A900 "camera error"

[Lonnie Utah]

I get this with anything above f2.8. Hoping sony will work with me on the warranty. Not looking like it at this point (I bought it overseas while on holiday and there are issues to be worked out). They wanted $540ish to fix it out of warranty, which is silly cause I just bought it in July. I'm sick right now.

Ideas? Advice?

[David Kilpatrick]

First of all, remove the battery entirely and leave the camera for a period such as overnight before putting battery back in. Secondly, clean the lens contacts in the mount throat. Third, reset the camera to factory settings using the Reset Default option in the Spanner menu 4.

These are preliminary steps before contacting service about camera errors - if it persists after this has been done, proceed with service (disappointed to hear there is no international warranty applicable to your camera).

David

[Lonnie Utah]

Thanks Dave. I've done the soft reboot and reset the menu. I haven't cleaned the contacts, but I get this error with 4 different lenses, so I'm guessing it's not that.

The thing that irritates me is that when I purchased the camera, I ask about warranty issues. I was told "No problem mate, just register on sony's website and you are fine." I called the overseas sony help center where I bought it and the said "sure, send it to us and we'll take care of you" It just seems silly for all parties involved to do it that way.

I understand the reason for the policy. To stop gray market mail order imports from undercutting prices local dealers. But that wasn't the case here. If I would have know this, I would have simply waited until I got to the states to make my purchase.

I am hoping that the Sony customer relations take care of me. I get to plead my case to this sometime today.

My other option is a local repair shop.

This is all just very frustrating....

L

[Lonnie Utah]

Well, it seems to be back alive. For now.

Still waiting on a call from Sony support.

[Jasper_D]

I hope it´s not the same dreaded ´Camera Error 0x5b´ well known on the α100!? Mine just started showing it again, after been serviced back in april. It´s going back tomorrow again... It means the camera does not succeed in setting the lens´ aperture anymore, iow all that´s left is shooting wide open.
I´d hate to see the same on my α900!

[Lonnie Utah]

I hope it´s not the same dreaded ´Camera Error 0x5b´ well known on the α100!? Mine just started showing it again, after been serviced back in april. It´s going back tomorrow again...

How much was the $$ to fix?

[Jasper_D]

None in fact, it´s under a 5 years warranty sold with it in 2006 on the occasion of a national tradeshow here. I bet they´re regretting it now. I read a thread in Dynax Digital Forums though, saying the costs outweighted the value (of α100 of course)... For me, the pain sits in having it out of reach for several weeks, and even while it´s now merely backup (and 1.5 TC occasionnaly ), I feel a bit penalized and unhappy. Not good enough on build qualty, especially if it´s the same on your α900, years later!
That error is well documented, here: http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/docu ... Id=C547918

I´m a bit dismayed by your experience with Sony´s much touted International Warranty. Thought the whole purpose of it would be to deliver wherever you happen to live. Not concerned right now, I bought where I live, but in a fast moving world with opening borders...

[stevecim]

I´m a bit dismayed by your experience with Sony´s much touted International Warranty. (

I didn't know Sony offered International warranty, I've always said that Sony should offer International Warranty on the G and CZ lenses like Canon do on the L series. Maybe they do?

[bakubo]

In the fall of 2007 I was in Tokyo for 3 months and really wanted to get an A700. I was amazed and very disappointed to discover that unlike Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. the Sony DSLRs had no option in the menu to change the language from Japanese. The manager of the camera department at the huge Bic Camera in Ikebukuru was equally amazed and sure that we were just missing something. He called Sony up and it was confirmed. Sony DSLRs in Japan (unlike the rest of the world) were Japanese only. He then suggested I go to some of the shops like Laox that sell international versions for foreign visitors. I went there and all they had was the kit with the 16-105mm lens (I wanted to get the 18-250mm) and their price was full retail, so much more than Bic Camera et al. I almost went ahead and bought it, but then I asked about the warranty for the "international" version of the A700. Japan only. I sent an email to a contact I had at Sony USA and she confirmed that Sony USA would not honor any warranty for their "international" version. Obviously, I didn't buy. It put me off Sony so much that even when I got back to the States I hesitated for over a month before finally getting the A700.

[Lonnie Utah]

Good news, bad news.

Good news first.
Found this on another forum. It seems to have fixed the problem. http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9996

Just an FYI for the users here.

Bad news.
Sony USA refused to work with me. The best they could offer was that I send the camera in for repair in the USA, pay the $542 and then TRY and recoup the funds from Sony NZ. What a crock of $#!+ hiccup!!! (Sorry dave). I was on the phone with them for almost 1 hour and honestly, it was one of the worst customer services experiences that I have ever had. The CSR had ZERO compassion and was simply a robot regurgitating answers back to me. Dry and heartless. That's how it felt. AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL.

Anyway, Sony NZ was going to be more than willing to work with me. The only hang up would have been shipping the unit back there and the time to do it. The part that frustrates me is this. http://www.sony-asia.com/section/warrantyinfo The way I read it, I should be covered. Sony USA had never heard of this option. Sucks. The clerk at the point of sale never mentioned that the warranty wouldn't be good outside of NZ. In fact, he said the oppsite, that all I had to do was resgister with Sony USA. I feel lied to and cheated. If I would have known, I would have waited to purchase. I spent close to $6000 US on sony products that day, and this is how the treat me? They better be gald I'm committed at this point, because if I would have known what I know now, I would have gotten the 5DMxII instead.

EDIT: What I might try to do at this point is contact Sony NZ and see if, given the circumstances, they will sell me an international warranty. The expericnce on the phone with them was 100% oppsite of Sony USA. They were awesome. I ended up having a 20 min conversation with the CSR about stuff. I felt like he was my friend, and cared about my and their products, and reputation. Crossing my fingers on that one.

[NevHi]

Sony's official repair centre for Sony DSLR in New Zealand is here:

http://phototronic.co.nz/ They provide an excellent service.

Compared with most of Asia, NZ prices for Sony are very high.

[Lonnie Utah]

Compared with most of Asia, NZ prices for Sony are very high.

Good thing I have a benefactor then!