Hello All,

This is my first post in your excellent forum.

I own a Canon A70 which is 4-year old. It has been sent 4 times for repair due to the problem of defective CCD’s. The image gets blurred in purple taints, or even completely black. This is a common complaint in your reviews.

The faulty CCD component has been made by Sony for various camera manufacturers.

I have been able to get it repaired twice under warranty, and the 2 more times the repair has been made for free.

A colleague of mine also has an A70 which exhibited the same problem, it has also been repaired for free, but now the A/F fails in wide angle.

This A70 camera is certainly outdated now, but it is *not* a disposable one. I have shot terrific pictures with it.

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

It has come to our attention that the vendor-supplied CCD image sensor used in certain Canon digital cameras and digital video camcorders may cause the following malfunction: When the product is used in recording or playback mode
...
Affected products:

- Camcorders: ZR60, ZR65 MC, ZR70 MC, ZR80, ZR85, ZR90, ELURA 40 MC, ELURA 50
- Digital Cameras A60, A70, A75, A300, A310, S230, SD100, SD110, A40(*), A80(*), A85(*), A95(*), S1 IS(*), S60(*), S200(*), S330(*), S400(*), S410(*), S500(*)

*Models added as of Oct.31, 2006

Malfunction:
It has been confirmed that the connecting parts of the internal wiring of the CCD used in affected products may become disconnected, especially if the affected products are stored or used in high-temperature and high-humidity environments. If this occurs, the signal is not output from the CCD normally in Shooting Mode, which may cause a distorted image or the absence of an image. This malfunction can be confirmed on the LCD monitor screen during shooting. The same malfunction also appears on the recorded image.

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

Canon Europe says in http://tinyurl.com/yr55nf
The above url is a shortcut for the overly-long https://self-service.canon-europe.com/ce/pages/?c=SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/?New,KB={45005F30-B77F-4206-9179-7809AF3D01EA},Company={5D57C876-253A-4B01-B12F-134801A1F92F},Case=obj(37383),TemplateSet=Canon_SServe_Cust,Question=ref(SEK):::QWTCLMMIKN,Question=ref(UT):::EU1,varset_lang=en,varset_country=UK,VARSET_URLLOC=self-service.canon-europe.com/ce/pages/ss_Layout.cgi,VARSET_ExitWin=Exit&LANG=en

Applicable models
Digital IXUS II, Digital IXUS IIs, Digital IXUS V3, PowerShot A300, PowerShot A310, PowerShot A60, PowerShot A70, PowerShot A75, MV590, MV600, MV600i, MV630i, MV650i, MV690, MV700, MV700i, MV730i, MV750i, MV5i, MV5iMC, MV5, MV6iMC, Digital IXUS V2, Digital IXUS 430, Digital IXUS 400, Digital IXUS 330, Digital IXUS 500, PowerShot A40, PowerShot A80, PowerShot A85, PowerShot A95, PowerShot S60, PowerShot S1 IS,

Digital IXUS II Digital IXUS IIs Digital IXUS V3
PowerShot A300 PowerShot A310 PowerShot A60
PowerShot A70 PowerShot A75 MV590
MV600 MV600i MV630i
MV650i MV690 MV700
MV700i MV730i MV750i
MV5i MV5iMC MV5
MV6iMC Digital IXUS V2 Digital IXUS 430
Digital IXUS 400 Digital IXUS 330 Digital IXUS 500
PowerShot A40 PowerShot A80 PowerShot A85
PowerShot A95 PowerShot S60 PowerShot S1 IS

Solutions
Thank you for using one of our Canon products.
It has been found, that in rare case, some of the CCDs, used in Canon digital camera and digital video cameras, have a problem that causes abnormal image output.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Canon will offer free repairs where an error is caused by this malfunction.
...
Solution:
We kindly request users who have confirmed these symptoms to contact the nearest Canon Service Centre.

Free repairs will be made for affected products in cases where it has been confirmed that the internal CCD wiring has come off.

Last modified date: 07-Jun-07

More information here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html
This interesting article show that products from various manufacturers (Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Ricoh, Kyocera, Olympus, Pentax, Panasonic and even Leica !) are listed.

Happy reading,

Frederic
Brussels