I had been using Sony digital cameras for last 20 years right from the time digital cameras were born and these cameras used to save pictures on floppy disc, till their current 4K mirrorless generation. I am writing my review from my 40 years of experience in photography and handling many camera brands that include Cannon, Nikon, Panasonic, Yashica, Olympus, Minolta, Zenith, Lubitol, Kodak, etc
I found that the construction quality of Sony cameras very weak and they develop defects within warranty period and continue developing defects after repairs also. It means you keep on spending on Sony camera repairs till the camera remains in use with you and till the time you switch over to another reliable and sturdy brand like Nikon, Cannon, etc.
The Sony cameras have very delicate LCD screen and display mechanism that either breaks from the moving hinge areas or the circuit develops fault and the picture starts getting lines and ghost images or displaying wavy picture on LCD.
The Sony cameras are prone to moisture entry and then the full mechanism gets effected and you have to spend a huge amount to get the camera repaired. Most of the time the Sony service personnel would cite the reason for moisture entry and would put the blame on you for the defect rather than accepting that their Sony camera design is defective. The camera is supposed to be used in rain, snow, near waterfall, near sea, on beaches and the camera should handle well under such conditions but the Sony camera fails to do so.
If you search on the internet you will find comments from thousands of people complaining that Sony cameras start giving E-62-10 error codes soon after they have started using their new camera, within a year of operation. My camera, Sony Cybershot HX-300 also started to show E-62-10 error, but the service people advised that this error is common and it would not affect the photo quality. I found this statement strange.
In one of my Sony cameras, the shutter button started giving problems and had to be replaced within 2 years of use. In one camera there was focusing issue. I had been spending a lot of money in repairs on my Sony cameras. Now I avoid using Sony and use Nikon to get peace of mind.
Sony cameras are not so sturdy, develop faults frequently and are very unreliable. You may miss photographing events if you take out the camera from cupboard at the last moment, only to discover that the camera is malfunctioning and you would not be able to photograph the event. It happened with me many times. The Sony camera developed fault just sitting on shelf and I lost capturing the memories on camera. Many times the Sony camera stopped working during my travel on holidays.
My last camera, Sony Cybershot HX300 gave me nightmares. The new camera developed multiple faults in LCD, in VR, in pivotal hinge of LCD screen, etc and most of the circuit boards had to be changed. Soon after repairs again the Sony camera started showing error code E-62-10 and finally the LCD screen went blank.
The manual function is also no reliable and does not give accurate aperture and shutter settings, sometimes malfunctions by not being able to allow you to change these settings. Even the manual focus and zoom ring on Sony HX 300 is useless as it is very sluggish and not accurate.
It appears that the Sony cameras are made out of cheap material to bring down the cost. Finally the consumer suffers. Cameras are supposed to withstand jerks during travel, operate well in various weather conditions, have the capability to withstand rain, snow and humid weather. But Sony cameras are not made to face these things, they would malfunction.
If you are a serious photographer and want peace of mind and looking for a reliable camera, then Sony camera is not for you. I am saying this from my 40 years of experience and handling many camera brands that include Cannon, Nikon, Panasonic, Yashica, Olympus, Minolta, Zenith, Lubitol, Kodak, etc.