DailyTech - Sony Finds Defects in 8 Camera Models

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Gadgets Sony Finds Defects in 8 Camera Models
Brandon Hill (Blog) - November 24, 2006 9:26 AM

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16 comment(s) - last by mindless1.. on Nov 25 at 12:55 AM

Sony DSC-T33

Affected digicams may have problems operating in humid conditions

Sony has discovered manufacturing defects in 8 of its camera models that were sold between September 2003 and January 2005. Sony states that the cameras affected may have problems operating or may not operate at all in warm and humid conditions.

According to Reuters, over 1 million of the 8 camera models have been sold, but only around 4,000 are expected to need repairs. The repairs will of course be made free of charge by Sony.

According to Sony's Japanese site which has information on the recall, the models affected include the DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40 and DSC-U50.

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It still is a Sony?

By MobileZone on 11/24/2006 9:46:33 AM , Rating: 3

What is going on with Sony??

RE: It still is a Sony?

By Schadenfroh on 11/24/2006 9:50:19 AM , Rating: 2

People love to bash Sony, expect more articles about how they screw up compared to others. Take it the battery recall was very bad..... but this kind of thing is fairly common in the industry.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By TomZ on 11/24/2006 9:59:26 AM , Rating: 2

LOL, when was the last time "the industry" saw the recall of tens of millions of batteries, or anything similar? You call it "fairly common," but a recall of this scale is probably more like once every few years.

...and Sony deserves to take it on the chin, in terms of PR. After all, it was their fault.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By Tupolev22m on 11/24/2006 10:51:45 AM , Rating: 2

As much as I think its great that you're taking the oppurtunity to bash Sony as he said people would, you might want to note that he admitted the battery recall was BAD and said the CAMERA RECALL was fairly common throughout the industry, which recalls for minor things like this are...

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By PrinceGaz on 11/24/2006 11:50:25 AM , Rating: 5

This Sony camera sensor problem is anything but minor.

Although only eight Sony camera models are mentioned in this story, they are actually eight models that have been added to an existing list of over twenty Sony cameras and about a hundred Sony camcorders that were reported last year as having these faulty sensors.

It's also not just Sony models that are affected, but models from other manufacturers that used the Sony manufactured CCD: Canon, Fuji, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, and Ricoh.

Given that Canon have just added a further eleven cameras to their list of those that used a faulty CCD from Sony, it is likely that additional models from other manufacturers will follow soon also.

Most people with an affected camera probably aren't aware that there is a known problem and that they could get it repaired free of charge, so instead just buy a new camera. If the Sony CCD story received the same level of publicity that the Sony battery story did, there would be a major recall of cameras from many manufacters and Sony would be facing a huge bill. It is only because the sensor fault has no potential of being dangerous and could actually lead to the sale of an additional replacement camera, that it is largely ignored.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By rushnrockt on 11/24/2006 1:52:12 PM , Rating: 1

Care to tell the total number of cameras recalled? And no, not the model number but actual units. This article states that 4,000 units will be in need of repair. If the situation is that much worse, I would like to see the real numbers, not just unsupported speculations
Toyota has made recalls for larger percentage of their cars and trucks, their reputation is still intact. While it's true that Sony is suffering from quality problems right now, 4,000 recalled cameras is not 10 million batteries and yes, you are still nothing more than a Sony-basher if you equate one with the other.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By TomZ on 11/24/2006 1:59:05 PM , Rating: 2

I personally find the claim of 4000 affected units unreasonable when you consider the overall scope of the problem, in terms of number of manufacturers affected, number of models affected, and number of units affected, which number into the millions.

In light of that, the 4000 number is IMO only reasonable if Sony forces end users to report actual trouble with their cameras and request an in-warranty repair of the unit in order to have it replaced due to the faulty sensor. As another poster stated, probably most users will just think their camera is being flaky, and may just throw it away and buy a new once, since they probably will not be aware of this issue at all.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By mindless1 on 11/25/2006 12:55:03 AM , Rating: 3

If you would like to see the real numbers then maybe you should educate yourself instead of whining that somebody else should serve up info on a platter.

Geeze, try to provide useful info around here and others have the nerve to think you have to prove what goes against their wild assumptions.

The above coming from someone who remembers the Sony sensor news in the past.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By TomZ on 11/24/2006 1:10:25 PM , Rating: 4

Sony has received a lot of negative publicity lately due to their quality problems, schedule problems, legal problems, DRM problems, and loose-lipped executive problems. These are facts, not opinions, and to any reasonable objective observer, there does seem to be some kind of pattern here.

Call me a Sony basher if you want if I state that they have brought these problems upon themselves, however, I don't feel that I'm expressing any bias here.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By RussianSensation on 11/24/2006 10:21:52 AM , Rating: 5

People love to bash Sony because if any other company produced such poor quality product or made as many mistakes it would most likely go out of business. In effect, bashing Sony is also targeted towards making fun of the consumers that buy Sony products who simply buy due to the brand itself rather than the superiority of the product.

Sony is being outperformed in all categories imaginable from digital cameras to TVs to sound systems. Even HD-DVD is starting to win the war against Blue-Ray and PS3's dominant status in the console wars is now disputed.

If we ever want to see quality products from Sony (or the company it once was aiming for innovation) instead of selling overpriced junk that just "looks good" to show off to your uninformed friends, we as consumers need to make it known through our purchases and our view of the company.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By HaZaRd2K6 on 11/24/2006 11:07:09 AM , Rating: 3

quote:
Sony is being outperformed in all categories imaginable from digital cameras to TVs to sound systems. Even HD-DVD is starting to win the war against Blue-Ray and PS3's dominant status in the console wars is now disputed.

First off, Sony isn't a "big" manufacturer of sound systems, there's always someone better. Sony makes mainstream sound systems, if you want a good sound system, go look at some Martin Logans or sone B&Os. Digital cameras, too, are a huge market, and no one comapny is on the top for very long.

Sony TVs, in my opinion, having two at home (both HD sets), are still some of the best-looking HDTVs on the market. HD-DVD is not starting to win the war against Blu-Ray, in fact, most market analysts still aren't even close to declaring a winner in the format-war.

PS3's "dominant status" is disputed because of the lack of supply and high prices even with the lack of supply. There is no other reason to dispute the PS3's so-called "dominance" and in fact some market analysts are starting to lean towards Nintendo's Wii as the winner of this generation of console war.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By tarv on 11/24/2006 2:40:21 PM , Rating: 2

My god Sony just can't seem to hit rock bottom and get this turned around. Their camera division is one of the bright spots of the underperforming electronics division too.

I used to laugh at this now I am really feeling genuine pity for Sony. Come on Sony step up.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By vhx500 on 11/24/2006 11:17:57 PM , Rating: 2

Hey, look at the bright side. At least the cameras aren't exploding this time.

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RE: It still is a Sony?

By Scrogneugneu on 11/24/2006 11:26:50 PM , Rating: 2

Well, it depends on the batteries you use in them.

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Come on...

By TheRequiem on 11/24/2006 10:36:10 AM , Rating: 2

Doesn't Sony test any of their equipment? I mean... this is getting ridiculous. They rush everything way too much and then they wonder why they are losing millions.

pft.