SLT-A35 dead

[BGeise]

... and to note, none of my Sonys (and my wife's Sonys) have failed.

That's what kills me. We've always gone to great lengths to ensure this camera was well taken care of and protected. I'm just irritated. There's not a mark on this camera. [emoji53]

I'm on the fence about the -58.

What exactly died on it

 

[KaHOnas]

What exactly died on it

I'm not quite sure. It just shut off mid-shoot and wouldn't come back on. I remember the battery being about 50% capacity. I only used Sony batteries up to that point. Swapping batteries had no effect. Usually when you insert a new battery, you can hear it cycle power to the shutter and do a self-test. It didn't do any of that anymore.

I had read that Wasabi batteries may work better so I bought one. Using that battery resulted in a "camera error" message being displayed on the screen. At least I got that.

Part of me is hoping that you'll respond with a "Hey, dork, that's just (insert error that I'm not familiar with due to my inexperience here). All you need to do is *blah*".

 

[BGeise]

What exactly died on it

I'm not quite sure. It just shut off mid-shoot and wouldn't come back on. I remember the battery being about 50% capacity. I only used Sony batteries up to that point. Swapping batteries had no effect. Usually when you insert a new battery, you can hear it cycle power to the shutter and do a self-test. It didn't do any of that anymore.

I had read that Wasabi batteries may work better so I bought one. Using that battery resulted in a "camera error" message being displayed on the screen. At least I got that.

Part of me is hoping that you'll respond with a "Hey, dork, that's just (insert error that I'm not familiar with due to my inexperience here). All you need to do is *blah*".

try removing the battery, close door, turn to on position, click and hold shutter button for 1 min. Then put in battery and see if it will turn on? That's what Sony says to do for a complete reset.

 

[KaHOnas]

try removing the battery, close door, turn to on position, click and hold shutter button for 1 min. Then put in battery and see if it will turn on? That's what Sony says to do for a complete reset.

I did that with no change. [emoji53]

 

[TheStunch]

hmmm....mysterious

 

[Logician]

You are right that A35's (and also A55's) shutter engine life is shorther than expected. I'm not sure about A37 and A58 but I suspect they are also in the same league.

A65, A77 and A99 are different stories of course but they don't appeal to everyone especially if you are fond of small(er) bodies.

I also had the same problem with my A35. But I didn't give up, I just replaced its shutter engine. Its not that pricey (was around 90 USD for me) so this might also be an alternative.

 

[KaHOnas]

I just replaced its shutter engine. Its not that pricey (was around 90 USD for me) so this might also be an alternative.

How does one go about getting the replacement parts? And what's the process like?

I'm relatively new to the DSLR world (and totally green on camera repair). I'm by no means a newbie at fixing stuff, though.

 

[Logician]

I just replaced its shutter engine. Its not that pricey (was around 90 USD for me) so this might also be an alternative.

How does one go about getting the replacement parts? And what's the process like?

I'm relatively new to the DSLR world (and totally green on camera repair). I'm by no means a newbie at fixing stuff, though.

Its not something you can do yourself anyway.

I don't know in which country you are and obviously procedure and price might change according to where you live but you need to take your camera to a Sony Technical Store and they do the replacement for you. If your warranty is still valid, it might even be free. If it is not, then I guess you can get it replaced in any technical camera shop even if its not dedicated to Sony brand. This is at least how I get it repaied.

 

[KaHOnas]

That's what I was afraid of. I've looked into the Sony repair option. In the US, they want $250 just to look at it. I assume parts and labor are extra.

I was hoping you knew of a way I could swap the shutter mechanism myself.

 

[PWhite214]

I looked on the Sony Store, Sony a58 Camera and 18-55mm Lens - SLTA58K Review - Sony US. The price at the Sony store is $399 with 18-55mm kit lens. From Sony Specs: Angle Adjustment : Tilt angle: Up approx. 135 degrees, downward approx. 55 degrees

Phil

 

[Logician]

I looked on the Sony Store, Sony a58 Camera and 18-55mm Lens - SLTA58K Review - Sony US. The price at the Sony store is $399 with 18-55mm kit lens. From Sony Specs: Angle Adjustment : Tilt angle: Up approx. 135 degrees, downward approx. 55 degrees

Phil

A58 is a good camera and has advantages over A35 like tilt screen but I'd personally still prefer A35 because A58's screen resolution is much lower.