[Luca]

I have a Sony DSC-F717. Great camera, wonderful image quality, and a nice 5x optical zoom as well. It's bulky but the image quality (even with "only" 5 MP, low by today's standards) is really outstanding.

Here's the problem. Over the last few months, it's been acting up occasionally. It started in late February... I'd turn it on and the screen's display would be all warped and purple. Sometimes it wasn't so obvious, and the pictures I took when it was like that would come out all messed up. But I'd just turn it off and back on again, and it worked fine.

Just today, though, I tried to take some pictures after a long break when I didn't use the camera, and I can't get it to work at all. I think maybe the CCD's crapping out. The first picture below is what happened when I tried to take a picture of some delicious shrimp flavored peanut crackers I found.The camera is adding horizontal lines to everything. This applies to both the highest resolution (2560x1920) and the lowest (640x480). I didn't test the intermediate ones, but I would assume it applies to all those as well.

However, the problem doesn't show up when I use the camera to take a movie, as you can see in the second image. That one is only 320x240, and that's the highest resolution movie this camera can take. I don't know if it uses a different CCD for movies or what.

Is this going to be fixable at all? Again, I figure it's just the CCD and that it's messed up beyond all repair, but I don't know if CCD repairs/replacements are reasonably priced or not. If it's more than $100, I doubt it would be worth it, since I could just get a decent modern camera for that price. I'd lose the image quality and advanced features of the F717, but I'd hopefully get a bigger screen and a more responsive processor (it takes like a second to view each image, which I've noticed doesn't happen on brand new cameras).

[Dorian Gray]

The DSC-F717, along with many other Sony and Canon cameras using the same (Sony) chip, suffered from a manufacturing defect that caused the CCD to fail after a while, particularly in hot and humid climates. It was kind of the iBook G3 of cameras. This sounds like that problem. In the UK Sony offered a free fix, as outlined here. Presumably they did this in other parts of the world too.

If you do have to replace your camera you'll sadly not be able to find anything like it in the marketplace anymore. 5 megapixels is plenty for the lenses used on these cameras, but there is not a single camera on the market anymore with an f/2 zoom lens. If you're lucky you might find one starting around f/2.8. The digital camera marketplace is absolutely dire these days. The competition is so intense, and profits so uncertain, that the manufacturers who haven't given up altogether are utterly terrified of taking risks. The result is catalogues of crap cameras that all look and shoot the same, while innovation has entirely vanished.

The only bright spot in the whole scene is the fantastic value of entry-level* DSLRs such as the Pentax K110D/K100D, Nikon D40/D40x and Canon 350D/400D, each of which provide excellent image quality, half-decent ergonomics and a good lens choice. The rest of the camera market will continue to stagnate until a few more manufacturers go bust or pull out.

* There's really nothing "entry-level" about them: they're practically identical to the cameras costing multiple times their prices, with the exception of durability.

[Luca]

Well, I am not going to be able to afford anything even approaching a DSLR for quite a long time. Thing is, as much as I love this camera, it's annoying how huge it is. Ideally I'd have a small point and shoot that I can keep in my pocket and toss around all day without worrying about anything, so if I see something I can just snap a picture. I find myself thinking, "Boy, I wish I had my camera with me..." all the time. While I love the F717, I can't see replacing it with an equally bulky one (no matter how great the quality is).

Anyway, once I get back home (August 7th) I'll try to get it fixed. I'll do some research before I leave, though. I hope I can get it worked on. At this point, even affording a point and shoot camera is going to be hard.

Oh yeah, and Xi'an is wicked hot right now, and has been since early May. That might have something to do with it.

[Dorian Gray]

Yes of course, DSLRs are still very expensive (~$500) for anyone other than a really keen/pro photographer. And they're even bigger than your Sony.

I just couldn't help ranting a little about the state of the camera marketplace. When the most innovative camera of the last couple of years is the Leica M8 you know the industry is in a bad way. Completely gone is the huge variety of quality cameras that were around in the late nineties during the rangefinder revival (Contax G1/G2, Konica Hexar AF/RF, all the Voigtländer Bessa models, Hasselblad Xpan, Bronica RF645, Mamiya 7 and of course the Leica M6; I could go on...), and the crazy innovation from Olympus, Sony, etc., during the early digital days.

Originally Posted by Luca Ideally I'd have a small point and shoot that I can keep in my pocket and toss around all day without worrying about anything, so if I see something I can just snap a picture. I find myself thinking, "Boy, I wish I had my camera with me..." all the time.

iPhone?

I'd push Sony to fix your camera even if you do buy another, smaller one. The F717's sensor is larger (at 2/3") than is common nowadays, and as I mentioned, an f/2 zoom cannot be had for love or money today. So it's still an appealing camera to my mind.

[Luca]

Well, good news, I found the recall website and did the little steps they said to determine if my camera has a problem, and indeed it does. Apparently the recall is valid until October 7th, two months from when I get back, so I should be fine. And Sony pays for shipping both ways.

Unfortunately their crappy old website gave me a 404 when I tried to submit my information. Stupid thing. So I'll probably just call them when I get home.