It happened to me a couple of times recently that my EX1 switched off, or rebooted, by itself during a shot.

I was suspecting the battery and cables, but after experimenting with several other batteries, and building a new custom cable (a one that feeds the nanoFlash and a LED light from the battery's D-tap socket) - I can safely say the culprit is somewhere else.

Luckily enough, I still do have the (extended) Prime Support warranty - but would appreciate your suggestions as to the possible reasons of such behavior.

TIA,

Piotr

Nothing like that happened to either of my cameras. Let us know what it turns out to be.

Didn't you report increasing noise as well?
Maybe your circuits are corroded.... that would be bad news.
A firmware malfunction seems a bit of a strange option, (or did you shoot NSFW-websites? ;-) ) but maybe reinstalling the latest firmware might help. Make sure to download it, in case an error is in that file. BUT maybe it's unwise to install the firmware when the firmware is the problem... it could brick your gear.

(BTW, I have no clue what is wrong with your camera: I'm speculating and hopefully you will find out real soon.)

You advise the guy to do a firmware upgrade on a camcorder that randomly shuts down or reboots???

Could it be poor contact(s) in the main power switch?

I do not know what the power switch is like in the EX1 but I am not impressed with the one on the EX3 - it is a little vague for my liking.

My problem (and the reason I still haven't sent the camera to Sony) is that the reboot only happened once; it did shut off more than once but - as I said in the OP - I thought it was my battery, or the custom cable I was using...

I'll keep you posted, guys.

You advise the guy to do a firmware upgrade on a camcorder that randomly shuts down or reboots???

And maybe you didn't see my own doubts about that advice?

Maybe there is a way to compare the used firmware and a fresh download without touching the camera?

If you want to find a solution you'll have to think of all possible causes and find a way to eliminate them from the list.

Maybe it was indeed the battery, or the connection to the battery.

I suspect your cam may be overheating this was an issue with some ex1's a while back

I suspect your cam may be overheating this was an issue with some ex1's a while back

No, it's not. The reboots/switch off's completely random, very rare, and without any obvious reasons.

Looks like some intermittent loss of contact somewhere. But - even with the warranty still valid - I don't want Sony to put my camera apart, and perhaps replace parts that are working perfectly well for me (like the lens, which is sharp, has virtually no CA, and a very smooth zoom capability - even at the lowest speeds).

Try cleaning the battery contacts in the camera. I had a similar problem with a Nikon camera and looking at the contacts they had a light film coating (no pun intended). Have you used your camera in a humid environment recently?

It also happened on DC-in, so it's NOT the battery contacts.

And no - my camera's never been exposed to much humidity, or salty water...

Piotr... If the problem persists, then you might want to take the camera in before the warranty expires.

Although, as you said, the camera's other functions are just fine. The big problem is that it quits unexpectedly. One day you'll find yourself shooting a once-in-a-lifetime event, and your camera is going to shut down just as the most important moment happens.

It is your power supply unit within the camera.

It also happened on DC-in, so it's NOT the battery contacts.

And no - my camera's never been exposed to much humidity, or salty water...

Hi, I have the same identical problem.
Have you discovered how to fix it?

Best,
Andrea

I also posted this in another thread, but if I barely touch or wiggle the power switch on my EX1, it will switch off and reboot. For now, I avoid touching the power switch when I'm rolling, but it's going to bite me one of these days. I just don't have the money for repairs right now.

Hi Morrison,
Can you tell me if or how you got this issue fixed or resolved? I have the same issue, If I just lightly tap the power switch it reboots (somtimes twice) and i'm worried as hell shooting a wedding ceremony with it.

Thanks in advance.

I have not fixed it yet. Money is still tight so I haven't been able to send it in yet. I'm still avoiding touching the switch until I'm ready to shut down. As I said, it WILL bite me in the butt eventually but most of my shooting is tripod-bound so I can avoid touching the back of the camera....for now.

Im in the exact same boat, I think I may take it apart *very carefully* and see if the issue can be fixed. with cameras like the fs100 as cheap as they are now, it almost doesetn seem worth it to get repaired even though it's such a small issue.