*** G2 camera's are cracking up!! ***

[Knoxie]

Hi

I have just ordered a Canon G2 and have noticed that there is a huge thread in the www.dpreview.com Canon forum over a possible design fault in the G2 that is causing the case of the camera to crack, check your camera at the top left rear near the strap ring, the plastic seems stressed there and a number of users are reporing cracks and lumps falling out of the case.

It looks like it could be a big headache for Canon this one, it wouldnt put me off buying one though as it is a brilliant camera warts and all!!!

Check this huge thread over at dpreview.com

Good luck and get out your magnifying glass!!

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=2407912


Paul Knox

[Murf]

I have checked out your link, and inspected my G2. The exact same defect is in my camera!!!!
Does anyone know of a recall???
I will be visiting my dealer asap, and will post any info

[kd6lor]

MURF wrote:
I have checked out your link, and inspected my G2. The exact same defect is in my camera!!!!
Does anyone know of a recall???
I will be visiting my dealer asap, and will post any info

I was wondering how long it would take to show up here. I have found the same problem with mine, except the piece that is defined by the edges of the crack in the picture of the first post on the DP thread has fallen out.

Canon will earn or loose it's reputation with how they handle this problem. I am quite unhappy, not because the pictures are coming out any less well, but I have been thinking about selling and buying a d-60. How can I sell the camera now. Who would buy it? How could I sell the camera without disclosing the crack??? I feel terribly cheated by Canon. The ironic thing is that my goal was to sell in order to buy another Canon product.



Paul

[rubysue]

I just read this entire thread, there are 105 posts!!!Yes, 105 post relating to this cracked housing. The serial#'s all seem to be way different, no real way of putting down to early production etc. They appear in cameras who's owners use straps, and in cameras where owners don't usestraps. In cameras where people use the LCD screen a lot and in cameras of people who don't use the screen. There does not appear to be any screws in this exact area as I can see. Thank goodness, my camera, purchased DEc 27 ser#1B2101895 appears to be crack free. I am an aircraft inspector for a major airline and checked my camera in various lighting conditions with a 10power loup, the same one I use at work. I see absolutely no flaws in this area, no bulging, no signs of a stress crack building up. In my humble opinion without perhaps a little knowledge proving dangerous as they say, I would guess, merely guess that the housing that the backplate fits into, even though it also is plastic, is too tight. The only metal part of this camera is the front plate, the top centre section containing the small top sreen, the strap eyelets is plastic. This is a serious defect here folks. It seems this defect has appeared in brand new as well as several month old cameras. It is not a cosmetic defect. I paid $1200 hard earned Canadian dollars for mine and would be so choked if mine cracks and I would become Canons greatest problem, I would email, phone, whatever it took to make it right. I am sick of us accepting things like this in this throwaway world we live in. This camera should last a lifetime and its usefulness only limited by a leep in technology. We should all be vigilant here, check our cameras and stand with each one of us who finds this problem. A concerted class action approach as in other recalls is in order. My camera is okay today, but who knows what will happen in the months to come. Canon should be extremely concerned about future customer loyalty if this matter is not handled swiftly by them. To you who have cracks, I feel for you and will help you in any way another fellow G2 owner can. Good luck all......

[giacinto]

Hello

I posted the following at www.dpreview.com earlier today:-

Today, I took my cracked G2 to Jessops New Oxford Street who replaced it with a new uncracked G2 (thank you Jessops). I took the precaution of making a high rez A4 print, half of which was a picture of Leezah's camera (thanks also) http://www.pbase.com/image/1446405/original and the other half being a screenshot of the thread at http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=2407912 . I saw the store manager and the assistant studying the printout intently, afterwards, the assistant told me they were comparing the print of the cracked camera with the model they had on display. Yes, their display model was also cracked! Jessops are keeping my print for future reference.

I disagree with the suggestion that this is an inconsequential fault and can be ignored or left until it gets worse. If you buy a new camera you are entitled to a product free from damage or manufacturing faults. If in the future you decide to sell or trade in your G2, try telling a prospective purchacer that the lump out of the corner is quite normal. Also, don't be fobbed off with offers of a repair. If your camera is relatively new, then you are entitled to a new, not repaired replacement.

The more cameras returned to Canon the better. Perhaps they will then acknowledge the problem.

[calgary]

Hi
Apparently Canon has replied to a number of people with acknowledgment that they are aware of the problem and are working on resolving it
Just bought a G2 and so far on defects in the case.

[rubysue]

Hey Calgary, Vancouver here, where did you get that info that Canon is aware? I have checked most boards/threads and couldn't find any postive response from them. I have spent time working in Calgary and it's a lovely place to live, that Bow River pary is great year round. All the best.......................

[Murf]

I HAVE AN E-MAIL INTO CANON.......STILL NO REPLY

my local camera shop is trying to get some info today.
they said that g2's are backordered a mile, so maybe canon is working on something before releasing more?????

[elbud]

OH NO!!!

I've got The Crack!!!

[2tall]

wow, indeed! tiny so far, but its there.

[Leighow]

Strange Enounters of the 4th Kind.

Geeze, "shows to go you" . You think that a lensmate is the protection that you need and all the while its a QC/QA problem ( 40 years ago I was a QA engineer in the Nortel-Telco business).

Well like cars, Canon has to issue a recall or something. I have no crack, and like my fellow Canadian Rubysue, big bucks were spent on this baby.

Sure does take great pictures !

HOWIE

PS: Never had one prob with my 40 year simple old metal & shutter Minolta SR-1.

[Murf]

YES!!!!, IT LOOKS LIKE CANON IS GOING TO BE A RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURER AND ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.

i recieved a response from canon canada today:


Dear Peter Murphy
Thank you for your E-mail inquiry.


Canon Canada Inc. is aware of the phenomenon relating to the reporting of a
crack on the rear cover of some Powershot G2 cameras. Canon Inc. is
currently investigating this issue and further information will be posted
to our website once available. We can assure you that this issue will not
affect the performance of the camera or the quality of the images. We thank
you for your patience during this process.

Should you require further assistance, please feel free to email us or
visit our customer support website at http://www.canon.ca


Sincerely,

Patricia S.
Technical Support Representative
Customer Information Centre
Canon Canada Inc.


THANK YOU CANON....A POSITIVE FIRST STEP!!!

[kd6lor]

I received an email similar from Canon USA as well. I am not sure what they are planning, but I hope they don't think I am willing to be without my camera for weeks. In spite of the problem with the case, I am quite pleased with the camera otherwise.

Paul

[Clare]

Just so you know - Canon Canada has posted acknowledgement of the problem at:

http://www.canon.ca/english/index-customersupport.html

[mlfrancis]

Go figure. I've been out of town away from my G2 for a while. Once I got back, I checked mine for the crack. Yup, I've got it too. Oh well, better call Canon I guess.

[Anonymous]

I have cracks in my 2 month old G2. One is near the top right of the strap eylet on the grey plastic back and the other is on the bottom under the hinge for the swingout LCD. I contacted Canon USA on Saturday via e-mail and received a generic answer today. All the e-mail said was to properly package, insure it and enclose a letter describing the difficulties. It was to be sent to the Canon Factory Service Center in Hanover Park, IL. No mention as to how long the repairs would take or if the repair would use old or a newly designed case. I also e-mailed Phil Askey, the editor of the dpreview weekly newsletter requesting an article to be written exposing the crack problems in G2's. Phil's answer was that an article wouldn't achieve anything and that Canon was aware of the problem. Phil further stated that he had contacted Canon regarding the problem. I'm sure the problem will be eventually fixed. I'm going to wait a little longer and hope the cracks in my G2 don't get any bigger. It seems the more I use the swing out LCD, the longer the crack on the bottom gets, so I'll just leave the LCD screen facing outward.

Larry

[kd6lor]

Larry, you are going to think I am following you. This is the second post I follow you on.

I spent a bit of time today calling Canon USA about the crack problem. One person I spoke to said that she had not heard of a problem then during the course of the conversation she mentioned the crack on the left side of the case. I told her I NEVER mentioned what side of the case, then suddenly she knew more about the problem. After a few more calls to other Canon phone numbers, I called her back and she was unable to take my call. I am not sure if she was hiding out from me, or was truly unavailable. The gentleman who I did speak to also said he was unaware of the problem, but then in the course of the conversation mentioned that he read a memo about the problem. I asked when he read the memo, and he said that he read it JUST BEFORE he answered this call. WOW, what a COINCIDENCE... Canon is handling this poorly. Unless you want to rate their desire to sweep the problem under the carpet.

So, anyway, and on to the point of this post. I agree, I too will wait till they have fixed a few. I wouldn't turn the LCD outward, however. If you scratch it I doubt Canon will replace/repair, but I am quite confident that they will within the 12 month period of your warranty replace the case and it's cracks. Of course when you call, expect to be the first one they have heard of.

Paul

[anonuno]

I was thinking of buying the G2 after doing a bit of research from various sites on the Net (including dpreview.com). Then I came across this forum. After reading all the posts on this topic, I went and printed a hard copy of one of the picture (provided by someone from this forum) that shows the crack.

I then went to a few of the local camera shops here (Melbourne, Australia) and the first one I looked at had it in BLACK and shows no crack, I am not sure if it's by luck or because of the Black case. I asked the assistance in the next shop to see if he has heard of this problem and he said no. I then showed him my print out. He then open the display window and took out a Silver G2 to inspect and sure enough, there was a little crack which showed as a tiny scratch. I know there's nothing the shop can do, but at least they have heard of the problem now.

I have written to Canon (Australia) and I am now waiting for their reply. Not sure if Canon is planning to produce a better case or not for the G2 *fingers cross*. Thank goodness for this forum that I have now stopped from buying one until they have a fix.

Best regards,
anon

[mlfrancis]

I too called the Canon USA tech support line to ask about the crack. The guy I spoke to didn't dodge the issue at all. He told me that it was a wide spread problem, Canon was aware of it and going to do something about it in the near future.
He said he wasn't sure of a timeframe, but "rest assured" Canon will take care of it. I asked him if I should send it in, but he told me to hold on to it and keep watching the powershot website for announcements. He said until Canon figures out what to do to fix the problem, getting a new case put on the camera would only postpone the problem. I told him I only had about six months left on warranty and he said to expect more like two months for a decision from Canon. I figure if he said two then it will be more like four to six, but that is just me being a pessimist.
The thing that I disliked most of all about the call is that I asked to be placed on a list or something to show I had called and to allow me to be notified when a decision is made. He said there wasn’t any way of doing that. That sucks. I would think Canon would be a little more proactive with handling this issue, but I guess not.

I guess I will hold my breath and see what comes from it.

[Anonymous]

Very Interesting. I guess in a way I'm lucky because I have 10 months remaining on my warranty and surely something will be done prior to the conclusion of my warranty. If it were me, I'd keep specific records whom I spoke to or who sent an e-mail to document your case. It might be useful if Canon says, sorry out of warranty.

Larry H

[johnb]

I guess I'm among the lucky ones. I have a 2 month old silver G2 and it has no cracks. I'll keep an eye on it, though.

[ricklynch@core.com]

I don't think you have to worry about a warrenty being up or not. This defect will trigger a recall of damaged cameras, in my opinion. This defect is a manufactoring problem period, they must address it in all damaged g2's.

Rick

[Islander]

I do not own a G2 but wanted to get one. Have been reluctant to do so due the the issue of crack. Please note that as of today, Canadian Canon Web site has updated the information. They have acknowledged the problem and have asked everyone to send their cracked G2 to a service center.

I have called canon USA twice. Both time they claimed that it was not a common problem. They said that they have had couple of phone calls about it. They did no acknowledge that it could be a engineering defect. I told them that about the canadian Canon Website. I even said that canon should not pass out contradicting statements. The answer was "I do not have access to the candian web site". I do not think that Canon is handling this very well. We all need to keep calling Canon USA frequently.

Check out this site at canadian canon
http://www.canon.ca/english/index-customersupport.html

[GM1VFQ]

I was about to buy a G2 untill I read all the reports on the cracking,I hav'nt read about any in UK is there any , I am still biased towards the G" but the Sony 707 is looking better!!

[soothsayer]

let's hope so. i thinking of purchasing a g2, but will wait.

on a related note, i remember back in the mid 1990s, gateway had these 14" monitors they shipped with their computers. turns out the monitors were defective (due to a faulty fuse that would blow your power supply), and the problem was kept low profile. years later, there was a settlement in a class action lawsuit regarding the defective monitors, the result was everyone got a measely $15.00 (or something) coupon good toward the purchase of gateway monitor; it was a pretty poor corporate response.

[peterpro]

i've had my g2 since decemeber..
been alot of places.. its very sturdy
no cracks.
=)

[Barry]

I've been having problems getting the G2 and software on my PC's to talk to each other - thought software conflict!
When I tried to update the firmware to the latest version the LCD would not work when connected to the PC so I couldn't access the menu page - yet when I unplugged the cabel from the USB socket on the PC (I have 4 and the same happened on each socket!) the LCD burst into life.
So I looked again at the G2 and immediately adjacent to the interface socket on the front corner I noticed a 1cm crack in the body.
This camera is 6 months old and very well cared for - never dropped or mishandled - and bought in the UK.
It is not a cable fault as I used a brand new, tested one from the store I bought the camera from initially,Jessops, without success.
It seems a little coincidental that the crack is immediately in front of the interface socket from where I suspect the fault is originating.
Jessops (Bolton) refused to exchange the G2 and it has today been sent off by them to Canon UK for assessment. I know that the cracks so far reported have not been found this far down the body - I'll keep the forum posted.

Barry (very disgruntled)

[giacinto]

Barry

There is nothing worse than a very disgruntled traffic officer

Seriously, Jessops should have replaced your camera as they did mine (see my post 23 March in this thread). You are covered by the Sale of Goods Act which puts the onus on the retailer where faulty goods are supplied. If you think Canon or Jessops are giving you the run around, I would confirm in writing ( with some evidence of the fault from the web) to Jessops that they have to remidy the fault or supply you with a new camera. There are plenty of consumer guides to the Sale of Goods act on the web.

Good Luck - Giacinto

[diacoh]

An ode to the "G2 Crack of Leezah":

It all started on March 21 at night,
When a dpreviewer named Leezah began to write.
She had just noticed on her G2,
A very small crack that looked new.
And now a lot of G2 owners are uptight!

(http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=2407912)

diacoh

[jakespeed]

To G2, or not to G2...
The crack is the question!

[paulbut3]

barry jessops replaced my g2 in store because it cracked after 25 days with only light use went in store
with page printed off canon website about crack
hope your sorted soon

[NORMAN]

If Canon replace the back of a cracked camera, is the new back a modified one or one that will possibly crack again?

Norman.

Beverley. UK.

[ant43]

G2 owner in UK just beginning the fight to have our cracked G2 repaired. My brother is aslo a G2 owner and has found the same cracks thanks to your forum telling us exactly where to look. My own camera is used a lot more than my brothers and is showing cracks and pieces coming off the bottom corners at the back of the camera. If there's any advice anyone could give that may help us deal with this matter it would greatly appreciated.

[LiveBlues]

I just checked mine, and I do not have any cracks. I've had mine for nearly 9 months now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[Wolfgang7]

if you buy a G2, new or used, check out if in!! the serialnumber a small point of a pin. That means it is a new G2 body and you will get no problems with cracking.
Regards
Wolfgang
Germany

[Squeaky]

I have just checked my G2 ..... little cracks appearing but still working well

I have had my camera since about February 2002 so well out of warrenty.

Who do I contact in the U.K.

[DAVE THE SLAVE]

I must be lucky too. After 12 months and 4000 images later, I have no visible case cracks anywhere.
I take my camera with me every single day in case I see something of interest. It has bounced around inside my truck out of it's case on sudden traffic stops and stills keeps clicking. I've even bounced it down bumpy trails in freezing temperatures on my snowmobile for hundreds and hundreds of miles. It also fell about 4 feet inside my boat when I hit a big wave.
My key is to have a good soft case with extra cushioning. I also put my 2X tele lens, cleaning supplies, extra cards and 420 EX Flash attachment inside to. It all fits snug.

I hope I don't jinx myself now.
This camera is a very useful item to have.

[ant43]

Our camera was always in a good case Dave this appears to be a flaw in the casing. Squeeky I found an e-mail address in canon UK's site, so far they have been very helpful but we havent heard yet if they are fixing the camera or not. Our camera is 15 months old, we'll keep you posted.

[Mind Socket]

Well, after 8000 photos, my cam finally chipped in the corner. Funny thing is, it still takes photos as well as it did. ;)

[ant43]

Mind Socket wrote:
Well, after 8000 photos, my cam finally chipped in the corner. Funny thing is, it still takes photos as well as it did. ;)