I have a Sony DSC-P30 that I've been using since just before 9/11. It's been great, but now after being a few years old, it is giving me an error message. It reads E:61:10. According to the book, it says I have a camera malfunction that i can not reverse (pressing the reset button doesn't help). Says to call Sony. It still seems to take pictures, although the zoom no longer works.

Was wondering if anyone else with a Sony has run into something like this? I'm guessing that the camera is not worth sending to Sony for repair. :(

Hi Charlie!
So nice of these modern electronic gizmos to flash out a code to let you know they're broken and you can't do anything about it. :saywhat:

Maybe they could program them to show you the cost of repairs, or for that matter they could program them to break after a certain period of time or number of picture taken.
Nah, that's just my paranoia speaking. :D

Eric

SONY
DIGICAM, DSC-P 30 CYBERSHOT

Description: 1280x1200, 3X OPTICAL/6X DIG ZOOM, MEMORY STICK, 1.5" LCD

Manufacture Years: 2001 - Current


Additional Information:
F-stop:
Lens:




Click here for a definition of Bluebook prices.
Retail
MSRP: $500.00
USED: $90.00
Wholesale
Mint: $50.00
Average: $28.00

Charlie I agree its probably not worth the price of repairs. 2 or 3 megapixel camera's sell for peanuts nowadays as technology marches on and all the amateur photogs strive for more and more pixels. My bet is you could find a brand new quality camera for not much more than fixing a 4 yr old one. Boy what a disposable society we live in now. :)

Mike

Yeah it's really annoying how disposable everything is now days. We get a very limited number of years use from anything electronic, and then toss it to buy a new one. Why the f*ck do I wanna have to buy a new one??? I like the way the old one works! Back then, I paid $350.00 for that thing. And geez... being two or three years old don't make something old... but for some reason when it comes to electronics, that's considered a dinosaur! Sure... the specs of buying a newer item may be better (pixels in this particular case), but that don't mean they can't make something to give AT LEAST 10 years of use! Why the hell can't they just make something that last???

Here's another good example: I bought my first DVD player almost five years ago. It was an RCA, and it lasted almost 6 months before it crapped out! The store, although it was not obliged to, gave me another one... same brand and model. That one lasted 3.5 years. I am now on my 3rd DVD player in five years. Hell... i still have my old Teac 4-head VCR that I bought back in 1990... and all i've ever had to do to it was clean the heads.

Yes, Mike, you're right... I'm better off just buying a new one. But, it pisses me off to no end that I can't feel confident about getting several years use out it.

Perhaps instead i will just dig my old Kodak Instamatic X-15 (126 film) out of the closet. It still works and it's 25 years old! Only problem is that they don't make 'Magic Cubes' anymore! It's likely that they don't make 126 film either. :worried:

Eric, I think your idea about displaying the cost of repairs on the screen is great! That way we don't have to call their customer service line, which would save them money cause they wouldn't need to pay the person over in some other country to tell us the same thing!

I have, however, found some more info on this error message in case any of you other Sony owners run across it. It seems that the E:61 error is used on a number of different camera related items that Sony makes. Apparently, E:61:10 means that the focus and zoom features are not initializing when the camera is turned on. Unfortunately, it can not be corrected by pressing the reset button. It must be sent in for repair... or in my case... thrown in the f*ckin trash!