I am in Bangkok right now and my EX1 just went nuts. All of a sudden it became so hot I couldn't even hold it. I turned it off and removed the battery. It took about 30 minutes for it to cool off. I put another battery on the camera and fired it up. Now the focus won't work at all on the camera. For a while the zoom quit working.

I found the Sony Service Center her in Bangkok. I took the camera to them, but they said it would take 3 weeks to fix.

I return back to the States the end of next week, but I am only home one week before I take off for a month on assignment again. I understand from reading some of the posts here that repairs are taking about one month at the quickest.

First of all, has any else had this happen to their cameras? I have had the camera in extreme conditions before and it wasn't that hot here today.

Second any one have any ideas of how to either get a quick repair or a loaner from Sony?

Thanks,

Daniel Weber

Hi Daniel,

I had the focus stop working, as well as the zoom stop working on my camera, and it only happened when I was on a tropical island!

Didn't get the heating up thing.

I took it to Sony and they replaced the camera three days later.

I did find that by leaving the focus on auto, and then turning the cam off and then on, it would focus as it started up, then it wouldn't focus again. It was a real pain, every shot I had to turn the camera off and on in 32C + 100% humidity....

You could also try turning 'steady shot' off before turning the camera on.
Had a weird problem with this on a recent shoot but fixed it anyway. Good luck!

You could also try turning 'steady shot' off before turning the camera on.
Had a weird problem with this on a recent shoot but fixed it anyway. Good luck!

Mal,

Thanks for the advice. I will try it, though with the EX1 you need to have the camera on while turning the Steadyshot off.

Are the guy who works with Baron Schultz sometimes? I think that you worked with my boss Gary Krause on a project a while ago.

Gary and I are shooting in Cambodia right now.

Daniel Weber

I sent the camera to the Sony NJ Repair location on Monday.

On Tuesday I talked to them on the phone and they are rushing the repair so that I might get the camera back the end of the week if possible.

I am asking them to do the firmware update as well. They want to charge me for it but I will ask them to do it for free since the camera died in the middle of a shoot overseas.

They will call me today to let me know the progress of the repair.

Daniel Weber

Sony called today and said that they are sending the fixed camera back to me.

They did charge me for the firmware update though. I am just glad that they were able to fix it in one day. Pretty impressive. When my JVC HD100 went in for repair it took 6 weeks.

Pretty impressed with Sony on this one. Kind of worried about the durability of the camera though.

Daniel Weber

Sony called today and said that they are sending the fixed camera back to me.

They did charge me for the firmware update though. I am just glad that they were able to fix it in one day. Pretty impressive. When my JVC HD100 went in for repair it took 6 weeks.

Pretty impressed with Sony on this one. Kind of worried about the durability of the camera though.

Daniel Weber

So - what was the matter with it?

I will find out tomorrow when it gets shipped to my office. I asked the Sony guy that same question on the phone and he mumbled something about replacing some boards and the casing.

I will update this thread tomorrow once I get the paperwork with the camera.

Daniel Weber

Well the camera arrived and it seems to be fine.

Looks like a new camera with a shiny new case.

The paperwork that came with the camera said that they replaced multiple parts to repair multiple problems.

I would swear it is a new camera, but the serial number is the same.

What ever the camera works and I leave on Sunday for Bosnia and then Africa.

Thank you Sony!!

Daniel Weber

Daniel,

Are you saying NJ turned the camera around in 5 days! And you "sent" it to them? That turnaround includes shipping? How did you get them to do that?

I spoke to NJ service center yesterday and they said 10 business days (obviously and "official" position). I plan on driving there to deliver and pick up to save lost shipping days. I'm trying to time my down time.

Daniel,

Are you saying NJ turned the camera around in 5 days! And you "sent" it to them? That turnaround includes shipping? How did you get them to do that?


Actually 4 days including shipping.

I shipped it overnight Monday afternoon and had it back Thursday morning.

All I did was notify them when I was in Bangkok and the camera broke. They opened a case and I gave them my office address and the serial number. They then emailed me some paperwork that I mailed in with the camera. I then followed up on Tuesday afternoon with a phone call. They gave me a case number and told me a technician would call me later that day. He did about and hour later and told me the camera had been given to a supervisor. At that time I asked them to do the firmware update as well as fix the camera. The guy said I would get a call by the end of the day on Wednesday to notify me if I would be able to have the camera back in time for my trip or not.

Wednesday at 1:00pm I received a phone call telling me the camera was fixed and they would be sending it via FedEx to my office so that I would have it the next day (Thursday).

I was very professional with them and told them that I had a five day window in the middle of a six week trip where they could fix the camera. They said that they understood and would try to work with me.

I have never had a company come through like this before. When my JVC HD100 died it took 3 trips and six months to get it fixed right. (Still love the camera though).

I was very impressed with Sony. They understood that I make my living with this camera and travel extensively overseas with it.

They did charge me for the firmware update though!! I was hoping they would throw it in to make up for all of my troubles, but they fixed the camera in a very timely manner and I am very happy with that.

Daniel Weber

Craig, I sent my V1 to Sony in Cali and they recieved it in the afternoon one day and fixed it the next day. And mine was not any red flag emergency situation. I don't understand why NJ would have told you that it would be 10 days.

Well the camera arrived and it seems to be fine.

Looks like a new camera with a shiny new case.

Daniel Weber

The turnaround was fast maybe they gave you a brand new cam and just replaced the base cover(where the serial number is engraved).

The turnaround was fast maybe they gave you a brand new cam and just replaced the base cover(where the serial number is engraved).


Actually the S/N is a sticker that they could have replaced. It did come back with the strap that I had put on it. I think that it is more likely that they put a new case on it.

Daniel Weber

Thanks for that info Daniel. I'm hoping that 10 business days is on the long side then. The problem is I have a bunch of projects coming in back to back and it's hard to figure out a hole in my schedule especially since I can't determine the size of the hole needed.

Oh thank god i am not the only one with some extra problems - finally after back focus issued repaired and fixed, new power boards and new casings and firmware upgrades i was hoping never to see the service centre again....but on queue on a shoot in Phuket shot some scenes in the morning, then travelled by speed boat out to Phang Na bay loaded the camera with a battery turned the camera on, turned the camera on, turned the camera on.
Nothing - next battery same problem. When i switched it on i could hear power trying to get through but the nothing came on in the viewfinder - no ex cam logo nothing just a noise that sounded like hissing with short sharp intermittent breaks. Turned the switch off the noise kept still going only to be stopped pulling out the battery.
Tried again 30 mins later nothing. Tried again 4 hours later everything worked and had no problem since. Also experienced a lot of heat in the rear of the camera filming time lapse sequences - maybe due to the heat and humidity? I dont know we will soon find out!

Thanks for that info Daniel. I'm hoping that 10 business days is on the long side then. The problem is I have a bunch of projects coming in back to back and it's hard to figure out a hole in my schedule especially since I can't determine the size of the hole needed.

Yeah, I had a 5 day window between a six week overseas schedule. I am in Bosnia right now with the camera and it has worked fine. I then go to Africa until Thanksgiving. I am wondering if the camera had issues with the heat. I just read in the last post where the guy had trouble after doing a bunch of time lapse stuff. That's exactly what I had happen. I spent a day in Bangkok shooting under and overcranked stuff and then the next day the camera overheated and locked up.

In April I took the camera to Borneo for a week of shooting without any problems. After that I thought the camera was bullet proof. Guess I was wrong.

Hope that they can update the camera in time for your next shoot.

Daniel Weber

Similar strange thing happened to my old Canon GL cam many years ago after a boat trip in Phuket. The audio panel went dead even though I have not used the cam on the boat. It has been packed in layers of plastic bags (and its bag of course) for the boat trip.
It seems certain cameras are susceptible of conditions where moisture is combined with heat and salt.
On the other hand I have used my V1 in similar tropical conditions and never had any trouble so far.

Zsolt:

Do you find the Gitzo 1325 legs to be sturdy enough for the EX3 and accessories?

Zsolt:

Do you find the Gitzo 1325 legs to be sturdy enough for the EX3 and accessories?

Bill, to be honest I keep on delaying my EX3 order due to the recent strong dollar rate. I am hoping for the better - wish I had the money in July when I could have bought the cam 30% less vs today in my currency. So to answer your question, I have no idea about the EX3 and the Gitzo in combination.
On the other hand, I applied Nigel Cooper's leg twisting techniques and the Gitzo turned out to be pretty OK. Have you used or tried this same leg before? I think it is pretty rare, not being kept in stores everywhere. I like it coz its light yet sturdy.
I guess we are doing some sort of off topic talk here, don't you think?:)