ILCE 5100 screen switch off / on itself problem

[pawel]

Politely asking if someone can help me with the problem. My camera (ILCE 5100) keeps of resetting display and switching off and on the lens. Especially when I try to zoom or focus the display screen switches off for a moment then switches back on and do it few times. Them the lens switches off and come up again. I tried different batteries, with and without the memory card. I even tried (and experienced the same problem) taking the lens off and trying just the body itself. It's running latest version of firmware which is 3.1. Can you please advice? The camera was off and not in use for about the year. I bought new battery but it did not help. It resets more when I try to zoom / focus using the body control on top right. When I try to zoom using lens I can do that but then it switches off and on the screen few times when I try to focus and shoot picture. I have the camera for 2 years and it was all OK. It's not settings as it's reset to factory settings and it gives the same on every program I use. Please help if you know what the problem could be. I searched internet clues but found nothing on similar problem. Thank you very much for even reading this. 

[pawel]

Anybody having similar problem please? The body is not worth sending for repair I believe. Would be nice to find the solution or fix on my own.

[LiveShots]

Check for corrosion/dirt on the battery contacts in the camera. It sounds like it is losing contact with the battery. Thats the inly thing I can suggest

[pawel]

Thank you - I will give it a try.

[POTTER]

Hi, 

I have exactly the same problem. I search a solution too...

Do you solve it, Pawel ?

Thanks

[pawel]

Hi - thanks for the comment. No, nothing I tried sorted the problem. I spoke with SONY but what they charge for fixing is ridicolous. It's better to buy new camera. I still try to find solution but no luck so far. If you find anything please do let us all know. Thank you.

[Edmund]

I have the problem but also it resets all my settings .. its not you only

 

[pawel]

The problem in my case is with the shutter button. I'm 100% sure now. If I don't use it to zoom or to take pictures and using touch screen instead it's all working fine. I tried air duster but no luck yet. I will try to open the body and take button to pieces. Will clean it and put back together. Did anybody try that before? Quite scarry but worth the try.

[Toby Lawlor]

Any ideas as mine has been doing this after a year of not using , silly money to repair

[XKAES]

Any camera that is left unused for a long period of time, will probably not only have a dead MAIN battery, but a dead INTERNAL battery as well.  Read your manual.  It will probably recommend leaving your camera set to OFF with either a FULLY-charged MAIN battery or AC power overnight or 24 hours.  That will recharge the INTERNAL battery -- which may be the problem.

Like I said, read your manual.

[Dtrigo78]

I have exactly the same issue. Shooter button seems to be the problem, and it affects to zoom lever which is in the same place. I’m using the remote control to shoot but it is not very operative. I’ll try by means of the screen as pawel says.

If any solution is found, please post.

 

[Drew 1111]

I had similiar issue. I solved it. I did use duster with no help. I noticed issue was the shutter button but also the on/off switch itself which is the outer area of the shutter button. A switch is an electrical connection, no mor and no less. So with the assumption that Sony made that on off switch to be used many many thousand times I decided to “use” it. I switched it on and off thirty or so times with the battery out. This action cleaned the slight corrosion off of the switch internally. Re-installed the battery. Works good as new! Hope this helps everyone. Lack of use is actually the culprit!  Drew

[edwin]

Drew 111's solution worked for me. I thought there was something wrong with my camera but I spammed off and on switch about a 100 times and it doesn't seem to restart by itself anymore. I am so happy as this has always been my problem for a year now.

[xstephxaniex]

I started having the same issue when I bought a telephoto lens for the camera and began using it and then switched back to the stock lens. It was so weird, I’ve tried everything and I reset to factory settings and it’s a little better but it still doesn’t operate like it should. Has anyone figured out how to fix this issue? Thanks! 

[R.Z.]

On 12/1/2021 at 10:34 PM, Drew 1111 said:

I had similiar issue. I solved it. I did use duster with no help. I noticed issue was the shutter button but also the on/off switch itself which is the outer area of the shutter button. A switch is an electrical connection, no mor and no less. So with the assumption that Sony made that on off switch to be used many many thousand times I decided to “use” it. I switched it on and off thirty or so times with the battery out. This action cleaned the slight corrosion off of the switch internally. Re-installed the battery. Works good as new! Hope this helps everyone. Lack of use is actually the culprit!  Drew

Had the exact same issue. Used your exact same method, and it worked very well. Thank you sir! Thought the camera was a goner for sure. The metal contact point must've been slightly oxidized due to lack of use or water/moisture ingression. Working it repeatly seemed to polish it out.

Edited April 4, 2023 by R.Z.

[bluefuze]

I came here simply to say that the suggested fix worked!

I spammed the on/off switch over 100 times, without the battery in the camera.

After putting the battery back in and testing to see if the issue is still happening... it isn't! This fix seems to have worked!!!

Who knew, all I needed to do is spam the power switch a bit.