Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Troubleshooting

The camera will not power up after pressing the power button.

Double check that the battery is installed. Try charging the battery. If the battery does not charge replace the battery.

There may be debris preventing a good connection between the camera and the battery. Clean the battery contacts with a cotton swab or a pencil eraser.

The internal ribbon cables may be loose and need to be re-seated. Open up your camera and check for any loose ribbon connections using this guide.

If the camera is still not powering on, you may need to replace the motherboard using this guide.

The camera doesn't register button presses or registers them multiple times when pressed.

If liquids or dirt have spilled onto the camera, the contact may be filled with gunk (official electronics term). Take the camera's back casing off and clean the contacts with a cotton swab or a pencil eraser. A light solvent such as rubbing alcohol may be required. Use this guide to access the contacts.

The connection from the contact unit to the motherboard may need to be re-seated or replaced. Use this guide to access the ribbon connector.

The board that registers button input may have malfunctioned. Replace it using this guide.

The lens will not deploy when the camera is powered on, or will not retract when powered off.

Inspect the lens. Does it look symmetrical or is one side sticking out farther than another? It may be possible to gently pull while powering up the camera to snap it back in place. Or power it down while gently pushing. Too much force can damage the mechanism, so be careful.

Sticky beverage residue and debris can build up in the lens mechanism causing it to stick. Without taking the camera apart try cleaning around the edges of the lens using a cotton swap and a light solvent (rubbing alcohol works great).

You've tried everything else. Time to replace the lens mechanism using this guide.

Camera indicates that it is on, but an abnormal image or nothing at all appears on the display.

Your display may be turned off. Try pressing the display button until the display turns on. If this does not work you may need to replace your LCD display using this guide.

Out of direct sunlight check to see if the image is still dim. Check the brightness setting for the screen. Turn it up until it is bright enough to see. If not then the back lighting of the LCD screen has burnt out and the LCD should be replaced using this guide.

This indicates that the LCD is damaged. Replace it using this guide.

The LCD is visibly damaged but may still display partial images, it is recommended that it be replaced before it fails completely re-seat if necessary using this guide.

The flash doesn't fire when taking a picture.

Verify the flash is on in the menu settings. The flash (ON) symbol should be displayed on the viewfinder display.

The ribbon cable connecting the flash unit to the motherboard might be disconnected or loose. Check to make sure the cable is properly connected and using this guide.

The flash bulb might be burnt out. A new flash bulb will need to be installed using this guide.