Introduction
If your RX100 camera is showing the error, "Turn power off and then on" and the lens will not retract completely, see below for the simple fix.
My RX-100 started showing this error message, and initially was able to turn off/on and shoot photos, but after a few days it was constantly showing the error and would not work any more. The lens barrel remained partially retracted and would not fully extend. There is no reset button.
I found a simple fix via an internet search, partly in German I believe. This little fix saved me $300 and a lot of hassle.
Ce dont vous avez besoin
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Remove the 5 small screws on the bottom panel.
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Lift off from the narrow end on the battery panel side. You may have to open the battery cover. The other end is hooked to the body. There are also 2 small tabs on the mid front side.
I have no idea how someone figured this fix for the Sony rx100m VI, but it WORKS! My camera kept giving me a message to turn off my camera and then turn it on. After doing that it still kept giving me that message. I followed the five steps listed here and it worked perfectly. Again, who knew? Well, obviously someone and to that person, I say THANK YOU!!!
Wholly concur. Same problem with my RX100 and the suggested fix also worked perfectly. Query why Sony has not put this fix in their on-line manual. But thank you to the anonymous provider of the fix
Geoffrey White
Worked perfectly for me. Thank you for the guide.
I put the battery back and tested each time after putting a screw back and the problem reoccurred when I put the screws in near the black and red cables on the bottom piece. I took the bottom off again, put it back as described but left the 2 x problem screws looser and it all works. -
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With battery in, power on and it will start up and the lens barrel will extend fully as it should.
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Turn power off and it should retract completely and lens cover should also close.
You should add some paper to ease the one broken tape cable and protect it from the pressure: http://imgur.com/a/FwFXF
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Replace 4 screws on the side, and hand tighten.
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Replace the bottom panel, wide end with hook and 2 small tabs on the mid front side in and replace the 5 screws, again hand tighten.
On my side, it has worked (I have only done step 2:Remove the 5 small screws on the bottom panel and open the battery cover). I have switched on and seen the zoom was working fine (and not anymore the message turn off and on). It is incredible that just removing the screws has corrected the problem. I have off course remounted the screws with low tightening. So far it works...but how long will it last? I am a bit worried when I see all the people who have the same issue. For me, It is clearly a SONY design issue on the DSC RX 100. ( I have bought mine 3 years and half. It is not normal to have so many complains for the same problem). In all case I thank very much Cherry and all participants.
Works them gets spoilt again.what a waste of my money.shame on sony
This is very odd. I take off all the screws and the camera works fine. If I put the screws back in, it goes back to not working. I take the screws off and it is fine again. I am thinking of taping the camera back together with black electrical tape. I am scratching my head trying to imagine what is the issue. Is it a short? Is some wire being crimped? I am dying to know what the issue is... Actually as I use it a little her on the desk, I do get the error message coming back intermittently, so I guess it is a bust.
I experienced same result as Jim. I then unassembled the case parts again and carefully hand assembled the unit. I noticed that the motor drive in on the left side near the flash unit. With the camera case off the lens assembly unit does not bind. Only when I screwed in the last two screws on the right side of the case did the unit stop working again. Looking at the binding issue I determined that the LCD display with the attached metal plate on the right of it can bend due to repetitive pressing of the function buttons. So I gently unbent the plate. Seems to work. Removes the spring tension that resulted in binding the lens assembly when the case is reassembled.
The problem is the electrical ribbon cable which sits approximately behind the dial wheel at the back. I pulled the camera apart and it started working again like you described above. When I put pressure on the ribbon cable it stopped, maybe due to a short circuit it is creating when pushed, not sure.
I placed a piece of thick paper, acting as an insulator in between the ribbon cable and that sorted it out.
Thank you Peter! After figuring out which cable ya’ll were talking about (it’s the bottom one, behind the dial wheel like you said, easier read than done i guess) this fix was a snap and now I have my amazing pocket digital back!!!
Esta era mi avería y la he solucionado.
Gracias Peter.
Aymara -
This is why it keeps happening. The folded over ribbon you see in the middle underneath the back cover is shorting or breaking a connection within the ribbon when pressure is reapplied when screwing down the back.
simply slide a piece of heavy paper or thin cardboard between the ribbon fold, reattach the camera back and the problem is fixed.
The track of the ribbon behind was right but i coudn´t resolve the problem by placing a piece of paper on it, still didn´t work when I closed the camera with the screws. I could solve the problem by bending the big orange ribbon differently inside so it doens´t bend so much on the angle on the right. This solved my problem.
then fiddling wih screws/cables doen’t work, it may be flex cable, it cracks somewhere quite often on sonies, buy a new one (but with sensors & plug) on ali for 10-15€. if this doens’t fix, and you feel that the pb is mechanical - you may need to buy a new lens assembly (sells for ~45€, usually w/o sensor), replace the old one (screw the sensor from old lens, it’s easy, sensor is held by 3 screws under antistatic foil)
I echo the above comments. The camera works again when taken apart, but then when reassembled, the problem returns!
After a lot of testing, I found that by replacing all the screws but one, the camera works again. It now has one missing side screw, the one on the left side (as you look at the screen - i.e. from behind) near the base. Or to put it another way, it’s the side screw nearest the Zeiss sticker.
Bonsoir,
Y a t’il des franophones qui ont effectués l’opération ?
Cordialement.
I struggled to find the ribbon cable everyone is talking about. I finally found it at the very bottom that twists back on itself and heads towards the lens. It is the lens cable that apparently cracks in the fold over time. They can’t be repaired but can be replaced. This YouTube video gives an idea of the work involved: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nndrTvnc... . I’ve just bought a ribbon cable from ebay for £14 from Hong Kong. It’s due here in around a months time. I’ll let you know how I get on. Worth noting is that there are two types of ribbon. One with the connections already soldered on which is the one I’ve bought and one without connections. The guy in the video bought one without connections and it looks a real paint to solder up. The link to the ebay replacement ribbon is here : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Lens-Back... .
Salut. J'ai effectué la réparation proposée par Peter. Ça fonctionne.
En gros, quand vous ouvrez l'appareil, vous voyez un ruban de connexion de couleur orangée, et large d'environ 1 cm. C'est ce ruban qui pose problème. Il commence à s'user puis finit par lâcher. S'il n'est pas encore trop usé, vous pouvez insérer un morceau de carton dans le pli du ruban pour que le pli soit moins aigu, qu'il y a moins de tension dans les cables à l'intérieur du ruban. Pour ma part j'ai utilisé un morceau de feuille cartonnée comme celles des paquets de kellogs, que j'ai pliée en deux pour avoir plus d'épaisseur.
Si ça ne fonctionne pas alors il faut changer le câble (il y a un lien ebay et une vidéo dans le commentaire très détaillé de Barrie Pooley).
Si ça ne fonctionne toujours pas vous devrez peut-être remplacer tout le bloc lentille.
Bon courage !
Just translated in french the solution peter proposed, and precised a few details :
- The ribbon wire implied is orange, around 1 cm width
- The fold is too sharp and makes the wires inside the ribbon break
- I did use a cardboard sheet you can find on kellog's cereals box, that I folded in 2 (the fold of my sheet in the fold of the ribbon)
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Annulation : je n'ai pas terminé ce tutoriel.
26 autres ont terminé cette réparation.
95 commentaires
It actually works, but only as long as I keep the camera disassembled. Once I put it back together again, the same problem re-occurs. It looks clean, but is there something in particular I should look for? Something that I should try to avoid "squeezing" when assembling?
Hi Niklas,
had the same issue. I remove the panel at the bottom and it works for a while - but - as you can read, a workaround is less as a fix ( ;
Cherry -
Did you find a resolution? I just started receiving this error message and before I start removing screws and panels, I'd like to know if you had success. Thanks so much.
Hi Carol,
in most cases, this is just a workaround, not a permanent fix, because it seems that this error is related to the lifetime of the fall sensor in combination with a bad software logic/event handling. If you still have guarantee i recommend to send the camera back to the company.
Cherry -
Thanks for the reply. Regrettably, my camera is out of manufacturer warranty and just passed the extended warranty that I also purchased. I was not aware of the short life spans of mount & shoot cameras. Looking into being a new camera. Either a newer Sony (RX 100 III, I do not need the 4K capabilities of the IV) or the Panasonic Lumix. I loved this camera and although it was heavily used, it was treated with great care.
Thanks agin.
My RX100 has just crapped itself with the same error message. In a way I'm glad as this camera has been a nightmare from the getgo. It will not connect via cable to pc or charge so i've had to buy a wall mount charger as a work around. Lots of software glitches. Sometimes the ON switch won't respond but the play button will switch the camera on. I also found the screen doesn't depict accurate colour of photo's taken. That is I have to take much darker photographs than the screen will display . I can say that this is the most unreliable camera I've owned. I've had two panasonic lumix cameras in the past and they've never failed me. Infact I've since gone back to my 10 year old lumix now as a fill in camera and despite its limitations I'm already much happier. I think I'll get a newer Lumix camera as a replacement and quickly forget all about the RX100 series.
Silly typos---"point & shoot" cameras. And "buying" a new camera.
I tried the fix and it SEEMS that if I leave the side screws very loose it helps a lot so I just leave them loose and cover them with electrical tape so as not to lose them.
I had the same problem. I've done the steps before. But i tighten the sight-screws in order. First the side-screw at the bottom, at the battery-side; then the opposite-screw at the bottom, then the opposite-screw at the top and at last the top-screw at battery-side. Do not turn the screws with high torque! Now it works fine.
Worked perfectly for me. Thank you so much for posting this solution.
Thank you, Cherry, for giving me the courage to open the camera! And also thank you, Scanningene! I had the same experience as some of the other commentators: when I opened up the camera it worked but as soon as I closed it up, it went back into the 'turn power off then on' freeze . And that's where Scanningene's comment about leaving the side screws loose helped. I experiemented in leaving the side a bit ajar and found that my camera worked perfectly fine only when I left the bottom plate screwed on but the side by the battery about a toothpick width ajar. In fact I broke the toothpick you had recommended as tool in half and wedged one part in the side slit by the battery and the other along the top opening and taped it all shut with duct tape. The tricky part was taping around the mode dial. Will it last? Maybe, maybe not. For now the camera works and takes beautiful pictures again. Thank you!
Hello,
I had the exact same problem. The lens would start working when disassembled but get stuck again once reassembled.
After some trial, I discovered that the problem occurs when the right side of the camera (when looking at the screen) was been pushed into position and secured with screws.
Some further testing revealed that even with the camera disassembled, when pushing my finger against the tape cable at the bottom-middle was causing this problem! I don't know what exists under this cable, there are some SMDs but I don't know if they are sensors or simple electronics components.
What seems to have given a solution, was to bend the tape cable a bit differently, so as to move the bend position a bit to the left, eventually leaving some "air" over the point where the pressure affected the lens. Then I tightened all the screws and now the camera works with no issues!
I don't know if this will hold neither whether this new position can harm the tape cable in the long term.
@sinadroi please show me which tape cable you are referring to?
So guys, same thing happened to my rx100, lens cant open if case is screwed shut, but when case is unscrewed and right side left ajar (I use a 2mm paracord to keep the top right corner ajar and screwing in the rest of the screws except one, it works fine.
but i don't want dust to collect internally, so if anyone knows which cable to shift so this can be a complete fix, please let me know
Solution : I found it amusing but it worked for me. I simply dropped my camera ( switched off ) from 2 and 1/2 feet on carpeted floor twice and turned it on and it worked. Thanks to ifixit solution and comments from users ( which gave me the idea that issue is some what related to some kind of pressure within the camera ) and thanks to "Thailand Living" user on youtube.
I had to snap two fine sowing needles to the length I needed them, and then leave the screws out on the sides. I then placed the needles in either side to leave a slight gap on either side of the back plate. I then gaffer taped them and the back plate in place using high strength electrical tape and just used two screws for the bottom plate. This keeps the back plate open enough for the lens to work. The gaffer tape keeps the back plate nice and secure.
I found that the problem is caused by the ribbon cable that connects the lens barrel to the bottom of the mainboard, or more precisely, by the sharp 180 degree bend in the ribbon cable that faces towards the battery compartment. I believe that this sharp bend together with the vibration during everyday use of the camera caused some of the fine conducting paths in the ribbon cable to break over time. I could not see the damage with the naked eye, but when I took a bright flashlight to shine through the cable, I could see a very fine crack that looked like a short bright line across a few of the tracks. Apparently the tracks that broke lead to a sensor in the lens barrel that tells the camera how far the barrel is extended, and without that signal the camera is confused. I think the sharp bend is a design fault. Sony should have placed some spacer on the inner face of the bend to prevent it from becoming too sharp. The ribbon cable is available on e*** as a cheap replacement part - order one "with sockets"!
Thank you so much! I was quoted $485 USD today for the repair, sending it back to Sony. After loosening/reassembling, I now have the bottom plate installed and held by two screws on the far ends, and the left side has one screw in at the bottom, none on the right side. The camera is working so far.
Do you have a part number for the ribbon cable?
I have no part number. Just search for "RX100 lens flex cable". Some are offered with sockets on the cable (small white connectors), some without. The old cable has connectors, so I ordered that one. I don't know if the cables on e*** are original parts, but it's definitely worth a try. If I sent in the camera, Sony would most likely replace the whole lens unit, which economically does not make sense. But I just love that camera and will not yet let it go. The cables come from China and delivery time is around one or two months, so we'll have to do without our great camera for a long time. :-( Replacing the old cable will probably be quite challenging and I hope it does not require to open the lens barrel, but I don't have much to lose...
Update: I received the flex cable yesterday. Quality is mediocre (the tracks for the zoom motor are thinner than the original, and one of the two cables I ordered (one as spare for the case something goes really wrong) had some crumpled spots and looked as if some of the tracks could be damaged from the start). What came as a surprise when I started disassembly to remove the original flex cable is that it has three tiny light barriers soldered directly onto the cable. They are missing on the new cables. I had to solder them off, which was the most difficult part because they are surface mounted, i.e., I had to apply heat from the flip side of the cable without risking to overheat the light barriers. Anyway, I finally succeeded - at least it looks like everything is working fine again, which also proves that the problem was in fact caused by the sharp bend in the ribbon cable. The repair was really difficult, but it cost me 20 EUR for the two cables instead of 250 for a new lens unit. :-)
Which cable do i need for the M1 Version?
I only find cables for M2, do they also fit for my mark one?
thanks
I almost gave up on my RX 100, and I was ready to get a new one until I saw this post. It worked and I can use my camera like it was brand new!. Thanks Cherry!
Just in case this can help. My Sony RX100 Mk1 started this problem. After reading your advice I could restart after removing the battery and reinserting, but the problem would soon start again. I noticed that there was no problem if the battery door was left open but that is completely impractical. So with the camera turned off and lens retracted I opened the battery door and gave the camera a light tap downwards onto the right hand end as seen from the back. This was done onto a firm but soft flat surface. This may have moved a cable inside fractionally. Since then the camera has worked as normal with the battery door closed.
Focussing on the ribbon or flex cables described above, I simply used pieces of rolled silicon as spacers to avoid any unwanted bridged connections when the ribbon was compressed onto itself and other components. I placed silicon between and above the sharp fold and then carefully re-assembled the camera so as not to dislodge the silicone. Works again, hopefully it will be a longish solution.
Any photos? Sounds like a better temporary fix than leaving the camera housing ajar. However, from the post, I can't pinpoint the area you are referring too exactly.
Thank Patrick, It's work for me. I just put a piece of paper in the middle of the flex cable folded (when you look inside).
Joc -
Thanks for this tip - I was able to fix including replacement of all screws. I did not use silicone but a small piece of tissue paper (size of two postage stamps folded. After removing the four side screws, then the baseplate, then take the speaker out (connected to end of thin red and blue wire), then prise open the back of the camera, unfold to the side and the thicker ribbon cable unfolds. I put the tissue paper inside that fold and then put the back of the camera back on, re assembled.
I too have this issue with my RX100 v1. I have just received a replacement ribbon cable .
I am about to embark on transferring across the light barriers onto the new ribbon cable. Not looking forward to that! Any tips @rx100user? How heat proof is the ribbon when soldering from the back? Not looking forward to this job. Massive respect to @rx100user for managing it.
Ribbon cable arrived Saturday. When I removed the bottom plate, camera started working. Now bottom plate is secured but with some play, and it works, sort of. Playing around with the Zoom caused the on/off error to reoccur. So I too feel it's inevitable that the ribbon will have to be replaced. I'm also very concerned about using the soldering iron. My soldering skills are mediocre at best, and I'm using a cheap 1 heat setting soldering iron that I use on RC stuff. Any advice from @rx100user would be greatly appreciated as well.
Very wise move!
I didn't get notified of the new posts. Hopefully my response is not too late. I did the job with a rather old and cheap soldering iron with a thin pencil-shaped tip that I set (if I remember correctly) to 270 °C. I too was concerned about how much heat the ribbon cable and the light barriers can stand. As my camera still works fine (with the screws of the back cover fully tightened) they obviously weren't damaged. I fixed the light barriers in a small vice so that the heat from the soldering iron is absorbed. Then I placed the ribbon cable very carefully on the light barrier so that it is exactly (!) in the right place and also fixed the ribbon cable with adhesive strips so that it cannot slip away during soldering. Then I placed the soldering iron on the back of the ribbon cable and applied some pressure. After a while the soldering pads of the light barrier melted. Make sure that all four pads fully melt so that the barrier sits completely flat on the cable. Repeat that with all three light barriers.
The RX100 is an awesome camera! Not sure if Mark II to V will experience the same problem some day. Here is the QuickFix for the Mark I: http://imgur.com/a/FwFXF
My RX100 is five years old, but has always run strong until my last holiday on snow. Maybe I ve hurt it skiing (it was always in my pocket), but after a few days, it showed the "Turn power off and then on" error, with the lens stuck halfway
I’ve tried your “paper” fix: after complete re-assembly, the camera works perfectly… (before your fix, it worked only without the right side screws and any push on the right side triggered the same error)
Hope it will last in the long run.
Thank a lot to everyone!
Thank you so much!!! Problem is really in this flex in this place. I little solder damage place of flex and add foam rubber under flex same like at photo. Now work perfectly, I think this is not wery good fix but 1-2 year must work.
Thanks for sharing this Marcel. I placed a small strip of rather stiff foam right in the bend of the replacement cable to stabilize it. The problem with the quick fix is that it only works if you are lucky so that by chance the front faces of all broken conducting paths have stable contact with their counterpart. Even if that is so, you have to expect that any vibration can cause the camera to fail again. And as we all know, these things always happen when you least need them...
LOL, I just bought a used RX100 M1 on Ebay. Have only use it one day and had this problem. Thanks for all this information.
I just banged it a few times on a table and got it working again! At least I know what to expect and how to handle this issue in the future, even if I need to get to the point of removing screws. Hopefully I can get the value of $350 from it that I paid :)
On my side I had the same message "turn power off then on" with my RX100Model 2 (I bought it 3 years and half ago just to give an idea of the robustness you can exepct from Sony cameras). For a while I was using the workaround...but this issue was back all the time. in the end I have bought on exxxx the "RX100 lens flex cable" that is described Just wanted to let people know that unsoldering the SMT and soldering on the cable is extremely difficult. On my side, I have not been able to make it work. Not a big deal since I have paid less than 10$. Unless you have special expertise, I don't recommend you to start. You may loose your time. Just wanted to share my experience.
Here's where I put a splinter of a toothpick to make mine work again.
Worked for me! Thanks so much for the toothpick tip and photo!
ken -
I couldn’t find any toothpicks so I used a sliver of business card in the same spot as Daniel’s toothpick, and the camera now works.
Thank you for the helpful suggestions. The “fix” worked but like others have found, it is very sensitive to screw tension. To get it to work reliably, I have held it together by just using the two upper side screws. I have discarded the base plate entirely and replaced it with a piece of black insulating tape cut to shape whilst it is in position. That avoids the pressure from the screws. From an engineering viewpoint, it’s unsatisfactory but it works!
As others have said, the camera takes great photos but reliability is poor. I have already had one expensive repair in the 3 years of ownership. If my “fix” fails, I’ll go back to my old Canon Ixus 105 whilst I consider what to do next. It won’t be another Sony camera!
Geoff in New Zealand.
Hi all. Had this problem.
All I did was remove the battery while the error was showing instead of turning it off with the button.
Put the battery back in and turned it on.
Fixed it for me.
Am now on my 2nd RX100 - total disappointment with reliability - but when working was great, Both have the lens and ‘turn off’ msg problem.
Sony should have done a recall or else offered a free fix - seems it can happen almost from new to far later on. Never had another camera ( currently 3 dslrs and about 10 point and shoots) that have given me any trouble at all except these Sony Rx100.’s
Even if they are currently working, having the knowledge that there is an inherent fault that Sony ignores will not suppply a fix for ( unless under warranty or else big $ are involved) , and that it can appear without any warning - eg. 1 week ago brilliant panorama shots - looked at sd card on pc - replaced card in RX100 - then won’t work.
Checked all fixes on the net (apart from perhaps fitting a new sensor or replacing the whole guts) and nothing works. Even tried swapping lense units from camnera to camera - still same probs with both.
Sony you really screwed up with this overpriced and under reliable camera !!!
After two years of usage, my RX100 MKI does not work any more. Or to be exactly: It still works, I can make pictures, its focusing and saving them on the SD card but the display does not show anything. There is just no sign of life at the screen at all. I bought a used RX100 to replace the screen but same goes for the other screen which is working in its RX100. I than connected the blank screen to the other RX100 and it is working. So it is not the screen. Do you think it can relate to the turn on/off error that is wildely discussed here, so is there a chance it is flex cable related or do you thin it is a hint that the main board might be the problem? I will order a spare flex cable but it will take some time until it will be in Germany…
I had the same issue with my camera. After a lot of searches I finally went for the permanent fix: the flex cable that goes around the lens needs to be replaced. It can be bought (new and original) for 10€ on the internet (search for “rx100 lens flex cable”, BE SURE TO BUY THE VERSION WITH THE 3 HALL SENSORS if you do not want to soldier them yourself). replacing the cable is not easy but is DOABLE (I am not a repair specialist). You will just need to soldier it to the zoom motor (2 points, quite easy) and plug it in various places. but after that it will work!!! be very careful not to break the CMOS sensor cable (which is very sensitive as well) when removing the lens block.
Thank you very much for all your above replies! It encourages me to engage with Sony, now that they declared my 2,7 years old RX100 ‘totall loss'.
"Repair costs more than the remaining value“ was their blunt way of communicating my loss. I can have my camera back for the (predicted) €75 service costs - un-repaired, that is. Their repair proposal was - as was suggested above - to replace he entire lens set, not just the cable..
Same problem here. But the solution was much easier, found on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Q1bljf...
Same problem. RX100 Mk1. My lens did not come out at all with screws in. worked perfectly when the back was off. I too found that when you pressed on the flex cable near the bottom of the camera it would malfunction. I folded a piece of thin cardboard and inserted within the fold of the flex cable to keep in from bending too much. Camera is back to working even with the back on and all the screws tight.- I’ll hope that I don’t have to replace this cable. I wish you all luck!
I had the same problem. I tried putting paper in the ribbon but had trouble getting it in there. I realized I was going to wreck something or get too much dust in. Eventually, I just decided to just removed the 2 problem screws entirely and use electrical tape to cover the screw holds and side gap. Works fine so far.
If you don't want to take the camera apart, you can try this method. The 2 screws to remove are on the right side of the camera when you are faceing the screen. Those 2 put pressure on the cable.
Thanks to the orginal post I was game to take my camera apart and try a fix. Dispare followed by the toothpick trick has worked. I also left the tweo screws out on the battery side and covered the gap with a dark silicon over a sliver of plastic. I also had to leave out one side screw on the non battery end but if I can get another year out of a great camera I will be happy. Thank yopu to all who tried and posted. William
Thx for sharing your blog entry regarding the repair process. Great work!
Cherry -
I ordered a band cable in China and within 2 weeks it was delivered at my home in Groningen. Guided by the Youtube film I replaced the old (broken) cable for the new one. This was not a very hard job to do, just have patience. But in spite of all the labour, the problem is not solved. Now the lens remains out and can only be retracted by removing and inserting the battery: reset the camera. Above all it introduced a second problem, the display does not work anymore. I fear this is the end of my Sony RX100M1.
@gemako : If the display is off, since you replaced the cable, you should consider, that you missed a detached power cable from the display or create a new break somewhere in the electric circuit, whose power is now insufficient to supply the screen. I propose to check again for micro structural breaks, which are common (like the issue here), if products are produced in a scale, that minimal physical (and longterm chemical) changes in the material itself, can reduce their lifetime.
We often claim, that this ‘limited lifetime’ of products, is a sign for an conscious misleading of consumers, through the use of materials whose natural, physical or chemical decomposition process makes the product unusable, in time. Which is not always true, but based on the experienced we share here, we can say: “They should offer more support for people who like to stick on a device, as long as it works for their needs, instead of NO SUPPORT for loyal and convinced customers. This ignorance by their customer care is a shame.”
@gemako : But because your "digital buddy” is maybe dead, try a used RX100 up 80€/$, because now you know what to do, in any (new) case.
Amazone and ebay start at 300€/$ which is too much. I bought my used one from a local guy, over ebay classifieds, for just 80€, because it had exactly this on/off error. So, i took the risk, but i was confident that i can repair this issue, as long as there is no physical or water, or display damage. It worked for me and now i can use this RX100 since mor than 5years - and i know - at some point, also the used RX100 offers out there will no longer be available, but i do not have to buy a 20MP each 2 years and hav not to live with the constantly decreasing quality of products within this price segment. At the end, your focus is to get a great picture out of it, and i do not care if the cam i use is tripple used, as long ‘this tool’ is working. So, i’it's sad to say - but - if your “digital buddy” die, just buy a used one, if you love the eggs you got from the dead one ( ;
I would like to thank all of you, who shared their experiences here. It’s a great community of talent and passion - and because of the time, we all invest, to deal with issues, where companies do not seem to care about, i would like to add this statement here, to wish all of you nice holidays and a great 2019 ( !
Thanks, but as for others, the moment I reassemble I’m back to square one. But I’m *fairly* sure I know why.
It’s the two little wires - red & blue - that run along the base plate. If you look *very* closely at the connections (assuming yours is like mine) you’ll see there’s significant corrosion to the soldering, at both ends. My guess is that those wires control the lens, and there’s a partial connection, which is ok so long as there’s no pressure, but the moment there is, no or inadequate current gets through. Hence failure, which tells the firmware to flash up a universal ‘something’s wrong: turn it off & turn it on again’ message.
I haven’t had a chance to confirm this yet - I need to find nimbler hands than mine to re-solder those wires. But I’m all but certain that’s the root cause. I bet Sony know too. Shame on them for abandoning their customers - or for charging $300 to undertake what must be a ten minute job, assuming the right tools & skills.
Hi Alan - the two wires on the base plate run to the micro-speaker. They would have no significance whatsoever on the lens fault.
I tried this many times and it is a temporary fix. Frustrating. This is how I permanently fix it. I took the 4 side screws off and noticed the right side panel opens slightly. I did not even remove the bottom panel. Turn the power on and it opens up with no error messages. Turn off and on a few times, no problem. When I put the four screws back on and tighten it, back to error message and lens stayed partial extension and would not retract. Figured there was probably lens alignment out of wack. I used liquid superglue and put it in between the front and back panel on right side. After the glue dried I tested the power button many times. I put the 2 screws on left side first, test again and finally put the 2 screws on right side and tighten it. My Sony is now fixed. I hope this post will help others with same issue.
my camera is the first generation rx100.
Bonjour
J’ai suivi les instructions et immédiatement, le problème a disparu. Bravo et merci pour ces informations
Like the others the error reappeared as soon as it’s reassembled. But what this partial disassembly tells us is that the problem comes from something is squished just a bit too much on there. The whole construction being basically like a stack of paper if you want to unsquish one direction just squish on another direction. The top to bottom direction seams a bad idea as most of the control are there. But the side to side axes is basically free from anything super fragile. So here is the idea, if you squish the camera between your thumb and finger in a side to side axes (firm and gentle) then that should slightly bend the front panel just a tad bit.
Bingo !
I’d bet the problem came from the camera been somehow squished on the front to back axe.
Initially removed base and placed a piece of paper between wires and base this resolved for about a month. After same error returned still would not work even with base removed. Therefore removed all 4 side screws but first peeling back the camera grip tape then reapplying after screws removed. Amazingly camera starting working again with no clicking of lens when extended. Will see how long this lasts.
Hello,
Please, could you translate from English to French step 2 ?
Thanks !
Yours sincerely.
Robert
thanks bro
my camra was properly worked
thanks
I’m so grateful! This worked for my RX100 IV!!!
I try to fold the ribbon.
But it is broken. I give up
It worked for me up to a point. When reassembling the camera it kept working until I put the bottom plate back. So, now the camera works /lens extends as far as I keep the bottom plate off. Can anyone analyze why that is?
Hello RX100 owners, I have an RX100 v that I purchased maybe two years ago as an open box. With all of this excitement about the new LX1, and a desire to sell what I don’t use, I decided to revisit my rx100v and validate that it’s good enough for me. Considering it is underutilized, I can’t justify getting a new camera. As far as use and possible damage that may have occurred, I have used this camera minimally, and it’s been floating around in one of my camera bags most of the time. I keep the camera protected in a leather case, which I think provides it some protection. Not long after I bought it I dropped it lens first about 3 feet onto a wooden floor and slightly jammed the lens, which was extended. I was able to easily realign it, and it hasn’t had problems (though like I said, it’s underutilized). Interestingly I did notice a hairline mark on the lens barrel that may indicate it was dropped before (it’s an open box), who knows. (Part 1/3)
Part 2/3: Long story short, today I was testing it, taking a look again at its features. While checking it out I noticed that it would simply turn off, lens extracted, no power, no lens retraction, no error message when I set it down on the table (was trying to do a timed shutter release). I was able to hold the power button and start it up again - the lens would retract, then open again. I noticed that some of the settings reset (autofocus settings - probably not related, but shows the degree of power down. The behavior happened when I would set the camera down on a table, with the case on or off. It triggered once when replacing the case and screwing the bottom mount screw on. I was also able to trigger it by shaking it a couple times. After reading all of this information, I open and closed the battery door when it was off, squeezed the camera on all axes - top to bottom, right to left side, front to back (body only). It’s now working - I can’t trigger the issue.
Part 3/3: I can confirm, it seems like an electrical contact issue - and with this camera, barely used other than as described above. It could be a stiff cable, deteriorating plastic? Corroded cable? Not sure. I live in the wet PNW, but in a very dry house with low humidity. I might just buy a cable to have it on hand, will also try screwing and unscrewing if the issue starts up again. I’ll report back here if it does. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience with this issue! I don’t know if it’s widespread, I researched the camera extensively - but of course it isn’t until you have something beyond its warranty you find all kinds of issues. I think it’s a great camera, but this seems to be a significant issue - something to be concerned about if you buy a used camera. Thanks again, all!
I have no idea how someone figured this fix for the Sony rx100m VI, but it WORKS! My camera kept giving me a message to turn off my camera and then turn it on. After doing that it still kept giving me that message. I followed the five steps listed here and it worked perfectly. Again, who knew? Well, obviously someone and to that person, I say THANK YOU!!!
Robert Klein -
Hi,
Thanks for the wonderful solution. When I removed the screws it didnt got resolved. but like others the Lens flex cable is making the problem. The downside cable attached to the lens. That bent is making problem over time, I feel. I kept a rolled paper inside it. Then after reassembling it started working.
Thank you all once again and Thanks for the post,
Thank you one and all RX100 lovers to help me fix my Mk1 camera. The permanent fix is to replace the ribbon cable but quite frankly the blog showing that scared me a little. I was able to resolve by placing tissue paper in the ribbon cable fold and got all the screws back in. For a better explanation of my fix, see my reply above to Patrick Gauthier - 03/20/2017 that came up with the concept of understanding the fault must be that ribbon squeezing on itself. I am ecstatic that the camera is working again. I waited a few days before posting to double check and make sure but it has opened/closed 100% now. Special thanks to Cherry for starting the ball rolling on this and our collective trouble shooting.
It works but when you fix it back you go back to square one, probably something is getting pinched, I understand the bottom centre screws press against the black power cable though I am not sure. There must be some sensor problem I guess. Someone used WD 40 but I wouldn’t do that as it will collect more dust in the long run!
My Sony has the same issue, haven’t been able to use it for a few years. I happened to think about this site when posting on another issue and found all your post and info. I’m going to attempt to put some paper in the flex line as shown in the post, thank you for all of your information on this problem.
I agree with many others, shame on Sony for not taking responsibility with a recall for this problem. Sony will not get my money on another product ever again!
Fingers crossed this works!
Hi all,
Reviewing the answers, and having the same issue, I only made the screws below the camera a bit loose (all 5 of them), just a bit, and the camera started working well again. Not sure for how long, but for now its working as normal.
Hi may i know what mm is the m1.4 europe screw for the 2 screws at the bottom of monitor screen?
Thank-you all so much. Had the same power off then on message with lense retracting and then popping back out. I removed bottom plate fully on my RX100 (version 1), didn't fix it. I then removed the two screws on the right side. Bingo. Replaced bottom plate, still working. Replace either of the 2 right screws and no-go. Have applied black tape. All working so far! Many thanks again all!!!
