PDA

View Full Version : Powershot A95 UPDATE (LCD Problems)


Cajungirl
5th of April 2005 (Tue), 22:33
{Canon Powershot A95 LCD Problems...I copied and pasted the problem I was having at the bottom.}

Well I got my camera back today. According to the repair slip they replaced the LCD, the CF unit, covers, cleaned and checked all functions. Well you'd think that would do the trick right? Well believe it or not it's still doing the same thing. Honestly though now I'm just tired of dealing with repair depts, techs, managers, explaining the problem, and the red tape of just getting your product fixed. I went around to various electronic stores today to test the statement made by the enginneer working on my camera which was that the LCD problem is model wide. I went to several electronic stores tonight to see if there were any on display and to see if it would do the same thing. Well, out of 7 stores I went to only Comp USA had one on display that was powered up to test. Since the lighting in there is fairly bright, I don't think I got a completely accurate read on my experiment but it did seem to have a brighter pic on the 1st LCD position compared to the 2nd position. I guess there could be some sort of glitch with the model...just seems funny it's not mentioned anywhere in the reading I did on it. So I guess what I'll do is use the 1st position in dimmer lighting situations and the 2nd in more brightly lit situations. It's a dog-gone shame though to have to do this in order to see a decent image on the LCD so you can see what you are trying to take a pic of. The whole experience has left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and I don't believe I'll be spending my money on a Canon camera again. Also, another lesson learned the hard way, is not purchasing this type of equipment through 3rd party online dealers where there is no recourse to getting an exchange or refund on a product. I would have done better by purchasing it through Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, or even Walmart. Since even if you purchase it online you still can exchange it or get a refund if there is a problem with the product. I know Dell won't give me my money back or even exchange since it's been more than 2 mos since I purchased it. So I guess I'm stuck....if anyone else has had this experience with the LCD screen on the A95 please let me know. Also, I learned that the A95s are being discontinued from a Circuit City employee tonight as well.

<<When you first get the camera, the lcd screen is facing the inside of the camera and the Canon logo is facing you. The first thing you need to do is pull it out of the housing with the LCD screen facing you then you flip it 180 degrees and push it back into the camera space it came out of. This makes the screen face the opposite direction. Then you push it back into the camera housing so that the LCD screen is once again facing you but is now inside the camera. As you are doing this you can see the image on the lcd screen and when you flip it you can see the image flip too which puts everything back into it's right perspective. Ok here's where things are going haywire:(. In the first position as you flip it away from the camera everything is great, no problems whatsoever no matter what kind of lighting. Once you flip it back into the camera housing, or position #2, with the LCD facing you is when everything goes goofy. Now keep in mind these conditions are indoor lighting...like normal 60w incandescent or 300w halogen bulb lighting. Also note that in the first flip all is fine so the second position should have the same quality. However, what I get is a really really poor contrast ratio. It's like coming up on a laptop from the side view how the image becomes all black and grey almost washing out the image. This is how it looks as you look at it right in front of you. >>

fordy
6th of April 2005 (Wed), 06:36
I think you might find your problem is one of viewing angle.

The screen is designed such that the viewing angle is optimum when viewed from above slightly (as opposed to directly in line with it) - so when you flip the screen over and flip it into the case, the viewing angle is reversed (screen now upside down) - so hence from the same angle as before it now looks darker.

Canon should have used a screen with a nutral viewing angle, that way either way up would look the same.

It doesnt sounds like there is anything technically wrong with yours.

try looking at it from a different angle, and see if that sorts it

cheers

chris

nwyman
6th of April 2005 (Wed), 08:10
as for this LCD situation - I was very disappointed when I got my S1 1S, because frankly, in sunlight, I can't see anything!
A camera book I was referencing referred me to www.photosolve.com (http://www.photosolve.com) to purchase a thingy called "Xtend-a-view", which is a little metal cube with a 2X ground glass element - it fits over the LCD screen (either temporarily or permanently - your choice) and gives a magnified view of the screen that is quite helpful.
Sorry if this has been mentioned before.
Nancy

Cajungirl
8th of April 2005 (Fri), 16:29
Thanks for the replies. I talked to Canon again today and they want me to send it in again. When I tried the other unit at CompUSA even though it was comparably darker from the 1st position to the 2nd position of the LCD the image was very viewable. Also when I spoke to a tech today he stated he hadn't heard of anything that the enginneer stated about it being a model wide problem. Also in the warranty it states basically they can replace parts or they can replace it with a refurb. model, it's in their sole discretion. I don't know how much we'll have to go round and round to get this done right but I'm hoping if they see they can't fix it this time or they'll go ahead and replace it. I'd rather a brand new camera but at this point I'd like something that works properly.

To the posters: Nancy: The problem the LCD screen is giving me isn't from being in direct sunlight but I did experience what you are talking about with my Sony so thanks for the tip on that. My problem is indoors.

Chris: The problem is definitely technical if you have to contort the camera in angles to take a pic...that's just ridiculous to have to get it to work properly that way. If the viewing is excellent in one position it should be in the other as well. I mean call "nuts" if you'd like but that's the way I feel. The tech today told me it could even be criss crossed wires or something along those lines so they still maybe able to fix it yet. I'm not giving up hope completely...but it is hanging by a thread.

Anyway...thanks again for the replies:)

agent007
9th of April 2005 (Sat), 01:18
Would it be possible for you to take some pictures and post them here of the LCD? (before and after changing positions).

cubist
26th of August 2005 (Fri), 16:11
hi, cajungirl. unfortunately, i'm in the same boat...got the a95 last week and just found the exact same problem...did you have it sent back to canon again?

Pixel9ine
30th of August 2005 (Tue), 03:02
I've recently bought an A95 and I find that the viewing angle on the LCD is VERY limited.. perhaps Canon didn't invest in a better LCD since after all, it's designed to swivel 180°?

ALthogh I really like the swivel feature of the LCD, a broader viewing angle would have come in very handy...