KM Dimage A1 issue

[sawyen]

Ok.. well I can't comment that I'm a photography connoisseur but I can tell when a camera is downright not working..

the Dimage A1 I got a while back is now displaying a blank image in the LCD..

All the menu work and all but the screen is showing things like a dark tele you see when shows don't broadcast anymore at night..

Reading around I see this is a common issue involving Sony's CCD bits.

I can see plenty of things in the US but no word in the UK..

Anyone here mind shedding some light on this? I live in Sheffield and I'm puzzled.. what should I do?

[colmo]

Sony bought KM's camera division about two years ago now; they handle technical support:

Konica Minolta Cameras - Technical Support

[brammers]

There was a well known issue a while back - a batch of Sony CCDs were found to be faulty and suffer from sensor failure. Good news - it's a known problem with your model an it's free fix, even out of warranty!

Bad news, it doesn't sound quite like your problem - the affected CCDs often displayed purple/green streaks...

Have a read here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1130908577.html

Hope this is the case - if not you're probably looking at throwing the camera away. You could scout ebay for a 2nd hand A2 (an A1 with a better EVF), go for another bridge camera (Sony R1, again 2nd hand, is maybe the most tempting - it's got a cracking lens and a CCD almost the size of those found in DSLRs) or go with an entry level DSLR (the closest to your A1 is the Sony 300/350 - both of these have proper liveview with proper autofocus and imagestabilisation - pair one up with something like a Sony/Tamron 18-250 or maybe a Sigma 18-125. Otherwise go for a Canon 400/450 or Nikon D40/60 with a stabilised lens - gonna cost though).

Good luck!

[brammers]

Quick note - if you end up getting an A2 from ebay, be VERY careful about the state of the EVF - they rotate upwards 90degrees for tripod shooting - unfortunately the ribbon cable is fairly fragile and has been known to snap. If you do get a lightly used one it might be worth locking the EVF in the normal position to avoid this.

[ACiD303]

There was a well known issue a while back - a batch of Sony CCDs were found to be faulty and suffer from sensor failure. Good news - it's a known problem with your model an it's free fix, even out of warranty!

Bad news, it doesn't sound quite like your problem - the affected CCDs often displayed purple/green streaks...

Have a read here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1130908577.html

Oh rubbish, I had an A1 years ago that I practically gave away because it was exhibiting those exact problems - I simply thought it had had it. Oh well....