Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with powershot

How to get our weather balloon floating again? How to get it taking pictures?

Tufa — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:56 -0800

How to repair a weather balloon, in the context of aerial photography? How to do aerial photography at all? dmd and I recently thought we might try some aerial photography.

We thought we would use a weather balloon, one which was big enough to carry the payload of a Canon PowerShot camera.

Our ambition led us to purchase this weather balloon. It is made of latex. Hopes (and voices) borne high on helium, we launched the balloon on a windy day, in the high desert of central Arizona, a setting which (O! woe) led to the balloon's quick extinction. Shortly, the balloon was pushed by downdrafts into a bush of catclaw acacia. Catclaw acacia is named for its small, sharp, catching THORNS which resemble the claws of a cat. Reader, it popped.

I don't want to give up the investment of this balloon, or give up our vision of high-flying photography. My question is, is there a way to patch a hole in latex?

Would a leather or vinyl patch kit, or tire puncture kit, or some sort of plastic bond, work for this, do you think? Do you think using some Fix-A-Flat might work, if it was released into the balloon while it was inflated in some makeshift way to its full airborne size? I imagine this might stiffen the balloon and put a limit on how high it could go, but it would be good enough for me, as a salvaging situation.

And, do you have any tips for launching weather balloons, or for aerial photography in general?

Consider proximity of cactus and thorns when launching, is my best tip.

moisture in the lens!

Griffinlb — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:21:36 -0800

My canon powershot g10 got water in the lens - can it be saved?! I just climbed Mt fuji in a freak rain storm. I kept my camera as dry as possible and it worked fine for a day and half. Now, quite suddenly the display has fogged up, and bleached out. I think the implications are obvious - but I'm very (VERY) new to photography. Is there anything that can be done to save my dear camera?!

Thank you thank thank you anyone who knows some quick emergency procedures.

(I'm sure I should be scouring google first - but my internet access is limited right now)

Quasi-DSLR?

DoctorFedora — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:55:48 -0800

Got a Canon PowerShot A590 IS, and am interested in what add-on lenses are available for it. Looking ideally for something with the physical turn-to-focus-or-zoom like on an SLR, but honestly I'm just looking for any information that can point me in the right direction.

What should I do with my broken camera?

cmchap — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:57:23 -0800

I've got a Canon Powershot SD850 IS. It doesn't work. (I already asked Canon and tried fixing it, so don't tell me to try again.) What should I do with the parts? It's got a perfectly working LCD screen, the lens mechanism works. every part of it works individually as far as i know. What cool thing could i do with non-functional camera? I can take it apart and solder and all that joy, but what should i make out of it? Artsy or technical suggestions are welcome!

How to get my photos off my camera?

kilikina73 — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:41:58 -0800

Why can't my laptop get my photos off my camera? I have a Canon Powershot TX1, and all of a sudden, my laptop stopped "seeing" the photos on it. When I plug the camera into my (windows xp OS) laptop using a usb cable, it recognizes the camera, but just hangs and shows no data on the drive. More info: The card (cards -- I've tried both) is fine -- I've been able to access the photos using a card reader, but the laptop just does not want to read the card via the camera. The laptop "sees" the camera itself, but when I go to open the camera using win explorer, the hourglass pops up and then nothing happens. Thoughts?

But I liked my old camera...

smackfu — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:13:38 -0800

Someone stole my Canon SD400 the other day and I need to replace it. Preferably with another Canon, but their current line-up is bewildering with 7 current SD models. Can anyone help me sort it out? I had no major problems with the SD400.

Powershot Lens Error

GregWithLime — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:21:56 -0800

I'm getting a Lens error on the Cannon PowerShot SD630. What can I do to try and repair this myself? When I power up the camera, it beeps three times and a message appears on the screen that says, "Lens error, restart camera". The lens is stuck in the extended, open position.

I have removed the outer shell of the camera and have used a can of air to try and blow dust out of the inards. Nothing has helped so far. I'd like to get to the gears that extend and retract the lens. How would I do that? What else should I try?

Thanks!

Why do my digital pictures have lines on them?

unceman — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:18:28 -0800

Digital Camera Filter: I have a Canon Powershot A300 that I have used for a couple years, but recently got strange lines that appear on my pictures. Example of picture with lines (Notice the horizontal lines across the face/body) I have made no settings changes. Is this fixable? And if so, will it be worth the money?

How can I get my computer back together with my camera?

scarylarry — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:48:30 -0800

Why did my computer suddenly stop recognizing my digital camera? I have a Canon PowerShot A520 (not great, but does the job) and a laptop running Windows XP. About a month ago, my computer suddenly stopped recognizing the camera when I plugged it into the USB port. I've tested it on friends' computers (both PCs and Macs), and it communicates just fine. I've uninstalled and reinstalled all of the software that came with the camera, installed the latest drivers I can find, and uninstalled and reinstalled the camera from my computer's list of hardware. Nothing helps. I am not incredibly tech-savvy and have run out of ideas.

It can't be the camera, because it works with other computers. It can't be the USB cable, because I've used the same one when I've tried plugging it into other computers. It isn't a faulty USB port, because no other USB devices are giving me problems. And I don't know what to do from a software/driver perspective, since I've uninstalled and reinstalled everything several times. Ideas? I'd like to see my pictures!

Cripple the new PowerShot to protect DSLR sales???

PenguinBukkake — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 10:00:18 -0800

Disappointingly what it doesn't have is a raw mode, which appears to have been completely dropped by Canon for its compact models - presumably to protect the sales of entry-level digital SLRs.
WTF? Crippling your new products? I can maybe understand (don't agree tho) the reasoning of record companies for DRM, but in a corporation like Canon this is just insane (it's not that people will download exact copies of your cameras from the Internet). To my eyes this looks like a dumb selfdefeating business model, but I'm no MBA. So the question is, why do they do this crap? Does it really "protect" their other lines or is it simply a selfinflicted wound? Don't engineers fight the suits for stuff like this, removing features from a good camera kicking users in the teeth? thanks!

CameraFilter: Ever fix a broken retractable Powershot lens?

mattwatson — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:10:46 -0800

I have a Canon Powershot A520 camera, and I managed to break the retractable lens. Basically, I set the camera down on its back while it was still on... and then someone sat on top of it, pushing the lens back in about two thirds of the way. Now, the lens is stuck about a third of the way open and it won't completely close. When I turn the camera on and hold it close to my ear, I can hear a soft clicking sound for 30 seconds or so before the camera turns itself off. If I have the camera in preview mode to look at the pictures on my memory card, it does the same thing, except it beeps at me before turning off.

Obviously I think I probably need to take it to a camera repair shop... but I'm in Hawaii (Maui) on vacation and I thought I'd at least describe the problem on the off chance that someone out there had something like this happen and was able to fix it themselves. Anyone have any ideas?

What's the best way to clean a camera lens that is recessed into the camera's casing?

afx114 — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:09:05 -0800

What's the best way to clean a camera lens that is recessed into the camera's casing? I have a Canon Powershot SD400, and the lens is always getting dirty. I know how to clean a camera lens, but the problem I have with this camera is that the lens is recessed inside the casing that pops out of the camera when in use, making it extremely difficult to clean around the edges of the lens where it meets the casing. (see photo here). Over the years gunk has built up in the corners and I'd like to get it out of there. Cleaning the center of the lens is no problem. However, I've tried numerous methods for cleaning in the corners and nothing seems to work. Any ideas?

LCD Discrepancy?

TurkishGolds — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 13:20:00 -0800

When taking photos with my digital camera (Canon Powershot A75) images often look great on the LCD and then not-so-great when I actually get them onto my computer. Most notably, when taking B&W photos in relatively low-light they will look fantastic on the LCD and then just BLACK on my computer. I can usually make the image sort-of useable by photoshoping the levels, but then it gets real grainy. Is there anything that I can do to get a more accurate preview from the LCD or do I just have to accept the fact that it lies? Tips on dealing with this? If it matters, I'm shooting at the highest resolution (2048x1546) and with Super-Fine quality.