Vignette problem

Sebastien Thomas · March 7th, 2008, 10:14 AM

I'm not sure I understand...

Do you mean you are not focused when you are set "near infinity" ?
Do you have the ND1 on your 2nd shoot ?

Please, give more detail so I can have a try tomorrow.
My feelings are (from last week-end shooting of Bird Of Prey) you can't rely on zoming in, focus, zoom out at your desired frame. Like if the focus ring was not linear accurate with the zoom.

The strange thing is you don't have a focus point anywhere on picture 1...

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 10:34 AM

Sebastien,
I´m perfectly focused when I zoom in and the focus is near "infinity". What I wanted to say is that I´m not fully at the infinity stop of the lens when the picture is sharp, but thats normal.
ND is ON at both pictures, the only difference on the second picture is that I turned the focus to the 0,8 meter stop, which can´t be correct...

If you want to check your camera:

ND On (you can use ND1 or ND2)
Aperture set to f1,9
zoom in and focus on something very far away
zoom out and check your picture - if its still sharp you are lucky!

If its out of focus - turn the focus to 0,8 meter and check if it is sharp now.

There is no excuse if the lens does not work correctly. The camera is unusable if this does not work as it should. Even the cheapest cameras work correctly. For me this is an absolutely basic function for any camera lens, how else could one get a perfect on spot focus, and the funny thing is that it works with the ND OFF so one should be able to rely on the zoom in/zoom out method.
My original camera was shipped from Sony support today and I should have it back by monday - hopefully its really fixed and does not have this problem as well. I could live with a slight vignette but not with the backfocus issue.

Steven Thomas · March 7th, 2008, 10:45 AM

Gerald, let us know how it works out.

Dennis Joseph · March 7th, 2008, 11:06 AM

From speaking with Sony and other vendors they are pretty much guaranteeing that the backfocus and vignetting issue is done with. Anyone who purchases an EX from here on out is 99% safe according to the feedback i'm getting.

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:16 AM

my camera arrived at my dealer only 3 weeks ago...
does Sony officially recognize the backfocus problem?

Dennis Joseph · March 7th, 2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerald Loidl

my camera arrived at my dealer only 3 weeks ago...
does Sony officially recognize the backfocus problem?

Good question. When I was asking them about the issues at hand I bundled the problems together so I would say "Vignetting and backfocus" instead of just focusing on 1. But from my understanding the backfocus issue is not really a big problem since you can adjust it yourself with the focus chart? I heard that it was happening because of camera movement during delivery. Correct me if I'm wrong. Plus the units being sold now are at serial number 6,000! I have not seen anyone here with a s/n over 2,000.

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:22 AM

good idea!
The first thing I did when my camera arrived, was to check for vignetting...
After all I´ve seen, I would not buy this camera again... I hope this attitude will change, should I ever get my hands on a perfect working EX1.
More on monday when mine is back from repair.

Dennis Joseph · March 7th, 2008, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerald Loidl

good idea!
The first thing I did when my camera arrived, was to check for vignetting...
After all I´ve seen, I would not buy this camera again... I hope this attitude will change, should I ever get my hands on a perfect working EX1.
More on monday when mine is back from repair.

I dont understand why they dont just replace yours and send you one from the new stock t hat is supposidly "perfect"

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Joseph

Good question. When I was asking them about the issues at hand I bundled the problems together so I would say "Vignetting and backfocus" instead of just focusing on 1. But from my understanding the backfocus issue is not really a big problem since you can adjust it yourself with the focus chart? I heard that it was happening because of camera movement during delivery. Correct me if I'm wrong. Plus the units being sold now are at serial number 6,000! I have not seen anyone here with a s/n over 2,000.

You can do a backfocus adjustment with the focus chart, but it does not change anything regarding the ND1&2 filters, its a different issue as the backfocus is spot on without the ND. So it is a huge problem ;-)
I did the backfocus adjustment procedure with ND on and ND off but it did not solve my problem. Mine had a serial number above 4,000.

Dennis Joseph · March 7th, 2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerald Loidl

You can do a backfocus adjustment with the focus chart, but it does not change anything regarding the ND1&2 filters, its a different issue as the backfocus is spot on without the ND. So it is a huge problem ;-)
I did the backfocus adjustment procedure with ND on and ND off but it did not solve my problem. Mine had a serial number above 4,000.

The serial number scheme is different here in North America I believe. So if you were to summarize the issue with the ND filter what would it be exaclty so I can call up Sony and see what they are doing about it.

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Joseph

I dont understand why they dont just replace yours and send you one from the new stock t hat is supposidly "perfect"

That´s what I will ask them on Monday if mine is not returned perfect! They were not very helpful on the phone so far and Sony support for Europe is located in France - about 1.400 km from me - so bringing it in and showing them the problem is not an option ;-)

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Joseph

The serial number scheme is different here in North America I believe. So if you were to summarize the issue with the ND filter what would it be exaclty so I can call up Sony and see what they are doing about it.

with ND on and aperture wide open, you can´t zoom in, focus to a far away spot, zoom out and get a clear picture (see my screenshots). Wide shots with ND on are only in focus if you turn the focus to 0,8 meters - so you have to shoot landscapes for example with focus set to 0.8 meters. Without ND it works perfectly as it should.

Dustin Carpio · March 7th, 2008, 11:44 AM

I must have gotten lucky. I haven't experienced any of the problems that so many have had on this thread and my camera was bought in January. I do see a tiny vignette in some of my footage, but nothing that's noticeable and it seems to be only at certain zoom lengths. I've been trying to get my camera to show the problems I hear about on this forum, but beyond the small vignette in the upper left hand corner at some zoom lengths, it's fine.

Hopefully Sony will honor the warranties longer then 90 days, because cameras with focus and vignette problems are lemons.

Dennis Joseph · March 7th, 2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerald Loidl

with ND on and aperture wide open, you can´t zoom in, focus to a far away spot, zoom out and get a clear picture (see my screenshots). Wide shots with ND on are only in focus if you turn the focus to 0,8 meters - so you have to shoot landscapes for example with focus set to 0.8 meters. Without ND it works perfectly as it should.

hmm I think I may have to address this issue. Is it just a few people who are having this problem or a good number?

Gerald Loidl · March 7th, 2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis Joseph

hmm I think I may have to address this issue. Is it just a few people who are having this problem or a good number?

I know about 12 people who have posted this problem so far, and I guess there are many more who did not post about it or did not even notice.

March 7th, 2008, 11:44 AM	#583
Dustin Carpio New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 20	I must have gotten lucky. I haven't experienced any of the problems that so many have had on this thread and my camera was bought in January. I do see a tiny vignette in some of my footage, but nothing that's noticeable and it seems to be only at certain zoom lengths. I've been trying to get my camera to show the problems I hear about on this forum, but beyond the small vignette in the upper left hand corner at some zoom lengths, it's fine. Hopefully Sony will honor the warranties longer then 90 days, because cameras with focus and vignette problems are lemons. __________________ www.dustincarpio.com www.fourthorns.com

March 7th, 2008, 10:14 AM	#571
Sebastien Thomas Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Paris, France Posts: 210	I'm not sure I understand... Do you mean you are not focused when you are set "near infinity" ? Do you have the ND1 on your 2nd shoot ? Please, give more detail so I can have a try tomorrow. My feelings are (from last week-end shooting of Bird Of Prey) you can't rely on zoming in, focus, zoom out at your desired frame. Like if the focus ring was not linear accurate with the zoom. The strange thing is you don't have a focus point anywhere on picture 1...

March 7th, 2008, 10:34 AM	#572
Gerald Loidl Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Austria Posts: 122	Sebastien, I´m perfectly focused when I zoom in and the focus is near "infinity". What I wanted to say is that I´m not fully at the infinity stop of the lens when the picture is sharp, but thats normal. ND is ON at both pictures, the only difference on the second picture is that I turned the focus to the 0,8 meter stop, which can´t be correct... If you want to check your camera: ND On (you can use ND1 or ND2) Aperture set to f1,9 zoom in and focus on something very far away zoom out and check your picture - if its still sharp you are lucky! If its out of focus - turn the focus to 0,8 meter and check if it is sharp now. There is no excuse if the lens does not work correctly. The camera is unusable if this does not work as it should. Even the cheapest cameras work correctly. For me this is an absolutely basic function for any camera lens, how else could one get a perfect on spot focus, and the funny thing is that it works with the ND OFF so one should be able to rely on the zoom in/zoom out method. My original camera was shipped from Sony support today and I should have it back by monday - hopefully its really fixed and does not have this problem as well. I could live with a slight vignette but not with the backfocus issue.

March 7th, 2008, 10:45 AM	#573
Steven Thomas Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,896	Gerald, let us know how it works out.

March 7th, 2008, 11:06 AM	#574
Dennis Joseph Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 206	From speaking with Sony and other vendors they are pretty much guaranteeing that the backfocus and vignetting issue is done with. Anyone who purchases an EX from here on out is 99% safe according to the feedback i'm getting.

March 7th, 2008, 11:16 AM	#575
Gerald Loidl Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Austria Posts: 122	my camera arrived at my dealer only 3 weeks ago... does Sony officially recognize the backfocus problem?

March 7th, 2008, 11:22 AM	#577
Gerald Loidl Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Austria Posts: 122	good idea! The first thing I did when my camera arrived, was to check for vignetting... After all I´ve seen, I would not buy this camera again... I hope this attitude will change, should I ever get my hands on a perfect working EX1. More on monday when mine is back from repair.