Sony Alpha 77 - Camera Error

[Colink321]

I have experienced  'Camera Error' messages with my Sony Alpha 77 ... no other information displayed. They occurred when changing SD cards.  Eventually, I 'Initialised' my system and reinserted an SD card and, it all worked again. Any ideas about the 'camera Error' message ..?

[Mick2011]

Hi Colink, welcome to the Sony Forums

The error message has been known to result from using certain lenses. Usually removing and replacing the lens fixes the issue. I believe the problem is more prevalent when using non-Sony lenses, but it's probably down to the tiny amount of 'play' there is around the bayonet fitting.

It could also be a card error: are you certain the card is a genuine branded one?

Cheers

Mick

[Colink321]

Hello Mick

Many thanks for your reply.  All my lenses are Sony, the main one that I use is the SAL1650. I use two 16Gb PNY SDHC cards and one SanDisk 16Gb SDHC card. I have updated the camera firmware.

Regards

Colin

[Mick2011]

Thanks Colin.

There have been reports of Sigma lenses causing this; however it's really quite a generic error message and while it's not unheard of, I'd say it was quite rare to have it come up as a result of changing SD cards.

Normally, having established you use Sony lenses, I'd be inclined to swap out one or all of those cards and see if the problem recurs. The odd thing is, I'm pretty sure a dodgy card ought to generate a 'memory card error' message, not 'camera error'. Fake cards will give all sorts of problems but I'm fairly sure that message only relates to camera hardware. However it might be useful to establish whether one card in particular is causing the fault.

Is the camera still under warranty? The only way to be sure it's not the camera is to get it checked out via the warranty repair service. You can register for it here: http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/repair

Cheers

Mick

[Colink321]

Hello Mick

Thanks for your reply.

I have only had the A77 for a couple of months, upgraded from an A35 so, it is still under warranty.

I really loved the A35 but wanted a 'bit more' so bought the A77 ... I truly love the camera and the lenses ... the SAL1650 is an awsome everyday lens, I also have an SAL50/F1.8  and I recently added a 70300G which is an amazing piece of engineering.

I have had the 2 16GB PBY cards since I bought the camera but only recently bought the Sandisk card so, I will carry out some tests, as you suggest. I have noticed that,when using RAW (or even Extra Fine), the 'buffer' light remains lit for quite some time, even after a couple of shots. I have ordered a SanDisk Extreme Pro 16Gb Card (90MB/s write speed) just to see if it makes a difference.

I'm off on holiday next week to Italy and hope that the camera Error doesn't recur ..!!

Upon my return, I will certainly get the camera checked out and let you know the results.

Many thanks for your time in replying.

Colin

[Mick2011]

You're welcome Colin

All I would add is to reiterate the importance of buying known genuine SD cards. There are lots of fakes about, mostly from 3rd party online retailers, that can and do cause problems with everyday use. Cheaper brands like PNY tend not to be pirated, while SanDisk stuff does...

Just in case, check your SanDisk card off against the known fakes here: http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Fake_Memory_Cards

And when buying the new one remember the old adage: if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is!

Enjoy your holiday

Mick