dsc-h5 autofocus problem

[majik]

Hi,

It seems like people here are having issues with the shutter not auto-focusing (pressing the shutter button half way down) I don't seem to have a problem with auto-focusing, but it is an issue with the shutter button.

My camera's shutter button fell off (bought it in Spet 2006, button fell off 2 days ago). There was also a spring in the bag I keep my camera. I am assuming it's part of it, but can't figure out how to put it back. I already requested service for it via the Sony website. I am actually sent it off this morning.

Do any of you have a borken shutter button issue??

smfkeeper, you mention you got yours back in 10 day. Was that counting from the time you sent it off? I called Sony support and they gave me a 7-10 day estimated turn around time. I hope it's that quick. You mention you sent your camera to their repair center in CT. Unfortunately I am in CA and I need to ship it to TX (not as close as I had hoped).

Also, I bought mine at best buy and did not get the PSP / PRP (I would always buy them for stuff I buy but never had the things break, so I stopped buying it). I read on their website that you can buy it after you purchase an item but only while it is still within the return policy period. Have any of you guys tried buying it after that return policy period? I am planning on taking it in to B.B. once I get it back from Sony and ask if I can still buy it if they inspect my camera.

[smfkeeper]

just following up. It's now April 14th & the H5 that I had repaired last month has broken again ! Same problem with the shutter. Won't press half way down to focus. I'm hopping mad about this. I'm sending it back in for repair & the selling it when fixed.

:mad2:

[CesarCastro]

This is really a design problem.
Two months ago my H2 shutter button just got some wish to fly and flew away. Yes, before that the auto-focus just ended.
Send the machine to the service and one month after I got the machine back.
This was two weeks ago and today the same shutter button again learned to fly and just went away.
Doesn't Sony know that the shutter button is a necessary piece that should not fly?
If I had read this forums before this was a machine that I would not had bought César Castro

[majik]

I just want to follow up...

-I bought my camera in Sept '06
-Shutter button came off on April 9th.
-I shipped my camera on the 11th to the Laredo, TX facility (I am from CA)
-They received it on the 16th.
-They shipped it off on the 18th (sent me an e-mail notification)
-I received it on the 23rd.....12 day turnaround.

I hope I don't have more issues with it. I really like this camera.

[rumrak]

I had the same auto focus problem with my H5 as well, Mine happened within the first 30 days so it was easy to do an exchange at PoS. Since I got my new one it has been great with no issues, that was 4 months ago now. Still worried that or another common problems will pop up after that 1 year so thinking about the Sony ext warranty.

[leg]

Hi People,


i got a new DSC-H5 on 20. Dezember in munich, germany. this camera was broken, the autofocus didn't work at all. I went back to the store and i got a new one, which isn't working since yesterday aggain. I was really sad when i read this forum here... my autofucus is not working anymore, and i'm going to send my camera to sony back, but as i read here.... they are just going to repair it, and it is going to stop working in a few months aggain and aggain.... what i'm going to do after the warranty is over?
:mad2:


thank you very much for the information!

leg

[ace6227]

Hello, I just wanted to share my experience with this problem as well. I don't care what Sony or anyone else says, this is a very common issue atleast on the H5. So if it's not a very common wide spread issue, that Sony recognizes, then we all just happened to get some out of a bad batch. Anyway, my issue happened just after a few days of owning my camera. At first I just thought I didn't know how to use the focus features properly. When I finally figured out it was a defect I was outside of the return policy. It was purchased from Best Buy, and I did buy the service plan on it as well. I took it in to Best Buy and it was sent out to Precision camera for repair. The entire process for the repair including the shipping was just over a week. They replaced the "switch block". So far the camera's auto-focus appears to be working great. Just thought I'd share my issue as well. If anyone is having this problem and is under Sony's warranty or a service plan you should be able to take it in and get it taken care of. Hopefully the replacement parts don't experience the same issue.

[Speed51md]

Ok... I have the same problem with the H-2. I am returning that shortly to Best Buy.

NOW...on my H-5... the trigger button DISAPPEARED! What do I do? Can it be purchased anywhere. I am completely in a huge time crunch here. Best Buy could not find a number (with Sony) to call about parts. They gave me a computer repair number!

HELP!

I need to know who to turn to!

-Matthew from Concord, NC

[smfkeeper]

Another SAD update: I am now sending my H5 back for a third time. Same issue .... after being repaired, I can shoot a couple hundred shots then the shutter button will no longer go half way down to pre-focus.......

I'm sending back (per Sony) to Precision Camera Repair center in CT (I'm located east of the Mississippi) I was told by a very nice lady at Precision that Sony would only address an individual camera's issue after four repairs for the same problem.

Also interesting is that although the Sony tech would not admit a wide spread problem with the H5, he did email me a UPS shipping label for free shipping to Precision Repair.

:mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

[user88]

I bought the Sony H5 in December 2006. After 4 months and 1,000 shots the half-press shutter problem occurred. Since I live overseas and bought the camera in the US, it is out of warranty. I replaced the switch-block control at the Sony service. It cost me 100 USD including the service. The camera works fine now. Here is the part: 147966621

http://www.partstore.com/sl/2/581324...147966621.html

[ShriDurga]

Greetings from Japan and thanks for the thread. It's the only discussion I've thus found on the web about this problem. If you know of any others, could you share them with us here?

I bought my camera late January here in Japan and developed this shutter problem just this past week. Have probably taken about 2,000 photos in the 4 months I've been using it. Shipping it off to Sony for repair next week.

I'm thinking about selling the camera once I get it back. What might be a good replacement?

[ArielConstantinof]

I bought my H5 camera in December, 2 days ago the auto focus half-pressed shutter stopped working.

I went to Sony Center with the camera and with the guarantee. After they looked at it for half an hour saying that the problem is that I played with the settings they told me they will repair the shutter problem but just for this time. Next time I'll have to pay for it. Isn't that stupid?

From what you guys say, the problem reappears after you fix it. What should I do?

[ace6227]

I bought my H5 camera in December, 2 days ago the auto focus half-pressed shutter stopped working.

I went to Sony Center with the camera and with the guarantee. After they looked at it for half an hour saying that the problem is that I played with the settings they told me they will repair the shutter problem but just for this time. Next time I'll have to pay for it. Isn't that stupid?

From what you guys say, the problem reappears after you fix it. What should I do?

Well if you bought it in December then you're under Sony's 1 year warranty. Where did you purchase this unit from? Do you still have the original sales receipt? Mine came from Best Buy, my place of employment, and the majority of cameras even under the manufactuer's warranty get sent to Precision camera for repair. You could take it to Best Buy, wheter you bought it there or not, and as long as you have a receipt showing it was purchased within the 1 year warranty they can send it out for repair. If it was "just" a setting that you accidently messed with then it would be fixed simply by resetting the camera. I don't have mine in front of me so I can't tell you at the moment exactly where it's at but it's labled "Initialize Camera". If you do this and still have the problem then you are one of the many who have experienced a bad shutter block in this model.

Also, just an update on my unit: I had the shutter block replaced a little while ago and so far I've had no issues with it. I'm taking a trip to Vegas for my wedding in August so I'm hoping I don't experience this problem again while I'm out there.

[ArielConstantinof]

Sony Center fixed my H5 in just 2 days. I just hope I won't experience the same problem again because they told me they won't fix it again... I don't know why :mad2:.

Thanks for the answer ace6227!

[polarbeardiggers]

i bought my new camera from the actual sony store black h5, the red auto focus would not work,when i took it back,we discovered the serial numbers didn't match up either,they just handed me a new one silver,its worked great to this day,it will lock on and grab some amazingly great colour pics.i've had it for a couple of months now.

[madweazl]

Same problem for me. Originally purchased in December or January. Worked great until today. I've never been a fan of Sony products because of similar annoying issues like this on other products. Guess I should have trusted my gut and gone with the Canon I'll be calling Sony tomorrow.

[smfkeeper]

OK, folks here’s what has happened since my 3rd try to get my H5 fixed by Sony (within the 1yr warranty period). With a great deal of prodding on my part, Sony has agreed to send me a "replacement" for my H5. It is to a brand new H5 with full warranty (dated from the time it is shipped to me). I expect it in the morning, tomorrow at the latest. Sony's repair center (in CT) wanted to say that there was nothing wrong with the camera on the second time to be repaired & this last time (3rd time sent in for repair) they said that it had been dropped/abused. I really blasted them about that one !! I had to get up to the top level of customer service to get any real action but it has really paid off. BTW while waiting for my H5 to be fixed, I found a "deal" on an H2. The H2 is awesome. The Macro shots are stunning. (& just one MP less than the H5) This is a great back up camera. This H2 & H5 are really nice (when working properly). I've seen (& used) the H7 & H9.
They are smaller & "cheaper” looking & feeling! Good Luck All !!
from :mad2: to :thumbsup:

[polarbeardiggers]

well good luck on your new h5,as a h5 owner i'm very satified,and have a renewed appreciation for photography ever since my purchase a couple of months ago,i really find this prosumer camera to be top notch in my books,i have the new telephoto lens for my camera ,it just blows me away on how well this power zoom works,best of luck on your future outings.

[smfkeeper]

Hope this is my final update. My replacement H5 from Sony did not arrive but they did call me. They said that Sony no longer had any H5s in reserve for replacements & offered a H7. I said "NO" because I needed the larger display of the H5. They said they would consider giving me a H9 or my money back. I've seen all I need of the H9 & decided to take the check for my H5. Appears that a check is on the way for my original purchase.

I've since found a deal on an H2 (which is a great camera) & also found that Wolf Camera (online) has a few H5s for $399 & that includes S/H & taxes. I love these cameras & hope that this new H5 works properly. Good Luck to all who have the problem!
:thumbsup: maybe?

[catz3016]

I too have a problem with the shutter button. Mine fell off just like yours. Right now I have sent it to their repair shop under extended warranty. The extended warrranty reads that it will take care of any manufacturers defects. They are saying that my camera is not covered that this is not a known defect yet there are several places on the net that mention this problem with the Sony DSC H2
Have any ideas how to get them to own up to this defect? My camera is only 15 months old!

[brightdog]

Well, I guess I'll jump into the mix here as well. I bought a Sony DSCH2 back in April 2007. My first experience with the Half-Press problem began in late May (just after the 30 day Best Buy warranty expired). I sent it to Sony (by way of Precision Camera) and they repaired it and sent it back to me in good working order. Less than a month after that, the problem occured again. Called Precision, and they said they would repair it again, which they did...but then a month later if failed yet again.....

This went on to happen a total of FIVE times, while only owning the camera for less than 6 months. On the 5th time, I was finally able to convince Sony/Precision to replace it, rather than trying to "Repair" it again. They offered to send me a DSCH7, which I'm expecting to receive sometime this week.

Its too bad really, because I liked the H2 a lot. It took very nice pictures, but it just wasn't reliable. I'm hoping that the law of averages holds and I don't get two lemons in a row.....

[bradjohn]

Sadly, I am also an unfortunate Sony DSC-H5 owner. My warranty just expired and the auto-focus lock (shutter button half press) quit working. A quick Google search turned up hundreds of hits, like this thread, of people having the same problem with the DSC-H product line. It appears there are actually two problems being reported - the focus lock problem, and the shutter button actually flying off. I am only having the focus lock problem, my button has not come off. I wonder if the problems are related?

Anyway, I spent over an hour on the phone this morning with Sony support and then (after much complaining) with someone from customer service. Even when I told them that an internet search reveals that this is a widespread problem that clearly is a design flaw with this product line, they insisted that this is not a known problem! I told her that I would not pay $181 to fix this problem. I told her that instead, I was going to visit every web site that sells their cameras and post the truth about them: that Sony refuses to stand behind these products and accept responsibility for a design flaw.
She then offered to pay 50% of the cost. That's still $90 plus shipping, and I don't know if I want to throw good money after bad (since many people are reporting that the problem reappears after repair).
If anyone knows of any sort of group action towards Sony regarding this, please let me know - I will join.

[FadeOut79]

One thing you can do, where i Live, we got something that's called Warranty of Quality, that can extend your warranty up to 6 to 12 months over the 1 year period of warranty. That's what i'm gonna do with my DSC h5, because my trigger just went off a week ago. Still... if this is a common problem, this denotes a Design Flaw, so i'm pretty sure you can try to get it repaired for free at the store you bought it, because it's easier to deal with them than sony (unless you bought it at Sony's). I'm pretty sure that you got the same article of law in USA than I got here in Quebec.

[cell_rave]

I bought a DSC_H5 from eBay with 3 yr warranty from Best Buy... had same issue... camera would not auto-focus when shutter button was pressed half-way down - and this was 15 months into the camera purchase (3 month after the manufacturer warranty had expired! - what a POS!)... long story short: Best Buy would not repair it (lens had to be replaced and costs ~$360.. so I was told I can do a trade-in... so I steered away from Sony H7 and H9 and bought the Canon S5 (which is a much better camera!)
No more Sony cameras for me; or any other Sony product for all I care! what a POS company!

And what a shame making such a lousy product and no product recalls of any kind to this date as MANY people are having the same issue with this model (search and you will see!)

I advise you guys get rid of these cameras on eBay as we don't know which ones will fail eventually and buy a Canon instead!
Look at how many used Sony H5 cameras are on eBay - that tells you something is wrong with these cameras that people are trying to get rid of them!!!!

[fleetasx]

We purchased the H5 just before Christmas of 2006. This camera does a super job when it works right, in my amateur opinion. We especially love the large screen; that, and the Sony name, is why we purchased this particular camera. Two weeks ago, we noticed the focus issue, and next thing we know, the button pops off; the camera had worked fine until then. I purchased the camera from B&H Photo online, and did not purchase an extended warranty. I carried the camera to our local photo shop, and got the old flat rate $181 cost plus shipping to fix spiel, but I decided that was too much to dump into this camera and felt there had to be an easy fix for this. After searching several different forums and finding that, indeed, there seems to be a universal problem with the "Release Assembly" on the H series cameras, I bit the bullet and ordered the X21083262 RELEASE ASSY (420) from Sony http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/web/productSearch.do
I just went ahead and bought 3 of the darn things, cheaper than buying a new camera ($76 delivered), plus we like the camera and will just pop a new one on when the next one breaks. It is an easy fix, just slide a thin screwdriver or knife blade at the base of the silver ring at the button and gently pry upward, it will pop right off, and the replacement pops right back on. (See http://thelope.com/2007/03/sony-dsc-h2-problems.html) I do think it is awful that Sony has not acknowledged the problem, and when my 3 buttons are gone, so is my loyalty to Sony. Hope this helps others out there with similar problems.