Official Sony S-Log Upgrade Release Bulletin

[Bruce Schultz]

I'm posting this pdf file for any and all who are late to the S-Log upgrade news to provide the official Sony information sheet.

[Dusty Powers]

Thanks Bruce. Contacted Sony Teaneck Service 3 weeks ago and sent all the required info in. They are being very slow about getting back in touch with a ship out order.

[Chuck Fishbein]

Received the following from Teaneck on Friday:
Sir,

Thank you, Sony Electronics has received your inquiry.
At this time, due to unprecedented response from our customers, our supplies have been temporarily depleted.
However, we are currently working towards extending this program and request that you standby for further information within the next 2 weeks. We have added you to our Customer List will contact you shortly with further information. Should you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate to call or send us an email.

[Ron Aerts]

And here in europe we're still waiting what's going to happen....
I contacted my supplier in The Netherlands. They are working on it. I don't want to miss this chance.

[Bruce Schultz]

I had both of my F3's done last week at Sony Service Center in Glendale (LA), CA. I dropped them off on Friday afternoon and got them back Wednesday morning. Others have posted that Teaneck, NJ does them in one day.

I don't understand the "out of stock" concept at all. When I did an earlier install of the S-Log update from SxS card it took all of 1 minute to finish as the update is apparently already installed on the camera and the SxS card process merely validates it in the camera. Anyway, I might be wrong about that but it doesn't stand to reason that Sony would go out of stock on a software patch - I don't get that at all.

My condolences to our cousins across the pond, and hope that Sony gets it's Euro act on the road real soon. S-Log makes the F3 into an entirely different camera. Having used Reds and Alexas I have to say it's a hair's breath away from Alexa's dynamic range and in low light it is flat out astonishing.

Dusty, if you want to send them to LA instead of NJ contact Edgar at LAservice@am.sony.com or call them.

[Thierry Humeau]

It's basically just a camera software upgrade but I think we are witnessing the typical big corporation overhead with tons of loops to jumps to make something simple happen.

[Doug Jensen]

Sony USA operates as a totally separate company from Sony Japan. Anything they sell, they first have to buy from Japan. This even includes equipment protypes and demo cameras that can't even be resold to cusotmers because they aren't finished products. Everything that crosses the Pacific must be paid for.

So, even though you think the S-LOG upgrade is a just a software change, I'm sure Sony USA still has to buy the licenses or whatever from Japan. Until that is done, they have nothing to sell, even though it is not a physical product. Sony USA can't sell licenses it does not own.

Thierry is absolutely correct that the big corporation overhead and tons of loops to jump through makes quick action impossible.

I'm not defending it, just offering some insight.

[Dusty Powers]

Thanks Bruce. I will make the call to LA. Doug, I know Sony has their own way of doing things. Just hope they don't leave anyone out on the list for the upgrade.

[George Griswold]

One thing is certain: if there is an easy way and a hard way to do something Sony will choose the hard way. Would it have been easier just to send the SxS cards out to people for $899? Yes. What is it costing Sony to have techs service each one of these cameras for the upgrade?

I had to call Teaneck 3 times and get a Sony rep involved just to get an email saying I am on some sort of list. Just a weird way to run a railroad.

[George Griswold]

S-Log upgrade will be available Mid-March as a shipping item... the SxS card for $899 from your reseller of choice. No need to send the camera in for the S-Log promotion. The response to the offer exceeded their wildest expectations. Better for everyone.

[Leonard Levy]

Originally Posted by George Griswold

S-Log upgrade will be available Mid-March as a shipping item... the SxS card for $899 from your reseller of choice. No need to send the camera in for the S-Log promotion. The response to the offer exceeded their wildest expectations. Better for everyone.

"Better for everyone"?'?? So does that mean if you wait till mid march to take advantage of Sony's latest confusion, you now get a free SxS card for your $899 as opposed to those of us who paid for shipping and get no card? The smallest SxS card on B&H website is now 32G for $450. Guess I should have waited for 3 weeks.

I continue to shake my head at what ever is going on in corporate HQ in that company. This is the most screwed up product upgrade I've ever seen. At least I didn't get clipped for $3750 in January.

As annoyed as I've been with Sony policy from the beginning over the s-Log pricing I do want to say that my experience with Sony repair in LA has been absolutely fabulous. Twice they repaired the hinge on my F3 flip out viewfinder as a warranty item and they recently fixed a handle on my EX-1 that was long out of warranty because it had begun separating from the body. Again treated as a warranty repair because they considered it a recurrent problem. Fast, efficient, helpful and personable.

Kudos to Stephen Gill and his team.

[David C. Williams]

I think this corporate confusion originated in Sony US with them jumping the gun on a planned world wide promotion.

[George Griswold]

[QUOTE=Leonard Levy;1718830]"Better for everyone"?'?? So does that mean if you wait till mid march to take advantage of Sony's latest confusion, you now get a free SxS card for your $899 as opposed to those of us who paid for shipping and get no card? The smallest SxS card on B&H website is now 32G for $450. Guess I should have waited for 3 weeks."

Hi Leonard, this whole thing has been a mess for lots of people. I can understand your frustration. In an attempt to bring the F3 up to the C300 they irked all the users who paid $4K for the initial S-Log software card, then many who sent in their cameras for the $899. The rebates for the $4K people didn't really hit the mark. I hope some lessons have been learned....

I never understood the logic of Sony making products with features that needed software keys to use them. I have a Sony PDW-700 XDCAM-HD camera with the 24P "option" and the SD "option" both cost serious money. Later they slashed the price of the 24P software and everyone else jumped in.

When they roll out a new F3 type camera with a real viewfinder that records 50Mbps to the SxS card we can all pile on. Buy early, make your money!