Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 Troubleshooting

Before trying to diagnose the issue alone, there is a built in diagnosis setting on the camera.

• press the "?" button on the bottom right of the camera near the menu button.
• Navigate and select "Self-diagnosis indicators."
• There will be error codes that pertain to the device and the cause of the fault in the camera.

Possible diagnosis for why the camera will not power on and instructions for repair.

If the camera will not turn on, it may simply have a dead battery or battery pack may not be inserted correctly. Sometimes, after inserting the battery pack into the camera, it may take a few moments for the camera to power up. Make sure that the battery pack is inserted correctly. The battery pack will discharge by itself even if it is used. Charge the battery pack before use. Check that the battery pack type is compatible.

The power may turn off automatically, to protect the camera depending on the camera and battery temperature. In this case, a message is displayed on the screen before the power turns off. If the camera is not used for a certain period of time while the power is on and [Power Save] is set to [Standard] or [Max], the camera turns off automatically to prevent wearing down the battery pack. Turn on the camera again.

If the battery does not hold a charge as long as it use to then the battery pack needs to be replaced.

There is a guide, located here, that goes over how to replace the battery.

If there is no obvious damage to the LCD screen, then it is possible the display is bad and needs to be replaced. A quick way to diagnose if the display screen needs to be replaced is:

• Make sure the camera is powered on, the ON/OFF button should be illuminated with a green light.
• Press the Finder/LCD button located next to the ON/OFF button. This will toggle between the LCD screen and the view finder.
• If the screen is still black then it is likely that your LCD screen needs to be replaced.

There is a repair guide, located here, that disassembles the LCD screen and circuit board.

There is a replacement guide, located here, that demonstrates how to replace the View Finder.

Possible diagnosis for why the camera may have charging issues and instructions for repair.

Is the battery charger plugged into the wall? Do you know if that outlet has power going to it?

Is the charging cable plugged into the camera correctly? The ON/OFF button should be flashing orange while charging. Once the battery is fully charged the ON/OFF button should stop flashing.

Try plugging the camera directly into a computer's USB port while the battery is inserted in the camera. If the ON/OF button is flashing an orange light then the camera is charging. If the ON/OFF button is not flashing then the battery needs to be replaced.

If the ON/OFF button is flashing while plugged into a computer's USB port then the charger is broken and needs to be replaced.

Problems such as the camera appearing to not understand that the charger has been inserted is a problem for some users. It has been reported that even using several different chargers, the camera still does not connect to the charger therefore allowing the battery to recharge. This problem could be due to damage by the users that have reported the problem or manufacturing assembly problems when making the product.

There is a replacement guide, located here, that walks through how to replace the HDMI/USB port.

There is also a replacement guide for how to replace the motherboard, located here.

If the charge indicator is incorrect, this is caused when the camera is used in an extremely hot or cold location.

Battery capacity decreases over time and through repeated use. If decreased usage time between charges becomes significant, it is probably time to replace it with a new one.

Check that the battery pack type is compatible.

The Power/Charge lamp of the camera flashes infrequently when you use a battery pack that has not been used for a long time. In such cases, remove the battery pack from the camera and re-insert it.

This happens when the battery pack is charged in an extremely hot or cold location. Charge the battery pack within the proper charging temperature range of between 10°C to 30°C (50°F to 86°F).

Possible diagnosis for why the camera lens fails to zoom and instructions for repair.

When you actuate the zoom lever while the camera is powered on and the lens fails to zoom. This might indicate that the zoom lever might be broken and need replacing.

If there is an audible grinding while the lens is zooming in, this may be a sign that the motor that controls the lens movement is on it's way out and should be replaced.

The optical zoom in Sweep Panorama mode cannot be used.

The camera will not enable zoom functions other than optical zoom when:

• [Background Defocus], [Backlight Correction HDR] or [Advanced Sports Shooting] mode is selected in the Scene Selection
• The Smile Shutter is working.
• [Self-Timer] is set to [Self-portrait One Person] or [Self-portrait Two People].

Possible diagnosis for why the camera flash does not function properly and instructions for repair.

If there is no obvious damage to the pop-up flash that would prevent it's proper function, but the flash does open when the button with the flash icon on it is depressed, then the light might need to be replaced.

When the flash button is depressed and the flash does not pop open, given that there is no obvious obstruction that would prevent it's proper function, then either the flash button is broken or the hing for the flash may be broken.

Particles (dust, pollen, etc.) in the air reflected the flash light and appeared in the image. This is not a malfunction.

The flash cannot be used when:

• Burst mode is selected. [Details]
• [Anti Motion Blur], [Night Scene], [Hand-held Twilight], [High Sensitivity], [Fireworks] or [Advanced]
• Sports Shooting] mode is selected in Scene Selection
• Shooting in Sweep Panorama mode
• Shooting in movie mode

Set the flash to [On] when the Scene Selection mode is set to [Landscape], [Gourmet], [Pet], [Beach] or [Snow] mode.

Possible diagnosis for why the camera external buttons will not respond and instructions for repair.

Is there any visible obstructions that would prevent the buttons from operating correctly?

If there is no obvious damage to the navigation buttons themselves, they may need to be replaced.

Possible diagnosis for why the camera flash does not function properly may have a frozen or unresponsive screen and instructions for repair.

Battery may need charging. Look at the top left corner of the screen to see if the battery icon indicates that the battery is low. If the battery is low, turn off the camera and charge the battery.

Try restarting the camera by holding the ON/OFF button until the camera powers off, once the camera is of press the ON/OFF button again to restart the camera. If the issue persists then the screen may need to be replaced.