Troubleshooting Vivitar Cameras

If you experience a problem with your Vivitar digital camera, you may see an error message. You may also experience problems where the camera provides no visual clues. With or without an error message on the screen, use these tips to fix your Vivitar camera.

Causes of Problems With Vivitar Cameras

Some of the error messages that you may encounter include:

• Card Full Error/No File Exists
• Lens Error/E18 Error
• Write Protected Error

Here are some causes of potential problems with Vivitar cameras:

• If the camera doesn't read the SD memory card, it may be write-protected, or it may be a new memory card that needs to be formatted.
• If the flash isn't working, it may have been turned off manually through the camera menu.
• If the lens doesn't extend, the camera may need to be cleaned, or it could be a problem with the camera's internal mechanics.
• A low camera battery can cause a range of problems. For example, if the camera saves a photo when the power becomes exhausted, the photo may not be saved or may become corrupted.
• If the camera takes blurry images, the autofocus system may not be working as quickly as needed to create a sharp image.
• If you dropped the camera, it could be internally damaged.
• With some cameras, if you don't have a memory card installed, the camera temporarily saves photos in internal memory. Once you power off the camera, the photos are automatically deleted. Make sure you use a memory card to avoid this problem.

Vivitar doesn't make the most high-end cameras, which is one reason why they're inexpensive compared to other brands. Therefore, your camera may not be able to capture photos at the quality you desire.

How to Fix Issues With Vivitar Cameras

Follow these steps the fix common problems with Vivitar cameras:

1. Keep the camera batteries charged. Recharge the battery or replace the AA or AAA batteries regularly.

2. Prefocus your shots. If you have trouble focusing, press the shutter button halfway to prefocus on the scene whenever possible. When the camera achieves a sharp focus, press the shutter fully.

3. Check the flash settings. First, make sure the camera is not in macro mode, which can cause some Vivitar cameras to turn off the flash. Then, change the flash setting to automatic.

4. Clean the camera lens. Make sure the lens housing is clean and free of particles and grime, both of which can cause the lens to stick.

5. Disable write protection on the SD card. If you have a write-protect switch on the side of the card, move the switch to the unlocked position to allow the camera to write photos to the card again.

6. Format the memory card. Retrieve and save any photos from the card onto your computer since formatting erases all the files on the card.

7. Shut down the camera, remove the batteries, and wait 10 minutes. When you replace the battery and turn on the camera again, the lens should extend on its own.

8. Get your camera professionally repaired. If you tried everything above and still have trouble with the lens and flash, the internal mechanisms may have failed, which can be an expensive repair.