Sometimes a cheap camera comes back to haunt you.

Sony USA is announcing today the recall of more than 400,000 of the Sony Cybershot DSC-T5, released in September of 2005. The reason? Sony says the metal frame may pull away from the bottom of the digital camera, creating a potential for injury.

From the Sony recall page:

Sony has recently discovered that, with certain units of its Digital Still Camera “Cyber-shot” DSC-T5 released on the market in September 2005, there is the possibility that metal plating on the bottom of the camera unit may warp, causing slight cut or scratch to the skin of the user when it is directly touched.

Affected photographers can check if the serial number falls between the range of 3010001 - 3081200 and if so, Sony will replace the metal plating on the digital camera. More information is available on the Sony web page here.

The DSC-T5 digital camera debuted in 2005 to rave reviews, retailing at just under $350. Sony called it a “budget digital camera” at the time. At Cheapshooter, we like to save money, but I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.

Layers Magazine has a great article up this morning by Janine Warner about the business of photography and the success some photographers have found simply by improving their website.  The article highlights three different photography websites which were submitted by Layers readers, and then talks to each photographer to see how their website design impacted their photo sales.   The results are nothing short of astounding.  Despite describing Matthew Mahon’s photography site as something that looks like when “a petulant three-year-old knocked a stack of his photos onto the floor,” Warner writes that the unique design paid off for Mahon.

“Mahon credits the site with bringing him more than $100,000 in new business the first year, including a cover shoot for Atlantic Monthly and several shoots for a major ad agency,” Warner writes.

Pretty cool stuff.   A photography site is something that’s cheap and easy to update, unlike a lot of different aspects of the photography business photographers spend money on.  It’s a great way to reach new clients without having to pay for advertising, and if it leads to a cover shot for Atlantic Monthly, well, that’s just icing on the cake.

Check out the full article here.  What has your experience been with your own photography website?