shosh, the E18 is usually a lens error. It could happen happen because dirt or sand get into the lens mechanism and does not let is properly extend or retract. I said usually because there was also an E18 issues and a planned lawsuit against Canon :-). Anyhow to see if it is a true error, [http://www.e18error.com/repair.html|here is] a pretty good write up on how to try to fix it. Hope this helps, good luck.