How to Fix a Jammed Camera Lens | 4 Effective Methods

It is hard to guarantee electronic devices. A digital camera’s many parts can malfunction over time, and it needs to go through repairs. Lens malfunction such as getting stuck is a prevalent type of problem that may occur on a digital camera. 

If the camera gets fallen when the lens is extended or a dirt particle in the lens barrel can be the cause of making the lens jammed. Something the problem is minor and easily fixable but something the problem can be severe and beyond fixing. So let’s know how to fix a jammed camera lens quickly without spending a fortune. 

What to Do When the Camera Is Under Warranty?

If the camera fell when the lens was extended, you have to repair the lens. Sometimes you can fix the lens without any charge if the camera is under warranty. So make sure the camera is under warranty or not, if it is, you must call the service center.

Call the service center and tell them about your problem and ask them if the lens malfunction comes under their warranty or not. In some cases, lens malfunction comes under warranty, and in some cases, it is not.

If the company covers lens malfunctioning under their warranty, there is nothing much to do. Visit their service center, and they will fix the lens professionally. But in most cases, the manufacturer does not provide a lens warranty, so you may have to fix it by yourself, or you have to use a third party.

If you try to fix the lens all by yourself and something goes wrong, it may void the whole camera warranty. So whatever you want to do, do it carefully. Fixing the camera professionally will cost you more than the camera’s original price.

So, here are some fixes that may possibly fix the jammed camera lens without losing its full warranty.

Fixing Methods of a Jammed Camera Lens

If the problem is minor, it is possible to fix the lens very quickly and that even using effortless tools. Let’s see the ways – 

Fix-1: Replace The Battery

If you had dropped your camera when the lens was not extended and the lens is not extending after that drop, there may be a problem with the battery. The battery may not have enough power to expand the lens. So you may need to replace its battery and get a new one. 

If the batteries are rechargeable, you should charge the batteries for 6 hours before trying to extend the lens again. After charging the battery, try to extend the lens by pushing the button, and it should extend your digital camera lens.

If you had dropped the camera when the lens was extended, resetting the camera may help. To reset the camera, turn it off and take out the battery and its memory card. Now put back the battery but not the memory card. 

The camera may show an error message regarding the memory card on the camera’s screen. It is ok. Try it to extend the lens, and the camera will try to reset it. That may cause the jammed lens to get fixed again by that reset. Now put the memory card back on, and that may fix your camera. 

Fix-2: Remove The Dust

When the camera falls with an extended lens, the camera lens may fill up dust particles between the tiny gaps. The dust particle or debris may also fill up the lens barrel, which may lead you to a jammed lens problem. When the lens fills up with dust particles, it will get stuck. 

You have to clean the dust to detach the lens again. To remove the dust, you can blow air inside the tiny gaps of the lens using an air blower; this will help to clean the dust particle inside the camera lens. Or you can simply use a piece of paper to clean the lens. 

After the after is cleaned, it should work correctly. 

Fix-3: Push The Lens barrel

The middle section of the lens rotates when the camera tries to extend the lens. So you can help the camera by doing that. Slightly pushing or pulling the lens barrel may help the camera to extend it. This can help to fix the jammed lens. So slightly push or pull the camera lens as the camera tries to expand or retract it, and that will help fix the jammed lens. 

Fix-4: Clean the Lens Barrel

After dislodging the lens barrel, you have to clean it. First, so that there remains dirt inside the barrel, you can face the camera down and shake it a bit so that the debris gets out. Next, use a handheld vacuum cleaner on its low setting and vacuum out all the dust particles from the lens barrel. This will fix the jammed lens problem, and it will extend and retract again. 

Hopefully, these foxes will help you to solve your problem. If it does not, you should take the camera to a professional.

Read next: How to take apart a camera lens to clean

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

Is it possible to repair a jammed lens?

If the problem is minor, it is possible to fix a jammed lens very easily. But if the problem is severe, most of the time, it is not fixable. Moreover, fixing a lens costs more than the lens. So it would be best to buy a new one rather than fixing the lens. 

How can I get sand out of my lens?

First, hold the camera in a way that it faces the ground. Now use a soft brush from the middle of the lens toward the edge to clean the sand particles. Now brush in a circular motion on the edges of the lens to clean all the sand from there. 

Final words

In conclusion, I can say that you should not try to extend the jammed lens forcefully; it can damage the lens severely. Instead, be gentle while trying to fix a jammed lens. If the camera comes under warranty, you should let the professional handle the matter. I hope that the above tips and tricks of how to fix a jammed lens will help you fix the problem.