By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Sony’s recall woes have continued with the company announcing that eight models in its Cyber-shot digital still camera range sold during the last few years are prone to a CCD fault which could cause the camera to malfunction in warm or humid conditions.
The recall relates to a defect in the Sony-manufactured CCD image sensor device, and follows a similar incident in October last year when Sony recalled a range of Cyber-shot and Mavica digital still cameras, Handycams, Clie handheld computers and DVCAM professional camcorders.
This latest problem for the Japanese electronics maker also comes in the wake of its widely-publicised lithium-ion computer battery recall and delays to its PlayStation 3 games console.
In the eight affected Cyber-shot models, sold between September 2003 and January 2005, the LCD screen may display distorted images or not show images at all, and in some cases the camera may fail to take pictures.
Affected units include the DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40, DSC-U50, DSC-F88 and DSC-M1.
Sony Australia has offered consumers a complimentary repair service for models which exhibit the described symptoms.
Sony said the fault affects only a limited number of units, but can be accelerated if the unit is exposed to high temperatures or humidity.
A Reuters report suggests that of the one million models sold, Sony expects 4,000 may need to be repaired.
Sony Australia has confirmed that the recall applies to the Australian market, but would not comment further.
A spokesperson for the company said retailers should point concerned customers to an announcement to be posted on Sony’s Australian website.