PowerShot E18 Error

[Ed J]

I have a Canon PowerShot S300 that I enjoy very much. The photo quality is excellent and the camera is very small and compact for outdoor enthusiasts; however, this small size does have one drawback. I recently took my camera to the Eureka Sand Dunes in California. After climbing to the summit of the largest dune (700 ft tall), I removed the camera from my backpack, took some great photographs, and placed the camera back into my pack for the rejuvenating slide down. After reaching my automobile, I removed the camera to discover that the lens would no longer extend and the infamous “E18 error message” appeared on the lower left hand corner of the LED display. Fortunately, the camera was still able to view photographs I had already taken but it was impossible to take new ones. I sent the camera to the Midwest Canon Repair Center where I learned that the E18 error was due to foreign materials getting into the lens position sensor. Apparently the infamous E18 error often indicates a lens tracking error and not a firmware error as some have suggested. Fortunately, I got my camera repaired and returned back to my home in less than a week just in time for another outdoor adventure. However, next time, I will keep this camera in a good zip lock bag in dusty environments.

I have one question, after the camera was repaired, I noticed that the photo counter was reset to IMG_9004. Does anyone know how we can reset this counter to any arbitrary value other than IMG_0000?

Ed

[Edson Claudio]

Ed J wrote:
I have a Canon PowerShot S300 that I enjoy very much. The photo quality is excellent and the camera is very small and compact for outdoor enthusiasts; however, this small size does have one drawback. I recently took my camera to the Eureka Sand Dunes in California. After climbing to the summit of the largest dune (700 ft tall), I removed the camera from my backpack, took some great photographs, and placed the camera back into my pack for the rejuvenating slide down. After reaching my automobile, I removed the camera to discover that the lens would no longer extend and the infamous “E18 error message” appeared on the lower left hand corner of the LED display. Fortunately, the camera was still able to view photographs I had already taken but it was impossible to take new ones. I sent the camera to the Midwest Canon Repair Center where I learned that the E18 error was due to foreign materials getting into the lens position sensor. Apparently the infamous E18 error often indicates a lens tracking error and not a firmware error as some have suggested. Fortunately, I got my camera repaired and returned back to my home in less than a week just in time for another outdoor adventure. However, next time, I will keep this camera in a good zip lock bag in dusty environments.

I have one question, after the camera was repaired, I noticed that the photo counter was reset to IMG_9004. Does anyone know how we can reset this counter to any arbitrary value other than IMG_0000?

Ed

[Edson Claudio]

E18 Error
Remove existing batt.and CF card.
Allow internal memory to run down overnight.
Replace existing battery w/ NEW BATT.
Insert NEW BATT.Switch camera on.
Insert CF card.
Problem fixed.