Before disassembling the camera, we'll need to remove the battery and memory card.

Turn the camera over and gently push the battery door toward the side.

The door is spring-loaded and will flip up.

Once the door is open, press the battery release and the battery will eject. The battery will then slide out easily.

If there is a Memory Stick installed, press it gently and it will eject from the slot.

When the battery and memory card have been removed, close the battery door so it does not get damaged during disassembly.

Before we disassemble the main camera, we're going to look at how to disassemble the zoom lens. This is one of the most common parts that becomes stuck or damaged if the camera is dropped or jarred. Dust or debris in this component can also compromise picture quality.

To begin, power the camera on so that the lens extends fully. While the lens is extended, eject the battery as described in step one. Otherwise, the camera will retract the lens.

Grip the outer segment of the lens barrel and twist back and forth. I recommend holding the inner segment with your other hand so as not to put too much stress on the lens.

• The outer cover is attached with a thin strip of adhesive, so you will encounter some resistance.
• Keep twisting back and forth gently and the outer cover will pop off, exposing the shutter mechanism.

The shutter mechanism is attached to the lens assembly with four tabs. The tabs clip onto the lens assembly at the four points indicated by the yellow circles.

• To detach the shutter, gently lift the tabs using a plastic spudger.
• Once all four tabs have been released, the shutter assembly will lift off the lens.

Once the shutter has been removed, the outer lens is exposed completely. This is a great opportunity to clean any fingerprints or anything else which might be on it. If you are extremely careful, the inner lens can also be accessed through the openings around the edge.

Three of the tabs are identical and of the type indicated by the red box. The fourth is of a different design but is released the same way.

If the camera happens to have a problem (like the one shown) where the shutter does not open or close fully, this can be fixed at this point.

• Often, simply disassembling and reassembling the shutter assembly will be enough to get it working again. If not, a quick rinse in distilled water can remove any residue or debris which might be jamming it.

The shutter is opened and closed by the tab indicated in the green circle. When the camera is assembled, this tab is pushed as the lens extends and retracts.

If you disassembled the lens, put it back together by reversing these steps, then pop the battery back in so it will retract before proceeding with disassembly of the main camera. Remember to take the battery back out before continuing.

We're now ready to begin disassembling the camera itself. Fortunately, Sony was nice enough to make all the necessary screws visible and easily accessible.

Remove the three identical small Phillips screws on the bottom of the camera.

Remove the two identical small Phillips screws on the right side of the camera.

Remove the two identical small Phillips screws on the left side of the camera.

All but one of the screws we will be removing from the camera are identical, so it isn't important to keep track of exactly where they all came from.

After removing the seven screws in step five, the rear panel of the camera is ready to be removed.

Gently rock the rear panel until it feels loose

Starting from the bottom of the camera, lift the rear panel and hinge it towards the top of the camera. Once you reach a 45 degree angle, the top tabs should release and the rear panel will lift off freely.

Remove the camera's rear panel and set it aside. The LCD display and the control board are now exposed.

Next, we're going to remove the shiny plastic panels on the sides of the camera.

• The panel on the lens side of the camera is the easiest to remove. It simply slides toward the back of the camera and lifts off.
• The right side panel is also quite easy to remove. Hinge the panel slightly towards the front of the camera and it will lift off easily as well.

Beware of the pink and blue wires that are soldered to the circuit board at the top of the camera. These connect to the flash capacitor and, even with the battery removed, they pack quite a punch. Be careful not to touch these or you will receive a pretty unpleasant shock!