the sony cybershot DSC-P52 well great at first and cameras were fairly new being digital im thinking spent 300 which i did get pics that r priceless now when i would try and call CS
it would take hr to speak with person i think if u could understand or they spoke english well then just need to know is it toast or can i fix well u can ship to them 4 20 they will fix when figure out yeah right its uncommon all needed was truth and help ok enough that problem so common google will suggest after frist few words Shutter first slowly stops opening right then next lcd veiw of pic well of blurr then all the noises and says turn off then on well dont try never works wont find memorey stick odd just where should be there is no fixing its just defective period

This particular Cybershot does not have Macro settings but it takes decent video and with a minimum of button mashing, takes great pictures. On fine setting it takes a print twenty eight by twenty one inches at 72 pixels an inch. Once a person gets acquainted with the buttons, it becomes reflexive to anticipate light settings and focal distance if manually focusing. I have used a one gigabyte Memory Card Duo as my main SD card and have never filled it, even when shooting alot of video. There is no maximum video time allocation. You could shoot video until the card was full if you wanted to. On the con side of this camera is that in low light situations, one tends to get alot of noise in the images.

I was taking pictures and didn't notice the memory stick was full and took 3 more pics after another. My camara froze and shut off. It wont turn back on even with the battery fully charged. Very sensitive.

The problem is that if (not usually IF, but WHEN) they're dropped the calibration ring around the lens assembly pops out of it's locking position, making the camera have an impossible task of finding it's 'zero-point (it's natural, 'fully-open/ fully-closed' position)."

I had the same problem, recently (after it was in my bag which fell off of me, while riding my motorcycle), but - being the inquisitive one that I am, I decided to fix it.

If you're planning to purchase another camera - as I REALLY need another one - then this either isn't going to be worth you time, or MORE worth it, as you're probably planning to ditch it and replace it, ANYway.

If you're not comfortable with fiddling with you camera's electronics (assuming you're NOT planning to buy another one, or why-ever) then *** Stop Reading Now ***

*** Note: This WILL void ANY and EVERY kind of warranty you may have, so proceeding - assuming that you DO have one - is at your own risk and should be proceeded upon VERY CAUTIOUSLY.

You will need a micro-sized screw-driver set (found at all KINDS of places for models, eyeglasses, electronics *ahem*, etc.), about 1' sq clear area to work with, some (rubbing) alcohol or CD/DVD cleaner and a couple of those Q-Tip thingies (Optional).

*** As you remove any screws and/ or small parts, MAKE SURE that you place them someplace that they won't get lost/ dumped over!!! ***

Some of these steps may seem, kind of, ah... “Counter-intuitive." Don't worry, I'm pretty anal-retentive and do things, systematically. ;)

[Yeah, I know: Some of these steps would be GREAT with pictures, but... LOL... I'm doing a write-up about FIXING said camera, so that makes it a LITTLE difficult to photograph the procedure, doesn't it?]

1) Remove the battery and memory card.

2) Wait a few minutes (grab a drink, smoke a cigarette; whatever). This allows any residual power that's still in the camera to bleed off (EXCEPT FOR THE FLASH CAPACITOR - more on that, in a bit).

3) Place the camera on a surface, standing up, like normal, on it's base (shutter button, up). Remove the four tiny screws that are on the TOP.

4) Invert the camera so that it's sitting on it's top (Shutter button DOWN). Remove the four screws, there.

5) Separate the assemblies. There'll be: Front fascia plate, REAR fascia plate Base plate (Still attached, at this point) and this curvature ring that goes around the "left", curved side, framing the actual lens assembly. There may be a little metal separation plate that comes off with the curved frame, as well. No worries, it goes back on, pretty easily. :D

6) Holding he camera by it's sides (you should do this with one hand so that the pressure is pushed INWARDS, there-in not allowing anything to flex... yet), take a few moments to check it out. . . Kinda cool, huh? Go ahead, look it over; sate your inner techno-geek. It's okay, I'm patient; I can wait. :D

<insert 'Jeopardy' theme-song, here>

7) Now, Holding the camera in one hand, angle it as though you were taking a self and look at the area between the electronics and the lens assembly. You will see a black, curved piece that has wavy grooves in it and attached by a fine, spring.
THIS is the piece that needs to be reset. It’s purpose is to tell the position trigger(s) where the lens’s depth is calibrated to.
When it gets dropped, this little slide plate gets popped back (as though it’s closed) which mucks up the ENTIRE calibration process.

Here’s how to actually fix it:

8) Taking your small Philips, slide it – FLAT-SIDE wide –into the opening between the ribbons and the lens assembly. Gently slide it up until the slide is released (DON’T drop the camera when it *snaps* back into place!!!).

You can test this fix by simply putting the battery BACK in (after putting DOWN your screwdriver, first, MacGyver), and pressing your power button.

The step with the alcohol and/ or CD/ DVD cleaner is so that – if you wish, you can clean any dirt/ debris out of the little wavy-grooves.

I have a continuation of this tut, but the above should remedy a vast majority of your problems.

Reassembly is the exact opposite of the DISassembly, minus the little metal panel….

R1) Place the camera back on it’s ‘base’ and facing away from you.

R2) With the tabs pointing DOWN , there’ll be a single, lone screw-hole on the bottom-left-hand corner. When you slide the plate UNDER the metal tab on the LCD side of the left, this hole aligns with the open hole above the LCD screen. The width is exactly so that the metal panel’s right-side extensions are abutted to the plastic panel of the power button.

Please feel free to email me with any questions, or further help!

Jrzyboi00 at Yahoo dot com!

Good luck!

This camera is good when taking pictures close, especially taking pictures with flash on, the photos will look extra crispy. Besides picture quality, the downside of this camera is its battery consuming thing. This camera is an electricity hog, emptying all of your battery life in a few minutes if your a person that likes to take pictures alot nonstop. So before you buy this camera, i suggest you first buy loads of double-A battery packs before you go into a frenzy of taking pictures. Overall, this is a good, but average product.

This was my first digital camera. Purchased July 2003. To date, I've taken over 60,000 pictures with this camera. I use it for home, work, and just about everything in-between.
On one set of rechargeable batteries, Ni-MH, I can take approx 600 pictures without flash, and 400-500 with flash. Does not take the best pictures when moving, however, if your standing still, it takes awesome shots! Even pictures in 1 megapixel turn out amazing!

I've now upgraded to a profesional NiKon D60, which is 10.2megapixel, however, that is bulky, and use that only in certain situations. I still use my P52 for everyday use.
after 60,000 pictures, I never thought this thing would last that long. All the writing is worn off, silver paint is work off, but all functions still work great!

I recieved my camera from my son as a gift. I loved the camera the pictures were great and the camera was easy to handle. One day I have everyone ready for pictures and the shutter is stuck !! I call Sony and for $100.00 they will LOOK at it. I then discover there are over 1500 people experiencing the same problem. Why didn't Sony recall the camera for this malfunction. Needless to say I will not purchase a Sony again. My choice is now the Olympus !!!

You think it's bad when your camera breaks - I had 3 cameras all with the same problem - the damn shutter! It keeps on saying (after making funny noises) to switch the camera on and off again. Nothing changes though. This is sooo frustrating as I loved them at first and was also very keen on the Zeiss lens. If anyone has a solution or explanation to the problem I would be grateful to hear!!!

In the beginning I loved my camara.I took 100's of pictures and thought it was the greatest thing.Then I dropped it about a inch on to the my table and that was the end of all my great pictures.The len's dropped and when I wanted to get it fixed I was told it would cost me 350.00 bucks to get the len's put back in place ( the same price I paid for it.) I was sick over it. I then bought a sony cyber shot 4.1and it lasted for about a year and it's been a dissapointment ever since. It takes for ever to be ready to get a shot. By the time it's ready what ever I try to shoot moves and the picture is wasted. I don't think I want any more Sony's.

Had the camera for the last three years. Tried to take photos and videos in different situations. I am not disappointed. In between the shutter refused to open. I had to get the shutter motor changed. Though the sevice centre fixed it, had to pay thru nose. Memory is not enough. Looked for a card at least 1 GB, but not available. Anybody can help?

I was given a Sony DSC-P32 to take look at as the "dust" shutter rattles, and fails to open with a grinding noise etc.
these reviews show me that its not even worth repairing.
But leads me to tell you my expeirence with Sony.
I have had several Sony digital cameras DSC-505, DSC-707?, DSC-717, and most recently a DSC-828,
as soon as I brought it (DSC-828) the case screws started to fall out, and some got lost, I send an email to Sony, they sent me a standard reply, about local service agents, in another country!. I sent more emails complaining that the service agents address was not much use for me, and I was just asking for a bag of screws, I got the same standard reply, again and again, I really want to have a human at the other end.. they even sent me a questionaire on what I thought of their customer service, and I replied in the most negative terms. and they sent me an automatic thank you reply, but still no real action..

anyway I gave up and fixed it myself whilst still under warrenty.
then a friend brought a Sony digital camcorder, and I helped him to register his product with Sony. I used my email address and I used his name in the text of the registration form. His name is very unusual, rare in fact. I did this only once with Sony and on no other occasion with any other product or manufacture,
Before I did this I never had any "SPAM" (lucky me, I was carefull with my use of my email address) now I get hundreds of "SPAM" emails every month, all addressed to me but using my friends name,
So I can only imagine SONY sold my email address, or failed to keep if secure.

The upshot is that I will now never ever buy any Sony products for the rest of my life.
as they treated my very badly,
along with their service....rootkit... and many other problems..
I think Sony has come to the end of being a great company with great products. they are now in serious decline, all of their own deserving...

This bad review will be followed by a "very good one", as I suspect Sony employ people to send in good product reviews,
I have noticed a pattern.... some good reviews even start with the words "I'm sorry..... ", A Japanese trait...

Thanks for letting me tell you all this.
I used to recomend Sony products, now I warn others not to buy them.....

After many hours trying to fix my camera, YES, because of the Lens issues, I was online looking for some advice on how to fix it. Found these reviews. Not the news I was looking for, but still the same, I found my end.

Sony out.

I owned this camera, for about 4 years. i took it all over the world with me. from Asia to USA. Japan to USA. It is a great camera. its not so well in dark areas when you use the video mode, but use a flash and take a picture and its just fine. i took about 7,000 pictures with this camera. no shutter problems, no button problems, everything worked great on it. although it goes thru regular batteries kind of quickly, but makes for a great fix when ur rechargable die at a time u want to take pics u can stop at store thats near to get some AA batteries. Overall great camera. I had no lines on the screen, no lense problems, no focus problems, i dropped it more than once... all it did was get scratched.

I've had my camera about 14 months. Several weeks ago I went to turn it on and there were horizontal lines across the screen. Eventually the LCD screen went completely white. Ridiculous. I've never dropped it. The lines won't go away.

The first disappointment after purchasing this camera was that you had to purchase a 'SONY' memory stick which is very over priced.
I loved the camera and the pictures - Absolutely loved it!!!!
Until the shutter on the lens will only open half way, i took it to a Sony store locally and they told me without even taking a look at the camera that it would be a minimum charge of $175.00 to send it out for repair (plus theactual repair costs)!!!
And the worst thing is that i look on ebay frequently and there are a ton of these exact models for sale 'AS IS' for the same reason. It is obviously a manufacturer defect!!
I am convinced to not purchase another Sony digi cam - in fact i didn't :)

You name it, this camera has had it. Kinda sickly. All of a sudden, grinding noise and shutter problem. (and it hasn't been dropped smart alec jerky Waah Waah person) If I didn't know that lawyers are the only ones who get reimbursed, I'd say this is definitely class action suit material for Sony.

Received as gift. Very unreliable with no support. Third party $upport wants outrageous fees for everything. I wound up throwing it in the trash. NEVER will I buy a SONY and I'll sell any Sony gifts. JUNK!!!!

never dropped it.have had it for 3 years...had no problems...have over 10000 photos...and they are really fine...thanx sony.

Great camera until it decided to just not turn on anymore (& in the middle of a marathon awards ceremony)!! Same happened to a VERY HIGH END SONY camera before that. NO MORE SONY for us.
Too many other great cameras out there....

I have had this camera for about three years and it worked wonders for a while, then it would shut flash off by itself and that was ok... i got over it.
about two months ago i went to take pics of the kids playing and it would make the sound of it taking a pic but the screen would show nothing but horizontal lines. the pictures don't even show up right on the comp.

Wow, glad I haven't had the same issues as most of the reviews have had. This camera has been great. Sony products have always been flawless for me. I have had this camera for 3 years. I have taken many, many pictures with it. Probably twice as many as anyone leaving reviews. I have taken my Sony Cyber shot backpacking 3 times, Disney trip, and many other family vacations. Never has it failed for me. I bragg about it. Dropped it once, well, someone did, since I have damage to the front of the lens. Camera still works the same. No troubles. Looking now to upgrade to a DSC-H2. Can't wait. Even better pictures I hope.

Let me join the gang of happy DSC-P52 owners!!!!Yea right. When the camera worked, it was great! I did a lot of searching on the net and one fellow mentioned to open it up and remove the motor, which I am trying to do. Anyway...I just purchased my wife a new HP 7.2 mp digital camera works just great! I could of purchased a Sony but with this type of after sales service I just could not take the chance. Good luck Sony seems as though you are going to need it!!!!

Purchased my Sony Cypbershot 7.2 last year and have absolutely LOVED it for the past 12 months! My son dropped it less than 3 feet to the floor last week. Lens was out and now won't retract. The estimate to repair is more than the replacement cost of a new one!!! Camera's get dropped—that's life. Make a better product Sony—you can do better! What good is a camera that can't handle one small fall???

I bought the camera as a gift to my wife. She never opened the box for 3 years (don't ask). Finally I charge up the batteries and find that the camera makes a horrible grinding sound when switched on and then an error E61:00 code appears. Sony tech says take it to a shop. This senario rules out the drop theory, but suggest a need for recall.(self destruction programmed in??)

The 1st Sony Cyber-Shot I had was P72 & it lasted a 1 year & quit, It was replaced under warranty, gave me a P52 & it failed a couple of weeks ago. The problem is the image collector, everything is smeared on LCD screen & it won't take pictures. Am I happy with Sony, That's a big NO, they should repair my P52 for FREE also. I would like to hear comments

Bought this for my wife's birthday. Same problems as above tokk great pictures, brought it to Disneyland, and it would not turn on. Grind, click, error. Very dissapointed with this one. Bought a Canon to replace it and very happy now. I won't go with a Sony camera again. Sorry Sony, stop spending so much time and money on the Playstations and start supporting your customers better.

I had my Sony Cybershot P52 for only 5 months when I had a problem with the shutter. It was at a crucial time, taking pictures of my first grandson in the hospital. To say I was disppointed is an understatement. The service I received was indifferent and it was suggested that maybe I dropped it. (I didn't) I was without my camera for about a month but I have to say, since the repair, I haven't had a problem with it since. Touch wood ! ! !

Overall I am very pleased with my Sony Cybershot P51. However, there from time-to-time
there is a problem with the autofocus.
Perhaps 10% of the pix I take go to either light or dark extremes

I blamed my daughter for dropping it but now I read all the reviews here and see I am not alone with the lens issue. The motor is held on by a very flimsy price of black plastic that must have an industrial cost of a fraction of cent. What a disgrace that Sony won't pay to replace - I already one had replacement two weeks after buying it. I bought the camera in the States and they tried their very best not to honor the warranty when I brought it back home to Europe and it broke. I am a lawyer and I threatened them with legal proceedings and they gave in - but it took six weeks for them to do the repair. This arrogance is totally unjustified given the evident design defect.

I have had the camera for about 3.5 years and have had no real problems, I have notice in the later days that the cameras focusing is a bit out and causes blurred pictures, but to the latest status of the camera, My wife droped it in the Zoo here in the Czech Republic and now the lens covers dont close and there is a horrible dent in the side of the lens housing, but now I notice that the blurred images are ok, I am having it repaired here in Czech for about 40 English pounds and I think its worth it even though I have bought a new Camera, this time I bought a top of the range Sony Video Camera with a 80 gig drive, and it take fairly good digital photos, I am very pleased with Sony products and have been for a very long time, its my choice brand

We got this camera for our daughter for her 18th birthday. 3 months later, the lens won't open or close and makes the horrible grinding sound like everyone's is doing. I refuse to pay that much to get it fixed. I was told by a reputable Camera shop that Sony won't release the parts for them to fix it. I feel horrible I bought my daughter such a dud camera. NO MORE SONY!!!!

We liked it too. It was easy to work with...

Then it up and dies with no warning on a trip to the Netherlands...

CLICKS, GRINDS, shut off and turn it back on messge to no avail.

By the number of same comments on this website, you would figure there would be a recall...

Fat chance...no more sony...

JB

After two years, my lens doesn't work. I'm done with Sony.

I found this ( p52 model ) to be a userfriendly camera which makes good pictures. But it just died on me one day...thought it might be the bateries, changed those about 12 times but it just flashes the little yellow light on top and will not turn on....no noises, no display...dead camera.

My lens failed briefly after a few months of use and then seemed fine for the last 2 years. It then recently failed to retract after I depressed the power button in the middle of capturing an image. Nothing would work. The error message on screen said to close and restart and that does nothing. I am very disappointed that the service life of a quality product is less than 3 years. I'm looking for a brand other than Sony now.

I have had really good luck with this camera until a month ago. I have tried many new batteries and then I found this site. I guess I will need to buy a new camera!

I bought this model three years. During this period, it did bring a lot of fun to our family, and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, the same problem happened to me three days ago: the lens won't open. At first I though it might due to out of power, however, after I changed the battery, it just won't work!
When I visited this website, I understood that it was a bug/tricky of Sony.
Well, I will never use any product from this Japanese corporation any more.

ok I'm not saying that the camera is immaculate i got it to take pictures of my now three year old son, my camera began to make a weird clicking noise when the shutter opened and no that has seized. i can set it on view pics and see them but god forbid when i move it to camera or movie and it says turn power on and off again. i read the other comments and it seems to be all the same. we are all in the same boat pretty much. it was a gift to me and my husband and that sucks, when it worked it took great pictures.

We actually own a DSC P-100, but after reading the comments on this site, it seems that several of Sony's cameras have the same problem. They want $181 to fix the problem, and its recently out of warranty. ugh.

I've had this camera for over 2 years and it has performed flawless. It has a horrible flash reload, but for under $200, who can complain? (I've seen more expensive cameras with the same issue) This camera does not have a shutter problem. You probably dropped your cameras and you want someone to cover it for you. Accidental damage is not covered under any warranty. I actually lended the camera to my Aunt because she had just had a baby and she gives me the camera back saying that the camera doesn't work properly. After probing, she admitted to dropping it. Take better care of your stuff. Anyway, I'm getting some money from her and dropping it on a nice $400 Canon. I wouldn't advise any of you "shutter problem" people to purchase a unit that expensive. It'll just make it that much harder to swallow when you drop that one too. Good Day and Cheers to all.

Same problem as everyone else. The lens motor died on me after about 3 years. Wonderful camera otherwise but it looks like this is a known problem with this camera that Sony should take ownership for.

Sony is ripping us off! There's OBVIOUSLY a problem with this gear on the cover!!!! There should be a recall!!!!

Great all-around camera but once the lens cover breaks, Sony wants $111 from me. Can buy a new /better one for that amount of money!

same as everyone else, shutter makes a awful noise and wont open all the way or close all the way.

after reading all the complaints on here i agree that there should be a recall on the lens shutter problem!sony should stand by there products.however a helpful hint for some ppl that have some degree of manual dexterity,i took my camera apart and opened the lens shutter by hand,then disconnected the plug to the lens shutter motor(or else it will keep trying to close it) and it seems to work fine like this.at least i can take pics now.the only drawback is that now i have no audio on my video clips

ok its like the best camera i have ever owned. and the lens wont open! it makes a grinding clickin noise. looks like alot of people have that problem. or was this problem on purpose?

I have owned this camera for only 13 months. I love the screen size, the features, and size. However, only 1 month out of warranty, the zoom lens failed. The camera was not dropped, abused, and only lightly used. Just one moment it was fine, the next shot, the lens would only partially retract, and an error message on the screen stated 'turn power on and off'. I am so disappointed in this performance. I have been Sony's most loyal customer for 30 years, having only their tvs, dvds, cameras, etc. However, I am just so disgusted to pay $171 to replace the zoom lens, on a 1 year old camera!!

Took my DSC-P150 (my second Sony digital camera) on a recent month long trip to Australia, and the lens cover stopped working in the first week! Needless to say, I was terribly disappointed. It had already been in for repairs on the lens previously while under warranty. I won't be replacing it with another Sony camera. I am really appalled at the lack of response from Sony in this matter.

Nice pics and everything but lens won't come out. Makes a clicking sound. I guess i'll buy a new camera since its is just a few pennies more for a newer and better! camera

It is a wonderful camera!!!

Literally every Sony product I have has died (about 12 products). All the recent products are gifts. We got the DSC-P52 as a Christmas gift. Now we tell friends never give us a Sony product. Like many others, the Lens broke and Sony leaves you in the dust.

Camera works fine for a short period of time then shows that the battery is low or completely drained. We change to fresh batteries and it still show that the battery is dead or almost dead. Problem seems to be inter mittant as you can reinstall the batteries and it will show 'full' then after one picture, it will show the battery as low. No idea as to why it is doing this. Buying a Canon or Olympus next time.

Sony asks a ridiculous amount to fix it. For that cost I will buy another camera and it won't be a Sony! Why haven;t they recalled these cameras for this issue?

Was a Christmas present from my parents in 2003. Its never skip a beat, I'm wowed by all the post of the lens motor failing! I guess we are very lucky, been dropped a couple of time but nothing even close to lens shattering. Picture count on the camera is over 7,000 now. We did add a One Gig memory stick and run on adapters alot. The Video feature will kill rechargeables in 5 minutes. Over all takes wonderful pics. Wish it had a better optical zoom.

my dad gave this camera to my mom for christmas a little while ago, and i of course took it and used it for myself. she couldnt read the screen anyway. but i loved it. i had one of the best cameras out of all my friends and i even used it for my photography class. i was down at the beach tonight taking pictures of the sunset and i turned it back on and it wouldnt open. im definitely not getting a new one from sony. my parents sony video camera broke also recently and it cost tons of money to repair. so reading all these reviews, im glad ill be able to show my parents that i didnt break it and be irresponsible, that sony just @!$*in sucks!

My main frustration is that I need to take pictures in succession and quickly. There is a long delay or pause between every photo which is extremely frustrating. It makes it nearly impossible to catch a special moment as the pause can be from 5-15 seconds. In my work I need to take 100 or more within a short time period, and it gets very frustrating with the long delay. I also had the problem that in some cases all interior photos were very blurry. Finally, this week the camera just stopped working. It has been well cared for and never dropped, so there is no explanation. I feel that it is a big waste of money to last only 2.5 years. Based on the above problems, it is probably better to just find a better model.

I bought my P52 about 3 years ago. About a year ago the shutter started making a horrible sound and the lens wouldn't open. My warranty was up, I looked for anything on the web to fix it and decided to go with a recommendation to drop my camera. I dropped it twice on the carpet and the second time it started working again. It worked for about 9 more months then it packed it in. The flash speed is extremely slow and very bright. Like a few other reviews, my camera seemed to take great pictures at first but after awhile the picture quality deterioted. I would spend a little more on a camera next time with a better warranty plan

At first, I thought it was a great little camera, took reasonable looking pics, until the dreaded day when the lens cover refused to budge.
I live in Jamaica, and I bought the camera in Miami,Florida. Can't find the receipt, but Sony suggested mailing the camera, and paying a fortune to have it repaired.
The mildest thing I can say about Sony is that they should @#8!%^#&! themselves

bought this camera from circut city to pair up with my sony tv(have to have sony camera so digital card will fit tv.sony makes sure of that.now lens on camera won't open. no more sony or circut city products for me

Same as everyone else. Two years of satisfactory use and now the shutter won't open.

worked great until daughter took camera to a highschool dance. I assumed she dropped the camera and broke it. Now after reading all the problems with the lens not opening, I must appologize to my daughter. Maybe she did not do it after all!!!

Like most everyone here I have the same error. My lens motor died. I really thought it was a good camera until I start reading everyone has the same problem with it. It really sucks because the camera was not cheap. I think they are doing on purpose to make money on the repair/replace.

After more than a year and a half as a very satisfied user my camera went on the fritz last night. Reading the above reviews I see I'm not alone, among users anyway. Since it's of no use now, I'll try to open up the front and disable the shutter doors. If unsuccessful, it won't matter.

They need to recall this product. Obviously everyone is having problems with the lens motor dying.

I have contacted Sony technical support on this issue, and they refuse to fix my camera without charging me over $100. They say "it isn't the same problem as the recall", and they haven't even seen my camera!!! It is the same problem...and oh yeah, I am still under warranty, and have documentation from Sony saying such, and they won't honor their warranty! I am contacting Better Business Bureau as well as other consumer advocate entities to report the questionable business practices of Sony.

I loved my Sony, took great pictures then my lens motor gave out. I had a chat online with a Sony rep, he gave me no indication this was a problem. Then I found this review site, what a shame Sony won't stand by their product instead of wanting to charge $172 to send it in. Won't buy Sony again!

great camera ,till the lens cover not open,seems be a default with manucture,gear slips,now dealer wants reidiculous price to repair. may as well use it as a paperweight. not as intended use. need this unit daily in business,real estate brokers.maybe some u consumers would speak up on this subject .

Overall, this is a great camera. I've owned it for two and a half years and it has documented my life great during that time. Unfortunately, I dropped it and now something seems seriously wrong with it. Now that I'm looking for a new camera, I'm more attuned to things I would have liked to fix with this one.

First, let me repeat that this is a good little camera. It's sturdy (I've dropped it more than just this once), it's nice and big so you don't lose it in your purse, it takes good pictures, and I love the AA batteries.

However, there is quite a lag time between taking shots, especially in the dark. If you're out in the bright outdoors, lag time isn't as much a problem.

Also, if you're indoors the flash always has to be on - even if the interior lighting seems bright to you. If you don't turn the flash on indoors, the photos *always* turn out blurry. Lastly, the flash distorts the image b/c it is too bright. It makes the subject a little overexposed, and all of my subjects always complained of blindness immediately after taking the shot. I took to warning all of them that it's a very bright flash.

It's a good little first time camera, but you'll find that you'll grow into it quickly and then want more.

A camera tech's post here claims that the problem listed here repeatedly about lens motors failing is incorrect. He claims that it's just the shutter not opening because of a broken plastic gear. While that may be a problem too, the lens motor really is prone to failure. Mine will not zoom out when the camera is turned on. The motor just whines. It appears that the motor itself is not burned out but that the lens is simply stuck for some reason. The shutter works freely on mine and even if it didn't, that has nothing to do with most of the complaints here. This camera is junk and Sony will not back it up.

It was a very good camera for me untill last week when I put the batteries in the camera. When switched the power on, the lens cover started making noise. I was thinking that it must be a very minor thing and can be rectified with no cost/errorts but after readig all these reviews and the problems, I am gettig a feeling that my camera is dead, all of a sudden. This was not at all expected from sony. very disappointed.

I wish I could say this is a great camera. It was until now and I never had any problems. Never dropped it or put it in water or sand. Last week, I inserted the sony batteries after charging and gee..there was a phrrr sound and then the shutter froze halfway. Now on camera mode I keep getting "turn the power off & on" tho' I have done it many times over. I'm in London and Sony wants GBP 150 for repair & so it is as good as a paperweight now unless some miracle happens.

The problem everyone is talking about, "the shutter motor", is not a shutter motor at all. It is the lens cover motor. The motor assembly has a plastic gear that breaks. When this breaks, the lens covers don't open, often causing a grinding noise. This in turn sends an error message to the camera indicating a lens failure, and the LCD displays an error message. If Sony would have used a metal gear, this would never happen. As a camera repairman, I removed the lens cover motor entirely and the camera works just fine, although without any lens covers to protect the lens. Film at eleven...(!)

Was a great little camera as long as it lasted. Was shocked to read all the reviews that say the same thing. Really stinks Sony won't stand behind an obvious problem that needs a factory recall. They want $171 to fix it.

shutter motor went bad after 14 months , cost to repair is more then it is worth $170 +, this is an on going problem with this camera , check all reviews

I used this all the time with two little kids!! This camera was the best until one day I went to use it and the lens will not open. I wanted to purchase the same one off e-bay cause I loved my camera so much, until reading all these reviews!

Work real good for the first year even when after the first week when turned off the shutter would not close all of the way. Then about 2 months ago for no reason it started flashing the error message, will not stop, and when you can get it to take a picture it's real blurry. Camera is basically no good to use . Shop wants 150.00 to look at with no guaranties. No way

I have to agree with most other reviews; not bad on the whole. Indoor shots have been hit-and-miss as to whether you get a good one. Shutter motor failed after two years of light use; Sony offering very poor support. Very poor image of Sony (excuse the pun)

Just like many others, the lens motor died on us. Of course 15 days after the warranty expired. When I did a live chat with Sony customer support, they say they have no record of problems- so I sent them 3 of these reviews. The long & short of it, they won't stand behind their product and I advise not buying from them. I also invite all these reviewers to also live chat and ask that their complaint lodged with them Perhaps they will address this.

for the first 18 months the camera was working except for the blurry pictures now the shutter does not work - i get a error message to turn off and turn back on - i am unable to use the camera - very disappointed - will not buy a sony camera again

I think that this a great camera. I can't relate to any of the other users bad experiences. I have taken this all over the world, desert, snow and all kinds of humidity, without a problem. Everyone comments on the clarity and colour of the shots.

What a surprise, my lens motor died! I am on the last 2 months of a year long trip to Chile and have been using this almost every day. Now, with the best part of my trip to go my lens motor dies. Thanks for all the memories Sony. I don't think I'll be buying another camera, or anything else from you for the rest of my days.

I bought this camera brand new for my wife in July '05 and on her second use, started getting a E:61 error message? Contacted Sony about this and tried the reset function. This did not correct so they suggested repair center @ a flat fee of $139 for repairs at only 5 months from purchase (also no guarantees).... No thanks, checked reviews on this and other Sony camera's (appears to be a problem with their camera's) so I will not be buying another Sony.

I had one...lens motor went bad.
Bought another one, because I really liked the pics that the camera takes. 2nd one....lens motor went bad!!!!!!!!!

Excellent Model for non professionals

this camera was a good, general purpose digital camera. the pictures turn out great and it is easy to use.

Imagine my disappointment when turning the camera on to find an error that reflected there is a problem with the lens. In calling Sony support, I found that the camera needs to be repaired and the minimal estimated cost is $177.00.

Although I hate to disgard this camera, I will put the $$ for repairs into a new camera but will think twice about a Sony purchase.

just as most of the reviews stated, after 1.5 years of moderate use, the shutter motor died. Up til then it was a great little camera and took nice clear pics. But with all the complaints I read about the lens-shutter motor, they should do a recall. There is a recall on the blurry image problem though. Repair costs for motor are usually more than the camera usually sells for now. I am disappointed with the decline of integrity and workmanship of Sony.

If your camera got blurry pictures over time like mine:

1. Take memory card out
2. Turn camera on
3. Push "reset" button located under rubber square (with a toothpick nail...etc.) This should turn camera off.
4. Turn camera back on, put memory card back in, reset time/day.

This should fix it!!!! For how long we shall see. This resets all your settings too.

If this does not work, call Sony: 1-866-703-7669

They will troubleshoot.

Good Luck!

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=DSCP52&news_id=95

This was my very first digital camera, and i have to say that it nearly put me off them as a whole. Terrible, blurry, grainy photos - no matter what setting i used. Since then i have bought a Kodak Easyshare 6490 which i am infinitely more impressed with, and at half the price!

i bought this camera 2 yrs ago ,it worked very nicely ,pic quality is great as i used it occasionally but all of sudden now it stoped reading the view in the LCD ,i don't knw what to do,i areally love my P52 but i think i have to send it to the doctor for surgery but my lens motor is perfect & it some times stats working on its own ,i think this camera is playing tricks with me it start working two times but now again its in coma

Had it for 2-3 years now. Hasn't broken down, none of this shutter motor failure. Takes only 2-3 seconds between pictures.

Was a wonderful camera at first. Couldn't have better pictures. All of the sudden indoor pictures are blurred.

My main problem is the fact that it takes so long to take a second picture. I need to take many pictures for what I'm doing, and it gets so frustrating to have that long long pause between photos.

A good camera, easy to use for a beginner...until the lens motor died. It wasn't worth the cost to get it fixed.

Another customer gets burned by Sony. Like everyone else, the lens motor died after only a year ofter I purchased the produce. If this problem happens so often, why will Sony not recall the produce? They are making money on the consumers just to force them to have to replace the camera. This consumer is filing with small claims court!!!

Sometimes it works, most times it does not. The pictures come out blurry, and any white comes out yellowed.

wish I had read a review like this before buying the camera. Shutter motor died all of a sudden. I am not surprised after reading all these reviews.

The lens motor also died after 18 months, like everyone else who bought one of these. Is there some kind of self-destruct timer built in? Replacement policy at a major retailer (really good purchase) left me with a camera with a smaller LCD. Overall unhappy experience with the Sony camera - will never buy Sony again.

i have it for more than a year and it still didn't break, i've dropped it once too but nothing was damage except the scratch which didn't affect the inside of the camera. i've taken more than 3000 pictures so far and i am not disappointed. by the way, this camera has some problems with room lights. if you take pictures in your room when the lights are on, the quality probably won't be very good. surprisingly, it takes amazing pictures in the dark. just don't forget your flash ;)

About 1/2 of my pictures turn out blurry everytime! Also, it is so slow to let you take the next! Junk!

It was a great camera if you only want it for a short amount of time. It died (lens motor) after about a year and a half, I won't be buying another sony camera for a while.

too thick to hold and
lens motor died after two years too expensive to fix
I suggest buying a canon

After 15 months of using this camera, I too have been burned by bad lens motor. Sony said it would cost $171 to fix. Decided it was better just to purchase a new camera (not a Sony).

Bought this camera 3 years ago. After 15 months, lens would not open. Sony said it would cost $150 to fix. Decided it was better just to purchase the same camera new. Now this second camera is showing same problems after 18 months. Lens will not open all the time! I am NOT buying a Sony again!

Took great pictures for the camera and was happy with the camera. Then as everyone else has noted the lens would not open. After reading the other comments I am very disappointed.

agree with all the others - lens motor died after a year, but up til then it was an excellent camera - movie mode especially good for price range.

I really liked this camera and the photos it took until it suddenly wouldn't open the lens shutter when powered up. Too expensive to fix and upgraded to a Canon. So sorry this couldn't last.

I've mine for almost 2 years and it still works great, and I've taken well over 2000 pics.
I've dropped this camera so many times on accident still works great. I am ready for an upgrade but for as long as I've had it, it has been a great camera and has done a flawless job. my main satisfaction is the fact that I've dropped it well over 20 times and still works perfect

I love my p52 camera , it's great for indoor pictures and close ups , I haven't used it for outdoor photography .

Bought it a year and half ago for my Dad. He never opened it and gave it back to me to use overseas for a while. It worked great for exactly 2 weeks and now won't turn on in camera or movie record mode, only in play and setup mode. Piece of junk, I'd highly recommend getting a different camera.

Looks like the same problem all over. After being a dream camera for 18 months, the camera makes a horrible clicking sound like something isn't catching the right cog, and I get a flashing E:92:00 error message. With a lot of patience I can manage to get a picture around 25% of the time. Arrgh! Sony burns me again.

I had the same problem as some other people who have submitted reviews for the DSC-P line. After 15 months of use, the shutter decided not to open anymore. The one year warranty is up, so now I'm stuck with a useless digital camera. The camera was good while it lasted.

My camera also took fine pictures, but, as other reviewers have said, the lens motor died after a year and a half, and I was told it would cost $165 to fix it! Seems steep for a $250 camera.

My husband purchased this camera around 2 yrs ago. It wasn't until this year that we really started having problems with it. The camera still takes good pictures, however, if you are using the flash it now takes at least 5-10 seconds for it to be able to take another one. So for me, being a mother, its hard to take pics of my daughter to send to him in Iraq with such slow reaction time. In February the shutter decided it was going to shut and not reopen. Being that my husband is a electronic genius he was able to find the tiny transmission and take it out and wedge the shutter open so that I could continue to use it. Then out of the blue today I began getting the E:92:00 error. After doing some research on the internet this problem is dealing with the pressure on the battery connectors. I have tried wedging paper, cardboard, and a dime in, all recommended solutions, and none of these have worked for me.

I am very disappointed with this camera. after just a couple of months of normal use the shutter would not open when camera was powered on. I sent it in for repair and was told the problem was the lens motor. They don't have it. I try to get one but. The motor it is ok, the problem it is a little transmission, it is too fragile. I bought an used dsc-p72, but I want to fix it. May cost a little as I purchased for $360, at Panama city, only a year ago.

I am very disappointed in this camera. While it took great pictures while it was working, after just a couple of months of normal use the shutter would not open when camera was powered on. I sent it in for repair and was told the problem was the lens motor, at a cost of $150 to replace. I wasn't going to spend another $150 on a camera that was just purchased for $200. When I declined to have it fixed, they offered me $20 for it. I refused, because I was thinking they would probably fix it for pennies on the dollar, then resell it at a high price as a refurbished camera.

At first, the camera took good, clear pictures. However, all of a sudden the pictures look like those from a cheap disposable camera with no clarity at all. Very blurred and bad color. It takes forever to snap another picture, so you can't take a lot of quick shots of a great moment. You have to wait for at least 15 seconds to reshoot each time. I am very disappointed.

camera takes good photos, but for a novice, I seem to have to adjust each picture each time after I shoot it. Hard to adjust flash. Seems either too weak or to strong.