
If camera was dropped it could have jammed the shutter open or obstructed it in some way from closing completely.
camera will require repair/ service.
You may have some luck if you power up and down your camera numerous times before taking a picture. The action of the lens opening and closing may free the shutter.

Lens error is usually caused by mechanical faults concerning lens assembly. The lens cannot extend or retract fully, the error is detected and lens error is returned.
Sometimes this can be fixed playing with the lens during extraction or retraction to help the lens asset getting back to normal.
More often the camera lens must be disassembled and re-assembled by a technician to fix the problem.

Lens errors are fairly common. Usually it's sand or grit interfering with the lens extension mechanism. Or the camera's been dropped with the lens extended. Or the camera has been powered on, but the lens had been blocked preventing its extension. Or the battery ran down with the lens extended ...

Here's some things that you can do to try to correct it. They only seem to work for less than 50% of the lens errors, but if the camera is out of warranty, they're worth a try:

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

Was this stuck fully open or was the lens partially opened, or was the lens jammed?

The lens can be removed and replaced with another lens from another non-functioning camera (See ebay). The lens component can also be dissembled. Putting the lens back together is tricky because the parts have to be aligned just right for the lens to work. If working with a Jammed lens, extra care has to be considered not to break any of the moving plastic parts of the lens or that part (if not entire lens) is junk.

With the motor detached from the lens, the lens should extend and retract freely. Use this to test the lens when you dissemble the camera. Be careful of the flash board.

Sorry to here that you can send it to a repair company like me for repair. cost about $120.00 plus shipping to fix.