Access Probelm with DSC-W50 camera

Just figured I would add my experience as well. No amount of whacking worked for me, so I used pliers and pulled the lens all the way out while it was powering up and that worked for me.

I would just like to say i tried "tapping" it "hitting" it and all that other magic u all suggested. MINE IS FING BROKEN FOREVER. DON"T TRY THIS PEOPLE!!!! I'll be spending the $200.

i as well as many others was having the same problem...i can suggest 2 things. First try resetting the camera. Make sure it is off and take out the battery. Then hold down the shutter button for 30 seconds. Put the battery back in and then see if it works. If this doenst work but you are able to get your camera on another way you can set the camera back to its factory settings by going to the menu and under the setup scroll down to initialize. Click right and then click on OK. This sets the camera back to the way it was the day you got it. Internally of course.

I suggest reporting this problem to Sony whether tapping on the palm of the hand works or not. Go to: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/emailform-di.pl?template=EN or calling 800-222-7669. They need to know how prevalent this problem is. It is unacceptable to produce a product that breaks 18 months after normal use. It is surprising to see how many people are completely satisfied with this solution of tapping the camera. I can get my camera to work as well, but I don't like that the camera is unreliable. There is obviously something wrong with the camera that should be addressed by the manufacturer. I am considering converting to Canon. My parents owned a Canon that developed a problem a couple years after initial use. Apparently it was a common problem and Canon was willing to fix it at no cost. Let's let Sony know about this common problem and maybe they will fix it.

I was in the most picturesque place in St. Emilion in France when my camera DSC W50, a gift from my hubby last year,suddenly just won't let me take pictures and kept on showing "access" and switch off the camera notice!  Luckily my hubby had brought his other Sony camera which he lent me so i still had pics of the rest of my holidays in Versailles and  Arcachon.
When i got to the UK, i searched for anything that could help me  sort out my camera's problem then i found your site! IT SORTED OUT MY DSC W50! It didn't work at first with a couple of gentle palm taps, then i tried the tap whilst powering up and BLIMEY...... It WORKED!
THANKS SO..........much!!!!!!!

I was having the exact same issue with my dsc-w55 and I followed the solution of another post from this site which was:

"There is a problem internally with the lens. Likely, the focusing lens is jammed up. The lens will need to be disassembled and fixed, if possible, or replaced.

Occasionally, a good "whack" in your hand can fix it. Just don't hit the lens, or lcd; or you can break them. Then there will be more damage."

I gave it THREE good "whacks" in the palm of my hand, was careful not to hit the lens or LCD and VOILA! I just shot a few pics with my camera and so far so good.

Good luck!

ok i think i went a bit far. =(
after missing out on some really great fishing shots because of my camera playing up. it just sat there on my shelf untill i found this website. all the advice led to whacking it. so i tried it.
after whacking it and pulling the lens and pushing the lens.
it still didnt work. then somehow out of frustration. i grabbed the lens and twisted it. it clicked and was stuck there. neither in nor fully out. great! now ive done it. its even worse than before. so i decieded to undo the screws to take the lens out. now im sitting here with the lens in 4 pieces. i dont think its ever gonna work again.
so the moral of the story... just keep whacking it and dont be tempted to open the camera up. haha

luckly i bought a new W150 camera. if that plays up its going straight to sony under its new 1 year warrenty.

good luck guys....remember dont be tempted to open up the camera... keep whacking it till it works.

Knocking the camera sounds like it works but may create another problem. I have had this problem with p-100 , p-200 and now the w50, I have found a small drop, of wd40 placed on both sides ,two opposing sides,of the lens ring where it extends from the body will work also. Don't spray, its a bit too hard to control amount deposited. Use a toothpick or a stick to dip and then drop the oil.

Just like million others on this site I tried gently tapping the camera and then twisted the lens a bit and it just started to work! Can not thank the site enough! But should definitely report this massive defect in the Sony Cybershot to the company.

I have or should i say had the dsc-w50 Its now in a pile of broken pieces in front of me. I took it apart trying to fix the same Problem: I receive "access" error when I turn on my camera. The lens continually tries to open and close. This repeats until I get a message: to power off and restart again. I tried that many times with no success. I change my battery with no success. I changed my memory stick also without any success. I'm not some electronic genius but I've taken apart various electronics including my dsc-T100 Sony camera and fixed it!!! DON'T open this camera for this problem or you won't have a camera. Don't try twisting either of the lenses at all!! If you do you'll just jam it more. (I did this and regret it) You probably don't want to push the lens either because it doesn't just push in and out. It twists in and out so by pushing the lens your pushing against the motion of the twisting. (I realize that now that i have the camera in 25 little pieces in front of me) My suggestion DON'T take it apart no matter how skilled you think you are. I would listen to the voice of the people who got their camera's working by slamming them.

Hilarious...I thought everyone was crazy because I tried hitting it hard against my hand a few times, and still nothing...then all of a sudden, it's like I could hear the wheels turning in my camera again, and TA-DA!!! It worked again! I'm so happy because I'm going on vacation in a couple days and I can actually take some pictures!!! :) :) :)

I see a lot of replies around the fix of tapping or banging the camera gently, but there's another solution that worked for me. Apparently, sister Cybershots have the same issue. There are a ton of posts on this problem. What worked for me was tugging outward on the lens gently. There are two lens barrels on my W50 - a smaller one protruding from a larger diameter base component. With thumb and forefinger, I just pulled gently outward on the base barrel away from the housing of the camera and felt the smallest nudge, or click. The viewfinder came on instantly. Since then, repeated ons and offs show the camera working fine. Hope this helps others!

I tried the banging thin...no such luck..it keeps telling me to turn it on and off again. I just e-mailed tech support. hopefully they will help.

Are you joking? I am in disbelief like the rest of you. It freakin worked!
Whack the camera against the palm, or on a hard surface, like a wooden floor. incredible!

okay well i had this exact same problem i tried everything i read but it still wouldnt work till i decided to push the lense all the way in i turned on my camera they came in and out in and out till it stopped i turned it on and the lense came out and my camera works perfectly noww :) imm soo relievedd!!

i cannot believe that!!! i felt like a goon smacking it loadsa times. but you can hear soemthing clicking inside when its dieing =] When it stops its fixed. I kinda had to beat it the camera up a bit though. It wudnt work, and i thought ' What the hell. Its broken any way!', it worked!!! . Awesome Stuff. Thanx Guys =]

I cannot believe it! Had the exact same problem with access coming up and whacked it 6 times and then it works! Incredible!

WOW I WAS SO MAD BECAUSE I PAID $250 AND THE LENS WOULD GO IN AND OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN I HIT IT A COUPLE OF TIMES AND BOOM IT WORKED!!!! THANKS GUYS

As with everyone else, I couldn't believe this worked. My daughter has a DSW 50 and the quote to repair it was $250.00. We were just going to buy her a new camera. She whacked it on her palm a couple of times and is now thrilled that the camera is working again.
Thanks to everyone.

i had the same problem with my w90. i took it out of my pocket and it wouldn't work. i held down the power button for 30 seconds and it worked again! hope that helps. the palm slapping did NOT work...it just made it make a funny noise. i thought for sure it was then broken.

I dropped my DSC-W50 on the floor this morning and got this problem too. After reading this, scepticallly I dabbed the camera in my palm 3- 5 times. It WORKS ! So happy, going to Venice tomorrow! Thanks

Cat, Denmark