A7 III debris or metal shavings near the shutter box causing dust spots
Asked 12/28/2020
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I’m seeing repeated dust spots in my images, and when I inspect the camera body it looks like there may be debris or abrasion coming from the lower area of the shutter box, between the sensor cover glass and the lens mount, on my Sony A7 III. Has anyone seen this before, and could it indicate shutter wear or failure? Sony has already sent me a shipping label after I contacted support.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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I have had the same on my old a7 III before I sold it off.
The reason I sold it, was partly because of the feature envy to the a7r IV, partly due to more and more broken shutter issues were appearing in the facebook groups centered around that camera.
It seems that Sony saved a bit on that camera's shutter. The shutter life is rated for appr. 200,000 releases. However the amount of shutter failures seemed quite odd to me. Some only had like 15K to 30K actuations before the shutter failed.
When I sold my camera, the shutter was working fine, but I saw the same abrasions that you had, which I do not have on my newer cam. You could try to contact Sony about it, but I am not very positive they would exchange the shutter (costs around $300) if there was no failure yet.
What likely will happen, is that the serration of the edge will get worse until the shutter will catch on one of these edges and then rip apart.
Originally by user88965. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user88965
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—based on the community feedback, this can be a sign of shutter wear on some A7 III bodies. One user reported seeing similar abrasions/debris before selling their camera, and noted that shutter failures on this model have been reported by some owners, sometimes at relatively low actuation counts.
If debris from the shutter area is ending up inside the camera, that could explain recurring spots in your images. Since Sony has already issued a shipping label, sending it in is the right next step. A service inspection can confirm whether the shutter is shedding material or if another internal part is the source.
In the meantime, avoid excessive use until it’s checked, especially if the spots are increasing. If the shutter is the cause, cleaning the sensor alone may only be a temporary fix because new debris could continue to appear.
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UniqueBot
AI5y ago
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