I bought my Kodak EasyShare CX4300 digital camera several years ago and during that time it has been a fairly good camera. My only complaints until now are (1) the time it takes between when it is turned on and when it’s ready to take a picture and (2) the grainy digital zoom. It was our family’s primary digital camera until earlier this year when we bought a Sony CyberShot DSC-H5 digital camera. Now the CX4300 has been designated as my “Geocache camera”.
Recently my Kodak EasyShare CX4300 digital camera started displaying the error “Camera Needs Service E10” whenever I turned it on. After doing some research it appears that is has been a problem for several EasyShare models since at least 2004. The Kodak EasyShare CX4300 online manual does not list the “Camera Needs Service E10” error. As a matter of fact, the only place that I could find where Kodak mentions the E10 error code on their website is under Kodak Digital Science DC50 Zoom Camera troubleshooting. There Kodak lists the solution as “Take the camera to your dealer for service”.
This is an old camera and I really don’t want to spend the money to have it serviced. I would rather take that money and apply it toward the purchase of a new “Geocache camera”.
However, I have found a solution for the “Camera Needs Service E10” error that works for my camera.
- Turn the unit on and off until the error is cleared.
This is the only thing that will clear the E10 code on my CX4300. Sometimes I only need to turn it on and off once before the code is clear, other times it may take several tries. But once it does finally boot up, it works without any further problems.
Here are some other suggestions that I found online to fix the “Camera Needs Service E10” error:
- Replace the batteries. Try the following methods: (1) take the batteries out with the unit powered off and/or (2) open the battery door when the “Camera Needs Service E10” error is displayed.
This suggestion did not completely fix my camera, but with fully charged batteries the error did appear less often. Kodak recommends using only the following Kodak branded batteries: Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries, Oxy-Alkaline Digital Camera Battery, CRV3 Lithium Batteries, Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery Pack. They also state: “do not use alkaline batteries in EasyShare cameras because they may cause unexpected shutdowns and loss of pictures”.
- Press firmly and hold the “OK” button.
Try this (1) while the unit is booting up or (2) when the “Camera Needs Service E10” error is displayed.
- Remove (or replace) the optional SD memory card.
This suggestion did not work for my camera.
- Update the unit’s firmware.
The only problem with this suggestion is their is no firmware update available, according the CX4300 section of the Kodak website.
These suggestions worked for some and didn’t for others. They didn’t work for my camera. The only common thing to these suggestions was that the unit was turned on and off during the process. So I’m left wondering if the suggestions worked or was turning it on and off the real solution?
Yes, I know this is an old camera, but hopefully this article will be useful for others experiencing the “Camera Needs Service E10” error with their Kodak EasyShare digital cameras.
Actually the information provided by Tim clued me into a problem with our Kodak CX4300 when the E10 message started to appear.
The battery cover on our Digital camera snapped off but prior to the complete separation we had been suffering from the E10 message periodically. We resolved the problem most times by removing the battery and then starting the camera again.
I’d suggest that the E10 message may be a generic error message by Kodak for any failure to boot the camera. In our case the E10 message only appears when the battery connections are not quite made and can be fixed by removing the battery cover and re-inserting it. Once the cover is inserted into a position where the full connection to the batteries are made the E10 message no longer appears.
I’d suggest to anyone that suffers this problem carefully examine the battery cover and metal contacts in the battery compartment for cracks or oxidation as this can and does attribute to the E10 message.
My only problem now, is that Kodak don’t appear to reply to emails sent to their online customer support center. I’ve sent several emails over a 3 month period as a test to see if I’d receive a response and as yet have had none.
Yes, I do have a phone but Kodak, being an online company, set customer expectations by providing an online email address that can be used to make contact with their support center.
We’re planning to buy another camera and it will most likely be a Kodak but like Apple, the lack of support provided by Kodak is disturbing.
Just my 2.2 cents worth.
Cheers
Peter
These cameras are so picky these days. It is a shame that the entire cameria is shut down if the internal software does not boot up. So, not only do you have to worry about the mechanical pieces of the camera but also if the software does not get corrupted.
I’ve been getting the same E10 message, but also the
batteries are getting extremely hot.