A Shake in Time saves Nine

A photog's worst nightmare has just happened to me. 'Camera Malfunction!' (This is even worse than 'My batteries have just died!')

Luckily I was not in the midst of a photo shoot, with my SLRs... but with my P&S camera - the handbag sized Casio EX-Z100. A couple of shots and the lens has stuck in the zoom position and pressing the on/off button just gives me wounded beeps. I carry it home wrapped up in a piece of cloth in my bag, hoping that I don't have to send the thing back to get mended.

Hope removing and putting the battery back will help. Nope. Still blank viewing screen and lens is not retracting. Lens completely stuck. Charging battery? Nope nothing. Read manual. No help there. Try the trusty internet - and google problem....

A few people have had same problem with other Casio versions. Umm, one person accidently drops camera whilst trying to send back to get fixed.

Drop camera? Umm, floor looks too hard to me. And what if falls right down on the lens? Not brave to do this.

Perhaps swing the camera? Too scared that it might slip out my hands and fly off. But thought still there... so I scoop up dead camera in my hands like a dead bird and give it a little shake... then another one...

Camera whirs and lens retracts! Switch it on - it turns on lens retracts! Hurray!