Canon PowerShot G10 Problems

I received this e-mail from Canon regarding the PowerShot G10 and thought I'd pass it along.

Dear Jim,

We have discovered that in rare instances, lines may appear in images captured by some units of the PowerShot G10 digital camera. Accordingly, we would like to convey the details and our service policy concerning this phenomenon.

We regret that some of our customers may have been inconvenienced by this issue and would like to offer our apologies to them. Canon will continue to strive to provide our customers with high quality products that they can use with confidence. Thank you for your kind understanding.

Affected Models
PowerShot G10

Products with the following serial numbers are affected. Please check the serial number on the bottom of the camera to see if your camera is affected.

Serial Numbers
Products whose serial numbers include any of the following as the fourth and fifth digits from the left may be affected.

Example: ***50*****, ***51*****, ***52*****, ***53*****, ***80*****, ***81*****, ***82*****, ***83*****

Phenomenon
As shown in the following image, lines may appear in images captured with some PowerShot G10 digital cameras.

Note:

• This phenomenon does not occur in all images.
• This phenomenon is not caused by the camera settings.
• The length of lines that appear in images differs depending on the subject.
• Images that exhibit this phenomenon cannot be fixed.

Countermeasure
Free repairs will be provided for affected products. Please contact our Customer Support Center if you own an affected product and wish to arrange for service.

Support
This contact information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

Contact Information for Inquiries:
Customer Support Center
1-800-828-4040 (toll free)
8:00 a.m. - Midnight, EST - Monday to Friday
10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., EST - Saturday
E-mail: carecenter@cits.canon.com

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Ed. note: If you have a G10, you'll notice the problem as soon as you use the Smart Sharpen Filter. These lines will jump out at you. I bought the G10 around the same time that I upgraded to Photoshop CS4, and this problem was driving me nuts. Thankfully, Canon figured out the problem and sent all registered owners the note on how to fix it. Understanding that not everyone fills out the registration card and sends it in, I thought that I'd pass this along. Also, you may receive images shot with a G10 and wonder if you've done something wrong in processing them. According to Canon, images with this problem can't be fixed ... so avoid using Smart Sharpen.

Enjoy.