protection blind in from of camera does not fully open

When I turn on the camera a thin metal blind that looks like an aperture in
front of the camera opens up to expose the camera lens. The main purpose is
to protect the lens when the camera is not in use. I have a problem where
the top, bottom or both parts of the blind does not fully open. I have to
manually move the blind to fully open it.
Has any one had this problem?
Is there anything I can try to fix this problem?
I'm told by the shop I brought the video camera from that some dirt in the
wind may have blown in behind the blind and it is likely not to be covered
by the guarantee.

 

It certainly sounds like something might be sticking in the mechanism. I'm not
sure how they work internally, but my guess is that some part of it is
spring-loaded, such that one of the blades can become stuck while others might
still move. A bit of dirt or something might be the culprit. If so, you might
be able to take it to a service center and get it cleaned without it being too
expensive. If something is actually broken, fixing it might cost a lot more.

Does the blade actually interfere with the camera's field of view? If it's
only on the periphery of the lens assembly, it might not actually get in the
way, except perhaps at wide-angle settings. If it never visibly interferes,
fixing it is less of a priority.

If the blades are spring loaded, you might be able to move them when they are
closed without damaging anything. If so, maybe you could try holding the
camera lens down and then carefully moving the sticky blade and/or its
neighbors while tilting the camera in various ways that could encourage any
dirt to fall out. Canned air is another possibility but that might be
dangerous, as it could just drive dirt or sand deeper into the camera.

Have you used the camera in dusty environments?

 

Thanks Mxsmanic for your advice.

I first noticed the problem when I played back a video I took with the
camera. The top right corner of the screen appeared dark. At first I
thought I might have gotten part of my hand near the lens. Finally I
noticed it just as I was going to record something and found that problem
was the blades were not fully opening.
When the problem was first noticed I was recording outside and there was a
wind but not a strong wind. The area was not dusty. Condensation was also
considered as its winter in New Zealand and it has been sticking a lot
lately.
At the moment it shows up on the camera's LCD so I'm reminded to move the
blade out of the way. I'll do like you suggest to try and find a way to
overcome he problem as if it goes back to almost opening and I don't notice
it in the LCD screen then it could mess up a good camera shot. The camera
is only 6 months old so it won't be due to wear.

 

Since it is less than a year old, it is worth checking to see if the
camera is still under warranty. BTW, since the lens likely has an
optical stabilization system (and the VF may also not cover 100% of
the viewing angle), you may not see obstruction that does appear
in the image, especially with camera movement. This last is also true
when adding lens converters, adapter rings, shades, and filters...
--DR