Brilliant work. Thanks!
DMC-ZS8 With Stuck Lens
Recently I was looking for a cheap pocket camera with a big zoom range to keep handy in my pocket for going to the dog beach with Gimli and other adventures. I happened to spot one of my candidate cameras, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8, in “Not Working” state on eBay. The camera problem was that it had the lens stuck open in the extended position. As a result, the camera was nonfunctional and the display showed the error message “System Error (Zoom)”.
The Error Message
A stuck lens is a very common problem with modern digital cameras with telescoping zoom mechanisms. Having acquired this broken camera, mainly as a personal repair challenge, I set upon trying to fix the apparently stuck lens. What I’ve documented here is probably quite applicable to these other very similar Panasonic models (DMC-ZS3, DMC-ZS7, DMC-TZ10, DMC-ZS10, DMC-ZS15, DMC-TZ20) and possibly other cameras from other manufacturers, especially those using similar Leica lenses.
I had a few key clues as to what the problem with this one was. Apart from the error message and the out-of-position lens, when I put my ear to the camera, I could faintly hear the zoom motor running when I switched the camera from playback to shooting mode, so I knew that the zoom system was getting power and the motor was at least somewhat functional. Use all your senses! None of the usual tricks of power cycling and pushing various buttons and rotating and holding the zoom lever to reset the lens and camera worked, so I began disassembly to have a closer look for the problem. Here’s what I did to fix it.
Some initial hints in case you are going to attempt this repair yourself: keep in mind that it’s tricky, the camera is fragile, and there are tiny parts to worry about. Be careful and gentle! I take no responsibility if your repair attempt fails, but I think this repair was fairly easy. For repairs like this, I keep small containers handy for screws and other small parts, and I use a plastic shoebox-size container to keep larger assemblies and parts organized and away from dust. You’ll want to do the work at a well-lit workspace, as free from dust as possible. Speaking of dust, the disassembly that I describe here is several steps toward what you will need to do to get at the camera sensor and other internal parts, if you need to remove dust from the optical path or from the sensor itself.
The only tool you really need for the disassembly is a small Philips “jeweller’s” screwdriver. If you are even contemplating doing this repair, you probably already have one. A small pair of tweezers is also helpful in reconnecting some ribbon cables after the repair.
First, turn the camera off and remove the battery if you haven’t already. Then you can proceed with the frightening job of taking your fine fragile precision digital camera apart. The camera outer shell is similar to many other pocket cameras of this genre. It has front and back metal cover panels, and small plastic side panels. To remove these panels, remove the three small Philips-head machine screws at the bottom of the camera near the tripod mount
base screws
then remove the 2 screws on each side panel (total 4).
side view
Then, gently but firmly, using just your fingers, pull away the side panels, starting at the base of the camera and pulling out and downward relative to the camera body. The panels might be difficult to remove, and if so, try also shifting the metal front and back plates to help loosen the side plates. Have a look at these pictures for further details:
side panel removed
side panel removed
After getting the side panels off, with some gentle prying on the sides, front, and bottom, you should be able to free the front and back panels. The front panel (the lens side) will come off freely, but be very careful with the back panel. There is a ribbon cable connecting the display to the camera. For this repair, disconnect it by pulling very gently on the ribbon cable, away from the connector. Prior to pulling the cable from the connector, you might need to release a small locking tab on the connector. Usually that can be accomplished by pulling the tab away from the connector along the line of entry of the cable.
front view after front panel removal
Back panel removed, dsplay still attached
Now we are getting close, but there are still parts to be removed to get at the problem lens to fix it. Next up, you will need to remove the 3 black Philips screws in the corners of the chrome metal shield plate over the back of the lens and sensor.
shield plate removed
We’re getting close. Next, disconnect the two approx 1.5cm wide ribbon cables from the black lens assembly to the main camera circuit board by pulling on them gently. They are fragile, so as usual, be careful. (These need to be removed so that you will be able to remove and work on the lens.) Then, remove the 3 silver Philips screws in the black lens and sensor assembly that hold it to the camera. At this point, you should be able to pull the lens and sensor assembly out of the camera to work on it:
Major modules separated
It was at this stage that I could finally see what the problem was. Much as I had suspected, the pinion and circular rack had gotten stuck at the end of its range. I can’t be sure how this came about; certain battery conditions or other error conditions may have caused it, but regardless, it was repairable in the following way.
lens assembly just before repair
I found that I could disengage the stuck pinion gear by very gently bending the corner of the black plastic near the motor, and in that state, I could rotate the black lens base such that it pulled the lens back into its “off” position and the lens cover closed.
lens assembly after rotation back to rest state
The usual caution: be very careful and gentle when you rotate the black lens collar. While doing that operation, I gripped the corner of the black assembly near the stepper motor and pinion gear and bent it very gently to disengage the pinion. That is the critical operation. Watch the pinion closely to be sure it is disengaged. I was then able by rotating the toothed collar to get the lens moved back into its closed position. So far, so good. Now to reassemble and test the thing.
To reassemble the camera, first carefully re-install lens module into the main camera body and re-install the 3 silver screws. Then, reconnect the 2 ribbon cables from the lens module to the camera PC board. Next, connect the ribbon cable from the back panel display to the PC board on the camera. (I found it easier to get this cable into place before putting the shield plate on. A pair of tweezers on the tabs of the cable helped, but be careful.) Now install the shield plate and the 3 black screws to hold it. Be careful to keep the plate aligned with the screw holes and guide tabs as you install it.
Now, gently put the back panel into place, being careful not to strain the ribbon cable. Be careful with the position of the Play/Camera switch on the back; positioned correctly, it should engage the actual switch on the PC board and click gently into up and down positions. Put the front panel and side panels back on. Re-install the side panels and the 4 side panel screws, and the three base screws.
Inspect the camera for any assembly errors. Then, reinstall the battery and give it a try! Good luck. My ZS8 repair was actually successful after all this, and so far the lens zoom has been operating just fine. Here is a photo taken with the camera shortly after the repair:
Stop fiddling with the camera and give me a biscuit!
I’m reasonably happy with this cheap pocket camera so far in limited testing. First of all, it works, which wasn’t the case when I got it! The main thing I don’t like about it so far is that the case is a very shiny silver. Silver??? Cameras should be black to stop unwanted reflections, but that is a whine for another post. Maybe next time I have this one apart I’ll spray paint the case black…
Hello Dave. First, thanks for being so helpful with these cameras. I have a Lumix DMC-ZS10, a terrific little camera. A few days ago it developed a black spot (more of a gray out-of-focus area) that shows on the lcd and the photos, just above center. The lens is clean; however, using a magnifying lens, there is a tiny white “particle” inside the outer glass of the lens. But, this particle is near the bottom, outer edge of the glass, not directly in line with the smaller lens opening. Based on some of your questions in this string, the spot stays in the same place when I zoom in; however, at the furthest zoom, it has a darker center surrounded by the fuzzy gray area.
Any thoughts are very much appreciated. I’ll check on repair costs with local repair shops, and also with Panasonic (if they offer service). I think I bought the camera in 2011. I might be tempted to take this thing apart, but it sounds a bit intimidating. (Although, I did take my wife’s Macbook apart after she spilled tea with honey in the keyboard. Rinsing the keypad under warm water actually worked!)
Thanks….Paul
Comment by Paul Fishman — July 19, 2013 @ 9:27 am
Hi, Paul. As I’m sure you’re already aware, labour rates for repair are often pretty high (for good reasons, mostly) and might be prohibitive in this case.
From the detailed information you posted, it sounds like the particle causing the spot might not be that white one near the edge of the glass. Not certain yet. The cameras are fairly well (but not perfectly) sealed from external dust, but sometimes it does get in. Another source of particles is that of mechanical wear of the moving parts, that can sometimes result in small particles that get into the optical path. The fuzziness of the perimeter is an indication that the problem is likely not on the sensor (again, not certain, since diffraction and other effects can result in blurry edges).
Here’s a first suggestion I have for you, before you venture into taking the camera apart: try using a vacuum cleaner near the lens to see if you can get the spot to move (compressed air is an alternative, but I prefer vacuum since you are more likely to get the particle out of the way with it). What I often use is a small piece of flexible tubing, about 2-3mm in diameter, taped to the end of a big shop vac to have a controlled, localized vacuum source. I get tubing like that as stripped insulation from household wire. You could also try gently moving the camera around, and tipping it upside down while vacuuming, in case the problem particle just moves out of the way. That also might give you some indication of whether it is loose dust or possibly a deposit stuck on the lens left behind from some liquid that condensed inside and then perhaps evaporated.
Let’s see if that reveals anything. If not, probably the next step is to at least take the outer covers of the case off to see if that exposes anything helpful.
Hope that is any help.
Dave
Comment by admin — July 19, 2013 @ 10:11 am
Thankyou-thankyou-thankyou! There were little bits of dust and stray fibery things showing up in my pictures. I guess when the camera lense retracts into the camera body anything on the outside of the lens housing can be drawn into the camera. So after disassembling down past the shield plate to the lens assembly I removed the 3 screws holding the little image sensor which is attached the camera with a ribbon cable. Without removing ribbon cable I lifted up the image sensor. A couple shots of air and all cleaned up. Reassemble. Clear pictures again!
BTW for tooling I needed Philips screwdriver #00, magnetized tip.
I use this camera all the time for my blog and family snapshots.
Thank you again!
Have a good day!
Comment by Franco Rios — July 21, 2013 @ 3:52 pm
Franco, I’m so glad my blog post was of use to you and that you successfully cleaned the dust off the sensor in your camera.
Very interesting blog on the fiber arts that you have!
Best regards,
Dave
Comment by admin — July 22, 2013 @ 8:47 am
Hello Dave: fixed it! I decided this morning to crack it open and clean the sensor. I checked with a local camera repair shop, and they wanted $85 and about 2 weeks to clean it – this seems reasonable, but I figured, what the heck.
I have ifixit on my iPad, and they have a guide for a similar model, with some notes for the ZS10. I found a few discrepancies, however, and made some notes, took some pix. Please let me know if you want either.
Anyway, once I got to the sensor, there it was, a big dust goober. All gone! I put it back together, put the battery in, turned it on, the lens came out, and there was no image on the screen! Damn! I found the problem: of the PCB connectors, one of them has to have the gold side down, the other 2 gold side up. Note to self, look carefully before pulling them out to see how they are oriented.
And, the only part left over when the camera was back together was a tiny piece of grey foam; this must have been between two flat pieces, but I have no idea where.
So thanks for the help and encouragement.
Best….Paul
Comment by Paul Fishman — July 22, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
Hello, Paul. That’s great! Very glad that my blog was any help, and I appreciate the feedback.
I’m working on a book now about the importance of doing repairs and of making products last longer. The book is more about the general case of “why do it” than the specific repair projects like this camera repair that I post on my blog. Should be finished in a few months; please stay tuned for news of the book.
Best regards,
Dave
Comment by admin — July 23, 2013 @ 3:06 pm
Hi again. Dave.
Well. I managed to disassembled the camera. Mine was the one with the zoom lever problem (Comment 61). So I was able to clean the zoom lever and the rest of the camera with a compressed air can. Now it works fine.
Thanks for the help.
Regards.
Claudio.
Comment by Claudio — July 23, 2013 @ 5:43 pm
Hi, Claudio. Glad to hear that you got it fixed.
Best regards,
Dave
Comment by admin — July 23, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
Hi Dave & All!
Many thanks for all your useful hints.
I have a Lumix DMC-ZS10, which has seen a lot and probably had some harder times than it is designed for. However, picture quality and reliability were still great until just recently it started turning itself off and on. After a while it ended up with the following cycle ervery time I switched it on: Zoom would expand half way, than a bit back only to fully expand thereafter. During that it tried to focus. When fully expanded it did a snap, retracted completely and showed the following error message on the screen: “System Error (Focus)”.
I opened the thing following your various descriptions, including the one in comment 27. Unfortunately the issue didn’t go away.
Opening the thing again I discovered that apparently there is an issue with the zoom not detecting its own position. Even when fully extended the motor would still like to run further. Probably by detection of high motor current it then decides to retract. That is when I did hear the snapping noise.
Any ideas how to fix that?
Best regards
Georg
Comment by Georg — February 9, 2014 @ 10:18 pm
thank you for this wonderful how-to repair article…now here’s hoping I’ll know how to use it effectively!!
Comment by Pat Chong — March 6, 2014 @ 3:17 am
Hi Dave,
I came home from the Amazon Rainforest with a soggy and dead Lumix DMC-ZS7 display –
After disassembling the camera I figured out the problem, there is a panel that backlights the LCD Display at the rear of the camera –
I have searched and am having a heck of a time figuring out just the part number and where to get it cheap – it is the unit that has the 4 wire contact, not the LCD itself. If you could send me the part number I could do my search online for a good deal.
thanks, Marshall
Comment by mr johnston — March 26, 2014 @ 10:22 am
Hi, Marshall. Sorry, I don’t have that part number, but I have a suggestion for you. Unfortunately, my ZS8 is in assembled state and miles away from me right now, so I can’t even take it apart to look for you. Also, my photos for my blog don’t seem to reveal that part number, and we can’t even be certain that the ZS8 has the same part. However, what you might do is search ebay for an inexpensive ZS7 being sold “As Is” that might still have that part in working condition – I often harvest parts from cheap broken units obtained that way.
Hope that helps.
Dave
Comment by admin — March 27, 2014 @ 8:54 am
Hi Again Dave,
It’s been a while but I finally got a ZS10 that was dropped in beach sand but appears to be in working order except the lens are stuck in the closed position … So, I broke it down but the issue now is that can’t get the outer rotary frame off … service manual instructions indicate that I need to rotate the outer rotary frame so that the cam pin is in place to lift out the lenses….But, I can’t move it, therefore I cannot line up the cam pin to extract the lenses. And, as the plastic is not that hard I don’t want to put too much pressure anywhere to avoid breaking anything. There must be a way … but … alas I am at a loss. Any thoughts ???
Rick
Napa, California
Comment by Rick — March 30, 2014 @ 4:53 pm
I have a Panasonic DMC-ZS10 camera where dust and dirt has landed on the CCD sensor twice. The first time, I sent the camera out for warranty service and that was in late October 2012. It happened again on Friday, April 18, 2014. Now that camera is out of warranty and it would cost me at least $150 to have the camera serviced by an independent. It would have cost $180 through Panasonic. I did order a brand new camera. However, after looking at the website, I decided to tackle the job myself.
I did not have the correct jeweler’s screwdriver though. Yesterday, Sunday, April 20, 2014, I checked the Sears website and found that they appeared to have a suitable jeweler’s screwdriver available at a nearby store. I headed to the Sears store and found that they had a suitable jeweler’s screwdriver. I went to the cashier and paid for it and then brought it home. As soon as I got home, I proceeded to disassemble camera. First I removed both the memory card and the battery. It did not take me long to get to the CCD sensor and sure enough it had dust particles on it. I blew them off the CCD sensor very gently with the canned air. Then I reassembled the camera. Then I put both the battery and the memory card back into the camera. Then I looked at the viewfinder. There were no more specks on the screen. Not only that, the camera still functioned properly and now the camera is still usable. even though I’m getting the new camera, I’m going to keep the old one since it still works and I saved a small bundle of money by doing the job myself. I also saved a considerable amount of downtime too by doing the job myself.
Comment by Jeff Alterman — April 21, 2014 @ 4:09 am
Well done, Jeff. It’s nice to find out that the article helped someone fix their camera.
Best regards,
Dave
Comment by admin — April 21, 2014 @ 6:28 am
I wonder if anyone can help me out. I dropped my Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 into a cooler of water and didn’t find it until later that day. It won’t turn on at all. I tried recharging the battery and it still won’t come on.
I’m afraid that it may be a gonner. Is there anything I can do?
Comment by Brenda — May 15, 2014 @ 10:03 pm
Brenda, if it did turn on after that, you are likely to have at least minor image quality problems due to material dissolved in the water and then deposited on any surfaces in the optical path as the water inside dries out.
However, all may not be lost yet and such dirt deposits are likely to be pretty minor. Did the battery show as fully charged after you had it on the charger? If so, that’s a good start. With no battery in the camera, put the camera in a dry location, with all the compartment doors open (battery cover, and all the connector covers open). Preferably it should be oriented in normal shooting position so best case water runs off the sensor rather than drying on it and leaving deposits. Leave it to dry for at least a day. If you want, you can even try a hair dryer on it to warm it very slightly and cause some air flow, but only at low temperature; don’t use a hot setting that you can’t e.g. comfortably have your own hand in. After a day of drying, put a fully charged battery back in and try it again. If that fails, check back here and I’ll give you some other suggestions.
Also, if the battery is showing as fully charged on the charger, it is probably OK, but just to be sure, if you know someone with the same camera, see if you can try their battery in yours. There is a chance that just the battery was damaged, but this is unlikely if it is reported as charged on the charger.
Best,
Dave
Comment by admin — May 16, 2014 @ 5:49 am
Dave,
We have our 2nd ZS8 after the first suffered a horrific go cart incident. It has been a champ until today when we noticed the flash will not fire in any mode. Still takes pictures, and AF Assist light comes in, but no flash.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks,
Joe
Comment by JoeD — July 25, 2014 @ 8:10 pm
Before you disassemble your camera try the following:
[1] With the camera switched off slide the ‘Zoom lever’ to the right (T) position and hold down the ‘Shutter’ button for a few seconds then switch the camera on. You need to still be holding the ‘Zoom lever’ and ‘Shutter’ button.
This seems to force reset the zoom to full extent. Then switch off the camera, the zoom may stay fully extended. Try cleaning the outside of the lens barrels to make sure there is no dirt on them.
[2] Then With the camera switched off slide the ‘Zoom lever’ to the left (W) position and hold down the ‘Shutter’ button for a few seconds then switch the camera on. You need to still be holding the ‘Zoom lever’ and ‘Shutter’ button.
This seems to force reset the zoom to minimum extent. Then switch the camera off.
Hopefully the camera is now in is normal closed off position. Switch the camera on and it should be operating normally. If not repeat the above a couple of times.
Comment by Graham — July 31, 2014 @ 12:33 am
Hi I have a ZS20 and the LCD has gone dark. It is barely visible if I tilt it just the right way in the right lighting. I was able to reset the camera this way since menus can barely be seen (white background), but the LCD is useless for trying to take pictures. It will still take pictures OK. Any idea why the. LCD screen has gone so dark?
Thanks!
Comment by Andrew — August 29, 2014 @ 7:59 pm
Andrew, several things could cause the LCD to go dark. Most likely the backlight has failed. If you have to replace the LCD, one can often find replacement LCDs on eBay and some internet sources.
Comment by admin — September 2, 2014 @ 1:07 pm
Hi, i have a Tz8 with system error(focus), disassembled the lens, put some fine grease on the focus shaft and the error dissapeared, but a new problem began, the camera is only focusing with the zoom retracted and fully expanded. I can hear the focus motor sound. Thanks!
Comment by Ovidiu — October 29, 2014 @ 6:05 am
Hello, first of all, YOU ARE AWESOME! thank you for sharing all of this DYI info. I so appreciate it.
I have a Panansonic Lumix DMC ZS8. Love it. The last one i had i dropped into the river when i had a kayaking mishap and never found it! (oops) this is my second.
My camera has several fuzzy spots that stay in the same place, even when i zoom in and out, and they DO show up on uploaded pictures. They are most visible when there is a light, sky background. My boyfriends seems to remember once when I accidentally knocked the camera on the side of the boat there seemed to be more spots after that. Any suggestions?
I am willing to try to take it apart, as you suggest, if you don’t think it is a super internal problem that I couldn’t fix. Thank you~
Comment by Deborah Heron — November 30, 2014 @ 8:01 am
Hi, Deborah. Thanks for the comments. As for the fuzzy spots, since, as you note, the spots don’t change position with zoom, they are likely coming from dirt/deposits either on the sensor or at the very back optical surface of the lens assembly. I think that you will need to take the camera apart to clean those areas. Given the high cost of a professional repair, it might well be worth taking your camera apart and gently cleaning those areas. It is likely that the dirty areas will be large enough to see. Use a soft cloth, dampened with clean water if the dirt is stuck-on deposits. A mild lens cleaning solution such as is used for cleaning eyeglasses might also be needed but be careful not to use much of it and keep it to the optical and sensor surfaces.
Hope that helps.
Dave
Comment by admin — December 1, 2014 @ 12:49 pm
Hey Dave, Hope all’s going well in your corner of the world . . .
I have a Canon 110HS and replaced the lens (China) but the lens keeps going in and out until I turn it off.
The LED will not light up either.
Any ideas …. maybe the camera was dropped in water and fried the board ???
Thanks for your input.
Rick
Napa, California
Comment by Rick — January 20, 2015 @ 11:35 am
Rick, lots of possible causes of that behaviour, but maybe we can rule out a few quickly: Have you tried removing the battery completely, then full recharge externally, then re-insert battery and try again to see if problem is still present? Also, if you can, try a new battery if you can find someone else with same or equivalent model to borrow from. Sometimes you can get strange behaviours if the battery is just below a threshold voltage.
Comment by admin — February 1, 2015 @ 7:10 pm
Hello, and thank you for the posts. I have a Lumix DMC-zs15, i had dust on the lens and dissassembled it … cleaned it, perfect! Currently, my photos come out washed out. My question is, what part needs replacing to fix the washed out look on the photos?
Comment by Wayne — March 19, 2015 @ 10:29 pm
Wayne, when you say the photos look washed out, what exposure settings are you using? How contrasty is the scene you are photographing? Anything different from “normal”?
Comment by admin — March 21, 2015 @ 3:23 pm
I was replacing the LCD screen on a lumix DMC-ZS3 and the tiny socket for the small backlight ribbon came off the board. any suggestions as to how to reattach it ? solder it ?
Comment by Karen — May 8, 2015 @ 6:01 pm
Hi, I have a Lumix DMC-TZ1 and recently I turned it on to take pictures and it gave me an error message..Open lens cap and turn on. It zooms to 40x immediately and you cant adjust it.It scrolls through menu options like the button is stuck. I really like this camera but wonder if it can be fixed..any suggestions?
many thanks,
Amy
Comment by Amy — May 16, 2015 @ 11:33 am
My camera DCM ZS5, an error message is(ERROR SYSTEME)(MP), I hear a sound to, and I have open all the parts, clean and reassembling all correctly and I have the same problem, please I need a help,
thanks
André
Comment by André — June 17, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
Hi, my Lumix ZS-10 had spots on the picture caused by dirt on the lens(s) and recently I had the focus error. I was following a video and determined that I could clean the lenses. I took it completely apart, cleaned the lenses and thought I’d remember the reverse sequence, but didn’t. The problem is aligning the nesting lens assemblies. The video did not show the reassembly and I was searching for a diagram. Do you know of any such thing? Thanks! Greg
Comment by Greg — August 26, 2015 @ 12:21 pm
I’m having the same dust on the CCD issue with my Panasonic DMC-ZS20 camera, but I’m not able to get it apart. In the factory, a number of the screws were overtightened resulting in damaged screwheads. I also have some cosmetic damage to the camera and they were not careful in assembling the camera. I’m going to try a uBreakiFix outfit and I might try to instruct them how to take it apart. I may direct them to the website or a video on YouTube. Once the camera is taken apart, it is simple to fix the problem. This time, it will cost me some money. I’m irritated at Panasonic because they weren’t careful in assembling the camera and it isn’t exactly a cheap camera.
Comment by Jeff Alterman — October 12, 2015 @ 10:20 am
I have a Panasonic lumix ZS8 which has gotten dust on the ccd twice and the last time a took it apart the ribbon cable cracked right where it folds to change direction. Can it be replaced or does one have to try to find a new back & LCD? I’m not sure this will get to you but I thought hey, worth a try… thanks for your help with the dust problem in the past.. Thanks, Robert
Comment by Robert Bell — December 8, 2015 @ 8:00 pm
Hi.
I’M a newcomer here, and my Lumix DMC.FS10 has the same problem which firstly is discussed here:
“The camera problem was that it had the lens stuck open in the extended position. As a result, the camera was nonfunctional and the display showed the error message âSystem Error (Zoom)â.
I tried your effort to “…disengage the stuck pinion gear by very gently bending the corner of the black plastic near the motor,
and in that state, I could rotate the black lens base such that it pulled the lens back into its âoffâ position
and the lens cover closed.”
In my case I can disconnect the motor, and it was easily to turn the black lens base with the teeth.
But it occures the same error message again.I can hear the zoom-motor working; so it seems to be ok.
Is there some new idea what is to do?
thank you all for discussing the problems.
Gerhard in Germany.-
Comment by Gerhard v. Lüttichau — February 24, 2016 @ 10:03 am
Hi Dave,
I’m a bit late for the show but thanks, you take the fright out of splitting a camera. A related or not problem, I bought an FX7 in beautiful shape-cheap-except the lens was out and the battery dead. I had to figure out how to charge the wierd battery but with some terminal ends, clamps, and Scotch tape I got it charged. Nice little camera, not a scratch. When the lens retracts it makes noise, jittering low key. And it seems loose. I have a FS40 new and it’s not loose. What do you think? Thanks for the information you already provided. Oh I dropped some oil around it and the lens got real slow, so I shot some WD40 at it. Still makes noise.
Peter
Comment by Pete — March 3, 2016 @ 2:36 pm
I have a Panasonic DMC ZS19. We did take it apart till we got to the lens, but then it looks different than your pictures, and we didn’t know how to proceed. There are 3 tiny hex screws that seem to hold the lens in place – not the phillips mentioned. At this point, we put it back together again and am afraid to proceed. The problem is System Zoom Error. Do you have any suggestions? I did look on your site for your book but it doesn’t look like it is published yet.
Comment by Carole Houghton — June 17, 2016 @ 7:53 am
Hi dave, really interesting blogs. I have a problem that doesn’t seem to have happened to anyone else, so it may not be fixable. On the side there is a USB connection which seems to have failed, as I can’t charge the camera with a cable and can’t upload images to my computer using a USB cable. Is there an easy fix? I could charge the battery from a mains charging unit and take the card out and put it in a different camera, but would like to have the sz8 functioning as it should, if possible. I am located in the North West of england, just for your interest.
Thanks for a really interesting read.
Derek
Comment by Derek — May 6, 2019 @ 10:26 pm
I’ll guess that you’ve tried a few known good USB cables. Make sure also that your camera has recent firmware upgrade and check the camera connected to other PCs and USB ports too. One thing to look for next is the connectivity of the USB ports inside the camera. USB 2 has 4 lines; outer 2 on connector are power and inner 2 are for data. Check that the power lines get approx 5V when connected. That might help you find the problem.
Comment by admin — May 20, 2019 @ 10:08 am
Just opened my DMC-TZ5 (TZ15 in US) using the same instructions. I’ve dropped it with the lens extended and it broke a little piece of plastic inside. With you instructions I could fix mine by removing the motor and forcing it to the closed position. Unfortunately in my case I had to open the lens because the gears ate inside and that exposes the CCD. It will never be the same again but it is fine for playing.
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Comment by spammer using email christenestrella@yahoo.com and IP 41.42.171.92 — September 28, 2020 @ 3:27 pm
Great post. Thanks a lot.
Comment by Oliver — November 19, 2020 @ 2:43 am
Wow! Big thanks for fixing this publicly.
Comment by Janette McKenzie jannettemckenzie@inbox.com — December 4, 2020 @ 7:29 pm
It is time to eliminate Vladimir Putin. Putin the war criminal needs to die. Vladimir Putin is a despicable war criminal and murderer, and his invasion of the free nation of Ukraine was unjustified as well as barbaric. Russian citizens should find out about this, which the rest of the world already knows. The evidence of Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine is publicly viewable and indisputable.
Visit this web page to learn more https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/leaders-poland-baltic-states-head-kyiv-2022-04-13/ and this one https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-war-on-ukraine-a-horror-story-of-violations-un-2022-4 . Use a VPN to get to real news if Putin and other cowardly assholes that support him block your internet access freedom.
Russians, you know what to do. Shoot Putin. One rifle shot by a brave Russian can eliminate Putin the cowardly asshole, murderer and war criminal, and make the world a better place. Please do it.
Comment by Najlepsze Blogi — April 27, 2022 @ 12:42 am