Lens stuck on Panasonic.

[csa mt]

I'm very upset, the lens is stuck on my FZ70 that I just purchased last year. Now I'm without a camera until at least Christmas, after just spending $350 on this one!

[Kodiak]

I'm very upset, the lens is stuck on my FZ70 that I just purchased last year. Now I'm without a camera until at least Christmas, after just spending $350 on this one!

Very sorry for you… but why so long?

[csa mt]

Because I don't have the money right now!

[Kodiak]

Because I don't have the money right now!

Have you been to your local store? Others may have had the same problem
and they could find a solution in a jiffy! …and possibly for free!

[csa mt]

I did not buy it at a camera store, as there are none around here; and the camera section I purchased it in, the clerks know little to nothing about them, except to sell them. I cannot see spending more money by sending it in to have it repaired, only to possibly have it fail again. I'd rather put my money into another brand of camera when I can.

[Peeshan]

Exactly how is it stuck? Are you sure you can't take it off by yourself?

[csa mt]

It will not zoom in or out. No I cannot take it off by myself; that would entail taking the entire camera apart.

[Black Pearl]

Common fault with zoom compacts - not just Panasonic - usually caused by the lens receiving a knock.

Is it fully retracted or stuck part of the way out?
Does it look to be perfectly straight or slightly askew?

[ST1]

Sorry to hear about your faulty camera, my son has had two compacts fail in this manner. The first was out of warranty but...the second was just within warranty and Panasonic UK repaired it under warranty.
Is your camera still covered by warranty if so take it back to where you bought it from and seek a warranty repair.

[jcuknz]

I have been with Panasonic for nearly a decade now and one of my reasons for not 'upgrading' from my FZ50 was the way later models trombone their lens .... the FZ30 and FZ50 both have lenses which remain 'as is' without tromboning as one zooms ... so there is no weak extending lens to cause problems from slight knocks or whatever happened to yours.

Will it work with the zoom is the current position? ... if it will then you are not completely cameraless The FZ70 has about the greatest 'reach' on the market which perhaps might have been a selling point to you but if it will work as it is hopefully you can keep going until Christmas and people aften advocate ZWYL ... zoom with your legs ... rather than with the lens

If you look through the menus you may find a 'reset' option which might perswade the camera to return to normal operation by going to 'factory settings' ... probably not if the problem is mechanical but 'fingers crossed' for you

[Shadowman]

I had a friend who had the same problem, not sure if it was the same model, but if you apply a slight pressure to the front of the lens while pressing the on/off button the mechanism might retract properly. It shouldn't take a lot of pressure, you'll feel it catch when it does.

[csa mt]

Common fault with zoom compacts - not just Panasonic - usually caused by the lens receiving a knock.

Is it fully retracted or stuck part of the way out?
Does it look to be perfectly straight or slightly askew?

The lens is perfectly straight, and stuck just slightly out of the camera. This camera has never received any "knocks", etc., as I'm very, very fussy about my equipment. I think I'll be looking at a Pentax DSLR in a few months.

The "good" thing is that I found the receipt last night, and I had purchased in November 30, so it's still in warranty; which certainly helps; but I'm still disappointed in Panasonic.

[Mike Buckley]

but I'm still disappointed in Panasonic.

Keep in mind that you can experience a faulty product with any manufacturer including the Pentax camera you plan to purchase.

[csa mt]

I'm aware of this Mike.

[Manfred M]

My wife's (now retired) Panasonic FZ20 had exactly the same problem and a moderately hard push straight on the lens axis (i.e. the direction of retraction) while shutting it down (and it was trying to retract) solved the problem and it continue to function flawlessly until it was retired. I suspect it is still working, but I'd have to charge it up again.

[csa mt]

Thanks Manfred, I tried that, didn't work. The zoom switch seems to be much easier to move, so wondering if that could be the problem, that the switch failed. Oh well, it's boxed up ready to ship; doubt if I'll see it for quite awhile.

[HMW12]

Hi Carol. Just a word of warning on Pentax from another who went from a Panny (FZ100) to Pentax (K-r). You will find less of a selection of 3rd party lenses for this mount which, depending on what you shoot may impact your decision. There are 2 new Tamron lenses the 150-600 and the 18-300 which I would love to have the option of trying, but alas these are only available for Canon, Nikon and Sony. Having said that there are some unique things about Pentax. The image stabilization is in the camera, as is Sony I believe, and weather sealing is much more affordable in the Pentax lineup. Hope you get a speedy turnaround on the Panny. I still use mine.

[csa mt]

Helen, thanks very much for the heads up; that's very good information!
I'll certainly look into what would be available!