Sony A7 IV gone broke
p.1 #1Sony A7 IV gone broke
Hi all,
It seems that my A7IV got broke in the middle of the shoot. No hit, no nothing extra ordinary, just the message "Camera Error: Turn Power Off Then On" at the display and it did nothing after that.
Now, I've done the obvious:
1. I've turned the power off and then on - in fact multiple times, over multiple days - with the same lens, different lens, no lens at all. Made no difference. The camera fires the shutter couple of times and then hungs up with the same message. The shutter remains closed.
2. I've done the factory reset (remover battery and sd-card, turn on, push the shutter button for about 30sec). Interestingly this resulted a bit different behavior. Now the camera makes two high pitched buzz sounds when powered on, resulting the same "Camera Error: Turn Power Off Then On" error message. The shutter remains closed. I can feel the ibis activating when I power up and it feels the same as before, though it doesn't mean it wouldn't be broken.
3. I've done some googling. It seems that this is a very general error describing that something is wrong with the camera. Some documents mention that it's likely either a faulty shutter or a faulty ibis-unit. I've tried to shake the body a bit (if it's the ibis, hoping to align it back again), but makes no difference.
Now the questions:
1. Have any of you experienced this before?,
2. If you have, do you have any idea what could be the cause?
3. If you had it and fixed it with Sony/other party, how much was the cost?
The shitty part of this is that this is a grey import body from E-infinity that just run out their warranty by three months. So Sony probably doesn't repair it, and I have to check if E-infinity will be willing to repair it at some cost. If not, I'm kind of screwed..
It seems that my A7IV got broke in the middle of the shoot. No hit, no nothing extra ordinary, just the message "Camera Error: Turn Power Off Then On" at the display and it did nothing after that.
Now, I've done the obvious:
1. I've turned the power off and then on - in fact multiple times, over multiple days - with the same lens, different lens, no lens at all. Made no difference. The camera fires the shutter couple of times and then hungs up with the same message. The shutter remains closed.
2. I've done the factory reset (remover battery and sd-card, turn on, push the shutter button for about 30sec). Interestingly this resulted a bit different behavior. Now the camera makes two high pitched buzz sounds when powered on, resulting the same "Camera Error: Turn Power Off Then On" error message. The shutter remains closed. I can feel the ibis activating when I power up and it feels the same as before, though it doesn't mean it wouldn't be broken.
3. I've done some googling. It seems that this is a very general error describing that something is wrong with the camera. Some documents mention that it's likely either a faulty shutter or a faulty ibis-unit. I've tried to shake the body a bit (if it's the ibis, hoping to align it back again), but makes no difference.
Now the questions:
1. Have any of you experienced this before?,
2. If you have, do you have any idea what could be the cause?
3. If you had it and fixed it with Sony/other party, how much was the cost?
The shitty part of this is that this is a grey import body from E-infinity that just run out their warranty by three months. So Sony probably doesn't repair it, and I have to check if E-infinity will be willing to repair it at some cost. If not, I'm kind of screwed..
Jan 02, 2026 at 03:32 PM
p.1 #2Sony A7 IV gone broke
Have you posted on the A7IV Facebook groups? Could find more people with the same experience. I doubt e-infinity have a repairs department - Panamoz and a few others ask you to get a quote and repair in your own country then they pay the quote. It won't help you this time, but Panamoz do give a 3 year warranty & it's why they're more expensive than the other grey sellers.
Jan 02, 2026 at 03:43 PM
p.1 #3Sony A7 IV gone broke
It’s probably a shutter failure, but that’s usually visible when looking at it. If the shutter looks okay then maybe the ibis is stuck like you said. I once had the exact same thing happen to an older model like the A7 II while traveling. I had two bodies in a roller bag and after a day of airports, shuttles, etc. jostling around, and when I arrived at my destination I saw this same error. To fix it I used a micro fiber cloth to physically go in and wiggle the sensor around. It seems it was jammed tight against the sensor enclosure. Don’t try it with sensor cleaning enabled as that electromagnetically tries to hold the sensor in place. I would actually do it with the power off. Once I did this I never had another issue with it again. Maybe try that and see if it works. Sony isn’t like Nikon where they will refuse service on grey market models, so worst case scenario is you’ll have to send it to Sony and pay for the repair since it’s out of any any kind of warranty.
Jan 02, 2026 at 03:49 PM
p.1 #4Sony A7 IV gone broke
adventure_photo wrote:
To fix it I used a micro fiber cloth to physically go in and wiggle the sensor around. It seems it was jammed tight against the sensor enclosure. Don’t try it with sensor cleaning enabled as that electromagnetically tries to hold the sensor in place. I would actually do it with the power off. Once I did this I never had another issue with it again. Maybe try that and see if it works.
Great! Can you describe this process in more detail? I have the shutter closed (shutter blades are visible in the lens mount). Did you just push the sensor gently through the shutter blades and tried to get it aligned again, or did I understood incorrectly?
adventure_photo wrote:
Sony isn’t like Nikon where they will refuse service on grey market models, so worst case scenario is you’ll have to pay for the repair since it’s out of any any kind of warranty.
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.
To fix it I used a micro fiber cloth to physically go in and wiggle the sensor around. It seems it was jammed tight against the sensor enclosure. Don’t try it with sensor cleaning enabled as that electromagnetically tries to hold the sensor in place. I would actually do it with the power off. Once I did this I never had another issue with it again. Maybe try that and see if it works.
Great! Can you describe this process in more detail? I have the shutter closed (shutter blades are visible in the lens mount). Did you just push the sensor gently through the shutter blades and tried to get it aligned again, or did I understood incorrectly?
adventure_photo wrote:
Sony isn’t like Nikon where they will refuse service on grey market models, so worst case scenario is you’ll have to pay for the repair since it’s out of any any kind of warranty.
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.
Jan 02, 2026 at 03:59 PM
p.1 #5Sony A7 IV gone broke
I've had two A7iv fail in pretty much the same way, with the same error message after every exposure. One failed after a few months with a low shutter count and was repaired under warranty. Its shutter was visibly broken. One A7iv failed just recently, after about three years and 222K exposures. The shutter didn't look broken, but got stuck sometimes. The repair cost just under $500 (with tax). Sony's recommended repair center quoted $700.
I also had an A7iii shutter fail twice: after about 65k exposures and again after about 150K exposures.
I also had an A7iii shutter fail twice: after about 65k exposures and again after about 150K exposures.
Jan 02, 2026 at 04:00 PM
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p.1 #6Sony A7 IV gone broke
No you definitely don’t want to touch the shutter in any way. Do you have it set to close the shutter when turning off or changing lenses? If you can, disable that feature. You just want the bare sensor visible and then wiggle it with something that won’t damage or scratch it. I used a micro fiber cloth and my finger. If that doesn’t work it’s probably a failing shutter. I believe it’s around $500-600 to replace the shutter.
Kalainen wrote:
Great! Can you describe this process in more detail? I have the shutter closed (shutter blades are visible in the lens mount). Did you just push the sensor gently through the shutter blades and tried to get it aligned again, or did I understood incorrectly?
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.
Kalainen wrote:
adventure_photo wrote
To fix it I used a micro fiber cloth to physically go in and wiggle the sensor around. It seems it was jammed tight against the sensor enclosure. Don’t try it with sensor cleaning enabled as that electromagnetically tries to hold the sensor in place. I would actually do it with the power off. Once I did this I never had another issue with it again. Maybe try that and see if it works.adventure_photo wrote
Sony isn’t like Nikon where they will refuse service on grey market models, so worst case scenario is you’ll have to pay for the repair since it’s out of any any kind of warranty.Jan 02, 2026 at 04:28 PM
p.1 #7Sony A7 IV gone broke
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.
I asked ChatGPT about the repair, here is the response: Short answer: yes — Sony will usually repair a grey-market camera, but there are a few important caveats.
✅ What does work
• Sony will accept grey-market cameras for paid, out-of-warranty repairs in the U.S.
That includes shutter replacements on cameras like the Sony Sony A7 IV.
• You do not need proof of U.S. purchase if you’re paying for the repair.
• You can submit it through Sony’s normal service request process just like any other body.
❌ What doesn’t work
• No warranty coverage — even if the camera is brand new or low shutter count.
• No Sony extended plans (Sony Protect, etc.) apply to grey-market gear.
• If a repair requires a region-specific part (rare, but possible), Sony can refuse or delay service — this is uncommon for shutters but worth knowing.
💸 Cost implications
Because it’s treated as fully out-of-warranty:
• Expect full retail repair pricing
(for an A7 IV shutter, typically ~$500–$600 USD via Sony USA).
• Independent repair shops may still be cheaper, but Sony service has the advantage of genuine parts and full calibration.
I asked ChatGPT about the repair, here is the response: Short answer: yes — Sony will usually repair a grey-market camera, but there are a few important caveats.
✅ What does work
• Sony will accept grey-market cameras for paid, out-of-warranty repairs in the U.S.
That includes shutter replacements on cameras like the Sony Sony A7 IV.
• You do not need proof of U.S. purchase if you’re paying for the repair.
• You can submit it through Sony’s normal service request process just like any other body.
❌ What doesn’t work
• No warranty coverage — even if the camera is brand new or low shutter count.
• No Sony extended plans (Sony Protect, etc.) apply to grey-market gear.
• If a repair requires a region-specific part (rare, but possible), Sony can refuse or delay service — this is uncommon for shutters but worth knowing.
💸 Cost implications
Because it’s treated as fully out-of-warranty:
• Expect full retail repair pricing
(for an A7 IV shutter, typically ~$500–$600 USD via Sony USA).
• Independent repair shops may still be cheaper, but Sony service has the advantage of genuine parts and full calibration.
Jan 02, 2026 at 04:32 PM
p.1 #8Sony A7 IV gone broke
adventure_photo wrote:
No you definitely don’t want to touch the shutter in any way. Do you have it set to close the shutter when turning off or changing lenses? If you can, disable that feature. You just want the bare sensor visible and then wiggle it with something that won’t damage or scratch it. I used a micro fiber cloth and my finger. If that doesn’t work it’s probably a failing shutter. I believe it’s around $500-600 to replace the shutter.
Great! Can you describe this process in more detail? I have the shutter closed (shutter blades are visible in the lens mount). Did you just push the sensor gently through the shutter blades and tried to get it aligned again, or did I understood incorrectly?
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.
The thing is, I can't access the menu at all - the error message comes right away when powering the camera. So, as much as I would love to try this, it might be wiser to not try to wiggle the sensor by pushing the shutter leafs - I might end up paying the double costs..
No you definitely don’t want to touch the shutter in any way. Do you have it set to close the shutter when turning off or changing lenses? If you can, disable that feature. You just want the bare sensor visible and then wiggle it with something that won’t damage or scratch it. I used a micro fiber cloth and my finger. If that doesn’t work it’s probably a failing shutter. I believe it’s around $500-600 to replace the shutter.
Kalainen wrote
adventure_photo wrote
To fix it I used a micro fiber cloth to physically go in and wiggle the sensor around. It seems it was jammed tight against the sensor enclosure. Don’t try it with sensor cleaning enabled as that electromagnetically tries to hold the sensor in place. I would actually do it with the power off. Once I did this I never had another issue with it again. Maybe try that and see if it works.adventure_photo wrote
Sony isn’t like Nikon where they will refuse service on grey market models, so worst case scenario is you’ll have to pay for the repair since it’s out of any any kind of warranty.The thing is, I can't access the menu at all - the error message comes right away when powering the camera. So, as much as I would love to try this, it might be wiser to not try to wiggle the sensor by pushing the shutter leafs - I might end up paying the double costs..
Jan 02, 2026 at 04:49 PM
p.1 #9Sony A7 IV gone broke
adventure_photo wrote:
I asked ChatGPT about the repair, here is the response: Short answer: yes — Sony will usually repair a grey-market camera, but there are a few important caveats.
✅ What does work
• Sony will accept grey-market cameras for paid, out-of-warranty repairs in the U.S.
That includes shutter replacements on cameras like the Sony Sony A7 IV.
• You do not need proof of U.S. purchase if you’re paying for the repair.
• You can submit it through Sony’s normal service request process just like any other body.
❌ What doesn’t work
• No warranty coverage — even if the camera is brand new or low shutter count.
• No Sony extended plans...Show more →
Sounds good, but I will have check this locally, if this is the case in Finland/Europe also - I would expect it to be as it would make no sense for Sony to have different policies in different regions.
Earlier quote
Ok, I have check this from my local Sony contacts. I was assuming that Sony won't touch the grey import bodies, but I might be wrong and then this will be a lot easier situation to handle.✅ What does work
• Sony will accept grey-market cameras for paid, out-of-warranty repairs in the U.S.
That includes shutter replacements on cameras like the Sony Sony A7 IV.
• You do not need proof of U.S. purchase if you’re paying for the repair.
• You can submit it through Sony’s normal service request process just like any other body.
❌ What doesn’t work
• No warranty coverage — even if the camera is brand new or low shutter count.
• No Sony extended plans...Show more →
Sounds good, but I will have check this locally, if this is the case in Finland/Europe also - I would expect it to be as it would make no sense for Sony to have different policies in different regions.
Jan 02, 2026 at 04:51 PM