Good overall device but broken just after warranty due to recurring problem E:62:10

[R Olivier]

I have owned over a dozen camera's from different makes and models, amonst others several SONY's.

My last purchase was a SONY DSC-HX400V and I have been a proud owner of this device for 2.5 years during which the device worked without problems. During that period, the DSC-HX400V has been very versatile, pleasant to use, the long zoom is fantastic for animal or nature photos at great distance, the LCD repositionable is a plus, and switching between automatic settings for quick photos and manual settings for specific results is very enjoyable.

Some drawbacks of the device are some slowness to take multiple pictures, and a high grain when light is lower or with higher zooms.

However, suddenly, although I have taken much care of the camera, a blinking error message "E:62:10" appeared just after the camera was turned on, and continued to blink continuously on the screen for the entire period of use. I found the meaning of the error message at https://www.sony.com.au/electronics/support/articles/00008857: this is a generic error with the stabilization system. Then the high zoom pictures became blurred and even in the viewfinder there is a shake.

What was not my surprise to find out via a simple search of the error message on the Internet (google E:62:10 or on YouTube) that it is a well known recurring problem that (very) many users are facing just after the expiration of the warranty, and this with several models of SONY cameras. Many forums are filled with similar messages in all languages, with endless lists of answers from desperate users who all share the same problem.

I have listed so far more than 300 forums (see on http://sony-e-62-10.tk), each forum lists dozens of users with the same problem! I found on Amazon the testimony of a company that simultaneously bought a dozen devices and more than half of which revealed the error E:62:10! Another user bought 2 HX300 and 1 HX400V, all with the error E:62:10. Another user bought 2 HX400V ... both with the same error code. The problem is so well known that some have even developed a whole Internet business based on this phenomenon! There is a procedure that allows to operate the stabilizer again, unfortunately it must be repeated each time the device is turned on.

After posting my testimonial on SONY forums, I was advised to call the technical support ... and like all other users, I only received standard copy/pasted messages referring to the expiration of the warranty and refusing to take into account the hidden defect manifestly present given the number of cases listed.

The repair costs mentioned in most forums vary between 300 € and 400 €, in most cases a cost roughly equivalent to the initial purchase cost of the device. And SONY is quick to add that under the terms and conditions of the warranty, SONY can not guarantee the availability of spare parts for a product out of warranty.

If you decide to buy this type of device, then take into account the fact that you will have to depreciate the totality of its cost of purchase over the 2 years of legal warranty ... !!
I hope my experience will serve other users.

 

[Stephen McDonald]

I've used my HX400V for almost five years. For the last 10 months, it's shown that same flashing error message. But it doesn't affect the photos or videos, so I've learned to ignore it. The camera takes an extra couple of seconds to start up, but that is the only problem.

If you pop out the battery when the camera is on and then put it back in, the next time you start it, the error message will be gone. But after that, the message will return, unless you repeat that procedure each time. The image stabilization on mine seems to still work, but since I use it on either a monopod or a shoulder-mount, I might not notice a problem with it.

--
Steve McDonald
My Flickr Album
My Vimeo Video Album

 

[SonyTech]

This is not a common problem with other models, only HX300 and HX400, which have the same lens unit. There is a part which deteriorates with time. This used to be a common problem for many cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

I suggest you contact your local Sony service center, and kindly ask them if they could consider fixing this in warranty, since the problem started occurring shortly after the warranty expired, and judging by the info on different forums, this is a very common problem. They sometimes do make exceptions.

 

[Stephen McDonald]

This is not a common problem with other models, only HX300 and HX400, which have the same lens unit. There is a part which deteriorates with time. This used to be a common problem for many cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

I suggest you contact your local Sony service center, and kindly ask them if they could consider fixing this in warranty, since the problem started occurring shortly after the warranty expired, and judging by the info on different forums, this is a very common problem. They sometimes do make exceptions.

I've used both the HX300 and the HX400V. The lens housing and control ring on the HX400V is 1.5mm larger in diameter than that of the HX300. The lens on the HX300 did not perform nearly as well as the one on my HX400V, so I think that they do not have the same lens.

Sony will typically ignore flaws such as this and never acknowledge them, even if they do repair them if still under their short factory warranty. After that 90-day labor/one year parts warranty is expired, you're on your own.

It would be futile to try to have an independent repair shop fix an obscure fault such as is being discussed. They might fiddle with it, claim that it's fixed and charge you, but it would not be corrected. I've learned this the hard way. Even a manufacturer's own repair center would do nothing but replace the entire lens assembly and the cost might be more than a whole new camera would be, for a two or three year-old model.

 

[R Olivier]

I've used my HX400V for almost five years. For the last 10 months, it's shown that same flashing error message. But it doesn't affect the photos or videos, so I've learned to ignore it. The camera takes an extra couple of seconds to start up, but that is the only problem.

If you pop out the battery when the camera is on and then put it back in, the next time you start it, the error message will be gone. But after that, the message will return, unless you repeat that procedure each time. The image stabilization on mine seems to still work, but since I use it on either a monopod or a shoulder-mount, I might not notice a problem with it.

Hi Steve,

Thank you for the workaround procedure. I found it as well on the Internet but it disappeared in the meantime, so I documented it to help other users as well on

.

Of course, if you want to use it as a Point and Shoort camera to take pictures of children in the family or of animals in the wild, as the procedure requests more or less 20 seconds to execute, it just becomes unuseable. The workaround also seems to work in Photo mode but not in Video mode.

 

[R Olivier]

This is not a common problem with other models, only HX300 and HX400, which have the same lens unit. There is a part which deteriorates with time. This used to be a common problem for many cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

I suggest you contact your local Sony service center, and kindly ask them if they could consider fixing this in warranty, since the problem started occurring shortly after the warranty expired, and judging by the info on different forums, this is a very common problem. They sometimes do make exceptions.

I've used both the HX300 and the HX400V. The lens housing and control ring on the HX400V is 1.5mm larger in diameter than that of the HX300. The lens on the HX300 did not perform nearly as well as the one on my HX400V, so I think that they do not have the same lens.

Sony will typically ignore flaws such as this and never acknowledge them, even if they do repair them if still under their short factory warranty. After that 90-day labor/one year parts warranty is expired, you're on your own.

It would be futile to try to have an independent repair shop fix an obscure fault such as is being discussed. They might fiddle with it, claim that it's fixed and charge you, but it would not be corrected. I've learned this the hard way. Even a manufacturer's own repair center would do nothing but replace the entire lens assembly and the cost might be more than a whole new camera would be, for a two or three year-old model.

Hello,

My guess is that indeed the lens may be different but from what I read the stabilization unit is the same, and this is where the problem lies. From what I found the HX300 and the HX400 are indeed the camera's where the most person complain, but the problem is also present in other models as well such as the T10, T20, T30, T50, W830... (see http://sony-e-62-10.tk/ for the full list so far)

I am still in discussions with the SONY support service. They claim they are not aware of any problem...!! so I would advise to anybody who is victim of this symptom to notify them, because as said earlier I have now found more than 400 forums where users do complain about it.

And they just send me to a local independent repair shop to pay for repair. IMHO, this is just ignoring what is either a hidden defect or even programmed obsolescence.

KR,

 

[SonyTech]

This is not a common problem with other models, only HX300 and HX400, which have the same lens unit. There is a part which deteriorates with time. This used to be a common problem for many cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

I suggest you contact your local Sony service center, and kindly ask them if they could consider fixing this in warranty, since the problem started occurring shortly after the warranty expired, and judging by the info on different forums, this is a very common problem. They sometimes do make exceptions.

I've used both the HX300 and the HX400V. The lens housing and control ring on the HX400V is 1.5mm larger in diameter than that of the HX300. The lens on the HX300 did not perform nearly as well as the one on my HX400V, so I think that they do not have the same lens.

The housing/control ring is not a part of the lens. The lens unit itself is 100% identical. I know this for a fact, trust me.

 

[SonyTech]

This is not a common problem with other models, only HX300 and HX400, which have the same lens unit. There is a part which deteriorates with time. This used to be a common problem for many cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

I suggest you contact your local Sony service center, and kindly ask them if they could consider fixing this in warranty, since the problem started occurring shortly after the warranty expired, and judging by the info on different forums, this is a very common problem. They sometimes do make exceptions.

I've used both the HX300 and the HX400V. The lens housing and control ring on the HX400V is 1.5mm larger in diameter than that of the HX300. The lens on the HX300 did not perform nearly as well as the one on my HX400V, so I think that they do not have the same lens.

Sony will typically ignore flaws such as this and never acknowledge them, even if they do repair them if still under their short factory warranty. After that 90-day labor/one year parts warranty is expired, you're on your own.

It would be futile to try to have an independent repair shop fix an obscure fault such as is being discussed. They might fiddle with it, claim that it's fixed and charge you, but it would not be corrected. I've learned this the hard way. Even a manufacturer's own repair center would do nothing but replace the entire lens assembly and the cost might be more than a whole new camera would be, for a two or three year-old model.

Hello,

My guess is that indeed the lens may be different but from what I read the stabilization unit is the same, and this is where the problem lies. From what I found the HX300 and the HX400 are indeed the camera's where the most person complain, but the problem is also present in other models as well such as the T10, T20, T30, T50, W830... (see http://sony-e-62-10.tk/ for the full list so far)

I am still in discussions with the SONY support service. They claim they are not aware of any problem...!! so I would advise to anybody who is victim of this symptom to notify them, because as said earlier I have now found more than 400 forums where users do complain about it.

And they just send me to a local independent repair shop to pay for repair. IMHO, this is just ignoring what is either a hidden defect or even programmed obsolescence.

KR,

The T series have a completely different lens design. Don't get me wrong, this problem can happen to practically any lens, but it is FAR from common on any other model. Of course you will find people who complain abou these error codes, think about how many of these cameras Sony have sold.

This is not programmed, just a somewhat poor design. For some it may work for 2 years, for others it can work for 5 years.

Don't deal with the Sony Support. Contact an authorized service center instead, they know these issues better than the clerks at Support.

 

[luckiemommie]

In this thread you mentioned a procedure that allows you to operate the stabilizer, but that you must do this procedure each time you turn it on.


Can you please tell us what this procedure is?

Thanks.