I have a Canon PowerShot A540. This is a great camera but it and from what I can tell all the models in the series have some significant problems with the shutter door sticking. This is probably due to dirt and probably some hits to the two plastic pieces that cover the shutter.
My previous PowerShot had this problem and my current A540 developed the issue about a week ago. I had researched and found several mentions of problems with the shutter but no solutions. There were comments like “lens door remains closed” or “shutter door doesn’t open”.
My solution is simple and from what I can tell after many months on the previous camera and a few weeks on this one it completely fixes the issue. All you need is some spray on silicon.
Just spray the silicon on the lens cover pieces. Since they are sticking you will have to manipulate them with you finger. You want to open and close them fully at least 10 or 20 times. Don’t worry about getting the lens covered as you can clean it later. Leave the camera facing down for about an hour or two.
After the drying time use alcohol or windex to clean the lens. You may have to dry the lens cover pieces by opening a closing them several time to remove the excess.
Now the lens cover should snap open and closed as expected (your results may vary ;-).
Be sure and post a comment if you try this and it works or doesn’t work.
