Sony A7 (I) "dies" immediately after turning on

All,

I have an A7 version 1 that I use for fun mostly with adapted old rangefinder lenses, though I do have and like the 28/2.

I did not use it for a few months, now the camera shuts down right after an image shows up on the rear screen. Thought maybe my aftermarket charger and/or batteries might be NG, but same problem with a new battery charged in new charger.

Any ideas to get the camera going again? It seems odd that the camera would work for about a second. Usually electronics are just dead now without partial operation, unlike the tube and heat days.

Precision Camera site quotes around $400, I will toss the camera before sinking $400 in it. I have a quote from Camera Repair Center to replace the main board for about $200, that seems to be almost too good to be true?

Can you tell if the battery is adequately charged before the camera shuts down? Is the new battery genuine Sony, or a third party or counterfeit version? If you charge the batteries in the camera by USB, not all USB cables are the same. Externally, I get good results with Watson chargers, but not Watson batteries.

The decision to repair or replace is never cut-and-dried. On one hand, a new A7ii will cost twice as much as repairing an original A7. You will get a much more ergonomically friendly camera and in-body image stabilization (IBIS) in the exchange. IBIS works perfectly with legacy lenses too, if you dial in the focal length first.

"Too good to be true" is usually too good to be true. $400 sounds about right for the amount of disassembly required to replace a circuit board, sensor or shutter (parts may add to the cost).

Does the camera have an external power input? It might be worth rigging something up to see if it works that way.

It could (long shot) be something as simple as a de-formed capacitor that needs powering up for a while before it becomes functional again. Sticking external power into the camera for a while might sort it.

I was given a music effects processor a couple of years ago, that had lain unused by its previous owner. Shortly after I powered it up, there was a pop and a small flash, followed by billows of stinking smoke coming out of the case. I rushed to pull the plug on it.

Anyhow, on removing the lid, the fault was almost immediately obvious as a small tantalum capacitor that had blown itself apart. Replacement took about 20 minutes in total and cost 50 pence. It's been working perfectly since.

Ed, thanks for the note. I will check the batteries and chargers with my Fluke, might have to adapt paper clips to get down to the terminals on the batteries. I have not had problems with the aftermarket batteries in the 18 months I have had the camera - until now?

I don't think I have ever used the USB charging setup. Not sure if I have a cord "rated" for power.

Ha, imagine snooping around SMDs on the circuit board for a weak capacitor. Maybe they would be cans, still. (RJ)

Li-Ion batteries must be tested under load. Otherwise the voltage drops very little until they're exhausted. The best way to test an Li-Ion battery is to see how long it lasts in use, or how long it takes to charge at a known (or estimated) current.

Most miniaturized circuit boards use surface-mounted components, easier to replace than repair.

A 100 ohm resistor should flow about 74ma for over 10 hours as a battery test if I have the battery info correct. It will get warm, a little over 1/2 watt at those conditions. 250 ohm, 30ma might be a better choice There used to be a Radio Shack near my house, not even sure where to get a resistor in town. Would be a small order from Mouser, for sure. Been a long while since I did DC electrical calcs, not really my area of engineering.

Last attempt at electrical was trying to concoct a homemade Li battery for my D1x. Never finished it, but I did find a 120V power source so I can run the D1x if I ever wanted to.

I wasn't suggesting replacing an SMD capacitor, simply seeing if the camera works with external power.

However, electrolytic capacitors cannot be miniaturised to the same degree as other types, and can 'de-form' and become resistive.

Why would you need a special USB cable to charge or power the camera? It's a simple length of 4 core wire with a plug on each end.

Why would you need a special USB cable to charge or power the camera? It's a simple length of 4 core wire with a plug on each end.

Beats me! Yet it's true. When I use the micro USB cable that comes with an external battery pack, the camera thinks it's a computer and logs on as a mass storage device. If I use another cable, it is recognized as a power source.

USB cables aren't as simple as they seem. There are five pins in each connector which can be connected in different ways. Only three are used in the cable that doesn't work, but 4 are used in the "correct" cable. Some cables have pull-up resistors, some are even active. With the advent of USB C, there are at least 7 connectors, and cables with every possible combination thereof.

I have a similar issue with USB cables used to connect audio interfaces to a laptop. There seem to be at least two types of cable, some for charging dumb devices, and others for data transfer. Oddly, it is the latter type which works for Sony cameras in either capacity - charging (power source) and data transfer. Only the data cables work with USB audio. Charging cables that come with battery packs either don't work, or quit unexpectedly. USB3 cables have all worked properly. On the other hand, USB C to C cables won't work between one of my USB C devices and a MacBookPro, which has only USBC/TB3 ports. The computer end must be a type A (blade type) connector with an adapter.

And you thought SCSI connectors were weird ;) I don't even want to talk about HDMI. The cables and adapters I'm required to carry in my laptop bag outweigh the laptop itself.

Try it? If it works, you're golden. If not, you don't know if it's the cable, the camera, or the settings.

Try it? If it works, you're golden. If not, you don't know if it's the cable, the camera, or the settings.

- The camera sounds unusable as it is. So what is there to lose?

Update: I decided that I did not have much to lose by sending the A7 (other words deleted) to Camera Repair Center, 1947 West Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA. They originally responded quickly and nicely by email to my inquiry with this quote "The estimate repair cost is $198.00. The system control pcb needs to be replaced."

Just got an email from them now that they have my camera: "The main mounted circuit board need to be replaced. The cost estimate is $412.00." Bait and switch!? I'm sure it will cost $ for them to send the carcass back to me.

Guess I should have heeded my own advice "if it is too good to be true..."

I found a couple of places that sell the main board for around $130 and a youtube of how to disassemble, but I think I am done with the A7.

It's not "bait and switch." They know the exact problem from observation, rather than a guess based on an email. It wouldn't surprise me if the parts were. under $100 and the rest labor.

The repair cost is comparable the the cost of a new A7, if you could find one. A used camera may develop a serious problem early on, or last for years. It's a gamble.

A new A7ii is less than what you paid for the A7 new, and has IBIS. It's not a black or white decision, but depends on how the Sony system works for you, and how many lenses you may have acquired.

All,

 

I have an A7 version 1 ...

...

 

I did not use it for a few months, now the camera shuts down right after an image shows up on the rear screen. Thought maybe my aftermarket charger and/or batteries might be NG, but same problem with a new battery charged in new charger.

...

It's not "bait and switch." They know the exact problem from observation, rather than a guess based on an email. It wouldn't surprise me if the parts were. under $100 and the rest labor.

I had the same issue with an A7R that still was within the warranty period. Therefore I did not have to pay for the repair. The bill mentions that a particular PCB Board had been replaced at the repair shop.

A few weeks after the repair I had access to the schematics in the Sony workshop repair manual for this camera. Now there is an issue that you will not believe me, if you did not see it:

Each and every Sony A7R and later models have a small LITHIUM BATTERY SOLDERED to on of the PCB Boards inside the camera. It is supposed to be a backup battery for the memory to hold the camera settings while you switch batteries. If you store the camera with no battery or leave the battery discharged, then this internal lithium battery will loose its charge.

The camera does not boot anymore with this lithium backup battery discharged. Whatever guesses the members of this forum have to offer, they fail if this backup battery is discharged.

These are just standard size batteries, parts worth less than 50 cents. However you need to disassemble the camera and you need to know how to solder this little thing. Even for a skilled repair technician this won't be less than at least one hour of careful work, probably rather two or three hours.

I never disassembled a A7R nor its successors. I saw these batteries on the repair manuals. I once took apart a defunct DSC-F828 bridge camera and found the same backup battery, and soldered a new one and then camera worked again.

The meaning of these observations is that all and any Sony Digital Cameras will eventually fail once these Lithium backup batteries come to the end of their life. Even if you truly care to always have a charged battery in the camera, the lithium battery will terminate the life of your Sony within less than 6 years.

Having said all of this: This really is something to yell SHAME ON SONY!

Kind regards

Each and every Sony A7R and later models have a small LITHIUM BATTERY SOLDERED to on of the PCB Boards inside the camera. It is supposed to be a backup battery for the memory to hold the camera settings while you switch batteries. If you store the camera with no battery or leave the battery discharged, then this internal lithium battery will loose its charge.

The meaning of these observations is that all and any Sony Digital Cameras will eventually fail once these Lithium backup batteries come to the end of their life. Even if you truly care to always have a charged battery in the camera, the lithium battery will terminate the life of your Sony within less than 6 years.

Having said all of this: This really is something to yell SHAME ON SONY!

Kind regards

WTF? If this is true, not cool Sony, these are cameras costing over $3000. To knowingly build a fault into the circuit that will cause the camera to fail in a few years because a a non serviceable battery dies is criminal and not the actions of an honorable company in my opinion. It would be like the $3000 paid for the camera would dry up and crumble into dust in 6 years, how would Sony like that. Yes Shame on Sony if this is true. So is this what we can expect from A7RIIIs? Kind of makes you lose that warm and fuzzy feeling for paying pro camera money for poor build quality designed to fail in a few years. Disgraceful.