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#266347 - 13/10/2005 18:32 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
P.S. Any pics of your Elph surgery?

Yes, but since this was my only "good" digicam, I couldn't get any good pictures. Just some blurry ones with my crappy cell phone camera.

But I did figure out why the LCD broke and I've got pics of that. But I'm not going to post those until I've got the camera working again, because what I really need is a high-rez close up photo of the break point on the old LCD, and I need the high rez camera for that.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266348 - 14/10/2005 10:31 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 558
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
No idea. I never tried anything with the camera apart. I was too nervous that I might break the unit. If you were to call Canon Tech Support and hopefully get a technician on the line then maybe they could point out something that you might have missed.

On mine if I hold the Set button while powering on the camera the screen lights up and shows the time. Did yours ever do that? Maybe a keypress combination might be out there to "Reset" the camera as well. Maybe a firmware flash might fix it...

I am at a total loss as to what else to suggest.

Good Luck
Rene
_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#266349 - 14/10/2005 13:16 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
AndrewT
old hand

Registered: 16/02/2002
Posts: 867
Loc: Oxford, UK
Perhaps the new LCD is DOA? What about fitting the old one back again to see if the camera behaves differently?

FWIW, this forum discusses replacing the LCD and there's photos available to registered users.

I also found this page with a fairly detailed step-by-step guide. Perhaps mentally going through the procedure again using this guide might help you come up with something previously overlooked?

Oh, and this is the (entire) FAQ from the aforementioned URL:

Quote:
1. My screen just shows white or gray. (E.g. white screen, white display). What did I do wrong?
A. The ribbon cable that connects the LCD to the circuit board was not inserted deeply enough. The end of the ribbon cable has a narrow portion, then a very small much wider portion with two holes at either end, then it narrows again. The very tip should be inserted into the "socket" deeply enough that the wider portion is pressed right up against the "socket." Physically, it cannot be inserted more deeply.
It may help you to use two wooden or plastic toothpicks, one in each of the small holes at the end of the cable, to push the cable into the socket.

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#266350 - 14/10/2005 13:28 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
If you were to call Canon Tech Support and hopefully get a technician on the line then maybe they could point out something that you might have missed.

I called, of course. They were very nice, but said a) he couldn't think of anything I might have missed, and b) wasn't supposed to be offering that kind of support anyway.

Quote:
On mine if I hold the Set button while powering on the camera the screen lights up and shows the time. Did yours ever do that?

Yup, mine did that. Tried it. No joy. Tried every combination of pressing and holding keys I could think of. No joy.

Quote:
Maybe a firmware flash might fix it...

Or some kind of an internal reset. If only I knew how.

Quote:
Perhaps the new LCD is DOA? What about fitting the old one back again to see if the camera behaves differently?

Good suggestion. It was among the first things I tried. The old LCD does not work and the camera does not boot with the old LCD in place, either. Oddly, the camera worked with the old LCD in place before I dismantled the camera and replaced the LCD. Now the camera does not work at all, regardless of which LCD I fit.

Quote:
The very tip should be inserted into the "socket" deeply enough that the wider portion is pressed right up against the "socket." Physically, it cannot be inserted more deeply.

Yes, I saw this page, and I have seated and reseated that cable multiple times and I'm sure I've done it right.

I'll check those other links you sent and see if they have additional information that I've missed. Thanks for looking up those links.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266351 - 14/10/2005 13:35 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
mcomb
pooh-bah

Registered: 31/08/1999
Posts: 1649
Loc: San Carlos, CA
Quote:
Or some kind of an internal reset. If only I knew how.

Disconnect the battery and any internal battery backup and let it sit for a bit? Won't do you any good for settings in flash, but if it is storing anything in volatile memory you should be able to clear it.

-Mike
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EmpMenuX - ext3 filesystem - Empeg iTunes integration

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#266352 - 14/10/2005 15:29 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: mcomb]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
The battery was disconnected for a long period of time (days). If I knew what internal stuff to disconnect, I would...
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266353 - 14/10/2005 16:16 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
And my catch-22 is that I need a camera...

... any camera...

in less than six days.

I can't send this thing to Canon and get it back in that time frame.

And if I'm gonna buy a new camera, it's gonna be anything but a Canon.

Who's got suggestions of a unit that's exactly like this SD200, only not a Canon?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266354 - 14/10/2005 16:20 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
These were in the running when I decided on Canon...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfx9/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Pentax/pentax_optios6.asp

Ok, they are later models than the ones I was considering, but that probably means they are "better"...?

- Jon

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#266355 - 14/10/2005 16:26 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: jbauer]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Those are looking promising. Researching. Thanks.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266356 - 14/10/2005 16:31 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 558
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
Quote:
And my catch-22 is that I need a camera...

... any camera...

in less than six days.

I can't send this thing to Canon and get it back in that time frame.

And if I'm gonna buy a new camera, it's gonna be anything but a Canon.

Who's got suggestions of a unit that's exactly like this SD200, only not a Canon?


I hope Canon reads this thread!

Rene
_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#266357 - 14/10/2005 16:45 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
They didn't seem to care when I tried calling them for help again today, and told them the same thing.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266358 - 14/10/2005 16:53 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 558
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
It's too bad... and with such a seemingly widespread problem as this as well (not counting the failure to turn back on).



Rene
_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#266359 - 14/10/2005 19:53 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
The SD450, which is SUPPOSED to fix this issue is 304.15 at Dell with coupons right now...

I've read that it has a larger LCD (2.5 as opposed to a 2.0) but has FEWER pixels... WTF.

- Jon

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#266360 - 17/10/2005 09:56 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 558
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
One more thing... in desperation... give the camera a thwap on your desk or something solid. Not too had, but just enough that you might jiggle something inside. At this point you don't seem to have anything to lose.


Rene
_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#266361 - 17/10/2005 14:05 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
I've gently thwapped it a couple of times, but I'm worried because the LCD screen is prone to cracking, and I'd hate to crack the new LCD screen. Sigh.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266362 - 17/10/2005 17:27 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Put the bad LCD back in first?
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#266363 - 17/10/2005 19:45 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: wfaulk]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Yeah, I might try that.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266364 - 18/10/2005 07:41 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Tried all sorts of stuff with the old LCD back in place. Nothing.

I think I'm going to get one of those Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9 units. Optical image stabilization on a camera that small is amazing. Must have it.

Now, to find a local seattle dealer. The camera store at the mall: Zip. Best Buy: Zilich. Still looking.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266365 - 18/10/2005 15:46 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
Quote:
Optical image stabilization on a camera that small is amazing. Must have it.

Make sure you understand the trade offs of IS vs Aperture. IS will only help prevent camera shake, it won't stop movement. It's perfect if you want to handhold a picture of a waterfall, but useless if you want to photograph someone running. That said, I love my new IS lens, it's amazing technology.

Matthew

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#266366 - 18/10/2005 16:07 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: matthew_k]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Yes, thanks, I very clearly understand the difference between fixing hand-shake and fast exposure.

In terms of fast exposure, that camera seems to have the same performance as the Canon units (grainy ISO400 shots).

I can't believe no one in Seattle has this thing and I gotta special order it.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266367 - 24/10/2005 20:49 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA
So Tony, what happened? Any update?

- Jon

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#266368 - 26/10/2005 03:02 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: ShadowMan]
jbauer
veteran

Registered: 08/05/2000
Posts: 1429
Loc: San Francisco, CA

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#266369 - 27/10/2005 05:04 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: jbauer]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
So Tony, what happened? Any update?

Gosh darn web browser interface for replying to messages just ate my reply.

Me types much shorter version of reply.

Canon: Still no worky. Angry about it. Anyone want non-worky Canon? If you can fix it you can pay me a reasonable price.

Panasonic DMC-FX9. Me likey. Some stuff worse than canon, some stuff better. Low light and indoor light shots much more grainy, but image stabilization makes it all worth it, allowing me to capture a lot more pictures without flash than I otherwise would. Panasonic has no stitch-assist mode for panoramas, but turns out that you can get some pretty great panoramas by hand without stitch assist.

Took an entire set of pics and movies in Ohio because I got the DMC-FX9 just in the nick of time. Pictures are here.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266370 - 27/10/2005 06:35 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
Panasonic has no stitch-assist mode for panoramas, but turns out that you can get some pretty great panoramas by hand without stitch assist.

Can you lock the exposure settings without stitch assist?

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#266371 - 27/10/2005 10:20 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tman]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Quote:

Can you lock the exposure settings without stitch assist?


From looking at the DPReview page it looks like the answer is no. Unlike Eryl's Panasonic you can't manually set the shutter/apperture on the FX9.
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday

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#266372 - 27/10/2005 15:23 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: andy]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Interesting. I kept meaning to find the exposure-lock feature in the manual, and never got around to looking for it. You just saved me an hour.

Thing is, I can adjust the exposure of each panel in the stitching software itself. Even when I was using the exposure-lock on the Canon, I needed to do this because I'd still get discontinuity of exposure between frames. So having to do that with this FX9 is not a big deal.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266373 - 07/08/2006 02:15 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31563
Loc: Seattle, WA
Well fuck shit piss damn hell.

Fuck this right in the ear.

This has not been my year for LCDs.

What else, then, if not the Panasonics and not the Canons?

Looking for:
- Super small size
- Decent low-light shots
- Zoom
- SCREENS THAT DON'T FUCKING CRACK WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP

Cocksuckers.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#266374 - 07/08/2006 02:59 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
larry818
old hand

Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1033
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
Most eloquently put...

I've had no probs with the Nikon.

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#266375 - 07/08/2006 03:01 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: tfabris]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
Perhaps the problem lies more in how you are carrying it. I seem to recall that you put it in the front pocket of the empeg bag. While that's a convenient place, it's not padded in any way, and it's right next to a relatively heavy object to exert some force on it if set down roughly.

Perhaps look and see if you can find something with more protection. Crumpler is my bag brand of choice, but there are plenty of others.

Also, consider buying from costco or somewhere where you can get an extended waranty that will cover the screen. The trend in cameras is not stronger materials, it's cheaper materials combined with bigger screens, which is a great combination for ending up with a broken LCD.

Matthew

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#266376 - 07/08/2006 03:09 Re: My Canon SD500 LCD Broke... [Re: matthew_k]
larry818
old hand

Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1033
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
We abuse the Nikon pretty badly, it's about 1.5 years old now. It even takes decent movies. I'm surprised at the quality for such a small camera.

It's a Coolpix 5900

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