Dropped Sd630

[Docthomas]

I have an sd630 that I love and I have the canon wp-dc3 waterproof case

problem is that the camera dropped 3 feet directly on the lens assembly and now the lens will not retract or advance. I get a lens error when I turn on the camera.

So the question is can this be repaired? I see lots of parts devices on ebay. How likely is this a repairable issue? I'm not afraid of taking it apart and when I get back from vacation I might try it but it's not worth spending lots of money to get parts if it is difficult repair. the camera worked perfectly prior to the drop.

is it worth it?

If it weren't for the wp-dc3 I might just consider getting another camera but we use the waterproof case a lot and really like it.

i appreciate the help

Shawn

[Jon]

It can be repaired; whether it's worth the effort or money is for you to say. It might be as simple as some slipped gears, or you might need to replace some pieces. In any case, I'd suggest that if you want to try it yourself you get a spare (working or not) from somewhere to serve as a "pattern". Given your use of the housing, you're probably better off either fixing it or having Canon do so. Getting a new camera and housing will drive the comparable cost somewhere around $300.

[Docthomas]

thank you.

I probably will try it if for no other reason than just to try and see if I can do it.

Guess I'll see if I can find a disassembly guide somewhere

S.

[JustShootin']

If fixing it is what you want to do, go for it. But if it were me, and could get a equivalent replacement for only $300, that would sure be my choice.

[dcad10]

somebody was selling a used sd630 on san diego craigslist for $4o today. http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pho/1236586085.html
might be possible to find a cheap replacement such as this for your camera and forget about fixing yours.

[Docthomas]

WOW. too bad I'm nowhere NEAR California!!

[brorymes]

Trying to fix it yourself may work - or you may find that when you dropped it on the lens assembly, you broke some little part, stripped the teeth off of something, etc.
I broke another model myself the same way - an old S200, I think it was. Canon can certainly repair it - they were going to repair mine - but in the discussion, another possibility emerged: they were offering an upgrade to a refurbished newer mode (an SD630, in fact - this was a couple of years ago), for a bit more than the repair would cost. Naturally, I jumped at the upgrade.
They may or may not be doing something similar now, but it makes sense to ask. The SD630 is a good small camera (I call it my "party cam", much more portable & discrete than my dSLR, easy to shoot one-handed), but it only takes SD, not SDHC - which doesn't matter for photos, but if you shoot any video a larger SDHC card (4, 8, 16GB, etc) would be nice - and you will get SDHC compatibility on the newer models. Just a thought.

[brorymes]

ah - and regarding your case, the entire digital ELPH line seems to have a pretty consistent form factor... so one or newer models may also fit?