LCD Screen Not working on G3 and cost of repair is rediculous!

[bell]

All of a sudden my LCD screen decided not to work, which for me is tragic...anyway, I'm getting by and don't really want to part with my camera right now as both of my kids have birthdays in the next month that I can't not take pics of... Well I just got off the phone with Canon and the service rep said that it could possibly cost $175-$400 to fix, that seems absolutely rediculous to me, anyone else? The other option would be that I could turn in my G3 for a refurbished G5 for an additional $299 pllus $10 shipping, any comments on the G5 verses the G3? Anyone else have this problem and have a more accurate repair cost for me? Any advice would be appreciated as I am very frustrated right now!!!!

[abat]

bell, my only suggestion would be to check you haven't disabled the screen by pressing the display button (lower right) by mistake. Try pressing that a few times. Otherwise modern society seems to be about replace not repair which is pretty sad. Will they trade you a G6 perhaps?

[Superbaldguy]

There's a thread/post here, somewhere, on someone who had their G3 LCD die on them and they fixed it by moving the wires around in the connector between the display panel and the body..............Seems to be a weak point with that cam.

[John from PA]

A thread below shows http://www.micro-tools.com/pdf/Canon/ as a source for downloadable parts manuals including the G3. You might look it over and see if you can tackle checking out the wiring and/or screen replacement.

[mattjs]

I posted awhile back about my G3 screen quiting on me. Took it to a local Canon dealer who gave me an estimate that turned out to be right on. Turnaround time once it gets to Canon is 2 to 3 weeks depending on how busy they are. Total cost of repair - $220.

Here's the thread link -- http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=47102 -- Further on down the thread Pamela107, and DizzyDevil posted how they were able to fix it themselves. If my LCD were to go out again I think I'd give their directions a try.

As for the G5, I didn't have the option you do. But if I got an estimate for a G3 repair that was equal to or less than the cost of a refurbished G5, I'd stay with the G3. The only upgrade I considered was to put the $220 towards a new G6. Decided not to cause I really like my G3. Better to keep using a camera I'm perfectly happy with, and wait and see what Canon does in the next couple years. Good luck.

[bell]

Thank you for all your advice, I am going to try fixing it myself...it beats the cost of repair! I'll let you know if it works!

[bell]

My husbadn tried to fix it, it didn't work! The plugs were unplugged when he got in there, but couldn't get them working for some reason. At one point the whole camera didn't work, which was VERY disappointing, but fortunately he got that working again! I guess I will have to send it in when birthdays are all done, again, thank you for all your advice!

[John from PA]

Since you found things "unplugged" I would try setting things back to the "default" and then retesting. Unfortunately I don't have the reset procedure for the G3. Hopefully someone can post it.

[bell]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I REALLY appreciate it! We actually decided today to just upgrade to the G6, my pics that I took today were cloudy, so I'm going to try selling the old G3 on e-bay and see what I can get for it...we'll see!

Thanks again

[gkas]

Since you found things "unplugged" I would try setting things back to the "default" and then retesting. Unfortunately I don't have the reset procedure for the G3. Hopefully someone can post it.

My S230 just got in a mode the other day where the display would not show the picture being taken, but the display options were on the display (flash stat, frame #, etc). Also, all the movie functions and review screens worked OK. I was going to take the case apart and look for a loose cable. While I was looking for disassembly instructions I came across this little jewel.

Reset to factory defaults: In the photo taking mode, hold the MENU button down for at least 5 seconds. First, the menu will display then the screen will clear, and the question to the effect 'Do you want to reset to factory defaults?'. Answer in the standard manner.

This reset fixed my problem. Apparently it got into some strange display mode. The reset cleared it all up. No need to take the camera apart. It's soo easy to do, it's always worth a try. It worked on my S230, my wifes G3, but not my 20D.