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General discussion

Battery Life on Sony Cybershot?!! --please help

by BeastiesFan Jun 18, 2007 1:36AM PDT

Please help me if you know what is wrong with my camera:

I have a Sony Cybershot DSC P200 (7.2 megapixel). I bought the camera about a year ago, and recently, after about a week of noticing that it was taking longer to turn on and off, it is now completely defunct. The only thing I can think of is that the BATTERY has completely died??, because I haven't dropped it recently. I dropped it a few times last year but it never seemed to be damaged. It uses a Sony InfoLithium rechargeable cell, which is not recharging when I plug it into the wall.
Has anybody else had experience with a dying Sony Cybershot? Does this sound typical of a completely dead battery? Or are the internal parts of the camera totally broken?
Bottom line:
Buy new battery?
Buy new camera?

I am very depressed. I love to take photos with this camera and soon to be traveling to a beautiful foreign country. Traveling without my Cybershot would be out of the question.

Thanks very much!

Discussion is locked

10 Posts
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Try this.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 18, 2007 1:43AM PDT

Remove the SD memory card, format the internal memory and pop in a new battery. If that helps, put the SD memory card back in and format it in the camera.

Let me be blunt. That battery won't last forever...

Bob

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Question for Bob
by BeastiesFan Jun 18, 2007 4:51AM PDT

Hi,
Thanks for your tip. I do not understand everything about cameras. When you say format the internal memory --what does that accomplish? Will it affect anything on the card?

Also, do you think that one year is about the lifetime for these Li-Ion SONY batteries?

Thanks!

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Sorry.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 18, 2007 5:39AM PDT

But if you can't understand my words or will not check your manual for the procedure I think it best you just ignore me.

Bob

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***
by BeastiesFan Jun 18, 2007 6:24AM PDT

That was rude. I believe I did thank you for the tip.
And, I thought that this was a forum for helping out each other; we all have questions. I'm sure other people can relate when I say I have moved around and thus do not know the exact location of the camera manual from a year ago. Besides, I wasn't specifically asking about the procedure of formatting, I was actually asking about what it will affect--in layman's terms.

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Formatting does erase the media.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jun 18, 2007 7:01AM PDT

Best of luck with your camera.

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And if...
by Papa Echo Jun 18, 2007 1:59AM PDT

...you have dropped the camera a few times, the camera is likely damaged, only that it showed up only now.
And if you can't go on holiday without your camera, go buy a new one, and an extra battery, and enjoy the vacation. I would be wary of depending on a "seemed not damaged" camera, even if you have solved the problem with the battery.

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just take it back to the shop
by watto star Jun 18, 2007 5:19AM PDT

Just take the camera back to the shop.

You mentioned you dropped the camera and thats enough for me.

But it may not me that. When you turned it on does the lens erect?

Anyways, if i was you i would take it back!

-Aidan

>>>>>>>>>>>Cheers<<<<<<<<<<<<

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Ok, I'll go and see...
by BeastiesFan Jun 18, 2007 6:26AM PDT

thanks to Aidan and "Papa Echo"

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same happened to me
by cnetero Sep 22, 2013 10:15PM PDT

Hi, I don't think it is fair that others blame your dropping the camera for the malfunction of the battery. I haven't dropped my camera at all and today the battery just died, it won't charge. So, you are not alone. I don't know what to do yet and I don't understand why people were so rude at you.

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I'll try but sometimes folk want more.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 23, 2013 2:56AM PDT

The idea I put forward was to see if we could bring it back.

The battery in most is usually good for about 300 cycles and that works out to about 2 years. This discussion is well past that so the battery is likely worn out.

-> Are you encountering more folk today that were blissfully unaware this battery wears out or just dies?
bob

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