My parents had the exact same problem with their camera. I went to this web page http://www.pechorin.com/m/2004/08/07/SONY_E6100_ERROR-217896.html and read the posts and decided I didn't have anything to lose...I hit the lens...straight on..with the palm of my hand...3 times and gently wiggled the lens with my finger...turned the camera back on and it worked...no error message and a clear screen. Cynthia 8-26-06