LENS AUTO FOCUS NOT WORKING

Sony once had a program for ccd issues, that unfortunately had ended march 31 of this year.this includes your model camera. the issue pertains to a malfuntion of the ccd imaging sensor.tell-tale signs:cam won't focus,blurry screen even in picture taking mode, colors off, has color streaks or black screen but indicators on the screen showing up fine, and no issue w/picture playback.sony having recognized this problem offered free repair to resolve this issue (been on going for more than 4 yrs but stopped last month).for possible t/s, you may want to reset (press reset button while cam is on, the reset button is located inside the batt and ms compartment) the camera first, to revert it back to factory settings.set cam to auto mode and try taking pics by half-pressing the shutter button to let the cam focus on your subject.take the pix after the green indicator stops blinking.if your still having this problem,most probably your cam experiencing this issue.that would require repair.contact sony (if your in the US) and see what they can do. 1-800-222-7669 or 1-239--768-7547. hope this info helps. tnx.

Gee I have one of these. Nice camera too.

Check you don't have the auto focus switch on the left side of the lens barrel switched to manual. I've knocked that switch when getting it out of my bag and it took me a minute to find the fault. Very easily knocked so keep an eye on it. Go through your menu and make sure everything is as it should be. If everything checks out I'm afraid it's a Sony repair agent you'll be saying hello to. I wouldn't advise trying to pull it apart yourself unles you are confident. I pulled my second one apart and had a great time getting it all alighned to put back together. Mainly because I pulled it down one week and waited another 3 weeks until I tried reassembling it. Always try to reassemble straight after fixing it. Don't give that brain time to forget important parts and where they go.
If there is a fault it would be in the lens area but after owning 2 of them and the 818s I found no problems in this area and never had a customer have any problems there either. But there's always a first time.
Try that darned switch first though. One other thing it's just possible to try. Make sure your battery is fully charged and in good health. They can cause some weird faults if the voltage is getting low. The focus motor does draw a bit of current.

There's another thought. If the auto/manual switch isn't the culprit. Actually switch it to manual and see if you can focus it by hand. If you can't then it's definitely something major and one last thing. Check your Diopter.The little adjustment alongside the viewfinder. If this is out of adjustment it will give an out of focus blurry look too.

If this has been of any help would you mind letting me know what the exact fault was. It will come in handy with mine. Thanks and good luck