Optio E50 Lens Error

[aldago]

I have a point and shoot Optio E50 less than one year old and suddenly I get the following message:
Lens Error
0x0302
and then the camera turns off.
Anyone have any idea what this means and how to solve the problem?

[Wheatfield]

Odds are, there is a broken wire in the lens cable. If this is the case and it's under warranty, it's worth repairing, though it will probably just get replaced, otherwise it's pretty much toast.
A call to Pentax service might reveal the meaning, since they can just look up the error code for a diagnosis.

[tomwil]

According to the internet, on the Pentax Optio models the error message usually means the lens mechanism or cam is jammed.

Here is one webpage that describes how they cleared the jam.

And here is another that gives many tips in unjamming a lens.