Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 Troubleshooting

Released September 15, 2008, The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T500 camera is part of the T series of models in the Sony Cyber-Shot family. The T series in general is a very large collection of cameras. They are all designed to be slim and include touch screens. The DSC-T500 is able to record 720p HD movies.

I press the power button, but nothing happens.

First ensure that the battery is fully charged. Then insert the battery back correctly. If the battery will not hold a charge, replace the battery, preferably with a Sony NP-BD1.

The battery will not go in no matter how much you try.

There may be dirt or some other type of residue lodged inside the battery compartment. Try shining a light inside to look for anything that could block the path of the battery. Try using something thin and pointy such as a toothpick to remove anything that may be lodged inside.

It is possible that you may be attempting to insert the battery incorrectly. See our battery replacement guide to make sure you are inserting it the right way.

While trying to use the camera, it shuts off unexpectedly without pressing the power button

If the camera was left on and you did not interact with it for a few minutes, it will shut off to prevent draining the battery while not being used. Try turning it on again. If the problem persists or it won’t turn on at all, continue reading.

The battery could have simply drained and needs a recharge. Charge it for a few hours and then try turning it on again.

The battery could be worn out and is no longer useable. If this is the case, get a hold of a new battery and use the battery replacement guide if necessary.

Nothing is showing up on the screen, or the image is distorted

If there is just a black screen, the camera could just be turned off. Try powering it on and if the problem continues, keep reading.

The screen could be broken or defective and needs to be replaced. Follow our LCD screen replacement guide to resolve this issue.

The image is blurry when I try to take a photo

Take photos in “Macro On” mode. Make sure to position the lens farther away from the subject than the shortest shooting distance (approximately 8 cm (3 1/4 inches) (W) or 80 cm (31 1/2 inches) (T) from the lens).

If a closer photo is needed change setting to “Close focus enabled” mode and shoot about 1 to 20 cm (13/32 to 7 7/8 inches) from the W side distance.

There are settings designed for motion such as Twilight, Landscape, Fireworks mode. If any of these are selected in the Scene Selection when shooting still images, the image may appear blurry.

Ensure the camera is set to “auto focus” (AF) mode. If the “Focus preset” function is selected the camera may have trouble focusing.

When shooting with the subject at the edge of the frame (or the screen), or when using [Center AF] or [Spot AF], the camera may not focus on a subject at the edge of the frame. Move the image to the center of the screen, press the shutter button half-way down which will lock AF on the subject. You should then be able to move the subject back to the edge of the frame and press the shutter button down completely to capture the image.

My photos are still blurry

The anti-blur function may not work when shooting in darker lighting or night time.

Shoot the photo directly after pressing the shutter button halfway down; do not press it fully down right away.

When I take a picture or video, the camera will not save it

Check the free available space in the internal memory or “Memory Stick Duo”. If it doesn’t have any space available do one of the following until you can record images:

Delete unwanted photos/images

Use a different compatible memory stick/card

You can’t record images while charging

Camera will not zoom in

Make sure that it is not in (close focus enabled) mode because you cannot use the Optical zoom in this mode.

Realize that you cannot use the digital zoom when you are making movies.

Depending on the image size you may not be able to use the Smart zoom

The flash doesn’t go off when I take photos

Make sure that the flash is not set to “Flash forced off”

Set the flash to “Flash forced on” in “Close focus enabled” mode or when the scene selection mode is set to landscape, beach, snow, or hi- speed.

Realize that you cannot use the flash when:

“REC Mode” is set to “Burst” or “Exposure Bracket”