Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital Elph Troubleshooting

The wrist strap mount can break and requires replacement. See Wrist Strap Mount Replacement Guide.

The battery may not be charged enough to turn on. Try charging the battery.

The battery may not work anymore or won't hold charge. Battery needs to be replaced. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH Battery Replacement Guide.

Camera says it cannot take any pictures.

The switch on the memory card may be on "lock." Taking out the memory card and switching the little piece to the opposite side of the arrow should unlock it.

The memory card may be faulty. Switching the little piece on the memory card to the "lock" position may solve the problem.

The button contact board may be faulty. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH Button Contact Panel Replacement Guide.

Camera doesn't flash when taking pictures

The flash may be turned off on the camera. Pressing the circular button surrounding the "FUNC. SET" button to the right turns the flash on and off.

The bulb may be burned out; in which case, the flash bulb may be replaced. In the event the entire flash assembly has been damaged (i.e. you dropped the camera and cracked the flash assembly), you will need to replace the entire flash assembly. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH Flash Bulb Assembly Replacement Guide.

If your LCD display is shattered, the only thing that can be done is to replace it. Sure your camera will work without the display, but its functionality will be extremely minimized so replacing the display is highly recommended. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH LCD Replacement Guide.

The camera lens can be scratched if mistreated, leading to distorted and marred pictures. Replacement is necessary if the lens is scratched. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH Zoom Lens Assembly Replacement Guide.

Camera lens won't open

The camera lens may not work properly if the camera is turned on with the battery/SD compartment open. Turn camera off and close the compartment.

Camera lens may disfunction due to mechanical error. See Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH Zoom Lens Replacement Guide.

Can't completely plug in cable or camera doesn't registered cable when it is plugged in.

The mini-USB port may be obstructed by debris. Try carefully cleaning the min-usb port.

The port may become defective due to wear and tear over time and will require replacement.

The tripod port may become stripped over time.