Does anyone use the Sony MVC-CD500 camera, which uses a 3.5” compact disc to record pictures on and if so do you have operating problems with it? Our office has approximately eighteen of these cameras and most have or had problems with them.

Prior to using a new disc you must initialize it in the camera. Many times after initializing the disc, taking the pictures and then turning the camera off, when the camera is turned back on, you get the message to initialize the disc. This means that you just lost all the pictures that were taken.

Some of the other problems are that you get a “disc error” message, which means that the disc is no good, this includes new ones and “repairing damage data” message, which means that the disc is damaged and you have lost some or all of your pictures. Some times you use the camera to take pictures, turn the camera off, and turn it back on and some of the pictures are there, but not all of them.

When the camera works properly it is fantastic, but you do not know when that will be. Many of the cameras have been sent back to Sony’s repair center, including my own and when they come back they work for a while and then start the problems again.

Sony will not admit that there is a problem with the cameras. There is a class action suit against the company but apparently it does not include our cameras. We have had our Information Technology department look into this situation, but they were unable to come up with a solution.

If anyone has any answers or suggestions please contact me by posting here, emailing me at 5045@optonline.net or calling me at (631) 451-6274. Thank you very much.

Richard D. Hahn,
Fire Marshal