Faulty CCD image sensors in digital cameras, camcorders and PDAs have given seven major manufacturers headaches. Imaging-Resource.com a Web site for digital camera enthusiasts, broke the story last month (see www.imaging-resource.com/badccds.html. "We noticed a pattern of service advisories coming from competing camera companies for what was virtually the identical problem, investigated and ultimately 'connected the dots' to find that the common culprits in most cases were defective CCD imaging sensors manufactured by Sony," explains publisher Dave Etchells.
The manufacturers will repair those products affected by the sensor problem even if the warranty has expired, but it is up to the consumer to pursue and request the repair.