Got a Canon S1 IS. Works great. Took over 2200 photos in Italy last month. But the zoom lever has begun sticking a bit. Take the finger off and it keeps on zooming unless you push it back the other way. Any way this can be loosened up? Would I dare apply a drop of oil? WD-40?
Do you know the cause of the sticking?
I would never put oil, especially WD-40 on plastic. It disintigrates it. I learned the hard way by lubing a slide projector with oil. The gears crumbled.
Don't know why it sticks. Didn't spill on it or subject it to abnormal dust conditions. Wasn't really thinking of oil or WD-40. What about graphite?
A dry lube like graphite shouldn't degrade the plastic, but remember a little bit goes a long way. You could also try some contact cleaner in case there is any gunk built up on the lever.
What do you mean by contact cleaner? Sounds like a possibiliy.