Does Your Digital Camera Have A Faulty Chip?

(Paramus, New Jersey -WABC, October 27, 2005) (WABC) -- There are dozens of types of digital camera that have a major problem. An imaging chip inside is defective and all your pictures could just vanish.

Eyewitness News reporter Jen Maxfield has the story.

Hundreds of thousands of digital cameras are sold every year. They are some of the hottest electronic on the market, but now a warning for consumers: your special moments caught on camera could be ruined.

The problem is serious. If you're in a hot or humid climate the LCD screen or the view finder could display a hazy or distorted picture. Or in some cases no picture at all.

Matthew Sweatlock, Amateur Photographer: "You're helpless and you don't go on vacation to buy a new digital camera."

More than 80 digital cameras, camcorders and hand held computers from eight of the largest manufacturers could be affected by the problem, which traces back to a faulty chip made before March of 2004.

Bob Gramegna, Bergen County Camera: "It's generally in the lesser expensive models where if might have been hastily manufactured or put together in such huge quantities."

The manufacturers are not recalling the defective products but they are offering to fix the problem. Sony told customers on its website:

"From October 3, 2005 to October 2, 2007, Sony will repair, free of charge, affected products ... Sony will also cover the cost of shipping and handling ..."

Tom Galanis, 6th Avenue Electronics: "Especially around the holiday season everyone wants a digital camera and I think it would be very bad if our industry didn't handle it in the way they are."

The faulty cameras are probably off store shelves by now but they could still be offered for sale online.

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