Gutted! my panasonic TZ4 compact camera has died!!

zzzLazyDaisy

First I am not sure this post is in the right place, so please feel free to move it.

I am away with family for the seasonal break, and my trusty panasonic TZ4 compact appears to have died.

I had just taken a photo and the camera stopped working with the lens stuck in the open position. I removed and replaced the battery with no change. So I changed the battery for a fully charged one - the lens retracted, but since then it has shown no sign of life.

I am just wondering if there is a reset button, or something obvious that I am missing?

I have had the camera just over two years, and while it has had a lot of use in that time, I have always taken good care of it. It certainly hasn't been misused or exposed to water, or anything like that.

Any suggestions? Any idea if it is worth repairing or should I think about replacing it?

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

fwor

If you've removed and reseated both memory card and battery and are sure the battery is fully charged, and it won't power up then it's probably dead.

If you want to exercise your rights under the Sale of Goods Act, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that 2 years is too short a life for something like that. However, the retailer that you bought it from will probably make things difficult for you - for example requiring that you have an engineers report showing an inherent fault.

It may be easier to get in touch with Panasonic and ask what they will do to help. If they are like other good manufacturers such as Canon and Sony, they may well offer to repair it (probably not worthwhile) or exchange it for a refurbed similar model at a heavy discount. I've done this before and got what looked to be a brand new more recent model at a good price.

zzzLazyDaisy

Thanks for taking the time to get back to me on this.

Yes I've removed and re-seated the battery and the memory card, and replaced the battery with one that is fully charged, with no signs of life.

I bought the camera from Curry's - manager's special, so I don't expect any joy from them.

I've checked with Panasonic - they have outsourced their repairs to a place in Ashton Under Lyme, who say on their website that if I send the camera to them at my own expense (fair enough) they will give a quote for repair, and if this is not possible, they will dispose of the carcass free, provided I give written instructions for this. No mention of cheap refurb, though it might be worth contacting panasonic direct in that case, so thanks for the suggestion.

Daisy

i8change

If it is beyond economical repair then you could work your way down through some of the latter methods given in this article:-

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

Lirin

I'd say it sounds like the lens has taken a knock sometime (not an accusation, OP, the lens is so easy to damage) and the mount has slipped, causing the lens to start rubbing against the barrel when it's moving. Eventually, this knackers the lens mechanism, which just packs up. Unfortunately, as the control board is a main one, it also knackers the camera. Usually, any damage in a camera will render it beyond economic repair now, and barrel issues are usually in the £150-£200 range for repair.
You would have a long argument ahead of you I'm afraid- they will likely push the 'accidental damage' angle.

Inactive

My Daughter had a similar problem with a Fuji camera, she found a simple fix on the internet, it took to 2 minutes to fix.

Try Google ..:)

zzzLazyDaisy

Thanks to everyone who has replied, much appreciated.

Well, after doing some research and attempting the fixes that people have kindly directed me to, I am still the sad owner of a dead camera.

I don't think I have knocked it (though anything is possible) and I certainly haven't dropped it. It has worked perfectly over the past week - I am snap happy and have taken hundreds of piccies over christmas.

What seems to have killed it is that the battery died with the lens out, and while it was trying to write a picture to the card. The lens just jammed open (I took a pic a nano-second earlier and that was just fine). When I got home and put a freshly charged battery in the camera, the lens retracted, but since then there has not been a flicker of life.

I will have another go when I get home as the lead to plug it into the computer is at home, and it has been suggested that maybe it needs a bit of extra power to drive the motor on the lens and get it going again.

Having said all that - I have just discovered that I can get a new TZ8 on amazon for £164 inc delivery. That is probably cheaper than having mine repaired, and is a fair step up from the TZ4.

So a small part of me is hoping that I will just have to bite the bullet and replace it... not very MSE I know... sorry....

roddydogs

TZ 7 is actually better, not quite the MP, but better screen and stereo sound.
Panny TZs are fairly well know for screen failure,that's why there's a kit on E-Bay. (i know this wasnt the fault with yours.)

missile

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Having said all that - I have just discovered that I can get a new TZ8 on amazon for £164 inc delivery. That is probably cheaper than having mine repaired, and is a fair step up from the TZ4.

You might want to consider the TZ10? Of course it is more expensive. The GPS may seem a bit of a gimmick for many but a 3inch screen is certainly worth having. An extra £30 cash back at Amazon. I am tempted to upgrade my Pentax.

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't bother with either a TZ7, 8 or 10. I'd personally suggest going for the FS30 and saving yourself £77.99 (taking into account the £30 voucher) over the TZ10 or £56.99 over the TZ8. If you were to go down the TZ route see my discussion here for which is the best.

As you'll read I actually bought the TZ10 for a trip to New York thinking the GPS would be great. It however wasn't and proved useless to be honest. It does work however is it's slow to update and in my opinion fairly gimmicky.

I returned it to Amazon though as the print on the dial wheel had all but worn off which for me was unacceptable.

If you're just a happy snapper then you probably won't tell the difference between all 4 cameras.

Not only is the FS30 the cheapest it's also the thinnest. Can't recommend it more.

If you do buy this then you could spend some of your savings on these:

For your hand bag / rucksack - Panasonic DMW-CLZ10E Leather Case
For your jeans pocket - Canon Digital IXUS Sock (fits beautifully)
Memory Card - Transcend 8GB SDHC Class 10

Stompa

FWIW there appears to be a second internal battery:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1033&message=35750329&changemode=1

and a few more ideas here:

http://www.fixya.com/support/t3476127-panasonic_dmc_tz4_when_switch_get