I’ve owned and shot with Sony cameras since the Sony NEX 6 was launched. And currently, I still own the original Sony a7 and the Sony a7r III. Why haven’t I upgraded? Well, many sources online still cite the Sony a7r III’s sensor to be the best. And beyond autofocus performance and a slight megapixel bump in the Sony a1 II, not a lot has improved or changed that can’t be done to my current camera. For example, I’ve gotten around the sensor shield issue with a Kolari Vision clip-in filter. I still wish that the camera was better weather sealed like the newer models, but I love the fact that the battery life lasts longer than others. Still, the biggest problem is the hot shoe.
And let me be honest here, the hot shoe is a problem even with current Sony cameras. When I go to test them in the rain, the slightly drop of rain makes the hot shoe and camera act up like a child that isn’t yours but is somehow in the bar at 9pm. In a situation like that, we’d blame the parents. But modern consumerism wants you to upgrade your camera or go pay a lot of money to get it repaired.
Of any of the photography publications out there, we’ve been the one to really talk about things like cleaning your image sensor, maintaining the lens contacts, etc. And the other day I decided to do some tomfoolery. I know very well that my Sony a7 and Sony a7r III are out of warranty right now. Recently, our web developer, who has the same camera, paid a fair amount of money to get a repair done on her Sony a7r III. But for me, the biggest problem is the hot shoe not always working and the SD card door sometimes jamming.
So I did something crazy.
I literally sprayed WD-40 on the hot shoe and on the battery door. Then I used a Q-tip to do some scrubbing pretty lightly but thoroughly.
And lo and beyond, they worked perfectly fine like the camera never had any problems. When I connected my Profoto Air TTL trigger for Sony, it worked just fine on the Sony a7r III. I was shocked. Then I decided to see if it would work on the Sony a7. And like magic, the Sony a7, which came out in 2013, worked just fine. The Sony a7r III, which came out in 2017, also worked with no issues.
If your camera is out of warranty, and you haven’t purchased the Phoblographer’s Photography Care Program insurance, just try using a bit of basic electronic cleaning. Your camera might just work.
Obviously, I can’t say that it will always work. But it worked for me.