Feedback/Opinions From Current EX3 Users

[Alister Chapman]

If your EX3 has focus problems then as soon as the firmware is available they will fix it for free, exactly as they have done with those early EX1's that have back focus or battery drain issues.

Unfortunately there are some EX1 users that feel short changed by Sony because they wont give them the upgrade that adds the ability to use non approved memory cards for free. If your camera is working correctly then Sony charge a modest fee for the upgrade firmware, which IMHO is fair. As I keep saying, if your camera isn't working "as advertised" then it will be fixed FOC. The EX3 focus issue is quite rare, given the number of users, only a few people that have suffered from it and re starting the camera cures it. If you need the camera now then buy it now.

[Brian Cassar]

I've been following this thread and the other one specifically on the the loss of focus of the EX3. Is this problem in all units? I've been using mine for about 2 months and have never encountered it but my work consists of very short takes but entails that the camera remains on for at least 2 hours at a stretch. I use it for ENG work.

Is it the lenght of time that the camera remains on or is it the lenght of time that the camera remains recording that causes this problem?

[Kellen Dengler]

Originally Posted by Andy Stone

Given that the firmware update has been released in some quarters. I would wait either wait a few weeks or negotiate with the shop you are buying from to have them pick up the tab on the firmware update assuming you are doing this locally. Maybe Sony will do the firmware update for free if you buy the camera after a certain date. Do you know the phone number of your local Sony service depot for professional products?

I was planning on buying from B&H as I've found the best deal from thema nd have had great success and trust with them over the years. I was then going to purchase the extended warranty option through Sony directly.

It sounds like I should be OK though on the FirmWare as I will likely be making my purchase in late Feb, possibly March.

Sorry to keep jumping back, but can someone clarify to me why in the overview video I saw about the EX3 and the lenses that he was using a Letus? I thought having a removable lens option would allow you to connect lenses directly, or maybe with the use of a connection adapter? Does this only allow for 1/2" lenses? Do Sony cameras have a direct adapter that allows for Canon/Nikon etc 35mm lenses without the use of a Letus/M2/Brevis?

[David Heath]

Originally Posted by Kellen Dengler

I thought having a removable lens option would allow you to connect lenses directly, or maybe with the use of a connection adapter? Does this only allow for 1/2" lenses?

It's a question of angle of view. Put a lens designed for a 35mm still camera onto such as an EX with a simple adaptor, and the angle of view will be much tighter than the same lens on a 35mm camera due to the the much smaller sensor. That could be an advantage for such as wildlife filming.

Use a more complicated adaptor and the angle of view is maintained.

[Marc Myers]

So long as the model number does not change, everyone who has a device should have the capabilities of the most recent iteration of that device. Certainly some folks would like to be able to use less expensive media but how about the user that wants to use the external disk memory? Should they pay an early-adopter tax to use a new product designed expressly for their camera? Free firmware upgrades is standard practice for most electronics.
That said, I think Sony may be as concerned about botched firmware upgrades as anything else. Why else annoy your customers? Putting a patch on the internet cost nothing.

[Alister Chapman]

A patch is a patch, but with the EX you must completely erase the cameras entire operating system to upgrade the firmware. If something goes wrong with the update you end up with nothing more than a fancy bit of plastic that you can't even turn on and because you can't turn it on you can't re install the firmware. Why should Sony (or any other software developer or manufacturer) give away software development? They have had to pay the engineers, developers and testers. They don't work for free, I'm sure you don't work for free.

What if you made a video, which initially your client was perfectly happy with. Then for the next client you use you some different captions or graphics yet charge the same price. Then the original client comes back and says "hey he had better captions than I had, you should re-edit my video for free". Would that seem fair to you?

Sony are a business, not a videography charity. The EX cameras are remarkable value for the money. I am sure years of research, testing, prototypes and development by very skilled engineers and specialists went into the EX cameras. All of this costs money. To survive and develop new cameras sony (like any manufacturer) must recoup these costs. When you buy a camera your not just paying for the materials and the manufacturing but also for the research and development. Without the R&D, cameras such as the EX, HD100, HVX200 would be nothing more than dreams.