I have only had my X180 2 days, but every wide scene shot I have shot comes out blurry. I couldn't figure out how this was happening, as I was manually focusing, and simply rotated the lens to the mechanical infinity stop, which should make everything out past 50 feet tack sharp. Well, I discovered either a design issue, or a defect with my lens.

I just tested this a few minutes ago in daylight, f1.6, wide shot of a parking lot, manual focus. I can rotate the focus ring from the near hard stop, to just about infinity, and everything is in focus, but the moment I hit that last mm at the infinity stop, the picture racks out of focus. it looks as if I were to engage a slight macro, or back-focus adjustment! This is boggling my mind, as near stop to almost infinity produces the identical focus, then BAM, instant blur. This lens is not mechanical as the hard end stops would suggest. This infinity blur happens when the lens is switched to free rotate manual focus as well, only when you focus this way, it will actually close focus and the wide shot will blur.

Anyone else with an X160 or X180 that can confirm if this is a design problem, or if I have a defective unit? This simply cannot be right. :-(

Paul

My 180 similarly pushes the focus past infinity (hence making everything soft) if I rotate the focus ring past infinity to the mechanical 'stop' point on the lens. When I focus to the infinity mark on the lens everything is fine -- the mechanical stop is past that -- and since foreground objects also go further out of focus when I get to the stop point, it seems that the lens is actually focusing well past the infinity point. Hasn't been an issue for me since I normally don' need tot focus past a few hundred feet at the furthest, and infinity focus itself seems fine. Perhaps this is something that could be improved with a firmware update?

I would hope so! What on Earth would be the point of the damn hard stops? That's a selling point of this camera.

And just to be clear here. When you rotate from say 1m all the way to the infinity symbol, with peaking turned up, everything is sparkling crisp, then when you turn that last 1mm past the infinity symbol to the hard stop, the picture racks out of focus similar to if you bumped the macro arm on a 2/3" lens!

Paul

I suspect it's the same as the situation on the Fujinon lens on the X200. All the focusing is done using a servo instead of with the front lens element.

To test this theory, do a snap zoom manually on a high shutter speed. If the camera loses focus even on manual focus, the focus is via servo, not a mechanical full manual system.

Jack, it is very servo.

Dave, I have found another "anomaly" in my X180 focus mechanism. I ran into this at least 4-5 times on my last shift. I push forward for AF, then pull back for manual focus, usually leaving the dial at infinity so manual snaps back to a "known focus point".

The problem is that the camera will many many times NOT allow far focus! I will be able to go all the way to the infinity hard stop, but not be able to focus on a scene 50-100 feet away. Rotating back, I can focus close, but I have to click the dial forward and backward a few times to get out of this condition. Basically I am manually commanding far focus, but the servo will seem to be recalling inaccurate location values. Infinity in fact becomes 20-30 feet, bang, hard stop = 20-30 feet. You can imaging how frustrating this is when you are literally banging against the hard stop repeatedly, desperately attempting to achieve focus on a breaking news story! Grrrr!

Sony really needs to address these glitches in a future firmware update, they really are problematic. And a real world test of infinity shows that the lens is capable of focusing "past" the moon I outer space. I would attempt to test infinity further, but 25x is not long enough to try to focus on distant galaxies. :-]

Paul

The EX1 has had this problem for years. Focusing on full zoom doesn't guarantee the focus will stay overall sharp in the middle of the zoom range. A very common problem with XDCAMs with servo based focus.

You have to constantly watch your peaking when shifting zoom levels. I know it's a pain but it's a flaw with the lens design.

This isn't a hard to focus issue, this is the camera not focusing past 20-30 feet when you hit the hard infinity stop. As you rotate, you will see an object begin to come into focus, then you hit the hard infinity end stop, and you are still focused on closer objects than your target. Focus by servo is so infuriating. :-)

Paul

Well, my lens issue(s) are a bit worse than I first noticed. After a few stories where I had bright LED police lights flashing into my lens at night, and seeing lots of "specs" and such, I decided to clean off my optics. Well, to my surprise, the front element was spotless, but the inner elements had dust on them. And that wasn't all. There was a smudge INSIDE the lens elements, as if you were to smear your fingerprint on the glass. Again, this is on one of the internal elements, that rides back into the barrel.

So, given that the resale value of a camera with internal optical dust and smudges would be very low, I went onto B&H to purchase a new X180 and return this one in the new box. Well, another surprise, the X180 is now $500 USD lower in price than when I received mine 2 weeks ago. I would never return a perfectly working camera just to save a few bucks, but I do need a working camera before I can loose this one, so it ended up working out for me.

Paul

It is with great sadness that I must report that my NEW replacement X180 arrived an hour ago, and suffers the same issues. The infinity blur out is confirmed to be a design flaw, and this new camera also has dust in the optics, as well as patterns of haze on the inner elements. Not a smudge on this one as with the last, but the hazing and dust actually shows more visibly than the smudge camera.

Sony, what the hell is up with your quality control? I guess we all know what a "G" lens is now........."Garbage". :(

Paul

Don't get another one send it in for service. I had to do that with both my NX5U several years ago and last year with my FDR-AX1. The service replaced the lens unit under warranty on both cameras and they have performed fine since they were replaced. Yes I guess the quality control is not that great but not new issue since it also happened with my FX1 many years ago when they first came out. All cameras suffered from back focus problem and /or out of focus across the image. By contrast the consumer Sony's I have all worked fine straight out of the box including the latest FDR-AX100 !!! Wonder if all these cameras were made in the same factory !!

Ron Evans

It is with great sadness that I must report that my NEW replacement X180 arrived an hour ago, and suffers the same issues. The infinity blur out is confirmed to be a design flaw, and this new camera also has dust in the optics, as well as patterns of haze on the inner elements. Not a smudge on this one as with the last, but the hazing and dust actually shows more visibly than the smudge camera.

Sony, what the hell is up with your quality control? I guess we all know what a "G" lens is now........."Garbage". :(

Paul

Can you send it back and maybe get the x200? I'm getting 2 x X200s this week for the events, live streaming and studio work at do.

I would feel limited with only a 17x zoom, and no digital extender. I shoot to air 720p60, so a 2x digital extender of a 1920x1080 sensor would still give me full 720 resolution video. I would shoot 1080p60 XAVC-L and just digital crop as needed to retain 60p, but XAVC L is not a supported standard. I would get a PMW320 ($6800 USD now) or PXW-X320 with a used Canon KH21x ($4000) if the dang thing did 1080p60. I think a 1/2" f12/13@2000 shoulder 1080p60 50Mbps 21x f1.4 constant aperture camera would be my sweet spot.

As for sending the unit into Sony, great plan. I will contact them and ask specifically if they can "fix" the infinity stop issue. If they say yes, then the camera go off to them, and we all get a validated response that this is a design defect that can and should be corrected for the rest of the product run.

Paul

Bad news, the PXW-X320 does not support 1080p60. The PXW-X300 (which is due anytime now) should be the one you should be seeking. Currently it doesn't exist, but I really believe it's coming.

For all my X180 complaints, it really is perfect for what I do with it. If I could only change ONE thing on it, I would have to say the SteadyShot feature needs a lot of improvement. I find myself using 99% regular Steadyshot, Active seems to want to vibrate and jiggle. It was the opposite on my X70, Active was a magical floating feature, and regular Steadyshot was a slight jiggle reduction.

Paul

For all my X180 complaints, it really is perfect for what I do with it. If I could only change ONE thing on it, I would have to say the SteadyShot feature needs a lot of improvement. I find myself using 99% regular Steadyshot, Active seems to want to vibrate and jiggle. It was the opposite on my X70, Active was a magical floating feature, and regular Steadyshot was a slight jiggle reduction.

Paul

Paul, thanks for your thoughts on this. Can I ask 3 questions:

1) How are you handling the focus problem in use?

2) How is the lens wide open? I've heard it's quite soft

3) How is focusing using the LCD/EVF? I've also heard it's difficult.

Thanks.

1) How are you handling the focus problem in use?

I just have to "rotate back" a bit once I hit the end stop. I am used to doing this on my broadcast lenses, as things in the street and trees in the distance would always be just a slight bit closer than any lenses infinity stop. Imagine a car that when you hit the steering end stop, it went into reverse or steered in the opposite direction! There is no excuse for this.

2) How is the lens wide open? I've heard it's quite soft

It gets a bit sharper if you stop down a bit. The whole thing looks soft to me at night wide open with gain added, very difficult to focus, jus hazy. The resulting footage looks better than the image I see while shooting though. I shoot everything at night, so always wide open. My minimum gain setting is 6db!

3) How is focusing using the LCD/EVF? I've also heard it's difficult.

I cannot use the LCD, my eyes cannot focus on it (contact lenses), and if I back my neck off, it isn;t sharp enough at that distance. The EVF is very nice, but it is a bit darker than the LCD, makes me overexpose. I only use the LCD to double check exposure and adjust menu settings

I wanted to follow up and say that the X180 wide open at night reminds me of how my SD Canon J22 and J11 eXFS 2/3" lenses looked on my 720p Varicam and HPX2000 broadcast cameras. While they looked very nice, the HA16 HD lens I also had looked a lot sharper, and had better contrast. The X180 lens has a lot of reduced contrast whenever light is directed into it at night. The blacks also grey out more than I would expect when you cut the shutter down in SLS.

Paul

Another update on the lens. Shot in the daytime for the first time yesterday morning. I was shooting at maximum telephoto about 100 meters away, and the camera insisted that infinity was in focus, and it was correct. I zoomed out about 20% and the license plate on the car I was shooting became blurred. Rotated the focus ring a back a bit, and it became sharp and crisp. Zoomed back in to full telephoto, and it was blurred again. Zoomed in and out and watched in surprise (not really, the camera is amazingly horrible in so many ways) as the sharp things like signs and such with defined text came and went out of focus. No, I was not on autofocus.

Strangely enough, the camera, does not do the infinity macro thing in the day at f5.6 or so, it actually stays sharp. Obviously, this MODEL has some sort of back focus problem. I don't have a lot of experience with non B4 lenses, but this camera I could swear has some sort of real time drift, as if it has an electronic active backfocus mechanism that is trying, but failing, to adjust as i zoom. I say this because it appeared like the backfocus/blurring would lag a bit behind the actual zoom. Sort of like how if you use the zoom ring and it isn't quiet connected. I thought I saw this in my night shooting, but wasn't sure until I saw the daytime video that wasn't stuck at wide open aperture. The camera has always been extremely hard to focus at night. Wide open is SD soft. EVF has blurred corners, If you look through the center, only the center is sharp, you have to move your eye around the cup to aim at the part of the EVF you want to not be out of focus.

So the lens is SD quality wide open. Cannot be used at infinity hard stop at night, Cannot zoom in, focus, and zoom back out with loosing precise focus. 2nd X180 I have had to come with dust and fingerprints inside the elements. The lens is the ONLY reason I got this camera over the X200, but it has turned out to be the worst part of this camera. It is not only subpar optically, but it has a defective design and production defects like the smudges and dust internally.

Will be replacing this as soon as someone makes something similar that doesn't have the issues this has. I need the 26mm wide and the long tele, there really is no other camera that can do this currently. Unless you really need 26mm wide and a long tele, get the X200. The lens problems and 5 seconds per menu press to display make this camera something you may want to throw in the nearest garbage can.

Paul

Thanks for your feedback on this camcorder Paul, it's only when we really get to use the cameras "hands-on" in the environment that we get to see the quirks and challenges with them!
I'm pretty happy with my PXW-X200's and I do use them quite differently to the way you use your X180, mine most often indoors and on tripods!
I can confirm your observations on the manual focus issue as well as the dreadfully slow/laggy menu response on the X180.
I also noticed that the zoom ring doesn't rotate when you use the rocker whereas the X200 does, so it seems the X180 is digitally controlled where zoom ring and rocker are independent of each other - not the case on the X200!
Just checking through my test clips of the X180 and X200 I see I do have a comparison zoom and low test at the widest iris on both, which I will upload later today so you can have a look and comment.

Here's that test clip of the X200 vs X180:
http://youtu.be/djU5OEVwxBM

That comparison clearly demonstrates the #1 reason for me buying the X180 over the X200, that wide angle and telephoto capability. It also clearly demonstrates how much better the 1/2" chips on the X200 are. I would be willing to say that you could achieve BETTER results from cropping in on the X200 at full telephoto in dim light to match the X180, than the X180's native image. That being said, there is no replacement for the native wide angle capability, short of a wide angle converter on the X200. The X200 would match the X180's wide with a converter, and would end up weighing the same, but you'd have 1/3 less telephoto capability.

Honestly, the native wide angle on the X180 with standard Steady Shot is comparable to the X70 with an 0.8x converter with Active Steady Shot. That is a big deal for me. It must be taken into account that I do a lot of LIVE work with the X180, so being able to walk around a car crash scene with the widest angle possible, while still being able to pull in that plane crash in a field with 25x on tripod, is a major advantage.

I am curious as to how much resolution the X180 losses as compared to the X200 wide open iris. I operated a Varicam and HPX2000 with a set of standard definition Canon eXFS J22 and J11 lenses, and I would speculate that the X180 HD lens is as soft, if not a bit softer, than those standard def lenses at f1.6.

Paul

Even MORE lens issues, definitely looks like a backfocus problem. I was shooting a live shot this morning, and noticed in the viewfinder that as I zoomed in even a little bit from full wide angle, the picture was going blurry. When I hit my full telephoto, the objects I had selected focus with were in focus. I swear it seemed like the backfocus was shifting and trying to keep up, but lagging behind, my zoom! Think of it like how a camcorder AF hunts for focus. Now imagine the X180 being on manual hard stop focus, and as you zoom in, the backfocus is hunting like a home video camera AF, adjusting as you zoom. I took a couple of screen grabs of my live shot. It is VERY OBVIOUS, as you can see the letters and numbers on the license plate literally SNAP out of focus. This was a slow zoom in, and observed in the VF, so this is not an artifact of the live signal transmission. I was actually focused on a point far down the street. As soon as I can get a hold of Sony, I am going to get them to fix this damn camera, or I will make it my mission to cost them as many X180 sales as possible for designing and selling a defectively designed product and taking peoples money for it.

Here is an example of this problem. Clip shot a few minutes ago, note how the back-focus or focus focus FLOATS as I zoom in and out. This was shot in manual focus mode with the focus ring pulled back into hard stop mode, and I was not touching the ring while zooming. Unacceptable Sony.

Rob, can you replicate this problem on your X180? Shooting at f1.6 1/3 or 1/60 shutter, dim lighting.

http://youtu.be/uztm3cyqXyw

Hey Paul, that definitely look suspicious given you're in manual focus.
I will have a look on the X180 on Tuesday and attempt to replicate what you're doing.
I do think that the internals of the X160/X180 are all electronic so to speak and given the zoom rocker and zoom ring are "decoupled" (don't work together like the X200) I wouldn't be surprised if the manual focus is not actually parfocal and/or there is focus issues with this camera!
If the X200 have the wide angle and zoom range (25x) of the X180 (minus a few oddities like wifi negating 1080p50 mode etc) then Sony would probably have the best handheld camera in the world!

I am seriously seriously looking to switch to an X200. I am currently researching any quirks that exist with that model. The menu lag and all of these lens issues (plus the weight!) are negating any imagined benefit I originally saw in having that 25x wide angle zoom.

The superior wide open iris resolution, and 6-9db advantage, would mean that I could crop in post and achieve better results than the soft darker X180 lens can produce. As for the wide end, my 16x9 EXII converters are still around, and with the blur factor on the X180, those zoom thru's on the X200 would still be just as sharp.

I wish more than anything that I could quickly access the slow speed shutter menu. The JVC design of push a button and up and down arrows is amazingly convenient! Do you have any idea how long it takes to get to the SLS menu on an X180!

Paul

These lens problems have irritated me for the last time. I was on an armed stand-off incident, and was on a tight zoom of a cop holding an MP5 submachine gun. I zoomed in a bit, and that damned out of focus thing happened again. So I started playing with the zoom rocker.

Even the slightest touch of the zoom rocker, even if it is not enough to actually cause a zoom operation, will rack the image out of focus. It seems to be focusing farther than where it is, like how the camera will focus past infinity if you hit the hard stop. Anyway, I can actually blink the picture out of focus without a zoom movement by gently applying pressure to the rocker in either direction! I had a thought that perhaps the PEAKING was being electronically deactivated during zooms, but that turned out not to be the deal. It is also not the DETAIL circuitry turning off during image movement, the camera will focus out farther than intended to more distant objects in the shot during this issue.

To make it even more fun, if I apply even lighter pressure, the focus will shimmer, literarily strobe in and out of focus, blinking rapidly! Not kidding, it's ridiculous. The problem was so apparent, and so WRONG, that I immediately got back in my car, logged into B&H, and ordered a brand new PXW-X200.

I am DONE with the damn X180. Anyone else looking at that camera due to it's lens, you've been warned. If these issues were not really that bad, would I drop $6500 USD to replace it out of anger after months daily use? :)

Paul

For what it's worth, after reading the last post I was rather concerned and spent about half an hour running some tests on my X180 -- but couldn't get it to do any of the apparent zoom-lever triggered focus shifting that's described. It also maintains focus fine when I zoom out. Admittedly my camera hasn't had much rough wear (most of its shoots have been theatre shows, panel discussions or green screens) so it hasn't taken any hard hits. I still have a real need for the 25x zoom and the other things the camera does well, so though it may not be appropriate for every shoot, I'm still happily holding onto mine.
I've also found that menu navigation using the four navigation/control buttons on the top of the camera seems to move quicker for me than using the spin wheel on the side.

The menu lag in conjunction with a spin wheel is terrible. You can spin and spin and imagine getting several full rotations out of the little dial for each change in menu selection.....

As for my lens, I am already on my SECOND X180. The first was returned for smears and dirt in the internal optics, as well as the issue with the camera going out of focus at the infinity hard stop. My second X180 has a smudge on the internal optic, and also suffers the exact same infinity hard stop blur, so I am DONE with this particular model. I will post some extensive testing of these issues, as they are not intermittent, but easily replicatable 100% of the time. I run a very high peaking level due to shooting in the fuzzy end of the aperture, so the focus changes are glaringly evident to the eye in the EVF.

If you are shooting in the day in bright conditions, these issues will not be as obvious. But when you shoot wide open all the time in high contrast night scenes, they become very apparent. I will miss the shockless gain. :(

Paul

Yes, I agree on the spin wheel for the menu - combined with the fact that it goes from one menu section (category) to the next as you spin. Using the control navigation with the top menu buttons makes it easy and fast to navigate.
I do hope that they do something with what you call the 'infinity hard stop' focus issue - where you don't hit the 'hard stop' on the lens until you are past the infinty mark - at which point the camera focuses far beyond infinty - and this shift seems worst at wide angle. At this point I just make sure I avoid hitting that wall, or if I do I bounce off it quickly.
All this said, the camera works fine for me. I don't tend to shoot at high f/stops, and often will be wide open at +6 or +9db, with focus being checked on either a 17" HDSDI or a 21" HDMI monitor (both with 1920x1080 pixel resolution). Lenses and optics all clean here, so sounds like you've run into some QC issues..

Just an FYI for X180 users, that infinity out of focus issue exists in free spin manual focus as well. The problem with that is that you cannot tell when you have past infinity, as you can with the hard stop, which allows you to back off slightly.

Paul

Here is a demonstration of the focus shift/twittering.......I think twitter is a good word for what it is doing.
I looked to Jesus for help demonstrating the problem. :)

Make sure you watch in 1080p60 for maximum flickerosity.

http://youtu.be/qrgTJTLE_Yo

I hope that this clip demonstrates that I am not just ultra picky when it comes t the gear I buy, but can't accept a professional broadcast device that behaves in this manner, or like the X200. These cameras are not suitable for EFP in my professional opinion. Issues like the clip above would NEVER be accepted by a client paying money for quality footage.

Paul

having followed your trials and tribulations i can fully understand, and sympathize, with your frustration and anger...

it appears everyone connected with 'prosumer' equipment is rushing to get units out the door at such a pace that the 'pro' aspect is pretty much in the realms of hype rather than practicality.

thankfully i'm pretty much out of the broadcast area these days, but i too would certainly be raising a fuss with what you've experienced. unfortunately i don't think anyone at sony is particularly concerned or worried by such problems / bugs just as long as the shelves are cleared before the next model is all to soon released...

I will say this for Sony. Besides the problems which mostly seem to be f/w related or limited, the hardware and functionality is still above and beyond the competition. I couldn't' imagine replacing my X180 with a Panasonic or JVC equivalent.

Paul

i would also agree with you on that observation too.

my ex1 serves me as well as its predecessor, the z5. solid, robust and reliable...

EX1R has been reliable at live events as well for 3 years, only recently has the only major issue been the LCD screen detection switch, but none of the critical electronics have failed, and I bought REFURB at time of purchase!

I don't know what's been wrong with Sony lately. On their cheap consumer gear such as DSLRs, mirrorless cams etc. there have been significant improvements regarding the AF or focus aid systems resulting in faster, more accurate focus with less hunting, overshooting-and-correcting, or pulsating (twittering in Paul's speak) and other anomalies. While on their more expensive or professional gear things have gone backwards in focus/zoom performance and reliability. I remember my Sony FX1 (Z1) HDV cam's focus and zooming were totally reliable in both AF and full servo MF modes with no end stops. Then I had the EX1R with its hybrid lens setup, that operated reliably in all focus modes including the full manual with hard stops. The AF may have been rather slow but that's understandable given the complexity of the hybrid servo lens design. Then these newer, reliability-challenged cameras. Fortunately for me I only works with small Sony handycams and cellphones nowadays!

I still have my EX1R. 1080p 60p came too late for me to consider it in that form factor. I'm skipping straight to 1'' type 4K 60p if and when it comes.

Just got off the phone with a not very friendly Sony tech support person. He didn't even want to see the video clip. Said there is no adjustments that can be made to the back-focus, but said to send it in so they can look it over.

Anyone have any idea how long it takes to get a camera back once you send it in? :(

Paul

I think it differs by country and region, but at least 1 week, possibly longer if parts are needed which they don't have in stock..
Ask for a loaner unit so you can carry on working.
Sony UK are reasonably good...not sure about the US (and different regions)!

In my city we have a Sony Authorized service center which are the same people which helped IFHT make the "How to be a Filmmaker" short. I sent my EX1R to get fixed there.

Happy to report the camera is cleaned and no LCD issues.

Here is another clip of the problem at the worse I have ever experienced it. That is a huge focus shift from just lightly touching the zoom rocker! First half in AF, second half in full manual. :(

http://youtu.be/qJvt3KlkcMU

that's absolutely appalling. sony should be ashamed of selling the camera ;-(

that's absolutely appalling. sony should be ashamed of selling the camera ;-(

I'd agree if I could replicate the zoom rocker problem on my X180, but so far (I've had it for 8 months) I've never experienced that kind of softening from using the zoom rocker. Since my camera doesn't exhibit the problem, my guess is that we should be blaming maintenance/service for not being able to repair the issue. I'd bring the camera in with a copy of the video so they can clearly see the problem.

I've just tried to replicate this too, with the X180 at 18db in manual focus mode and very slow zooms and/or just nudging the zoom rocker and it does not loose focus or shift/twitter.
Maybe you could save and upload your full X180 camera settings (All File save) and I can load them and see if I can replicate it.
I was going to add this potential focus problem as a Con of my upcoming review of this camera, but I'll hold off and maybe add it as an update later if it's confirmed with more than just your camera.

as an addendum to my earlier comment - i was referring to paul's camera in particular - however, there was a lens problem with early releases of the ex1 if i remember correctly, sort with a firmware update?

as suggested i would certainly take camera and footage in to sony and complain...

I'd agree if I could replicate the zoom rocker problem on my X180, but so far (I've had it for 8 months) I've never experienced that kind of softening from using the zoom rocker. Since my camera doesn't exhibit the problem, my guess is that we should be blaming maintenance/service for not being able to repair the issue. I'd bring the camera in with a copy of the video so they can clearly see the problem.

When I had tech support on the phone, they refused to look at my clips on YouTube. I get the feeling they will send it back with a note saying they could not replicate the problem, and stick me with a bum camera.

Paul

Sony finally called about my X180. They said they cannot reproduce any claimed issues, so I sent them the YouTube video link of the SUV with it's butt in the air. They said that is definitely NOT right, most likely a lens issue. I thought it was an LCD issue, but I am not an engineer. :-)

As for the infinity hard stop blur, they claim that doesn't exist, but as i have recorded video from both of my 180's that do that 100% of the time, I will conclude that is a design flaw they will not admit to.

Since my camera has been gone for a few weeks, I bought an HPX600 with 22x lens. :-)

Paul

I had lens issues with my FX1, NX5U and FDR-AX1 when I bought them and Sony changed the lens on all these for me under warranty. I look very carefully now when I get a new Sony and check the lens for all the issues that are important to me in the first few weeks. They all had back focus issues and out of focus points across the frame. New lens solved the problem on all of them. Likely a quality issue rather than basic design I expect.

Ron Evans

It's now been a month since I sent in my X180..........it shows on their website as "repair in progress". I wonder how many months it should normally take to repair something with 50h on it?

Paul