HX20V shaded area using flash = unacceptable Sony reasoning?

[weewebbo]

I've only had my HX20V for 3 months but I recently noticed that when taking pictures with the flash I was getting quite a large black semi circle shaded area in the bottom right hand corner of the picture. It appeared regardless of whether the camera was horizontal or tilted on its side, it was in the same position of the photo.

I thought this strange so sent it back for checking/repair under warranty but the camera was promptly sent back to me with a letter stating that no fault had been found and this was a common occurance with this camera given its large lense etc.

Sony recommended that I stand further back from the subject and zoom in to get round the problem. Does any one else find this advice completely unacceptable and impractical? I bought the camera because my daughter just learned to walk and I enjoy outdoor sports like snowboarding, football, golf, biking etc and so it spends most of its time snappy away at a toddler or sporting action capturing impromptu moments. For the majority of time a point and shoot camera, is just that, you see a picture and take a shot. You shouldn't have to spend time to think hold on I need to move back a couple of metres and zoom in first because of the limitations of the device.

Does anyone know what my rights are in terms of returning the item now after 3 months? I would phone Sony myself but after I discuovered the initial issue I spent over an hour trying to get to speak to someone on the phone and was put on hold 4 times by customer services, who didn't have a clue or didn't want to know and just palmed me off to the same switchboard every time!!!

Should've bought a Panasonic or Canon I think?

Message was edited by: weewebbo

[Mick2011]

Hi there, welcome to the Sony Forums

This is a very common problem with compact cameras. It's almost inevitable when you combine a long extensible lens with a very small body and built-in flash, that the lens will get in the way of the flash when it is fully extended.

If you Google 'lens flash shadow' you'll see this happens across all makes and models of compact, even some larger-bodied cameras; it's far from exclusive to the HX20V. The pop-up flash design is an attempt to minimise this effect, but the competition to provide as big a zoom as possible with as small a body as possible means practially all manufacturers accept this trade-off on a good many camera designs.

Sony do (officially) recommend avoiding very wide-angle shots with flash on most of its Cybershot cameras for this reason: see the final note on this page. If it really isn't something you can live with, the only practical way to avoid the problem is to choose a camera without an extensble lens, such as the TX20.

I don't know a lot about consumer rights but I think you might have had the camera too long now to be able to return it; some stores will allow returns up to 30 days after purchase, but I've never heard of any longer than that.

If you decide to try to live with it, I do have one tip... I've had some success turning a compact camera upside down, so the shadow is at the top. Because the light in a room (or outdoors, of course) is usually much brighter at the top of the frame, you often barely see any shadow at all.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Cheers

Mick

[makeb6025]

I've just become aware of this issue myself; I've seen the same on other cameras; but that was only ever an issue with macro shots. The HX20V will show lens shadow at full wide-angle no mater the focal length. I agree with the original poster that a camera that can't take a clear shot using flash without having to zoom the lens is not acceptable; they really should have resolved this, at the least there should be a warning displayed on screen.

I have managed to adapt to zooming the lens everytime I power on the camera; but friends and family expect the camera to take acceptable pictures so don't notice the fault in the images they take.

[mwhitehead92]

Just posted the same query a week or so ago myself! Discovered the issue on boxing day after owning the camera for only a day! Very annoyed but I feel happier knowing it isn't just my camera. I've found that you only have to zoom in to 1.1 and it usually goes. If you zoom very slowly you can get three movements before hitting 1.1 and sometimes it doesn't even need all three. It must literally be a millimetre that it's obstructing. I don't have any other issues with the camera so do not want to have to take it back (it took me month to decide on one to begin with and I really haven't used the flash at all since I bought the camera) however I do agree that it isn't acceptable.

[Mick2011]

Hi Melissa

I just replied on the other thread and saw this one. Hopefully that will help explain what's going on. However you're dead right that zooming in a fraction will retract the lens just enough to clear the flash and avoid a shadow.

Cheers

Mick