Servicing the camera

[Spike Spiegel]

Hi, i' mplanning to service my vx2k, but am not sure who to contact for this. I googled around, but no go, also searched this forum briefly...
Should i contact Sony or get it serviced through a 3rd party company? Any one have any contact info? Muchly appreciated

ps, what are some of the things they do to the camera when you have it serviced?

[Tom Hardwick]

Whooh - what makes you think your camera actually needs a service Spike? What faults has it been exhibiting? What are you going to ask the service department to do?

If you've been using it on the beech in the sea spray fair enough, and using it to make a film about iron ore smelting may mean it needs a look at, but if you've done a few weddings and parties and so on I'd leave well alone.

The money you'll spend on shipping, insurance, 'service' and hassle could well go towards another 2nd hand VX2000. That way you'd have backup as well as peace of mind.

I've said it before and will say it again, but of course this is only my view.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The more I read about car servicing the more this seems to apply to them as
well.

You've got to think of the realities of a PD/VX service. The highly
trained, skilled, dedicated, white-coated Sony technician works in a cool,
clean, quiet laboratory. He's youngish so that he has excellent eyesight,
yet old enough to have had lots of experience. He's just returned from the
latest Sony update course and he's very well paid.

His worktop is clear of junk, cleaned regularly, and he neither drinks
coffee or smokes anywhere near your opened up PD150. His tools accurately
fit, his diagnostic programs have all been tested and he looks forward to
the morning when he can open up your camera for a proper service. He knows he's good at his job and knows that although it's an expensive service your camera will leave his desk rejuvenated, relubed, retensioned and above all tested. You'll get a certificate to prove it. You'll also get your
original battery, strap, UV and v'finder surround returned.

Your camera will then be passed to the post and packing department where
it'll be gently handled by dedicated, intelligent, caring staff. You'll get
it back inside the week and you'll be delighted. You won't notice any
difference of course, but then you simply sent the camera in for a service,
not to have repair work done on it.

Now go through that little story and tell me how much of it is likely to be
true. I reckon you'd be better off buying yourself a backup. All
cameras fail in time - of that there can be no doubt. Working conditions
play a major part, but life expectancy is also governed by simple factors
such as hours used. There's a lot of mechanical whirrings and spinnings and
movings going on inside a Mini DV camcorder, and every time they perform
they wear out a little bit more.

It's the law of the land.

tom.

[Boyd Ostroff]

As always, Tom makes some excellent points. However, FWIW, you can get info on Sony service here:

http://eservice.sony.com/webrma/web/index.do

[Spike Spiegel]

Hey Tom, thanks for that insight! Besides seeing the spray of the sea in Puri (west bengal), its been less than a foot away from 300degree + tandoors (ovens) in restaurants around Delhi for a show. The record button thats by the thumb makes the camera stop and restart occassionaly, the cameras operated at 100F+ temperatures for hours at a time (no tape errors however! while the canon kept spitting tapes out in the heat!!)
Its just weird quirks like that i think the camera needs to be serviced for. Its seen a lot of things and has never had it's heads cleaned, etc. Thats why i was contemplating a service, but i'll think twice now. Thanks for the link Boyd.

[Jeff Wilson]

My suggestion is you might want to contact one of your local TV stations, or a local university with a broadcast school, and see who they send their cameras to for service. That is how I found the company who services my cameras.