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What is the Sony Imaging PRO Support?
It is a membership service to support shooting activities of individual professional photographers who own Sony imaging products.
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Is the Sony Imaging PRO Support a special servicing centre? What does it entail?
The following services are available for the eligible cameras and lenses.
- Remote support help desk
- Free equipment loans during product repairs
- Free collection and delivery of products that are being repaired
- Free sensor cleaning (2 sensors per year. 2 camera bodies, or 2x of the same camera body.)
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What does Sony Imaging PRO Support include?
- Remote support help desk
- Free equipment loans during product repairs
- Free collection and delivery of products that are being repaired
- Free sensor cleaning (2 sensors per year. 2 camera bodies, or 2x of the same camera body.)
- We will open the touch point of phone call and e-mail query.
- The local support desk is now under consideration.
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Is a local service desk going to be available? Where will the local support centres be located?
Currently not planned.
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Will cameras be sold at a discount to professionals?
Currently not planned.
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Will the remote support help desk be open? 365 days a year?
Telephone support shall be available to members Mon-Fri, 09:00 to 18:00 CET (Closed on Saturday, Sunday, Dec 25th, Dec 26th and Jan 1st).
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What do the remote support help desk representatives know about photography?)
The phone calls and e-mails will be handled by trained staff. If there are questions that they cannot answer intially, they will get answers from other experts within the organisation.
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Could I get pro servicing if I go to a Sony Stores or dealers?
Currently not planned.
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What other countries are you considering for the future?
We are positively studying to expand the service to more countries.
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Why were the other countries not selected?
We will consider expansion based upon the feedback that we get.
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What services will be common around the world?
We are starting it as a worldwide program, but we plan to customize services to the professional customers demand in each country.
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How can I apply for the service?
For those who wish to apply, please check if you meet the conditions of membership then please get the application form from the web site. We will contact you with details when we receive your application.
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What proof is required to prove that you are a professional photographer?
All the documents set forth below that the Applicant must submit to SONY in order to apply for the Services:
- An application form designated by SONY with all the necessary information filled out by the applicant;
- Recent customer invoices (customer details can be deleted) and at least one other document which establishes that the applicant works as a professional photographer (e.g. business registration document, company statement and employee ID, business card, or similar);
- At least two (2) examples of the applicant’s professional photo works e.g. photo books, photo works on a commercial website with evidence that the photo was taken by the applicant, or similar); and
- Any other documents that SONY may request in order to confirm the applicant’s identity and/or entitlement to receive the services.
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I am not a professional photographer but I would like to be a member of the Sony Imaging PRO Support?
We are not going to include photographers who are not professional (earning money by taking pictures.) as this support is only for those who execute activities as professionals.
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The membership is open to individuals, so will services not be available for photographer organizations, publishers, photography schools, studios and so forth?
The service is only for the individual professional photographers.
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Is there any sort of screening (interview) when joining?
An interview process may be required if the jury needs to confirm whether the applicants meet the criteria.
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How long does it take from application to activation of membership?
Upon receipt of the application documents, Sony shall perform the preliminary screening as quickly as possible in order to assess the applicant’s eligibility to use the services. Sony will not be liable for any delays in completing the preliminary screening assessment.
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When exactly do I become a member?
Upon successful completion of the preliminary screening process Sony will issue to the member a membership card and membership number. Official membership will be available on the receipt of the membership card.
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Which cameras and lenses do I need to own to be a membership?
Please refer to the eligible products list in the information page.
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Of Sony's many cameras, I use the α900 even today. Certainly, the α900 qualifies for support.
Please refer to the eligible products list in the information page.
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I have α's from Minolta and Konica Minolta. Do they qualify for support?
The α from Minolta/Konica Minolta is the precursor to Sony's α, so thank you for your patronage. Under agreements with Konica Minolta, we currently cannot accept their α cameras, so servicing is provided by their support centres. So, you would have to use Konica Minolta's services if seeking professional support.
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Is there any limitation to the number of products that can be registered?
No. Please refer to the eligible products list in the information page. The eligible cameras and lenses can be supported by PRO Support.
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Why are the VG series and Handycam, AX1000 and FX1000 excluded?
They are initially not included into the owner's list. We will consider them according to feedback from members in the future. Firstly we would like to focus on still photographers. Therefore we exclude these models at the present time.
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How long does it take to have a sensor cleaning/repair (from pick up to delivery)?
We target 3 working days from the day of courier arrival at the service centre, to the day of its shipment from the service centre. The duration can vary depending on the availability of parts.
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I have been using a Sony professional camcorder for years. I do not have a Sony brand still picture camera, but I would like support for my Sony camcorder. Can I get it?
If you purchase the professional video products from the authorised dealers, then we are offering Prime Support for the professional videographers. Please find more details here:www.pro.sony.eu/primesupport
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What happens if I need support while being on a job abroad? When camera gets damaged, can I receive support outside of my resident country in Europe? How about outside of Europe?
When the remote support help desk confirm that the member's unit needs to be repaired, Sony can arrange the delivery of a loan unit and collection/return of a repaired product in the listed countries in Europe.
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Supported countries:
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City, United Kingdom
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The shipments to repair can be delayed and Sony are not responsible for non EU customs. Sony are not responsible for any delays at all, in or out. For the details, please refer to the terms & conditions.
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Will the Sony Imaging PRO Support collaborate in staging exhibits and producing photo collections?
Currently not planned.
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Will it be possible to have currently used cameras and accessories customized? (e.g. adding crop marks to viewfinders, extending remote commander cables to 20 m, etc. )
Currently not planned.
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Can the members request Sony to arrange sponsorship (loaning units for events etc.) through this service?
No, we do not offer any sponsorship through this Pro Support. Please contact to our PR section separately.
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Does Sony offer a support services to the non-member professional photographers?
They can use general Sony's customer services as usual.
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Can professional photographers get services for all of their digital imaging equipment?
No. The Sony Imaging PRO Support covers only the eligible products. Sony asks applicants and members to provide information of their owned models.
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Is the equipment necessary for the application the same as the equipment a photographer can get serviced?
Yes.
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What is different from Prime Support?
PrimeSupport is not a membership service but it comes with Sony professional products such as professional video camcorder. A professional product purchased from Sony Europe's authorised professional resellers can be covered. The Sony Imaging PRO Support is for professional photographers and it is a membership service which requires a customer to meet given conditions.
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What is the different from Premium Services?
With Premium Services, you can purchase various warranties and data extraction from old media. The service is available for all customers as a paid service. With Sony Imaging PRO support, you can receive support about professional activities for those who use Alpha products. We are happy to support the activities of the professional photographers by sensor cleaning and free equipment loaning during repair.
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What is the merit of the PRO support compared with the general customer support?
For PRO Support, trained support staff will be ready to take action for the members when their equipment needs to be repaired, with free courier collection and delivery services together with alternative loans to support professional activities as smoothly as possible. In addition, we support the professional who wishes to maintain their equipment on a regular basis, by providing a sensor cleaning service.
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Which language does the helpdesk accept?
The first contact at the support desk is in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Polish.
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Can I include products which has purchased outside Europe into the qualified products?
These cameras and lenses must have been purchased from an authorized Sony dealer in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) or Switzerland. Any products imported from outside the EEA/Switzerland are excluded.
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