PowerShot SD790 IS: Digital Camera Not Working

[digitalsteph]

Hey friends! I just found an old digital camera. It is the Canon Photo Shot SD790 IS. I want to use it but the lens is not focusing. Like the whole screen is so blurry. When I zoom in it’s a little bit better but still kinda blurry. The past photos on it have pretty good quality so I don’t know why it’s so blurry. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions! Thanks

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome.

There are a lot of variables here:

• the conditions under which the camera was stored inactive and for how long.  For example, if it was in an environment that was humid or damp, it could have fungus within the body, especially the lens and that is fatal.
• Another variable is the condition of the battery.  If it has degraded over time, it may not have the energy to focus the lens as well as it used to.  The thing to do is test the energy level of the battery (specs on the battery) when it is fully-charged.  If the energy levels of a charged battery are low, then a new battery might do the trick.
• Next, we come to the experience of who is using it and under what conditions. Knowing how to set up and actually shoot under different contexts and circumstances will vary and if that person is new to photography with a dedicated camera, then they have to accept there is a learning curve and they will get pretty rubbish photos until their skills and knowledge of the camera itself improve.

I would recommend downloading a copy of the user manual for your camera from the following link:
PSSD790IS_IXUS90IS_CUG_EN.pdf (c-wss.com) you will find it worth reading and as a reference source.