Steve

I can confim my camera has the issue in the top right and left corners. Also when fully zoomed tight is can see a more of a cirlce than at the two top corners. I will post pics as soon as my edit system is open.

Chuck

I just spoke to the Sony techs - they took my info and gave me a reference number. They told me they were referring this to Japan and would call when they had an answer.

They said that they could not duplicate the issue on their test camera. I told them the general guidelines for revealing the problem - "deep" focus, wide open stop etc.

They seemed concerned and helpful and they told me they owed me a phone call, when they knew more. They also asked me to email a screen grab, which I will do.

I went to my dealer today and played with their display camera.

I went through the test as Steven had posted and YES their display camera has the vignette issue.

In this case they had a solid grey carpet I aimed at. It looked very obvious to me. I saw it on the upper left and right but it seemed more severe on the right.

OK. Here's what I got. #68... Looks like it has it at the end of the zoom.

The more I see it the nastier it looks.

I know corporations don’t think logically but wouldn't the smart move by the sony techs you spoke with, given they were unable to replicate the problem, be to swap their camera for yours?

Im more worried about finding the truth as to what’s causing this problem - is it something simple? Can they fix it or worse...is it something they fix but suddenly appears again months later?

Either way its not good for consumer confidence in what otherwise looks to be a killer camera.

Are you saying 80mm ?

That's odd.

looks like they are going to have a massive headache if this many people have the problem.

if it's something fundamental like design flaw it will cost them a fortune to get all the cameras back.

Looks like they should have used a 3/7th inch sensor instead of 1/2 ;).

All joking aside, I bet they try to fix the problem by effectively cropping the picture inside the camera.

Cropping might now be enough; nobody seems to notice that apart from the corner vignetting (black), the picture area is not evently bright (darker near the edges / corners).

I'm guessing the lens just doesn't have a wide enough coverage. Distinct vignetting at the corners and fall-off towards the edges...

Perhaps this is how they're setting it apart from the (more expensive) F330, etc.?

Doesn't matter what you pay for a lens, they all vignette the image into the corners and wide apertures really show it up. Strangely enough they've given us a simple tool for checking this out: the zebras. Evenly lit surface, wide open aperture, zebras turned on to whatever setting you like. Notice how the center is 1.5 stops brighter than the edges. F/4 evens it up a lot.

tom..

Tom, you're probably right - were it not for the distinct corner vignetting, the brightness fall-off could probably get away unnoticed...

Probably right Piotr? Probably?? big grin.

Yes, of course - you're right. And yes, it becomes strikingly obvious when you film a large, flat, evenly-lit colour (which is generally not how the world presents itself).

(and like Piotr says - it only got noticed in the first place 'cause there's distinct corner vignetting)

This vignetting problem is a headache for those with compact point 'n' shoot digi-still cameras who want to shoot panoramas and have them stitched together by the computer. The pictures often have a sort of sine wave of exposure that fluctuates along the panorama. All down to natural vignetting.