I own 2 Canon products, the A70 and the A2000IS. I love both. Last month I started having problems with the screen on the A70. Black screen and unable to view photos. I took the unit to the local Canon approved shop. Not to worry they said, it is a CCD problem and we are aware of it! (6 years old) We will repair it and ship the unit back to you free of charge! HATS OFF to Canon. Excelent customer service in 2009 WOW! I am in the market for an HD video cam and now will definatly purchase my 3rd Canon unit in 7 years. Other brands should take lesson on this one.

BRAVO Canon!

Bob
Montreal

p.s. My 74 year old father just purchased a Canon digital camera (following my service experience) and is very impressed with the ease of opperation.

Bought this camera in 2003. I've dropped it several times, and damaged the case; I've had Canon replace the faulty ccd (no charge); and have had no problems. I'm delighted with the camera, but almost wish it would fail, so that I'd have an excuse to buy a newer camera. I've taken thousands of photos with it. The 3x zoom is, for me, its only shortcoming—I'd look for 10x today, and a larger view-screen. Marvellous macros, too.Thank you, Canon

Although not cheap at the time, this was a good entry level camera at the time of purchase (2003). I worked without problems for 2 years but then the purple lines started. Since then I have had it repaired 4 times by Canon SA. It has now started to fail again after a month with limited use. I suppose it is time to replace it. Should I buy a Canon again? Must give them credit, their after sales service was hassle free, so maybe I should buy another Canon

A great camera but There is a ccd problem that canon will repair for free. I sent mine in to get fixed and is working like new now. Canon really stool behind this product and gave me no hassles. quick repair.

I used my canon A70 at Coven meetings and when Driving Truck it was very fun and useful. In june 2006 my shutter button or something inside quit working, not sure why?

I have used this camera on and off over the years taking very good care of it and it recently stopped taking pictures with those horrible blue purple lines in the lcd image appearing like the other people here have described.I am in Melbourne Australia and I am wandering if canon still offers the free out of warranty repair for this camera as it is a known manufacturing problem to them.I payed $650 for this camera when it was released so I am not very happy.

I bought this camera because my daughter had one just like it. I Paid $299.99 at target for this Camera. My daughres camera stopped working after 2 years. We sent it back and it was repaired for free at that time on the Cannon Web she stated that they had received a lot od defective CCD cards, and would repair any camera with this problem for free. My A70 is now 3 years old and has developed the same problem, My daughter's A70 Had. It is in the process of being shipped back to them now. They Offered me a new replacement Camera an A570 for a payment of $75.00. I checked out the A570 and regular retail of this camers is $149.99. I paid $299.99 for my A70. I'm not sure If I want to pay $75.00 more for a camera that cost half of what my old camera cost.

This is my first digital camera, but overall, I have found it to take beautiful pictures and be very easy to use.

When I discovered that something was wrong with it, I went directly to Canon's site and quickly found a possible answer to the problem. I sent an email inquiry and received a response the next morning. Fortunately, it was just the CCD and eligible for free repair (I know, it's their fault, but I was relieved that I wasn't going to have to pay for it!).

They emailed me a packaging label the same day and I mailed it out the next. I just received my camera back by FedEx exactly one week later, restored to factory condition. Wow. I'm impressed.

I would say their service department is top notch! Nothing ever goes that smoothly!

When I take ten photos a purple/black image appears 0n the screen. I have to stop taking photos for ten minutes then it clears up. I can take another round of eight photos, then the blurr comes up again.

This is actually a very good camera, and I enjoy mine a lot. But if you encounter the symptoms in this title, the it sounds like you have a defective CCD imager. If so, Canon should fix this for you for free, including free shipping both ways. This is regardless of your camera's warranty status. Please check the following two links for more info:
http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/11/canon-digital-cameras-showing-black.html
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&fcategoryid=225&modelid=13390&keycode=2112&id=29819
Applicable cameras include:
A40, A60, A70, A75, A80, A85, A95, A300, A310, S1 IS, S60, S200, S230, S330, S400, S410, S500, SD100, SD110, IXUS V2/300/400/430/500, IXY Digital 200a/300a/400/450/500

The camera worked reliably for about 3 years then came the intermittent black or purple screen. Then I started to doubt my photographic ability as the pics began to blurr until now if it starts up properly I realize that apparently it won't focus. After all the blogs I'm looking at a Fujifilm. Certainly never a Canon again as I've heard such a lot of complaints about their products.

I used A70 camera around 4 years. Two times major repairs. I spend 120% of the camera value to repairs. That behaviour is not good for my pocket, but pleasure to Canon Company. Two times camera had same problum, LCD imaging unit is not working or blot pictures both times. First time Canon agent informed me it is a Factory Defect, but second time they not mentioned like that. Cunning companies. This camera good for outside pictures, not good for inside pictures. I took more than 6000 pictures, after that i feel so. Anyway not recomended to buy for long time use. better for 1-2 years maximum. If you have unnecessary money, then you can buy.

I bought this camera 4years ago and have been able to use it for about 2 years. I have got all the problems... E18 errors, dust behind display, the CCD error, blurry image, zoom control which fails..... It's been back several times when it was still in warranty, but when warranty is expired (just 1 year here in europe) you are out of luck.

The past year i couldn't get it to work anymore, (e18 error) but just a few weeks ago i decided to slam/hit it a few times on the side of the case to see what would happen. It actually started to work again! (still purple lines and random e18, but at least i can make a picture again... but without using the zoom .. because then the camera locks up completely)

I am very disapointed, because i didn't pay +400 euros to use this camera for just 2 years. Hell i have some analogue camera's which are +15years old and still work fabulous.

What upsets me most is that i wrote Canon a letter about this and they put all blame on Sony for the CCD error and say the E18 error is because of possible 'bad use'. Bad use my ass when so MANY people report these problems. It is a production fault in my eyes.

I don't think i will ever buy a Canon camera again. They are good quality when they work, but as soon as problems arise you are left in cold. I am now looking for a Panasonic camera as i have good experience with their videocamera's.

The first year was great, took a while to focus and usualy lose the shot. but the quality of the pic made up for that in my opinion. less than a year of owning it and the pics were blurry and everyone had severe red eye. then there were digital lines showing up in the pics so I took it in covered by the waranty from future shop. they cleaned it and replaced a part (cant remember now), but the camera was still blurry, bad redeye and digital lines. then it had purple and pink flashes showing up in the pics. now my screen went black and it doesnt take anything but pure black pics now. I paid around $700 for this camera thinking it should last a good 5 years, hence the 5 year warranty i bought. I only used it for a year because of the problems with it, i hope i can have it replaced under my warranty

Worst camera I have ever owned. Lens froze while under warranty. Sent it back and got it fixed but then it started freezing again, at the worst times possible. Playing with camera opening and battery worked at first but now it is totally frozen. I bought it with an underwater cover. Now both are useless to me.

shutter speed is too slow. pics are ok. haven't used the camera much then all of sudden the lens froze and does not retract or extend. furthermore, the screen display also malfunctioned while on an exotic vacation and missed lots photo opportunities and memories. the camera was bearly used.

pass on this camera and go to the next!

Bought this, my first digital, in 2003.Great price for a camera that allows everything between fully automatic and fully manual(my reason for choosing it). Dropped it twice, big-time, damaging the case, but it still works like a charm. NO problems. I look longingly at newer Canons, with larger screens, and greater optical zooms;but cannot justify buying a new one while this works so well. Macro shots esp, incredibly sharp.

My camera worked fine for a while, but then the images degraded into a strange purple distortion, which is not just in the viewfinder it's also the recorded image.

I found that gently twisting the camera body (it's made out of plastic after all) will resolve the issue temporarily, sometimes for just a single image. So I'm literally wringing pictures out of the camera!

If I had a company that produced these, I would recall them, fix the detector issue and replace them to all my customers for free.

Canon has evidently decided that purple images are just fine, and has offered no such program.

Then get an F.

I inherited my A70 from my dad after he died. Worked great for a year. Then i got to be best man at my friends wedding. Guess what I get the black screen with lines on the wedding day. I am very upset.

After 13 month's use, the black screen and purple lines appeared in display and shots taken. Cannon sent label and repaired free of charge. Thirteen months later, the same ploblem is occuring this time with no visible picture at all just the lines.

Am waiting to receive another shipping label from cannon. I will follow up on this review when my camera is repaired.

I bought this camera in the summer of 2003 so I have owned it for about 3 1/2 years. I would say I am a moderate user. Since purchasing the camera and looking at my files on the C Drive I would estimate I have taken about 5,000 pictures with this camera.

I have not had any problems with this camera. Last year I was having difficulty with battery life, but I purchased new rechargeables and that seemed to fix the problem. I take pretty good care of my gadgets so my camera has no scratches, dings or cracks. That is not to say I baby them either. I have never carried the camera in a protective case. I either toss it in my purse, strap it to a belt loop, throw it in my pocket or carry with the wrist strap. I have used in the rain in Ireland to the barns at rodeo. It takes great pictures in low light conditions and is wonderful at action shots as lon as you switch mode from auto to action (person swimming icon). My only complaint is that I sell on Ebay sometimes and when I have small items like jewelry, 3x optical zoom doesn't pick up the detail sharply enough and digital zoom isn't good for detail. Turning the macro on solves the problem in most instances, but I would like higher optical zoom.

Bought the A70 in mid 2003 and was very very happy with it. Took great care of it and it never let me down. At the start of 2007 I was taking photos and switched shooting mode dial and saw (for the first time) the LCD screen began to flicker purple and white flashes of light. The photos I subsequently took were only of the purple and white light flashing on the LCD. I switched the camera off and later in the day switched it on again and it had corrected itself, but it didn't take long for the purple and while flashes to appear again and the camera (after 2 weeks) has not corrected itself again. I showed it to 3 different people in 3 different stores and they claim that they have never seen such a problem before. I was told that it wouldn't be worthwhile fixing it because of the price-drop in digital cameras. A real shame and an absurd waste of money.

Had this camera almost 2 years, it took some great pictures and videos....
Recently it just stopped taking pictures, I changed the CF card and was able to take 4 more pictures until the same thing happened....
Hit the shutter button, nothing would happen. No focus, no flashing light, no picture....
Finally, my frustration reaching its peak, I smacked the thing a few times and boom, worked like new...
Not a good sign, if ya know what I mean... ;)

I have had my canon A70 for about 3 years and have been very happy with it-until i had a problem with what i thought was my memory card.It showed "corrupt data" and then lost all my pictures,and then showed memory card error and would not let me take any more pictures.Thinking it was a problem with my memory card, i got a new one,and i have now had the same trouble again-losing all my pictures before i had a chance to print or download them!!!After reading these reviews,i am not sure if i want to try to get it repaired or cut my losses and get a new camera.I have been really happy till this point.Do i get a new canon????

Like others, I enjoyed this camera until recently - in fact just as it became 3 years old. Now the shutter will not close, telephoto does not work. At first, I was fooled into believing that it was due to rechargeable battery problem. Bought new high-quality non-recharge but to no avail. Blurring now, too. Sigh.

Bought it on the strength of recommendations and reviews.

Viewfinder crooked fronm day one.

No reply from Canon Australia on this.

Picture quality very good. Quite happy with performance and features until it refused to recognise the battery pack.

Now won't start up despite new batteries.

Never buy another Canon.

Pentax here I come.

Fortunately I did not have any image, LCD or any problems until I dropped it in the lake. I had almost three years of trouble free operation out of this delightful and well priced unit. Even after dropping it in the lake, it still functioned after a drying period of several days. As a professional photographer, I have been given Nikon's to use as that is what my employer bought. My fellow photographers always coveted the Canon's and many paid for their own because IMHO and others, they are superior. Please do not judge the pro line by the performance or reliability of any budget "point and shoot" camera. I'm sorry, but you do get what you pay for, and in the world of electronic cameras, the lifespan is greatly reduced compared to the old manual models. I am happy to have gotten as much use and abuse out of my A70 as I did! It got dunked, dropped, baked and still came up shooting.

Used this A70 extensively and have been very happy with it. Recently the LCD went all blurry and so too the pictures. Looks like it may be able to be repaired under warranty. I was thinking of upgrading to a later model and this may do the trick.

I have thought, and have been telling my friends that I must be an extremely unlucky person to have owned that one manufacturer defective A70 cameras out of the millions being produced. I encountered all the problems described by the other users. You name it: E18 error, lens does not retract within the 1st year, LCD went blank, purple lines appearing. I have had my unit repaired 4 times. The cost of repair is definitely higher than getting a new one. The last repair was in March 2006, and when i wrote a very disappointed review at the Customer Service Centre in Glenmarie, Malaysia, a CS Manager called and refunded the last repair bill. Yes, it happened again. The Purple lines have resurrected but I condemn it dead. I am really disappointed with Canon not recalling defective products or offer an exchange when the major defect was discovered. You now just add the models with similar defects. So what. The fact that I am lead to your website through an internet search for review of digital cameras and to discover that Canon A70 ranks No.1 in the worst digital camera to own has help me conclude that Canon is not a responsible company. And Yes, Thank you for allowing me and other customers who have suffered to write 'good reviews' on a bad product. I have decided to buy a Panasonic for Christmas.

i brought my A70 along when I went to travel around Asia for 10 months (after I bought it 2 years earlier), I was using this camera extensively, taking as many as 50 shots in average per day. It broken down after 8 months, with a known defect, and afterwards, the memory card reader is not functioning well, the camera lens have to be prick open, the LCD doesnt show the picture, and baterry is also not functioning.
I think the life-span is up. But before that, i am pretty happy with A70, although i would go for a faster start up time camera.

Had mine 2 years, its now a dead hunk of junk. I loved the picture quality, but these are just temporarily functional pieces of junk. Manufacturer doesn't care, they made their money. I will not buy another Canon product for as long as I live.

I guess I got lucky; my A70 gave me great pics for 3 years before suddenly giving out. One very hot day I took pics at a lake, then stashed the camera in my beach bag. The next day, black purple screen and black/purple images. Two weeks later took it to camera shop; they turned it on & it worked perfectly... for about a week, then reverted to same problem. Until now, I had no idea that this was a universal problem.

My camera is worse than Lionels - its already been back 5 times for major repairs in 2 years. And this week , a new problem, I cannot download pic to computer via usb cable. I get a message saying the devic has malfunctioned.
Anyone else had this?

I got the chance to see those wonderful black and purple wavy lines in August 2005. Sent the camera in to Canon Service Centre and they returned it in perfect working condition. I was charged RM299 (USD81.99) for the repairs. A week ago, the LCD screen went black and I couldn't take pictures, even with the viewfinder. Then the barrel wouldn't retract. The camera kept telling me to replace the batteries. Eight brand new batteries later, I went on the net and discovered a whole kettleful of rotten fish! If I'd known this camera was so unreliable, I wouldn't have depended on it to record my son's first ever concert appearance! Now I don't have photos for memories, no functioning camera and almost no faith left in Canon. But I'm giving them a chance... the last one.

A year into owning the camera, we had lines going across the lense that would show on the prints. We were told to reform the card. We did, the lines disappeared for the most part, but not all the time. Pictures have never been good since; always fuzzy. Now I am out for the treat of our life, picking apples with our granddaughter, and the camera stops. We think it is batteries; we put new batteries in. Lense will not retract.

piece of crap. Owned for a couple of years and it's been in the repair shop this will be the fourth time. Try contacting canon by e-mail but no replies. wanted to see if they had some kind of lemmon protection and would make good. With this camera I had given them the chance to woo me as a loyal customer and give me at least a credit on another purchase of their product. But so far no contact.
So obviously I need another camera, but you can bet that I will never purchase another canon product. Mainly because they don't back up the quality of their workmanship.
I don't know if I had purchased a lemon, which most reliable companies will make it right, or if they are aware of the problems and are still willing to sell a piece of crap to the public without any support.
So buyer beware. There is no support with canon products.

This camera was great for about 1 year. for the 2nd year it had the purple lines across the screen which were recorded with each picture rendering it useless. It stopped working altogether with the e18 error after a year and a half. I sent it for repair after owning for 2 years when it wouldn't even turn on. Canon repaired it for free, but now 4 months later the same problems have resurfaced. DON'T BUY THIS CAMERA. EVERY SINGLE PERSON I KNOW WHO HAS IT HAS HAD TROUBLE WITH IT.

I've had the purple and black stripes as well as the E18, come on Canon this is ridiculous! I'm definately not getting another Canon. I would seriously suggest you shop around...

Great camera for the first 2 years. Then the E 18 problem struck and now forced to ditch it because it is cheaper to replace than to repair. Won't buy a Canon again. Thanks for the blog it helps to know others are inthe same position.

My LCD went bad, and had to send it in for my free repair. Almost two months later, they sent me the wrong camera. I called and we went over the issue, and they got me to send that one back. A month or so later, they sent another camera, claiming the repairs were complete. Once again, this is not the camera I sent in for repair. I initially had the A70 that was silver and blue. They sent me the all silver one, which is fine i suppose, except for the fact that the one they sent me is so beat up and scratched...Im so unhappy with the customer service I recieved. I wish I had just taken my camera to a repair shop and paid for the repairs. Good little camera though.

Overall, my A70 has been great. However, I just experienced the same distortion this week that others have mentioned. After two visits to local, 'reputable' camera shops this afternoon, I was told by Shop A that the shutter was broken. Shop B said the sensor was out and it would be <$$$ to buy new. Thanks for the heads-up - you all saved me a few hundred dollars.

I paid $100 to get it repaired the first time through Canon and this time (2 yrs post repair)learned I can get free repair (call Canon at 800 828-4040). It's a recognized problem/default!!!

I am ready for a new reliable and less battery consuming camera that will close its shutter consistently!

Great camera. Except for when using a Wide Angle lens. The lens blocks half of the flash so you end up with a curved shadow in the pic. other than that its been a great camera until today when I experienced the wavy and black display. However I called canon and they are fixing it for free with paid shipping. There is a service note for it so if you have this problem call them.

By the previous descriptions and comments, it sounds like I am not alone! My family has experienced all of the problems listed here - lens not retracting, fuzzy LCD and pictures, buzzing with the picture taking, and now the black LCD.

I too have had the purple screen problem. I called Cannon customer service. They are fixing this problem for free. They even emailed me a UPS shipping label so I do not have to pay the cost to ship it to them. Takes about one month total to get shipping label, send it to them, have them fix it, and ship it back. Inconvenient to be with out the camera for a month, but better than buying a new one or having to pay for the repair.

Love the Camera, have had some problems though. I got the E18 code stuck lens problem about a year ago, brough it into the Winnipeg Canaon service centre & they fixed it, no cost, past warranty. Last week, I broght it in last week again due to the purple screen (if you whack the camera, it clears up for a while) they said no problem no cost.
While I was disapointed in these problems, the camera has been great otherwise & I would certainly buy a Canon again. My only real complaint has been the slow shutter speed & the fact that they include a worthless 16mg card.

I've been really pleased with this camera until the lens started to have intermittent trouble retracting. The problem frequency became worse—the lens is stuck ("E18" as described by others). It's inordinately expensive to get fixed and Canon is offering a refurbished A510 for $99 in exchange. Seems odd to accept a cheaper model and give the deficient one for about the same price as a refurbished one retails for.

When I buy another camera I doubt it will be a Canon.

Good camera - took lot of pictures for the first one and half years - I got E18 problem suddenly and then my camera lens never closed. Could not take long shots at all - close shots are also not good. JUNK THE CAMERA ONCE YOU GET E18 as it is more expensive to fix than buying a new camera!!!

I'm having a problem with a shutter button, it just won't work. When I'm pressing it, nothing happens.
Did anyone experience the same problem?

I am having the same problems as the other unhappy consumers. When I take an image it is all black, whith blue and purple lines across the black. I was also hoping that there was a recall because I have a friend with the same exact camera and same exact problem.

Worked okay and then, like so many others, got purple pictures that were fuzzy. Worked okay again until shortly after coming back from a trip, got the scrambled display. Local camera shop where I bought it charged me $30 for an estimate (IN ADVANCE) and a week later, they (Canon Canada I guess) want $200 to replace the LCD unit.
A friend of mine had the same camera and they fixed his at no charge stating there was a problem with the LCDs. I'm in the midst of fighting with Canon to get this resolved.

I bought from a small dealer rather than a big box store because I try to buy local and figure I get better service. I thought they'd stand behind their product but I guess I was wrong.

I need this camera for business purposes - another reason I bought local and didn't cheap out.

After that, two months ago my A70, just went black. I have been informed by the local service in Brazil that this is a worldwide quality issue with the image sensor CCD, acknowledged by Canon. This is not a matter of warranty time!!! The least the manufacturer can do is solve the problem, free of charge and very quickly, to avoid loosing its market share.
We, the users are the only ones who can help by putting pressure on them, going to the press, and telling to all our friends.

I had the purple screen problem, had it fixed by Canon Malaysia, and now 1 year later, I have the same problem again.
Apart from that I had 2 other major problems within the first year of owning the camera. I can't even remember what they are now, as I am quite disgusted with the camera.
Does anyone know if the later more recent models suffer from these purple screen problems?

I had the camera as soon as it was no longer new, or about 2 years. I usally always wait for electronics to progess some, the next model came out and then the a70 came down in price and I bought it. I have taken a bit over 30K pictures with it as a hobbist and Dad. IT does great pictures at night, awesome focus abilities to UV and heat I think it is. I use it for ghost hunting and have caught several orbs with it due to its focus catching ability. Issues tho, after short life it has ended with the screen or lens going bad. I cant take pictures half the time since the camera has a mind of its own. It works and then when it dont the view screen is choppy and blured. It takes pictures this way too but there all messed up. So in the end, its awesome when it works. But for 300 dollars it should work longer then 2 years.

The camera worked great for the 1st year and a half (I was in photo heaven).. But then strange little things started to happen. LCD Screen flicker in shoot mode, slight banding with pictures, loss of picture quality (Fuzzy, grainy), slow picture taking (up to 10 secs to snap a picture after pressing the button). Initially thought my camera skills were skipping and put a lot of the issues down to human error. Recently got the Purple Tie-Die screen and decided to search the web to see what was up.. After reading/experiencing most of the issues reported issues, feel a little let down by canon for a year and a half of degraded pictures.. Hopefully they'll fix it for free or offer some sort of cost effective upgrade (otherwise I'll be looking for a different branded camera). I've only just sent a request into Canon canada, and how they respond will effect how my final rating will go.

I purchased the Canon A70 after reading rave reviews and now 2 1/2 years later I got the dreaded purple/black screen. I took the camera apart and resetted the ribbon cable above the screen and has been working now for a week (approx 50 pics). I also notice within the last year that the picture I take inside tend to have a blue hue to them. I just use Photoshot to correct this but is an extra step. Looking now at the Canon S2 IS and hope this gives me more reliable and better pictures than the A70.

I've been the owner of a powershot A70 camera for almost two years now. I loved the camera because it took great photos and was easy to use: however, up until about two months ago it has not been working properly. Two months ago I turned on the camera and the viewfinder (LCD) shows a purplish/black distorted image. The pictures and video clips I had already taken were clear and videos still played like normal, but any new pictures taken are taken and saved as distorted in purplish/black. At first I thought, maybe the settings got messed up and I messed around with it for an hour and it finally snapped out of it and was fine for awhile. Now, the same thing again except this time it hasn't snapped out of it. The serial number of my camera is 6922441034

I have had this camera for 12 months. Just out of warrenty and I get an E18 code. This means my lens will not retract. Loved the camera until canon won't stand behind their product! And I am finding that in all canons there are tons of us out there with the same exact problem.

...mine slowly succumbed to the Purple Syndrome, mailed it on a Monday, got it back the next Tuesday, fixed, cleaned, adjusted. Great, great camera, I've used it every day, bike riding, in the bush, for several years, 1,000's of pix, all switches LAST very well, impressive switchgear durability...its actually holding up quite well. Only wish it had an MP3 player like my old Kodak MC3....

I bought this camera and the probelum was that its LCD was always flickering.I gave the camera back to the canon and even now after one month i am waiting for thet to come after repair.
..They never provided service ...Go for some different make.Sure i wont buy canon Product again.

George Joseph
Thengummoottil
Kappad
Kerala
India

Do not buy! This camera sucks, only worked well for couple months and then off and on with e18 error and the shutter never closed without me tapping it. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Everything ok except CCD problem as others review. The problem occurred in September 2005 and the camera was sent repair. It cost me S$60. Realize that the camera can be repaired due to CCD problem FOC. I paid the repair fee already. Never receive info from service center telling me what to do for my case.

Camera worked fine for just over a year then a camera I paid $600 for gets the E18 error just outside warrenty. Spoke to local camera specialist and told they charge $90 just to look at camera never mind trying to fix it. Unfortunately I also bought a canon video camera at the same time and i'm now waiting for it to also fail.

one day the lens came out when I turned it on. The lense is stuck in the extended position and nothing else works. The camera just went dead.
Canon wanted over 120 for repairs but offered an upgrade to A75 for $109 plus shipping. I accepted but never got the replacement camera. It got lost in shipping.

Thank goodness I found this website to calm me down after a couple of days of total frustration with Canon. I've been satisfied as a casual user of the A70 for about 2 years, but bang ...now at that magic age I'm joining the long list of discontented ex-Canonites here. I've had the flickering line problem for a long time but just ignored it and hoped it would go away. Now this week, the lens cover jammed and now won't close as the rechargeable batteries were running low. I bought a new set of batteries and charger, but still doesn't help. It will turn on, but the view is fuzzy. THEN to add insult to injury, now the service, actually, NO SERVICE problems. I call Canon Canada 1800 and they tell me to take it to the Canon office who would evaluate and avise me of a repair estimate before I decided what to do. So I drive across this big city and go to the service centre ... who promptly tell me that they get 100 cameras a day and couldn't possibly evaluate each one first, so it will be a flat $150 charge, unless of course there's additional charges for water or impact damage. And they don't want to let me take my camera home because they've already checked me into the computer ... before they told me about the flat charge. I demanded to take it back as what they told me contradicted the 1800 info just an hour earlier. I've called the 1800 back who say that doesn't make sense and that "I must not have understood" line, and I'll have to call the service centre ... in other words, no one at Canon wants to take any responsibility. SO I gues this one joins the 2-year-and-disposable list. I'm not about to pay a flat $150 repair ... that's almost 1/2 a new one. And now that I've read this site the next one won't be a CANON. Sign me up for the class action!

It has recently come to our attention that the vendor-supplied CCD image sensor used in this Canon digital camera may cause the following malfunction: When the product is used in recording or playback mode, the LCD screen and/or electronic viewfinder may exhibit either a distorted image or no image at all. While reports of this malfunction have been rare in the United States, we have determined that it may occur if the product is exposed to hot and humid environments.

Effective immediately, and regardless of warranty status, Canon will repair, free of charge, products exhibiting the above-mentioned malfunction if the malfunction is caused by the CCD image sensor. Canon will also cover the cost of shipping and handling in connection with this repair.

U.S. residents are kindly directed to contact the Canon Customer Support Center for further assistance at 1-800-828-4040. Support hours are Monday thru Friday - 8:00 AM to 12:00 midnight; and Saturday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (all times EST). Alternatively, if electronic support is preferred, please send your email to carecenter@cits.canon.com

This information is for residents of the United States of America and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue, and appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you for your support and patronage of Canon products

This is my favourite camera ever. It is so easy to use and zoomin in and out is a breeze. Awsome camera!!!

My A70 was excellent as a simple easy to use underwater camera that had a handy snap on polycarbonate case. I took thousands of great shots till the CCD went into black and purple lines. Initially I thought I must have accidently dropped some seawater on it !!! Later I found out that other A70 users had the same problem too! I called the Canon Service Center in Malaysia and had a whole load of excuses like did you drop it and so on...I was so frustrated I left it just lying in my cupboard for months!!! Then a friend e-mailed me a posting that finally Canon accepted responsibility and will reapir the CCD for free. I sent it to the Service Center again but this time, they said ants had made a nest in my camera and ate out the circuit board!!!! Hence, they would not repair the camera. I still don't know how the ants got in but I told Canon that if the CCD had not malfunctioned, I'd not have put it for so many months in the cupboard (strangely I could not find any ants in my cupboard!!!). Now I'm really frustrated. I've got this super underwater casing for the A70(no complains) but Canon will not take any responsibility for my camera. I'm going to tell all my friends NOT to even consider a Canon ever again!!! I hope someone from Canon reads this and realizes what a mess they got themselves into now.

same old problem it seems from this forum about the ccd going bad, cant take any more photographs, to add to this problem after 12 months i could start seeing white spots with the flash, please dont buy even the online site of canon does not address this problem.....avoid

Please check out Canon's website. I have been talking back and forth with them for two days now concerning the PowerShot A70. They are going to repair your cameras if it relates to the problem they have posted. Check it out, maybe you can get yours repaired. They are going to send you a shipping package to send your camera in, and it will be postage paid.

I am from the Philippines. I too bought my Canon A70 after some months of extensive research. I had been happy with it until last month, when I took a trup to the US, for a vacation.

I pulled it out, expecting the same crisp, vibrant images I had always gotten. Instead, the very first picture I took was a fuzzy jumble of pruple, black, and white. Totally unrecognizable!

I noticed that I could review previously taken and saved images perfectly well. They were still clear. But every new shot I took was a mess! So I figured, it must be something to do with the lens or the sensor. I thought it might be condensation, due to the plane trip and the changes in climate.

After all the frustration, I noticed that, as I took more photos, the image started to clear up so it was now a purple distorted image, but I could identify the subject, by shape.

The last "aha" I had was that: if I shot the sun directly, especially with slightly extended exposures/wide apertures, the succeeding pictures would clear up, so colors were almost right, and proportions were not as distorted. However, once the camera is shut off and put on again, it's back to ugly square one.

I had been hoping that this problem was one of mold, which can be cleaned up. But, reading from all the reports, I am beginning to feel very uneasy.

After near 2 year since buying it, this DC got serious problem. Last week I took it out of storage then take some pictures, I felt quite disapoited with the result, the purples are alot. At first, I think that's due to the light mode may not suitable, then I tried all picture mode but the result still the same. Next two days, my younger sister used it to take picture. How hopeless it is, the DC can not take any picture anymore. All the other portions still can work except CCD, the result is same as the LCD display which all are purple.

For all of you with display problems, Canon will now fix it, regardless of warranty status, at no cost to you. See the following:

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=221&modelid=8776

Of course, this comes less than 2 months after we contacted Canon about our CCD, paid for the refurbed A75m and now have a problem with the A75. Canon is not winning any of our loyalty, that's for sure. We'll be calling them on Monday. We're hoping they'll take the high road and rectify this situation.

After owning canon SLR's & compacts in the past I happily bought an A70 for $A699. Had all the good canon features - fully auto/fully manual - and everything in between. Took great pictures until the E18 struck. What a common problem. No more canons for me. No.1 son has had a Fuji for the same time - lower price & no probs.

Had the dreaded blackscreen problem. Read all the similar rosy comments about Canon here. I went to the Canon Canada website. They are now offering free repair for this problem.

Unless I tap, twist or pop the lens once it has opened, there will be no picture. I get lines, purple haze or nothing. Seems to be a design flaw.

This camera was great for the first two years, but last Thursday my daughter turned it on and the CCD was displaying black w/purple lines like others here have reported. It wasn't the LCD, and the retraction mechanism worked fine. The next time we tried it the display (in cameral mode) was totally black and no amount of slapping, etc. would bring it back. Shortly after I found this forum. Last night I disassembled the camera and checked the things that others had found, but there were no loose screws, etc. For anyone interested it looks like Sony makes the LCD display (which is why it probably didn't fail!). Re-assembled, and still no go. Pulled out the SD card and batteries and pitched it into the trash. No more Cannon digitals for me, I'm looking at a Fuji finepix E550. Its funny 'cause I have a 25yo cannon AE-1 that works great and never have had trouble with. Guess they don't have the same quality standards anymore.

I bought A70 after 1 month of extensive research in Nov 2003 (hugh investment, first digital camera, and zero knowledge). I loved this camera and took good care of it for 21 months (never drop it), then the dreaded CCD problem happened and camera out of warranty. It took black video and pictures only. Cost of repair is 20% of the original camera price. Yes, I agree that electronics tend to fail but 21 months of usage, with less than 3000 pictures taken is (by my standard) too unreliable! It should last for at least 4 years.

Until about 2 weeks ago, I absolutely loved this camera. Problems starting with the lens not retracting all the way. Then the E18 message. Now it won't power up. I was going to take it to a local camera shop for repair. After reading all of these reviewed, now I think I will set it aside, buy a Sony and wait for the class action lawsuit.

It was nice to find this page. After a little over 2 years the A70 dreaded fuzzy LCD problem occured. After a good shaking the image came back to the LCD and I was able to get a picture. Not only does Canon rip you off, but also their authorized dealers. One guy wanted $50.00 just to pop the hood and have a look. He probabley knew what was the problem after I expained it. it seems all too common for Him/her not to know. Guess I will shake it to death. From what I read not worth the money or effort to fix it. Hope my new Elura 65 gives me better performance?

After almost 2 years I've developed the infamous CCD problem. Dark screen. Now my 300.00 camera is a paper weight. Is it possible to get this part and install it myself?
Thanks Cannon for making an expensive disposable camera.

I was having the same problem as other people (purple bars, flickering. That's actually a A60 but the symptoms are the same and it is almost the same camera anyway). After reading the reviews I decide to give it a shot and fix it. Here's what I did:

WARNING: the internal capacitor is charged and will give you small shock if you inadvertedly touch it. I did that twice.

Also, note that this is not a very easy task. It takes some hand coordination and a magnetized philips screwdriver.

4 pieces:
- main body
- front cover
- back cover
- zoom/microphone cover

1 - zoom cover
- two screws deep down into the battery compartment (must remove
batteries to reach them)
- one screw inside the CF compartment (must remove CF to remove
them)

2 - back cover
- two screws on the bottom
- one screw in the CF compartment (no need to remove the CF)
- one last screw, hidden in the digital A/V out compartment (not
the one you see right away! You must take out the small battery
CR1220 and then you will see it in a somewhat difficult to reach
position.

3- front cover
- one screw on the bottom
- one screw in the battery compartment (no need to remove the batteries)
- one screw in the digital A/V out compartment (the one you see easily)

Now, the back and from are held together by the interlocking tabs. They
should yield to a bit of pressure.

You should tighten the screw that you see from the back, near the top, through
a hole. It is just below the top rotary knob.

I had the same problems as many. Purple screen with lines and then E18. They are 2 different problems. Luckily, I had bought an extended warranty, so it was fixed for free. I was told that some connections for the CCD were changed (purple lines) and a fallen screw was put back in place (E18, there was a rattling noise inside the camera when the lens was extended, scary stuff).
Now I have a problem. I have been using Canon cameras since the ‘70s, and have 2 SLRs and many lenses (FD, not usable on EOS systems). I always loved them. The A70 is a great camera, for a point and shoot. The quality of the images is great, except for some chromatic aberration (purple fringing) and difficulty to focus in low light, both expected for that kind of camera. I got used to seeing my pictures and changing the settings on the spot, to get exactly what I want. I was seriously considering buying a Digital Rebel EOS, but now, considering the price and the VERY low reliability of MANY Canon units, I do not think I will make the move. Nikon cameras are a bit more expensive, but seem to be more reliable.
I have been searching the web about Canon and other brands and all kinds of error reports. Canon seems to have much more than the other brands. Is it because they sell more so it shows more, or they cut on the quality to keep the prices somewhat lower and their profits higher? I don’t know, but I will not pay to see. I like poker… with plastic chips. Canon will have to make a serious and documented move before I buy their stuff again.

Had this camera since xmas of 2003. Worked like a charm, took over.. 10,000 pics with it. Started not working on me recently with good old E18. Didnt know this was such a huge problem until I went to research E18 to see if I could fix it. Guess-NOT. Look into a Nikon.

I'm having the same problem with this camera as posted by most reviewers . I wish I had googled this site before I told my son that I thought the problem was due to his rough handling! I'm sending Consumer Reports and Canon the link to this page. I'll go through the motions with Canon and if they offer the same options that other reviewers have listed, then I will report it to the BBB. What a drag!

After having had very good results from my A70 for the first 20 months that I owned it, I got what I realize now is the very common CCD problem with the purple lines on my black LCD screen. I took the camera to the Canon headquarters here in Bangkok. This problem seemed to be so common that even the receptionist receiving customer complaints was able to tell me at a glance what the problem was and how much it would cost to fix it. (U$80 - with a 3 month warranty.) I then demanded to see a manager, who admitted to me that I was not the first one to have this problem. I told him that since that was the case, the mistake was clearly Canon's, and that I thought it was very unfair for them to profit from the repair of their faulty equipment. The manager said he would talk to his boss in Japan and see what kind of a solution they could offer. In the end, they agreed to replace the CCD for me - AND give me another one year warranty - for the equivalent of U$18.25.

Interestingly, while I was there, another customer was there with her A70. She was amazed that I could tell her what the problem was with her camera before I even spoke to her. Then I told her my story. And would you believe that Canon tried to charge her more for the repair - until she told them that she had already spoken to me and found out the real price.

Conclusion: Canon is obviously aware of this problem - and they use it as a source of revenue from people who are trapped into their camera. (I went through the same thought process as everyone else: Okay, it's expensive to repair it - but it's still cheaper than buying a new camera.) Don't think that Canon is unaware of this thought process that we go through! And like everyone else, I just wish I had read this website BEFORE going into the Canon Service Center.

Like Everyone else in your reviews, I am having the same blackscreen problem.
My Camera was purchased in the US by my wife as a gift. 15 months later it is a disposable. Does Canon realize that this will harm their image or is it that they don't care about their image.
I will not be buying another CANON camera nor will I pay over $100 to fix this junk.

Good Luck if you Decide to purchase one.

I came to this site trying to find a way to contact Canon customer service about my camera screen going black the other day. After reading all these posts I see that this is a common problem. I would rather buy a new camera than put another $100 or more into this one. I think I'll just use the view finder and ignore the screen for now and if and when the camera dies, I'll buy another brand. A two year old camera should not require major repair work!

Got the same problem as everyone else after about 16 months. I'm just starting the process with Canon and I expect more than the crap they seem to be offering.

within a year the A70 began to fail to capture images. The LCD showed only black, and no image was captured. Infuriatingly, this happened while abroad on a honeymoon. Luckily I was able to get the camera repaired under warranty; I was told it was a loose CF card connection. Within a couple of months the camera was exhibiting the same symptoms intermittently. Recally that the problem was supposed to be a loose connection, I tried whacking the camera on the side with an open palm, and after a few whacks the LCD smartened up. This went on for a few months; sometimes it would only take one whack to correct the problem, other times it would take several whacks, after which the image was too white or showed purple or green streaks. Now I've taken the thing back to Canon Canada for repair and they want to charge me $150 Cdn to repair the same problem! I should be able to get the cost paid for by VISA (they offer to double the manuf. original warranty), but a $400 camera should last more than 1 year. I refuse to buy Canon any more, and so should you!

I love the pics this camera takes, but the E18 and purple line problems keep popping up. Most recently it quit working for my one week vacation, then started working when I got home!
Rather than spend nearly a $100 to take advantage of Canon's sorry refurb replacement offer, for about the same price I bought a Nikon 3100 on Ebay to use as a backup. Now I will have my sorry A70 when the class action lawsuit moves forward.

I experienced purple haze and lines on my LCD on consequently my photos. I wrote to Canon (Can)& was told to send my camera to their Service Department for an evaluation. I was told the main board needed to be replaced at a cost of $172.50 Cdn or they would send me an "obsolete" A75 for this amount (you can't buy an A75 anymore in a store). According to Canon this problem was a rare occurrence! Why would I want to invest more money into a Canon Product? I will never buy Canon again due to it's arrogant attitude! If you do decide to purchase their product I highly recommend that you purchase the extended warranty. It's unfortunate that his company won't budge even though I enclosed 18 pages of exerts from others with photo samples in my letter. I told Canon they can't keep "secrets" from the public anymore, there is a definite manufacturer's defect and Canon is not recognizing this. Imagine how many cameras would have to be replaced. It's more economical to deny the problem but unwise as loyal customers are choosing other manufacturers that stand behind their product. I'll deal with my A70 until it totally malfunctions and I'm looking & reading the reviews on other cameras. I recommend that people still write to Canon and make them aware of this "unknown" problem!

Good camera... when it's working. Have had A70 for two years and it has been looked after carefully - not dropped or exposed to sand/dirt etc. After 6 months, I had the "E18" error. the camera was repaired under warranty, but was returned with dirt inside the lens and had to go back for a second repair. At 18 months, I started getting the horizontal lines problem and at two years, this is getting progressively worse. Don't Canon keep statistics on the nature of the repair work that they perform on their own products? It seems that both of these problems are extremely common with the A70 camera.

I give this camera a terrible rating simpley because when a $350 camera only works for just over a year and a half, that's terrible. I get the same horizontal lines, black pictures with lines, purple pictures with lines as everyone else. When it worked it was great, but it looks to me like this camera has a 2 year life span max.

Had this camera less than one year (got it for my graduation gift, so that is how I can measure the time) and then started getting purple/pink horizontal moving lines. Also took totally BLACK pictures. Sometimes, takes pictures with purple blur fading from objects/people in photo. Thank goodness WAS still under the 1 year warranty - I do not give a good rating to Canon phone customer service - you've been warned. They fixed it, "cleaned this...replaced that..." Well, a couple of months later, problem came back. It sporadically makes a sound when it takes a photo too; sounds like its dying. Well, now I don't have a warranty. I hit it and it works again, but this last time trip, I needed to hit it a lot more times to get it to work for 1 photo. I fear I am going to get the E18 error message - I wait for it. So, thinking of selling it to a camera place that fixes them. I have 2 relatives that have the same camera, and they have not reported these problems. I take very good care of it, it has a case, and I have not dropped it.

I bought A70 18 months ago, and using it sparingly.

Last month I start seeing the flickering on LCD and LCD blackout. I know it is CCD problem. Sent for Canon Service Centre, they quote me around $100 for new CCD. That's so expensive.

And I realize I am an idiot not reading all these reviews here first. 18 months and it goes faulty, no wonder they don't give warranty period longer than 1 year.

Canon sucks! I have been planning to upgrade my A70 to Powershot S2. But now I'll go for Lumix.

However, I still wonder, is all this Digi Camera will have the same problem eventually?

thanks you just saved me $300 bucks. I took the face of the front of the camera and gave the screw directly below the viewfinder three full turns. It seems to work fine now

For a camera that cost US$300 to last only 15 months before crapping out is really disappointing. Sure, it took nice pictures when it actually did work, but it was still slow performance-wise (slower to focus than my older A20). However, the full manual controls were a nice touch.

Given my negative experience with Canon, I have tp admit that I haven't discounted it completely as a camera manufacturer. However, my next camera will definitely be paid for with a major credit card, in the United States (if I'm not mistaken, I believe Visa, Mastercard, and American Express all automatically double the length of the manufacturer's warranty). I made the mistake of purchasing my A70 in Hong Kong, which limited my warranty to HK.

Canon, I still like your cameras because of their top-notch image quality, but you definitely need to tighten up your quality control.

I paid 400€ for my Canon A70! And now it doesn't take pictures any more. Black screen when trying to take pictures. and my spouse said the screen had been purple some times. A70 was a test winner. It should have lasted longer than 20 months.

This camera was great and worked fine for just over two years.

Have not see the E18 code error but the pictures are starting to fail as described in other forum posts. I often see horizontal looking lines in the pictures. And more and more big purple horizontal noise like lines or just complete purple or black pictures. The LCD shows the problem when it occurs.

Like others in the forum I can slap or tap the camera to get it to work, or not work if it's working. I can also twist the camera body slightly to produce the symptoms.

Thus, it would seem a flakey connection or some mechanical issue to be the cause. The warranty is gone so I pulled the camera apart to see what I could see. I literally found a loose screw, and fortunately where it came from: on the back, just under the viewfinder, and through a small hole. I replaced it and tightened all the other screws I could find that hold the various circuit cards, lens, and other body pieces together. I also blew the dust out with compressed air, and cleaned the LCD and viewfinder.

Once reassembled, the camera worked perfect again. Also, I could no longer twist the camera body to produce the symptoms. Unfortunately the fix was short lived and the problems reoccurred within a few days. I tried twice again, pulling it appart, tightening all the screws etc. Each time it lasted a day or two. Likely it's a flakey connection, solder or mechanical, affecting the CCD as so many suspect. If so, it would seem a simple fix..., yeah...

I may be a fool, but I still love the camera. I'm going to abandon the A70, assume it's a one-off manufacturing defect, and hope Canon comes clean someday. In the mean time I'm going to shell out another 400 with tax and shipping and try the SD400. Unfortunately it's new with all reviews glowing still, so we'll see what happens in a year or two. Funny, we had the same scenario with the Maytag Neptune washer.

A70 disassembly, from memory: Took about 45 min the fist time, 15 min thereafter. Four medium screws in the battery compartment (deep ones are tricky to replace - I used tape, one long screw under the small pull out side battery, one long screw at the top of the flash card slot which also hold the tether and T-W switch on, three or four short screws on bottom. The back of the camera pulls off like a clam shell hinged with interlocking tabs on the top of the camera. The front half has some double stick tape holding it on near the lens that came off gentle persuasion. I was able to gently wiggle the back to release the locking tabs. Under the front half are about four screws around the lens.

Noticed noise on LCD for some time. CCD went dead all of a sudden today giving a black monitor in picture taking mode. Review mode was alright giving hint that its a CCD problem.

Just some days ago, my daughter's Minolta X20 got a bad CCD (repair center said they do not have any parts available to do the repair!). Today I got a bad CCD with my A70. I started to think whether DC is something reliable?

With my A70 camera, I got the famous E18 problem in the first three months. I sent the camera to the service, i got it back "repaired", with a non-working zoom on video mode . And now, after 13 months, I got another famous problem, the "purple&black" kind of pictures. Canon, give us back the money you stollen from us. Please.

Damn camera screen went black ... some white lines appeared if I shook it ... was still able to view photos I previously took. Read this site & decided to take it apart. Took out the screws, tisted some shaz put the screws in and it works!

I live in Australia. My brother purchased a Canon Powershot A70 in March of 2004 in the US on my behalf. I used it once in Australia, before taking it to Africa in June 2004 for a 1 month holiday - the holiday was a luxury one which did not rough the camera (ie. as camping would). The camera last only a week into my trip. Now most of the time all I have is a screen of either black or purple fuzzy lines. At first I thought this was from dust on an overly-sensitive lens, but cleaning the lens did not work. I was sometimes rarely lucky to get a view. I have since discovered that this is a manufacturing fault.

The button which switches between the edit mode and camera mode also no longer works, and so is permanently fixed on the camera mode. I am no longer able to scroll through photographs in edit mode. This function did not last long - it went faulty in Africa also. I would not expect malfunctions like this from normal everyday use of only a couple of weeks for a camera in this price range.

I contacted Canon in Australia on my return from Africa regarding repair, and they advised that because the camera had been purchased in the US, the warranty did not apply and that any repairs would be at my own expense, even though it was only 3 months old. Most reputable international companies stand behind their products with an international warranty, as they are confident of the quality. Clearly this is not the case with Canon - my family has had two Canon cameras, and both have been faulty and useless, and not covered by Canon Service. I now understand why they don't back their products...they are crappy lemons. I will never buy a Canon product again.

Same as all the rest. Horizontal lines, then E18, then in a matter of 1 hour went from perfect pictures (as the LCD showed) to dark photos, to wavy undistinguishable photos. Unfortunately that 1 hour took place during a 50th suprise party. I thought maybe I was a little more abusive of my camera than others and it was my fault until I read the posts here.

Only post to give it a good review was someone who had it a about a year and a half until it got stolen. I feel sorry for who ever stole that camera because it is past its prime.

My serial no. is 7122456234.

I just went with the A75 upgrade for $99, but after finding this site I'm going to ask that they waive that $99 charge. Canon owes us all a camera that lasts longer than 18 months. I could deal with maybe 5 years but this isn't right.

6 months after I bought the A-70, I found the pictures not coming in the LCD. I had to hit the Battery box to get the Images. I sent it to Cannon and they said they fixed. Again after 6 months, it's the same old issue and when I ask for a replacement, their tone changed. I have to get their Refurbished A-75 or $100 for repair. Both are a kind of stabbing from the back. Come on.. I payed $299 + Tax for this JUNK. It's the responsibility of the CANON to either fix this common problem FREE for all original owners or replace it.

If you buy this camera, plan on the lens not retracting within 6-14 months. My mother bought four based on the "great review by consumer reports," within a year 2 of 4 had the E18 error. This is the common error where the lens will not retract and the camera will not function. The third of four died just after a year.
Canon's support on this well known problem is just plain wrong. They deny responsibility and give some crappy offer to let you send your camera to there one, yes one, US service center and pay at least $100 to fix.
After this experience, not only would I not recommend this camera, I would avoid all Canon products. Service is key with modern electronics and Canon is sub-par on this one.

my canon a70 was a great camera to learn the digital process but right when I needed it the dreaded E18 would show up at first I could remove & replace the batteries and that would solve the problem until the next time like your typical Kodak Moment with 3 young boys we needed it alot with out time to remove & replace the batteries. I am giving up and will not be getting a Canon this time I hate this ##@#*&

Same story like with everyone else. Wonderful camera for about 21/22 months and that is it. I expected more for that money. We are back to our old "regular" Canon - works great, too bad we cannot preview photos. Will look for another digital camera from another manufacturer - certainly not Canon!!!!

this camera was good for the past 2 years that i have owned it. it took great and very clear pictures. butt just a few weeks ago the screen went black and purple. i know this is a common problem of the "a" series but i wished i had known this before i got the camera.my advice if your getting use it as a very expensive disposable Camera. it costs around $200 to get the problem fixed.

Worked great for the first 8 months or so. Started to get some blurry pictures off and on after that bust was still ok for snapshots. Just passed the 1 year mark the CCD died. The worst part is that I bought a 3 year warranty from circuit city who just informed me that this issue isn't covered because it "must" have occurred due to excessive heat exposure, dropping, or something.

Turned my camera on today. Low and behold ... no image coming from the lens to the LCD. Have had it for just over 2 years and have used sparingly. I could navigate the menus so I knew it wasn't an LCD problem. Following advice of other reviewers, I called Canon and was given the two options:
1. Pay at least $100 to have it repaired (60-day warranty)
2. Do the upgrade to A75 (90-day warranty)

So, I figured I would do the upgrade. The guy diagnosing the problem said it would arrive to me early next week. However, I get to the lady taking my information (and money) and she says the A75's are on back order and won't be in for 2-3 weeks. This is turning into a nightmare and the last time I will purchase a Canon product.

Furthermore, when the camera was functioning correctly, pictures were often blurred. I don't know how many honeymoon pictures were ruined from a "shaky hand" (or so they say).

Canon ... what a crock!

I've had the Canon A70 Powershot for approximately 18 months. About a year into it, I started getting the flickering screen with the pink and funky lines. Just today out of nowhere within 24 hours the pictures went blurry, the auto focus quit working, and when I changed the battery I got the dreaded E18 code. I'm so mad! I researched this stupid camera for months before I bought it. I have yet to duke it out with Canon Customer Service.

It worked flawlessly for the past 17 months. Then it just quit working. It wont powerup. Since I am out of the 1 year warranty Canon wants 100-150 for repairs or they are offering a Upgrade Program . For a $99 + $10 they will sell me a Refurbished A75. I am not sure I want to take up this Upgrade offer as its only a 6 month warranty!! But where am I going to get a new camera for $109 ?? They know you are trapped.. This is scamming...

..unless Canon agrees to give every original owner of an A70 a free different-model replacement camera or refund the proven price they paid.

Although I might have run into the problem sooner had I used it more extensively from the beginning, I've had the CCD problem since month 22, just before my credit-card extended warranty date (my credit card carries a double the manufacturer's warranty, but not return-for-refund beyond the 30-day dealer's warranty.)
I had it ready to send when I decided to check it to be sure (not wanting to look like a fool) -and it worked! I had tried different batteries and another CF card; and had the streaks with the AC Adapter as power; and had removed the batteries and CF card and let it set dormant a few days.
So I figured maybe it just had to be "reset" by removing the batteries and mem card all at once.

Since then I've had the streaks intermittently; solved by removing the batteries and re-inserting them.
Recently I got to thinking to might be the batteries /charger, but have now determined that not to be the problem.
Now none of this works; the streaks remain with new batteries, different CF card, AC adapter, etc.
I looked hard for a 3+ mp camera with manual features, and concluded the A70 was the best I could then do for the money. My film cameras were Nikons, but I once had a high-end Canon 110 pocket camera that I satisfactorily used to extinction, so I took a chance on the A70, based on all the great reviews I read -which I now assume were based on then newly-released A70s.
Canon's failure to rectify this problem gives me no confidence in Canon. Period.
Today I turned up this web site, and find the problem to be wide-spread. If anyone is looking at a class-action, a recall, or some other concrete mass-action on this matter, count me in!

In just under a year I got the E-18 error which Canon said was not covered by warranty as the housing was dented (because I "must have dropped it") so I paid $120 plus shipping and handling to have it repaired. Thirteen months later it just stopped working - the lens would stick when retracting and would not allow me to take pictures when on, and I'm very disappointed that I spent several hundred dollars for a camera with a life of about two years! I'm also considering a different model, but that doesn't help me now since I don't have the money for a new camera and I need to shoot my artwork!

My experience is the same as virtually all the other recent reviewers' - great camera until the camera stopped working right. Just to clarify: at least in my case, the problem is not with the LCD (the little TV display) - the problem is with the CCD chip, the component that actually captures the light that creates the photo. You can confirm this by turning on the menu while the display is screwed up - you'll see that the menus and text, which have nothing to do with the CCD, display correctly.

Anyway, my local Cord Camera quoted $125 and six weeks to fix the problem. Not sure if I'll take them up on it - gotta put more pressure on Canon first :-)

Thought everyone out there who feels screwed (like me) could use this info:

I contacted Canon tech support by email, and they offered me two options:
1. send camera for repair - $100 to $200 plus up to six weeks
2. "Upgrade" to factory-refurbished A75 For $109 including 2-day shipping.

While the upgrade isn't a perfect answer given the apparent extent of this problem, it's probably the best we'll get short of some kind of lawsuit (especially for those of us out of the 12-month warranty). The A75 is essentially the A70 with a better LCD and some new features. I decided to take them up on it because the 1)The A75 apparently doesn't have the CCD problem, 2)I need a camera for work, and the A75 is the best camera I'm likely to find for $100 even on ebay, 3)The A75 uses all the batteries, cards, lenses, and accessories that I already own for my A70, which saves me at least another $250 over buying something else.

Hope this info helps!

Following is the relevant text of the email i got from Canon, including some useful phone #s:

The second option is our PowerShot Upgrade program. The PowerShot
Upgrade program allows you to replace your current camera with a Canon
refurbished PowerShot A75. The refurbished unit offered through this
program carries a six month warranty. The cost for this program is $99,
plus $10 shipping for Second Business Day delivery. If you are
interested in this option, please reply to this message and include
and/or confirm the following information:

1. Your name
2. Your mailing address (no P.O. boxes, please)
3. Your telephone number with area code
4. Serial number of the camera
5. Date of purchase

Upon receipt of this information, we will create a record for you in our
system and provide you with a case number. You will be required to call
a toll-free number to complete the upgrade process; that number will be
provided with your case number.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact
us if you have any further questions or concerns.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

Phillip
Technical Support Representative II

Special Note: Certain issues are very difficult to resolve via email.
If your question remains unanswered after you have received this email,
the direct assistance of a Canon telephone support representative may be
required. To ensure your issue is resolved promptly, Canon has
established a special toll-free priority support telephone number that
is available exclusively for email support customers with unresolved
issues. If you would like to speak to a support representative, dial
1-866-261-9362. Please note that this number is accessible for thirty
days from the date of your email. After thirty days, any calls to
customer support should be made to 1-800-828-4040, Monday - Friday 8:00
a.m. - 12:00 midnight ET, Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET (excluding
holidays).

If you prefer to continue to communicate via email, reply to this
message and we will respond to your message as quickly as possible,
which is normally within 24 hours.

My camera just started getting the dreaded pink and grey lines. I have to hit it off a hard object to get it to work!! Never again!

Don't take my word for it. Search for canon and E18 error. When it works its a nice camera. I have had it fixed twice at 140 dollars each time.
It seems that if you turn it off when the batteries are low, the lens mechanism jams and has to be replaced. This happens to a lot of people with different Canon models. I was told it was because of of dust. Bull! I bought the underwater case when I bought the camera and it never leaves the case. When trying to contact Canon my calls and emails were never returned. Do you think they are aware of the problem?
Beware of Canon Digital cameras. I am going back to sony when this breaks again.

I have owned a Canon A70 for 1.5 years with little use during that time period. Most of my pictures were taken indoors and the camera rarely left the case I got for it. The picture quality was decent for a 3.2 Mb camera. Some of the features were intersting. The focus time and picture download time are extremely slow. However without warning recently, the camera lens would not retract and a E18 error appeared on the display. I called canon customer support and was told that since I was out of warranty it would cost $100-200 to fix the camera or $99 to purchase a refurbished A75. Spend your money elsewhere canon A series prodcuts are cheaply manufactured and there is no reasonable support to speak about.

I thought this was an awesome camera when we first bought it. Then it started the e18 error. It's weird cause it only happens now and then. I did discover that if this happens and it's stuck with the error and the lens part out...to turn it back off and then back on and push in the lens back into the camera,it will make some weird noises but if I do this a couple times. It goes back to normal and the E18 message is gone. this last time it did something weird...it went to blurry pictures. But now I've played with it for a couple days and now the pictures are back to normal. I don't know what I did to fix it this time.... I guess just luck. ha ha Yeah I don't think are next camera will be a canon.

I have owned this canon for about 2 years, it was a great camera until the screen went black and purple. I haven't abused this camera so i don't know why this happened. i went to a local camera store to see how much it would cost to get it fixed and it costed 200!! for that I could probably buy a new camera. the camera occasionally works but the screen flickers a lot. now i have to buy a new camera because this one is totally useless. canon is pretty good but the "A series" is very bad and is plagued with major problems.

We too loved our camera for the first two years. One month after the warranty ran out the lens would not retract and we got the E18 error. We also recommended this camera to family that have already had it in for repairs over $100.00. What a waist of $300.00. After reading everyone else's problems we will definitely be shopping for a different type.

Seems like I'm having the same problems. After two years the screen had lines of purple and grey. Now E18. What can we do?

We were really happy with this camera until the screen problems went from just noise & stripes to blackness. We also resorted to hitting it, but now it's toast. Now reading reviews of Sony DSC-W7 and Nikon Coolpix 3700... What a disappointment.

I bought this A70 a yr and 3 mths ago and I could not believe that it started to give problem just after 10 mths - LCD failed to re-display. I got it fixed but one month just after the warranty expired, this infamous black fuzzy LCD screen surfaced and the Canon Service Centre in Penang, Malaysia has the audacity to ask me to pay US$100 to repair it and I can only get it fixed after they overcome the LCD part shortage problem. Apparently there are many more silent victims who have to pay through their own pockets to rectify Canon's own quality issue. This is unbelievable !

I have owed this camera 2 years - after 1 year got the line so I slapped the back of the camera and that helped now the e 18error It's toast. I also got the underwater case. two years?
I'm very leery of Canon I think I'm going to go with another brand for my next one

Just googled my error to find how ubiquitous this problem is. Sadly, it ruined a 1st birthday party for us first.

Paid $300 new and used for 18 months. It now has the E18 error. After reading the other reviews, I doubt that I'll have it repaired. Best Buy has a 4 year warranty for new digital cameras for $40. I just purchased a new PowerShot A510 for my son and very glad I got the 4 year warranty to boot. As for the A70, we could tie them all together and make one good boat anchor.

I actually received really good service from Canon Canada regarding this camera.
I started experiencing the same striping problem as many people mention on this site just before the warranty ran out -- wrote Canon Canada's local repair service a letter explaining it, as well as a printout of other online comments regarding the same problem, and to my surprise, they sent it back fixed almost immediately, no charge, despite it being past warranty.

The problem is listed as a "loose connection".

I still don't like that it had the problem that soon, but service like this makes me a fan again. (Which is lucky, because I also use a Digital EOS for some professional work.)

I loved my A70 until I got horizontal lines and noise on the display. A good hit would clear up these problems...until I got the dreaded E18 error. Sigh...

My question: Is this problem fixed on the A510???

The camera works fine for a while, then starts to get purpley streaks. To correct this, I'd hit the camera a few times, and it'd work again. Now, it doesn't work AT ALL. I am very disappointed in the short life of this supposed great product.

For those of you who have noticed this, I also came across this behavior. Someone attributed to a bad battery connection. I do not believe this is the case. If you already have some photos on the memory card and you can review them, or bring up the parameter settings for the different shooting modes, then it is not a question of the power supply. Someone else mentioned a possible loose connection from the CCD, this is more likely the cause...I have two of these defunct A70's I'll try the connectors on one...and NOT take pictures to show you....because neither one works....

Also, some one else said the newer models are free of the problem? wrong, I have done some searching around and they are already having problems.

I too have the black/purple LCD screen. I would say too much money for an A-70 that gives good service for only 18 months. I think reporting to consumer reports is a great idea. Serial # is 7022432300.

Within the first year I sent the camera in for repair--LCD screen not working properly. Then purple lines developed, after the warranty! Now it won't work at all. What to do?? I'm a student with no camera and no money!!

My A70 worked great until recently I can't get the LCD Monitor to work properly and it won't take good photos. The LDC displays just a bunch of Black & White streaks and the pictures are the same way. Sometimes it works, other times not. I would think that after using the camera for only 14 months it would be more reliable than this, but from reading the reviews I notice other people having similar problems.

My A70, and an uncle's, both followed similar patterns described by others. Slight break up during photo shoots but rarely showing up in photos. But videos did "capture" some of the break up. Odd that no one has mentioned this. Eventually I got the intermittent blue/purple/black screen with some odd pattern. This is now permanent and the camera is useless. I do not believe the problem is with the LCD or CF cards as suggested in some places, but with the CCD sensor or some connection. I can actually review some pictures that are on the card from before the permanent failure, change menu settings etc. Canon responded to an email saying "As a result, our products may be used on a consistent basis with confidence; the PowerShot A-series models are free from inherent issues." I damaged my first A70, then bought another second hand, it worked fine for 3 months and quickly degraded to the same state as the others.

I had my A70 for about 18 months when it started with the purple drippy streaks at my son's college graduation. We got the impression that freshly charged batteries would help with the problem but soon even brand new batteries would do nothing. Then the screen went black. We sent it for repair, with a print of a shot of drippy purple people at a party, and the Canon service center sent it back to us saying they couldn't find a problem and were charging us the flat $100 diagnostic fee. We discovered that if we "twist" the unit just slightly, the batteries make proper contact and the camera works fine. HOWEVER, we also have the waterproof case (like another owner who posted on this site) which cost $170, and we are scuba divers, and of course you can't "twist" the camera when it is in the case. so it is not useful for underwater photography.

We are buying our kids digital cameras for their B-days this year, as well as a new digital camera for us, and are going to get Kodaks and Nikons. We'll never buy from Canon again, even though their new series seems to be free of the drippy purple problem.

It was suggested by a major web site that we submit the serial number of the camera mine is 6952305839. He also quoted "I did receive your examples and did see the purple screen problem. I suspect Canon is certainly aware of the problem (though individual techs may not be), particularly since they are offering an upgrade as an alternative. The repairs seem not to be very effective, I note. So I would replace rather than repair.

My uneducated guess is that the problem is in the camera electronics prior to JPEG processing (which is why that line in the water might be mistaken for a wave or power line: it's been JPEGed).

Good luck with this. If I were running Canon, you'd all get new cameras with an apology for the shots your Canon has ruined. Those can't be replaced."

Having the same problems- my LCD started evidencing noise, lines and speckles and now half my pictures show them, as well. Very annoyed. Junk.

Worked fine 9 months, started little horizontally flickering lines across lcd. Now Screen has gone totally, black/purplish even downloads that way. Don't buy Canon, they tell you its the operator's fault. They are smiling all the way to the bank.

Anyone know where the exact problem is with this
camera? Given it's age, I'm reluctant to spend
any $$$ on a repair. I have noticed that if I twist or squeeze the body, it returns to normal...for a while. I'm sure it's just a poorly
seated ribbon cable, cold solder joint, etc. Any suggestions?

This is my third post regarding this issue. I just received some valuable advice. Canon A70 users with this LCD problem should post the serial number of the camera. Mine is 6952305839. It was suggested that we might be able to track a bad component by swapping numbers. Cheers!

To follow up on the same theme, we have had a Canon A70 for about 2 years and it has been fine until the last 2 months. The LCD screen goes purple / black at times and would be OK again on re-start. Now the screen always has a purple tint and sometimes is simply a straight black/purple.

Has anyone heard anything about a recall or any service response from Canon ??

Unbelievable that Canon will not face up to the obvious defect. I have never bought anything but Canon before but I'll never buy Canon again.

I too bought this because of the rave reviews and didn't realize everyone else was having the same problems. In the beginning it was such a great camera. Now, If I can get it to turn on in the first place, pictures are fuzzy, LCD barely works, and I can't rely on consistent quality pictures. But what do I do now? Canon has been such a good name and it's still ranked highly.

I can't believe I have 2 cameras--the A70 and the A75 and BOTH have the same problem with the horizontal stripes/ black and purple. The tech played dumb with me and I am really pissed. They acted as if they had never heard of this. Now I read these reviews--let's all call Consumer Reports, Better Business Bureau and not let this go--it is a defective product!!!!!!!!

This is my second contribution to this website in two days. I've had my A70 for less than 2 years and it has just developed lines, eventual purple/black LCD.
Many others have experienced the same problem. I contacted Canon Canada and their reply was "Please be assured there are no known issues with the PowerShot A70. Canon
strives to manufacture products of the highest quality." Everyone email Canon @ http://www.canon.ca They are claiming they have no knowledge of this problem? Perhaps we as owners of an obvious manufacturer's defect can enlighten them and have the camera's fixed free of change!

I have love my camera and have got excellent results from it. Just yesterday I noticed "noise" on the LCD. Today the LCD was completely useless with lines and blurring. As suspected after reading other email this appears to be a chronic problem with Canon. It is intermittent - the screen is fine now. I was going to buy a Rebel but.............. I'm past warranty. Anyone have any results with Canon fixing the camera free of charge due to an obvious manufacturing defect.

This camera worked great until three weeks ago. I took about 26 pictures in a row, but when I can home to download them, it refused to even turn. I bought an extended warranty (2 years) but because of corrosion, the warranty is invalid. This camera has never been near water of any kind, possibly some humidity, but I live in Canada - humidity is hard to come by. I was told that the repair is $499.76. They actually had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to agree to the repair.

Good overall
JUST started getting stripes on LCD. What IS E18?? it's happene3d a couple of time and the screen goes blank. My dealer says its a 'self diagnostic fault and will cost 100 to fix! Anyone any ideas what it is?
Jeff

I loved this digital camera. It stayed with me on four continents over a year and a half, and took some of the best pictures I've ever taken in a format that was easy to share with friends and family. It was stolen from me and I am depressed. If you find a Canon Powershot A70 with some pictures of me at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and some pictures of me with my mom in Prague, please email me!

like other, all research pointed to the a70 as best in class. quality of pictures was great. lcd started to get horizontal lines, now it is black. will never get another canon. my old fuji is still clicking away.

Well, the camera started out ok, but within the warranty period the selector switch (camera/view pictures) failed. Sent the camera to the factory, it was repaired, no charge, nice. NOW, 16 months later the camera has failed to turn on... I called tech support - they could not get it to respond, so I've sent it back to the factory. Canon is * suspiciously * offering an A70 Upgrade for $149... Should I get it repaired or UPGRADED!!! What a crock! $300 wasted on a camera that is a lemon. Hell, I still have a number of working film cameras - two over 15 years old. What a clever bit of planned obsolescence. I'm not happy!!!!!!!!!!

lens has jammed intermittently during the last month and now refuses to open at all - with E18 on the screen - I've tried air blast, gentle tapping and partial dismantling - all to no avail. Canon are apparently not addressing this common problem with all cameras sharing the same lens.

I researched this camera and bought in Dec 2003. After 16 months of using and loving it- I started getting the horizontal streaks and now it is unusable. I paid $300 for the camera, $60 for a 128mb flashcard, rechargeable batteries and it's money wasted. I'm afraid to buy another Canon. It would cost me half the cost of the camera to get it fixed- but would it stay fixed? I am frosted.

Really was pleased with my camera until this week I got horizontal stripes across the screen and then all my pictures are blank. Not a happy lady at all and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. You think you buy a canon and pay more than some of the cheaper makes so that you will have a camera that lasts and then this happens. Is there nothing we can do?

E18 ; say no more. The lens jams up all the time. I bought this camera as it was announced "camera of the year"; it should have been "lemon of the year".
My old Pentax of 15 years old has NEVER failed on me.
No Canons for me anymore !

I loved this camera when I first got it. I agree with comments about it not aging well. I am also getting stripes on my LCD (but mine are vertical) which show on the photo and my Automatic setting is only working intermittently. Today I managed to get some ok photos only in Program mode. Later in the day Auto worked again. I am very frustrated that this camera is so unreliable. I really like the user interface and would like to buy another Canon to keep from having to learn something new....but these problems and the others I just read about have convinced me to look elsewhere!

I bought the canon A70 for my wife as a Christmas gift for 2004. I was very happy with it for almost a year. Great pictures until then. The horizontal streaks started showing up intermittently after about 9 months. Didn't think it was a real problem because they would disappear after restarting the camera. Just past the warranty period, the LCD screen would display black and pink horizontal stripes. At first, these too would disappear after restarting. Now that is all I see on the screen. I thought maybe its just the LCD screen, but photos also are nothing but the horizontal stripes. I searched for "problems with Canon A70" on Google and that led me here to this site (and others) where I read that the problem is quite common. I was thinking about sending the A70 for repairs, but now have decided to buy another brand. My last 35mm camera was a Rebel ES, and that too had problems. Goodbye Canon! For good!

I'd had it three weeks and it stopped working. Just wouldn't go into camera mode no matter what you did. It was replaced after a long wait. In the year following it took quite good photos. I quite liked it's usability, except it took too long for the shutter to work when taking photos. I had to make sure the kids weren't about to move 'cause it took so long!

Of course a couple of months after it runs out of warranty the thing stops working again. This time the unit has horizontal stripes across it when in camera mode. Unfortunately so do the photos! Canon should definitely be giving my money back, but I bet they won't. Just don't buy a Canon. I won't buy another.

Can anybody recomend a GOOD manufacturer? ;-)

Like earlier reviewers, I also was very pleased with this camera immediately after purchase. Compared to my earlier camera (Minolta DiMAGE E201) the features and picture quality were far better. In fact, I still haven't seen better pictures from another camera in the same price range. I recommended it to many friends and family members.
However, my satisfaction lasted only a year. Soon after the warranty expired problems started to mount. First, the horizontal stripes mentioned in other reviews. Initially only on the LCD, then on the actual photographs. This is very intermittent and you can go for months without seeing them until one day you come back from a trip to find your cherished photos completely spoiled.
The second problem started to appear recently and is even worse: pictures come out almost completely black and discoloured. Again, the problem is intermittent. Not that I'm going to reproduce it for Canon repair shops. I have no intention of giving them any more of my business. My next camera will not be Canon, regardless how shining reviews the newly released models have.

I have owned the camera for two years, and have had nothing by trouble. In fact, I'm on my second A70 b/c Canon replaced the first one. But my problems are back. There are so many faults with this camera, as soon as you fix one problem another one arises. The camera also decides at random times to stop working, but then when you go to show someone that it's broken, the camera starts working again. How frustrating!!!

This camera ages very badly. After having it for two years, I wish very much I would have got something else. I was happy with it when I first got it, but now the battery life has dwindled to maybe ten minutes, and the picture quality is variable. Viewfinder is also crummy, as previously mentioned. I feel like it needs a reformat, but...cameras shouldn't have this sort of problem. Very disappointed.

Like other reviewers, I purchased the A70 after doing a LOT of research and reading a lot of reviews. My problem is that the issues with this camera don't start showing up until some time after purchase, so the initially great reviews I gave, like so many others, simply misled everyone else just as I was. The issues began to appear almost 6 months into my owning the camera. Great pictures & ease until then, but suddenly the LCD went totally fuzzy. I sent in for warranty work, the CCD Unit was replaced. When I got back, my wife dropped the camera and cracked the case (hairline) on its corner, but the camera worked for another 5 months. Then the same problem occurred. I sent BACK in for warranty, this time because of the cracked case I was charged $100. This time they replaced rear cover unit, optical unit, adjusted and cleaned all functions. My warranty was extended 90 days. About a week before the warranty expired, same problem, AGAIN. I sent back in, the optical unit was repaired and adjusted. warranty period extended 90 days. I'm now past the warranty period, and guess what? I can't use the camera because the same problem, again. So, I've sent the camera in 3 times, spent $100 over the original purchase price, and now if I want to continue to use need to spend $100 more for 90 more warrantied days. So how anxious do you think I am to buy another Canon product, despite good reviews?

I got my A70 in June 2003 after 2 months of research. Wish now that I had chosen another camera. 5-6 months after getting it, I started to notice horizontal noise on the LCD display. I wouldn't care, but the lines showed up on the pictures, not just on the screen. It became more frequent. In the meantime, my girlfriend got an A70, and started having the same problem within 2-3 months. I finally sent my camera back while still under warranty. I got it back and it was okay for several months and problem came back again, though less severe. However, repair work is only warrantied for 90 days, and I was now beyond that.My girlfriend has sent hers in twice already. Then I started having problems with the autofocus. The lens assembly would not fully extend or retract, resulting in unfocused, blurry pictures and an exposed lens surface when the camera was shut off. I sent the camera in once again, and they presented me with an estimate for repairs of $100 plus tax. For repairs on a camera that has not worked trouble-free for 12 consecutive months! Some of their tech and 'Help' staff were quite rude also, once they knew they were dealing with a camera past warranty. So I paid $300 for a camera that at 20 months old, is useless unless I pay $100 more. (good for 90 more days!) I also have a $160 waterproof case for this camera that only works with A60 & A70; what am I going to do? Google in 'Canon A70 problems' and you will see many complaints of the LCD problem.