Sony Knowingly Sells $2,000 Camera With Shutter Problems, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges

A camera sold by Sony Electronics for about $2,000 is likely to cost customers an extra $500 when its shutter stops working prematurely — and Sony is well aware of it, a new lawsuit alleges.

In a proposed class action lawsuit filed Friday in the Southern District of New York, New York man John Guerriero alleges Sony’s a7iii mirrorless camera has a mechanical issue that the electronics company has known about for at least three years, and hasn’t remedied.

Guerriero says the camera he bought in 2019 — which Sony markets as “the vanguard of the mirrorless camera movement” — is meant to be able to take 200,000 photos before the shutter needs to be replaced.

However, he claims numerous purchasers of the a7iii have found the shutter stops working after they have taken between 10,000 and 50,000 photos, resulting in a need for a costly repair.

“Unfortunately for many purchasers of the a7iii, mechanical problems with the shutter have rendered the cameras unusable, provided they do not pay over $500 for repair to an authorized service center.” 

While the camera is typically sold with a one-year warranty, the shutter failure is reported to happen at random, sometimes outside the warranty period. 

Guerriero alleges Sony has denied coverage to people who experienced the issue outside the warranty period, despite knowing the shutter problem was an issue affecting many customers.

“Sony has been aware of the shutter failure on the a7iii since shortly after its release around 2017,” he said. “[It] is aware of the percentage of this model which experience premature shutter failure but has declined to act such as issuing a recall or covering the faulty shutters.” 

An online community of photographers have proposed multiple reasons for why the shutter fails prematurely, including noting that the shutter blade catches as it takes a photo, the material it’s made with is weak, and that it’s susceptible to movement from particles like dust.

The community has worked out DIY ways to fix the camera themselves, but Guerriero alleges Sony has also used this as grounds to deny warranty coverage for the a7iii.

Guerriero is looking to represent a class of New Yorkers who bought the camera. The class action lawsuit is suing Sony under New York general business and breach of warranty laws, as well as for fraud, unjust enrichment and negligent misrepresentation, for “deceptive marketing” of the camera.

Guerriero is seeking certification of the Class, an injunction forcing Sony to correct its challenged practices, damages, costs, expenses and a jury trial.

Cameras are an expensive investment, and sometimes become the focus of class action lawsuits when they’re found to be faulty. 

In 2020, a camera owner filed a class action lawsuit against Ricoh USA Inc. over claims the company’s line of Pentax cameras were defective in a way that caused them to produce useless, almost completely dark photographs. In that case, it was also alleged that the manufacturer denied repairs outside of warranty. 

Have you ever used a Sony camera? Did you have any problems with it? Share your experience in the comments below.

Plaintiffs are represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C.

The Sony Camera Shutter Failure Class Action Lawsuit is John Guerriero et al. v. Sony Electronics Inc., Case No. 7:21-cv-02618, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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