The E18 error is an error message on Canon digital cameras. The E18 error occurs when anything prevents the zoom lens from properly extending or retracting. The error has become notorious in the Canon user community as it can completely disable the camera, requiring expensive repairs.
ConsumerAffairs.com reports that the "lens has a feature called bellows claw, which is a gear that physically extends and retracts the lens. A piece that holds the lens, the barrier plate, is not large enough and can sometimes cause the bellows claw to malfunction, resulting in a stuck lens". The result is a black screen that only contains the error message, E18. Another problem mentioned on the site blames a sticky iris in the lens, caused by grease entering inside from the microphones built into the lens. The buildup freezes up the ability of the lens to open.
Although the use of the E18 error coding made this problem seem to be the particular domain of Canon cameras, the problem is actually quite common throughout all cameras with telescopic lens barrels. As a result, Canon has since dropped the use of this error code in its newer cameras. In its place it has adopted the more common term "lens error" that other manufacturers use. As such, its newer cameras report this term when the problem occurs.
Read more about E18 Error: Causes, Repairing The E18 Error, Consumer Response and Class Action
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