p.1 #1 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
My a7r5 stopped working suddenly in the middle of a shoot. Fortunately I had a backup body and could continue on. I tried different batteries, removed the non-sony grip and different batteries and it will not power on at all. No lights, sounds or anything.
Anything you can think of to try to get it back?
It's out of warranty and I no longer have Sony Pro Support, so who do you recommend to service it.
p.1 #2 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
Pull the cards, pull the battery, disconnect the lens (put the body cap on).....do you have an external pack you can connect to the USB-C port and see if there's any life then?
I mean I suspect there won't be, but it might be worth a shot.
p.1 #4 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
I'm not a camera tech, but when I googled, this possible solution came up. Good luck. Also, had you recently done a firmware upgrade, its possible it may have bricked and need service from Sony.
I've corrected this with the proper steps from Sony.
Perform a manual reset on the camera.
Remove the battery.
Set the power switch to ON.
Press and hold the shutter button for 30 seconds.
Set the power switch to OFF.
Insert the battery back.
Set the power switch to ON to see if the camera will turn on.
p.1 #5 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
Just an update to the issue and a thanks to those who sent suggestions. Turns out I rejoined Sony Pro Services and the $100 quickly paid for itself.
I sent the camera off to Precision Camera with Sony Pro's label (money savings) and they diagnosed it as a dead main board. Almost a $1500 repair, but with the 20% savings it was just above 1100 (so another big savings). I should have it back in a few days. So bottom line is Sony Pro certainly was well worth the $100/yr cost.
Now, I have no idea of why the board died. As it was my portrait lens primarily and seldom saw any sports work and no work in the rain, I doubt it was moisture damage, but I may never know for sure.
On the upside, I've had a few portrait sessions with the A1 and I forgot how good it is for portraits. And the higher flash sync speed is nice as well for the strobed sessions.
p.1 #6 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
Mainboard failure was a big problem on the A1 during the dreaded firmware update.
I know someone who recently had a mainboard failure on the A1II.
Maybe there needs to be a Sony Mainboard Failure thread to track these? timgangloff wrote:
Just an update to the issue and a thanks to those who sent suggestions. Turns out I rejoined Sony Pro Services and the $100 quickly paid for itself.
I sent the camera off to Precision Camera with Sony Pro's label (money savings) and they diagnosed it as a dead main board. Almost a $1500 repair, but with the 20% savings it was just above 1100 (so another big savings). I should have it back in a few days. So bottom line is Sony Pro certainly was well worth the $100/yr cost.
Now, I have no idea of why the board died. As it was my portrait lens primarily and seldom saw any sports work and no work in the rain, I doubt it was moisture damage, but I may never know for sure.
On the upside, I've had a few portrait sessions with the A1 and I forgot how good it is for portraits. And the higher flash sync speed is nice as well for the strobed sessions. ...Show more →
p.1 #7 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
Out of curiosity, how old was the camera?
FYI, in the US, Sony cameras typically come with a 1 year warranty. In Europe, they always come with 2 years of warranty, often enough they offer a 3rd year for free.
Also, check with your credit card company. I know if you buy something on an Amex card, it doubles the manufacturer's warranty.
At any rate, a main board dying on a that was released less than 3 years ago is inexcusable, and charging $1,200 or $1,500 to replace it is a real slap in the face of us as consumers/owners.
Lastly, I had to replace a motherboard on a MacBook Pro 16" once (it was under warranty), otherwise it would have been $650. Charging double that for a main board on a camera?!
p.1 #8 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
I’ve no idea how a firmware update could cause a board failure. Sounds like a software issue to me.
Though I know Sony calls it a failure and charges for the repair.
p.1 #9 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
I don't know about the US but I bought a 4 year extended warranty for my A1ii for £75 (actually y dealer gave it to me for me but that was it's retail cost)
p.1 #10 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
patotts wrote:
Out of curiosity, how old was the camera?
FYI, in the US, Sony cameras typically come with a 1 year warranty. In Europe, they always come with 2 years of warranty, often enough they offer a 3rd year for free.
Also, check with your credit card company. I know if you buy something on an Amex card, it doubles the manufacturer's warranty.
At any rate, a main board dying on a that was released less than 3 years ago is inexcusable, and charging $1,200 or $1,500 to replace it is a real slap in the face of us as consumers/owners.
Lastly, I had to replace a motherboard on a MacBook Pro 16" once (it was under warranty), otherwise it would have been $650. Charging double that for a main board on a camera?!...Show more →
I don't recall when I got the camera, but I think it was pretty soon after its' release. It's been well used, but not abused. I wonder if the repair work will include images. When I had a Canon 5dmkII "die" due to corrosion, Canon sent images and it wasn't pretty. Apparently water had infiltrated the system. So while all cameras may offer some level or water repellency, they are not water proof and the water may kill it. Anyway, no warranty for me.
One image from the Canon 5dmkII...incidentally it was working perfectly fine at the time CPS found it during a proactive check and clean. It was just a matter of time before it died.
p.1 #11 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
I would write a letter up the food chain at Sony USA, referrring to your pro membership, that it is unacceptable that a main/motherboard on a pro-level cameras dies and that this shakes your confidence in choice of professional brand, and so forth. I wouldn't part with this money without a fight.
p.1 #12 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
patotts wrote:
I would write a letter up the food chain at Sony USA, referrring to your pro membership, that it is unacceptable that a main/motherboard on a pro-level cameras dies and that this shakes your confidence in choice of professional brand, and so forth. I wouldn't part with this money without a fight.
It's out of warranty, so why would Sony fix it for free unless there is a known defect that exists? Does the pro membership extend the warranty?
p.1 #13 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
EB-1 wrote:
It's out of warranty, so why would Sony fix it for free unless there is a known defect that exists? Does the pro membership extend the warranty?
EBH
Pro gets you reduced cost of the replacement part(s). Labor is the same as non-pro,
p.1 #14 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
EB-1 wrote:
It's out of warranty, so why would Sony fix it for free unless there is a known defect that exists? Does the pro membership extend the warranty?
EBH
And how would you know there is not a known defect or some type of anomaly unless you push back and try? Do you always take no for an answer? I personally push a bit harder and ask for an exemption to the repair cost, or a much heavier discount. It sure is worth a try in my book.
p.1 #15 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
Its a long shot, but you might double check what credit card you used to by it... some of them like Chase, American Express, and Capital One automatically double the warranty of electronics.
p.1 #16 · a7r5 stopped working - Sony Pro Support Resolution - Dead Mainboard.
patotts wrote:
I would write a letter up the food chain at Sony USA, referrring to your pro membership, that it is unacceptable that a main/motherboard on a pro-level cameras dies and that this shakes your confidence in choice of professional brand, and so forth. I wouldn't part with this money without a fight.
Just reading this scenario doesn’t do much for my trust.
I like my A7Riv, but their lack of interest in useful firmware updates and some other factors give me the impression of a company making fast iteration retail appliances with zero interest in what happens after the sale.
