A jammed or crooked zoom barrel after a drop usually means internal lens gears or the lens assembly have been damaged. Pushing it, forcing it, or hitting it is very unlikely to help and can cause more damage.

On compact point-and-shoot cameras, the lens mechanism is tightly packed and difficult to disassemble and reassemble. In theory, you could open it and inspect or replace the entire lens assembly, but this is generally only worth attempting as a DIY salvage project if you accept the risk of making it unusable.

In most cases, professional repair is not economical on an older inexpensive compact camera; the repair often costs as much as or more than replacing the camera. Also, accidental drop damage is typically not covered by warranty anyway.

Practical options:

• Don’t hit or force the barrel.
• Ask a repair shop for an estimate if you want to confirm the cost.
• If you like tinkering, open it only as a last-resort DIY attempt.
• Otherwise, replace the camera and consider selling the damaged one for parts if anything is still usable.