When my sister dropped my camera, the lens casing hit the ground at a 45 degree angle. Now it has a quaint rattle and the inner lens casing freely swivels up and down.

So, I do the only thing I know how: try to repair it. After hours of disassembly, I extract the lens unit. I've still got to separate the extending/retracting lens casings to reach the inner most, but I'll save that.

A question though:
If the CCD is exposed to light for more than its intended fraction of a second, is it ruined? Can it soak up too much light and be ruined?

If not, it's probably ruined by that fraction of a fingerprint that got on the glass above the CCD, which I tried to clean by my shirt sleeve.

Camera conisours, if you're now horrified, just remember, the camera served me well for 4 years and this is really just an exercise in seeing how stuff works.

Simply put, the best way to clean optics is to not let them get dirty in the first place.

I doubt indoor lighting will hurt your ccd. It takes something more like pointing the lens at the sun to generate enough energy to damage one.

Surely the CCD is being exposed the whole time (through the lens) to display the image on the screen at the back?

Thanks for the confirmation. I will proceed trying to disassemble the most intricate telescoping lens assembly to find, and possibly repair, the rattling bits. That or simply buy a new lens assembly. Or, perhaps better, buy a new camera.