Opinions on NX5 failure...

[Dave Luda]

All,

I just sold my almost brand new condition NX5U on ebay 2 days ago. I packed it like I was sending a new born baby through the mail. The buyer just contacted me today and states that as soon as he powered it up it made a "grinding noise" and would not focus. I thought at first he was just hearing the servo but he said they have other NX5's so he was surprised. He said the LCD flashed an error code (I'm waiting on a response at to what the code was). He also stated that he contacted Sony and was told that it was a "drive, servo, send unit failure" and it would have to be sent in for repair.

I have no reason not to believe the buyer and I plan to refund his money and get the NX5 sent in for repair and try to sell it locally. I just purchased the 5D MK II so who knows I may even keep the NX5. Anyway with all the travel on airplanes I've done with the NX5, lugging that thing around outdoors, it just amazes me that it could get damaged through the mail (with NO damage to the box what so ever per the buyer).

I'm sure Sony will charge me a finger or two to repair, I'm just frustrated over the fact that it failed in this scenario and also concerned if I am getting dooped, again I shouldn't feel that way but it's in the back of my mind.


I'm just curious what anyone else here thinks about this whole deal.

regards,
Dave

Just heard from the buyer he thinks the error code was either "C3260" or "C3230"...he left the camera at his office and will confirm in the morning.

[Justin Hewitt]

hi.

i just sold an FX1 and had to post it via the parcel mail,
I went to a reasonable level to package it, bubble wraps, air pillows, etc. But it is a fearful time until it gets to the target and they report back that all is fine. Fortunately in my case the buyer reported all was well and was delighted with the condition.

In your case, the unit may have suffered some repeated precussion during transport that has caused the injury or tipped an existing (dormant) issue over the edge.

Did you have the option to post with insurance ?

[Chris Adeyefa]

Since he has several other NX5's make sure to check the serial number when u get it back because who knows maybe he tried to pull a fast one on you and return one of his prior defective units. Just something to keep in mind. You never know these days.

By the way how much did you sell it for on ebay? I'm planning on selling mine aswell within the next couple of weeks.

[Dave Luda]

Thanks Chris, I thought of that too. I don't get that impression from talking to the buyer but I will check the serial/body. In any case I'm out around $230 in ebay/paypal fees and shipping plus what ever it costs to fix it. I sold it for $3650 but I also included 2 SDHC cards, a spare battery and a case. Oh and I had a root canal today...ain't life grand :)

Thanks for the feedback fellas!!!

[Michael Liebergot]

Dave, just so you know if the servo is bad in the lens, then you will most likely have to replace the entire lens assembly.

The reason is that fro cameras with dedicated lenses, Sony doesn't usually sell parts for the lens, only the lens assembly itself. And they aren't cheap.

I found this out a few years back with a lens repair to one of my old FX1s.

This might have changed in recent years, but most likely not.

If it's still not, then that really really sucks.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Dave -
Check serial #'s, just in case - eBay has been a playground for scams more than it used to be, unlikely with something like this, but better safe than sorry.

Ask your buyer to do a mutual cancellation (you initiate/send it, he just has to agree, which he should if he's a decent guy), that will allow you to get the Final Value Fees removed from your bill/account (not listing fees though, just FVF). Also be sure to refund from the original PayPal transaction so their fee is also returned (I think they still take a small processing fee on the return, but you'll still be better off!).

If the camera was sent insured you could look into filing with the carrier - while there may not be any immediately obvious external damage, ask the buyer for good pictures of ALL sides of the box - look for scuffs or indicators it was "tossed" around.

Keep in mind with any claim, the shipper needs to examine the original packing materials BEFORE it's thrown out/and/or sent back, so you need to do that ASAP, especially if your buyer wants to return, not repair, and in this case I'd expect that.

Normally for shipping damage you would expect to see some damage to the box, BUT they do sometimes toss things around, and if that happened, it would be entirely possible that under just the "wrong" circumstance, this damage occurred in shipping - let's say a driver or loader in a hurry dropped the box flat a couple of feet - the G force could easily "realign" your lens assembly, and wouldn't show on the box AT ALL!

Depending on the amount (try to get an estimate from Sony - should be able to do it online IIRC), the shipper may be unwilling, but if the camera was AOK on shipment, and DOA immediately out of the box, the probability is that SOMETHING happened while in the shippers posession, and this is what you pay insurance for (you did pay insurance, right?).

Damage in shipping is a pain to deal with, but hopefully my suggestions will help you process it at a minimal loss, aside from the hassle. As long as your buyer is reasonable and co-operates (presenting the camera and package for inspection usually is within a day or two), everything should work out.

You didn't mention which carrier you shipped with, or the insurance purchased, that can make the claimp process fairly painless, or a nightmare (once took me 9 months to get USPS to pay out on a penetrated box case... UPS is generally fast and easy).

Good luck!

[Dave Blackhurst]

Oh yeah, post the error code once you know it for sure - I don't have the service manual for the NX, but the error codes are fairly universal - should be able to look up what the error code signifies if you can't find it online.

[Dave Luda]

Dave thanks sooo much for all the valuable info. Going through Ebay/Paypal so I should recoup most of the fees. Buyer is shipping it back to me first so I can confirm everything and then I will refund the money.

The code was C32:60 Seems to be a focusing mechanism failure. Interesting while searching the net for this code how many times I saw the statement "my camera fell off my tripod". really? :)

Also I just got off the phone w/ Sony and I am being told they will repair it under warranty, I just have to ship it to Jersey. I know that remains to be seen but that is what the Sony rep said. I can only keep my fingers crossed.


Shipping was USPS and was insured. Buyer said the box didn't have a scratch on it. I'm not going to bother with USPS. Things seem to be shaping up....I'm beginning to believe in Karma :)

[Dave Luda]

Just a follow up on this: I did get the camera back from the buyer and it was indeed my camera, it did have an error code and would not focus. I sent it to Sony for repairs and got it back today with a new lense assembly. Works perfectly, I even notice that the servos aren't nearly as loud as they were before so maybe there was an underlying problem. Anyhoo I was able to recover almost all my fees and Sony did the repair under warranty even though the year was up. Thanks to everyone for the very valuable feedback!

[Chris Barcellos]

Wow what a great story.....something turning up roses for once....