Brendan:
Does your Sony have a jack for an external shutter release? My previous camera (Mavica CD300) has a LANC jack and uses a nifty little shutter release that also allows you to power the camera up, control the zoom and snap pics.. The same release also works with our old Digital 8 camcorder...The reason I got it was the Mavica's shutter button got "sticky"...I finally got that cleared up after a couple of years, but I used the LANC controller a lot.
BTW - with time and patience (steady hands and a good binocular magnifying headset, too)you CAN fix a lot of camera problems. My Digital 8 CC power switch wore out after about 5 years (really poor design - made to wear out). I was ready to buy a new one - prices had dropped drastically, but I took it into the Sony repair station in Lansing and arranged for them to repair it - $180.00 plus parts.. The next day I happened to be back in the same part of town, and stopped in; I asked how much the switch was - $31.00 - and they had one in stock (no surprise there). I canceled the service,took it home and broke out the jewelers screwdrivers and in about three hours (mostly trying to figure out how the two halves of the case locked together), I had the new switch in. Worst problem with most stuff like this (ink jet printers are the same way) is how the cases snap together. The screws are the size of dots of pepper and in the camcorder, I think I pulled over fifty of 'em..