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My wife dropped our Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS. The screen is now completely white on the right side and completely black on the left, split exactly down the middle. The camera seems responsive to the buttons and switches, making the appropriate sounds when I try things, but the display never changes. Is it time to buy a new camera?
Update: It still takes pictures. We snapped several and were able to pull them off.
Given that the camera still can take good and focused images, I will assume that only the screen is broken. I will also assume that you are "moderately" familiar with electronics.
With that in mind, you are the only one capable of choosing the "best" option :
If you feel confident enough to unscrew some parts, you might want to open the beast to see if all the internal cable are correctly connected. $0
If it doesn't improve the situation, you probably need to change the whole screen yourself. The back light + screen is about $55 on Ebay. You can look at this video for help, it's in German and for a slightly different model but should be enough for you to know if you want to try.
I don't guarantee that it will solve your problem. The best way to isolate the faulty component would be to disconnect your screen, plug a new one and check that it works, thus ensuring that it is indeed a LCD problem. You can maybe borrow a compatible screen from someone and check it out.
A shop will probably fix it for something like $90 (80€ at my repair shop).
You really like it ? Find an used one, it should be about $140 (it was about $200 when it came out in early 2014).
You can also consider that you are done with the ELPH 340 HS. Now is a time for a change, you are free to pick any camera you want and can afford, new or used, from point and shot to DSLR. $10 to $999 999.
You may be able to get a few dollars by selling your broken camera for parts.
First try good repair-shop. I had my lens broken due to bumpy ride, repair shop was able to fix it. They might be able to help you. If it cannot be fixed, sell it for scrap value. Some parts might still be reusable.
