Hey now -

I've bought a little Sony HC5 brand new when it came out a few years ago and, coming from Hi8, it's been fantastic.
However, I've just noticed when I zoom in all the way, it loses it's focus. This is in broad daylight. When I back the zoom off a bit, it regains it's focus.
I've removed the battery and reset it, tried the "Easy" mode, tried the spot focus, and switched to manual focus...all to no avail.
It just won't focus when zoomed all the way in. The battery's fully charged.
It's always been on my tripod, never dropped, and in mint condition.

What do you think is wrong with it?
Has anyone heard of this happening?
I bought an extended 4 year warranty when I bought the cam
Thanks

Sometimes, the focus can become out of adjustment mechanically and need resetting by an expert. Contact your warranty company and see if they will authorize a local repair shop to look at it. A problem like this is much better explained in person, than by shipping it off somewhere. Good luck.

I'll try an authorized local repair but the last time, Sony was very picky about how and who to send for a firewire port repair.

Thanks

I called Sony service. After verifying ownership, the service dood told me how to reset the cam. I'll post the info here for others...This probably works with the HDR-HC1, HDR-HC3, HDR-HC5, HDR-HC7, HDR-HC9 line.

1)Take out battery
2)Turn status dial clockwise and hold on for 20 seconds. This completely drains the cam.
3)Turn status dial to off and put battery back in
4)Turn on cam and open LCD screen. Note a tiny hole on side of cam that has "reset" by it
5)Use paper clip and stick it in the reset hole for 15 seconds. The LCD screen will go off while you're doing this
6)Turn off cam for 5 seconds

It seems to have reset my cam's focus problem. It may solve other problems as well. Give it a shot. You've nothing to lose. :D