No image can be seen!!! Help!!!

My SONY DCR TRV38 camera does not see anything trough the lens. Everything else works as new. The view finder and LCD screen work fine, just no image can be seen. Does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong? Is it worth repairing?

Sony lists all the easy fixes:

1. Ensure the lens cap on the front of the camcorder has been removed.
2. Ensure a fully-charged battery is inserted in the camcorder.
3. Ensure the STANDBY/LOCK switch is set to the STANDBY position.
4. Turn on the camcorder and set it to the CAMERA mode.
5. Look to see if an image can be seen in the viewfinder or LCD.

IMPORTANT: Some camcorders have both a viewfinder and LCD. To conserve power, the viewfinder and LCD will not display at the same time. To use the viewfinder, the LCD must be closed.
6. If the issue is not resolved, reset the camcorder to factory specifications.

Otherwise, continue with the manual reset procedure below:

1. Turn off the camcorder.
2. Remove the battery pack.
3. Disconnect AC power adapter.
4. Move the power switch to the CAMERA position for 15 seconds.
5. Move the power switch to the OFF position.
6. Reconnect the AC power adapter or reinsert the battery.
7. Turn on the camcorder.

If the issue is not resolved by performing a reset procedure, service may be required.

Be advised, however, that if it's out of warranty, it may cost more to repair than it is really worth. The rule of thumb is that if the estimate for repair is north of 50% what you paid for it, you're better off taking that money and buying a newer and upgraded model.

I have performed these steps many times and still NO images can be seen in the view finder or the LCD screen. I see the battery indicator, zoom control display and all other displays, just no image can be seen. Thanks

Mine started doing the same thing. Other stuff works fine. occasionally the camera image will flicker back. I have a 8 hour battery on mine that is fully charged.

I guess I should maybe get a new one.

Good news for those of you still owning this camera!

Sony has posted a notice on their website about this camera. They have found that there is a problem with the image sensor and if this indeed the problem with your camera, (they have specific instructions and pictures of what to expect on the screen as you perform the test) they will repair the camera free of charge, including shipping! I believe it said that this offer is valid until July of 2008. I hope you didn't get rid of it already! I just bought one and as soon as I used it, the screen flickered and then after a while I could no longer get any live image, although playback was fine. It seems like a very nice camera so I'm looking forward to receiving it back from Sony. Good luck to you.