I am very peeved. I have an IXUS 700 Canon which I bought just over a year ago and today it won't work. The letters E18 come up on the display screen. The booklet cheerily says to take it to the nearest Canon dealer. There isn't one within a hundred miles of here. The warrenty ran out a couple of weeks ago. Anyone had the same problem? Thank you.

Have a look at these, they have some possible fixes and explanations of E18

http://www.e18error.com/repair.html

http://blogs.yucs.org/~dwallach/2004/08/canon_e18_error_repair_instruc.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7593-0.html?forumID=58&threadID=56917&messageID=1197111

It's so close to the warranty date, its worth a call to Canon to see if you can send it in for free repair. I'd explain to them that you was hoping to upgrade sometime in the future, and this aggravation is making you think "Olympus" (wink wink).

Hopefully you can get it working yourself. Good luck!

Thank you both. There is an astonishing amount of information on Google. From what I have read Canon have terrible customer service. I'll try a few home remedies.

Another option is to tell them that the error appeared a month or so ago, but then rectified itself so you didn't send it in for repair...............impossible for them to disprove.......

(",)

It's not going to work, ReBorn. I ordered it online through a department store in Barcelona. It was couriered to my home 150 kilometres away. I have just noticed that the store conveniantly didn't stamp the warrenty so I can't return it to them or Canon. I just loathe the way things are designed to break these days and I cam't go and buy a new one at the moment! But thanks for the advice. I am never buying Canon again. My first lasted 30 years. It rolled down mountains in Scotland, trecked through scorching heat in Spain, flew in hot air balloons and had several hairy landings and now you just look at a digital camera and it gets in a snit.

Nik:tt1:n

So, tell me the advantages of Nikon. I am all ears.

Attached Link: Advantage - Olympus

In the"old" days...a product underwent thorough testing before being brought to market.  Today, with electronics and technology changing so fast...the manufacturers simply don't have the time (nor the desire I would say) to fully test the products.  The motto is get them into the market place fast, sell a bunch quick before your competitor comes out with a fancier model.  In essence, WE are the product testers, WE are the guinea pigs...and, WE are not complaining enough...so, I guess WE don't care.  If it breaks, we'll throw the old one out and we'll just buy a newer, better model. Electronic product life cycle is short...too short.

We have become a disposable society.

Sure, the manufacturers offer limited warranties...and some people will have had good warranty experiences...some not.  But the money is in the sale, not the warranty repair....and WE keep buying!

It doesn't matter whether it's Canon, Nikon, Sony, whatever....customer service is at an all time low....and WE seem to have accepted that.

Sorry for my rant....but I do feel much better now!!! LOL!

Thats okay...glad you got it out. I have a hard time finding anything to disagree with there! Built to last? Not so much anymore.

Since gradient says the consumers tests the cameras, and Nikon has a bigger market share than Olympus, then Nikon uses more beta testers!... that has to be a positive thing.

oscilis, are you going to go DSLR?  How much do you want to spend total? Hard to really hash out a recommendation without knowing what you think you'll get.

I'd like to go DSLR but getting a new camera at the moment is impossible. But, I can do some research and dream!

Uh oh, sounds not so well for you, Rozanne! I'm sorry to see your jewel has lost its function and I really hope Canon will help you out though. The new EOS 30 D is another jewel which worked pretty well until now, but when the warranty will be over.... swallows Hopefully you'll get the camera back online soon!

So, I guess, when ya car breaks down, ya buy another make?

Yep another useful tip, if your camera breaks down better get another brand and hope that dosnt break down either.
Anything you buy could break down it dosnt matter who makes it, its just law of averages, and a bit of bad luck

My Toyota hasn't broke down so looks like I wont have to get a Honda after all lol

oh no i just got a new canon ( suposed to wait till my birthday though ) wondering if i should have gone nikon or oympus instead .. i am die hard nikon as it is what i have been using by geory my best friend swares by canon .. sigh i think i should have gotten the D 70 instead of the rebel and the extra lenses.. sigh ... wondering now.. hmmmm....
 good luck to you and your prob...
 sigh that would be frustrating!!

Two people that I know are using a D30 and D60 6 years and 4 years old respectively, so personally I would have little doubt about Canon equipment, yes their cameras can break down so can Nikon Oly, KM.. The list goes on.

@Kim....use it, enjoy it, have fun...don't worry.  Like Simon says all makes can break down.

Don't worry Kimmers, you made an excellent choice. Nikon has had their problems as well. Battery recalls for one. Also, do a search on BGLOD, and you'll see. BGLOD stands for "blinking green light of death" lol.  The first batch of D70's would just stop, with a green light blinking on the screen. Nikon has fixed the known problems now, so all is good.

When my D70s gives out, I'll be looking at Canon very closely too.