Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Of Camera Woes and Cats and Birds
My favorite camera – the Sony RX10 my husband bought me almost 4 years ago – bit the dust. I can turn it on but after that everything is stuck – none of the controls work.
It happened a few days ago when we were on a walk and the zoom wouldn’t work. I’ve tried whatever I could think of to jolt it back to life – turning it off and on – removing the battery – replacing the SD card. After standing on my head (okay not literally) I got the Menu to return for a short visit and I tried to do a reset. Froze up again soon thereafter. I googled online looking for others who might have had similar problems – not much there. Last thing I’ll do is replace the battery – new one is in the mail – I doubt it will make a difference. Sigh.
Some of my best pictures of Benji and Tiger were taken with my RX10.
Not to mention the hummingbirds.
I’ll replace the battery and if that doesn’t help I’ll check in with repair shops. Maybe contact Sony. The latest version of the same camera costs double what we paid 4 years ago so there won’t be any cheap solutions. In the meantime I still have my compact Sony RX100 which takes good pictures too but without the zoom and other nifty features.
Big snow still in the forecast for tonight.
We’ll see.
_~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
So sorry to hear that, Susanne! Those are fabulous pictures indeed!
Thank you so much! I keep hoping it will miraculously rise from the dead! But I’m starting to see a new camera in my future.
My camera is 7 years old and it died a couple of months ago. Hubby ordered a new battery and now it works like a charm. So I bet yours will be Ok as well with a new battery. Cute pictures of the cats and birds.
Oh I hope so! Thanks! 🙂
These pictures are great but the hummy flying toward the camera is amazing !
Thanks so much! I love the hummingbirds and was happy to get that shot! 🙂
Sorry about your camera. Have you gone online to Sony help? They have a ton of stuff there and you might find a solution. I’d also consider calling them with your problem. Best of luck.
Yes, I’ve perused the Sony site and didn’t find much helpful. If a new battery doesn’t help I’ll try to contact them online. I did see where a user with a similar problem shipped his camera to Sony and it was going to cost $400 to fix, and both felt it wasn’t worth it.
As you know, I also have a Sony RX10. I bought mine used from a big camera retailer here for the equivalent of $500 some years ago. (Guaranteed for one year at the time.) It is an original Series One model, probably dating from 2014. I also have two Fuji cameras, (S5 Pro and X-30) so the Sony hasn’t had as much use as your one. So far, it has never let me down, and the 200mm zoom can be very useful at times.
The latest RX10 Series 4 costs £1600 new here. ($2,215) With that in mind, I reckon haviing it repaired for $400 is a bargain, as a Sony repair would have a 12-month warranty. You are used to it, know the settings you like, and how it handles. If you change cameras, you have that new learning curve to deal with. It is also hard to find another zoom compact with a lens as good as the Zeiss on the RX10. Just my opinion.
I got a free camera from Amazon for testing, a Nikon Z5 full-frame camera with a 24-50 short zoom. It is not as good as the Sony, in my opinion. And although I didn’t pay for it, it retails at £1,500, which is $2,080. That makes the $400 repair bill look even better.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks so much for your comment Pete. I’m happy to hear your assessment of the RX10, including how it compares to other higher priced cameras. I do love it and was so disappointed when it seemed to die! I was also surprised to find the new ones had increased in price so much. We paid $800 new in 2017, and I see the cheapest new ones here online for $1,698. If the battery doesn’t somehow revive it I’ll contact Sony and see if they can fix it.. If they could do it for $400 or so I agree, its probably worth it. If much more than that I may look into other options.
Sorry to hear about your camera, but maybe the battery will help. I’ve had my Panasonic for almost 8 years now and I carry it around so much that, if it broke, it would be like losing a friend. A couple of features are broken, but I can work around those problems. Stay warm!
Thanks Graham. I sure hope a new battery revives it. Its been such a great camera for me. Still no sign of snow but it’s supposed to be on the way! I’m looking forward to going for a walk in it tomorrow, all bundled up, of course!
What a bummer, Susanne! That camera really served you well if those pics are any indication. Wonder in the hummer shots! I’m not afraid of investing in a good value, but over $2k for cameras seems high. Have you looked the the Lumix fz300? Not sure what it costs now, but 4 years ago it was $500 on Amazon. Sometimes Costco has great camera deals and their return policy and concierge service is worth looking into. Good luck! Oh yeah, that storm is coming. It got down to 9 degrees here. Snow will “warm” things up 😁
Hi Terri! 🙂 I really like the RX10 and was so surprised at how the price increased over just 4 years! If my RX10 is either unfixable, or the price is too high I will definitely consider my options including the Lumix as I’m very reluctant to spend $1,700 on a new RX10! Thanks for the recommendation. What’s your favorite camera?
Hope you’re staying warm enough in your RV. We have 27 degrees here and the promised snow arrived overnight. Not the soft & fluffy peaceful kind, but the icy, windy kind, Still, I hope to bundle up for a walk sometime today! 🙂
We’re pretty cozy in the RV. It’s 22 here at 11am! Poor hubby and his brother are placing insulating foam boards around the bottom of the RV right now.. Apparently everyone does this. Our water valve going into the RV froze too. I’m used to camping but not in winter! Thank goodness for the RV park’s showers and a place to fill my water jugs.
My only experience with any kind of “real” camera is with the Lumix. The lens is 600 zoom and it does everything. I haven’t checked prices lately, but I’m happy with it!
Yikes! I’m glad you’re staying warm! Thanks again for the tip about the Lumix. I will definitely look into it if my Sony can’t be fixed for a reasonable price. 🙂
I really Hopper you can get your camera fixed soon! Your photography is purrfect!
Thanks! I hope it can be fixed, but at least I have a good backup camera in the meantime. 🙂
I’m glad! I really love your photos!
I can’t live without the zoom! You take great pictures and need the equipment to keep up. I had similar problems a few years ago, but it was a different camera and likely equipment-specific. New batteries make sense. I had lots of trouble for a while until I realized that my battery charger wasn’t working right. Replacing that fixed things. Good luck with your trouble-shooting – because we love your pics!
Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂 Yes, I need zoom for sure! I hope a new battery makes a difference although I’m not that hopeful since the battery is charging just fine. If it doesn’t help I see a new camera in my future!
I very hope you find a way to get the perfect camera for you! They get pretty pricey- but so much fun!
It looks lie Benji and Tiger are photo hams. Your humming bird in flight is a superb picture.
Thanks so much! Yes, Benji and Tiger both take to the camera well! 😊
Fabulous pics!
Thanks so much! 🙂
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