Lens noise and focus problem thread

west_matta

west_matta

Active member
I feel there needs to be a ssingle thread in regards to this issue made for DVXusers who own a Panasonic HVX or are looking to buy one.
there is information scattered all over this thread in relation to this issue so im hoping to get everyone together and discuss it in one place. (easier to search for)

A number of months ago i discovered my camera was making a grinding noise and the focus kept changing even though i had it on manual. At that time i only found a couple people who had the same problem, now when i visit this site im seeing far to many.

For me i sent mine to a Panasonic repair centre who charged me about $130/hour to clean it out and re lubricate the mechanical parts. He told me my camera was filled with sand and grit which didnt suprise me because i spend my days filming on the beach. What did suprise me was how easy the sand got in there.

I have not had problems since, but i now always slip a Tshirt or some kind of cover over my camera to protect it.

My problem was easy fixed but im reading about people getting the entire lens assemblys replaced then finding its still making grinding noises etc.
On one of the threads user TedRR mentioned,

"FWIW, I heard that the Sony EX1 is extremely bad about allowing dirt and dust to get between the components. Bad enough that people doing a lot of action stuff have avoided it or regreted the purchase."

Does HVX have the same issue??

On another thread someone mentioned they accidentaly turned the zoom ring while it was set to servo and it now makes the grinding noise and upsets the focus.

THESE ARE MAJOR ISSUES
member 'tallrd' has contacted higher ranking panasonic technicians and made them aware of this but potential buyers and owners need to know whats happening so they are prepared to buy a cover or whatever need be to stop these issues happening.

i hope this thread is appreciated!!! if not....remove it
thanks,
 
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I sent my camera for repair for this very same reason last wednesday. I was told that it was due to a faulty lens and that the whole lens assembly will have to be replaced............WHAT? its a brand new $5000 camera, what do you mean faulty? My cam is still under warranty so the price isnt a problem I I am now worried, due to your post, that I will get my camera back and I will still have that "grinding" noise problem. The electronics place I sent mine to is supposed to be shipping my camera back to me on monday so I will def. let you know what happened. I spent $110 to ship my camera, if I get it back still messed up I am going to be really pissed!
 
I have this problem with my HVX200A as well. I've also seen this problem reported in this thread - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=189315 - as well as on another forum - http://www.b-roll.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-24205.html.

I sent my camera to Roscor. The technician told me he has another HVX200A undergoing repair for the same problem. He quoted me $750 for a lens replacement and about $200 for labor. I called Panasonic Broadcast Service Facilities (Eastern Region) at 201-348-7975. The technician told me he'd seen the problem a few times before and quoted me a price similar to Roscor.

Here's the rub: I think a camera that is less than two years old and has been professionally handled (padded cases, no hard knocks, etc.) should not be exhibiting this problem. It seems to me, and to the Roscor technician, that this is an intermittent defect in production in the flat film cable around the lens. I explained this to the Panasonic technician, who had the opinion that buying a camera with a one-out-of-a-thousand defect was just my "bad luck." I'll now have to move up the Panasonic chain to try to get the company to stand behind their product if it's shown to have a defect, even after the one-year warranty has expired. Not an enviable task, but neither is shelling out $1000.

I encourage everyone who has this problem with their camera - or any problem, for that matter - to post it online. It makes it easier for people who buy the rare bad apple to present a case to the company for fixing the defective cameras free of cost, regardless of warranty time limits.
 
Here's an update on what turned out to be undoubtedly the most time-consuming and frustrating repair I've ever had to deal with. I contacted a Panasonic manager on the West Coast and explained my situation. He offered to cut the price of the lens in half, saying Panasonic wants to stand behind their parts. Not a bad deal. However, I was still waiting for word back from the East Coast. Finally a higher-up manager on the East Coast told me Panasonic would ship a new lens to Roscor for no cost. That was awesome, all I had to pay for was the labor at Roscor, which was $200. At this point my camera had been sitting at Roscor for two weeks while the problem was being diagnosed and I was calling multiple people at Panasonic. I was told the lens would ship within a week. A week went by and it didn't ship. I called and left a message with the manager. No response. Repeat that for five days - every day I leave a message or email, but get no response. Finally the manager calls me and says there was an error and they can't trace the shipped lens so they will ship a new one tomorrow. Great. Only they didn't. Another two days of phone messages and then I'm told that no lens shipped, but one will definitely ship tomorrow. I have shoots booked that are coming up so I ask if I can please pay for the lens to be shipped overnight. The manager says don't worry, Panasonic will pay for it to be shipped overnight. Awesome, thank you. Only they didn't, they shipped it ground. And then UPS mis-routed it. So by the time it finally got to Roscor, I had to pay $70 more for them to expedite it (Charlie at Roscor Michigan is a saint), and then had them ship it Fed Ex overnight. Arrived yesterday, shot today. Stress over.

So it was awesome of Panasonic to give me a new lens ($750 value) for no cost. That's huge. What would have saved me tons of stress and about $300 in camera rentals and expedited services, is if they would have been better on communication, both with me and between their departments. Moral of the story: BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.
 
Is this only with the HVX not the HPX?

My HPX has me a bit worried. When I manual focus on a shallow-er subject (say below MF 50) the focus will go up and down by about 1 or two numbers (say 15-17-15-17) before it finally settles at 17.... It makes a VERY slight "focus motor noise". This isn't a huge issue by any means, it let's me focus; it just jumps a few tiny numbers while setting focus. Maybe I'm just being a huge worry bird.........
 
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I assume you mean an HPX170. When you focus manually, there should be no "hunting" by the lens motor. And once you release the focus ring, the focus setting should not drift. If you're sure you don't have any auto settings engaged, I would contact Panasonic and have them look at the camera while it's still under warranty.

By the way, just found out my camera is NOT fixed. I'm experiencing a back focus-like issue now: zoom in, set focus, zoom out - and whoops, the subject is now out of focus. Plus the focus distance is extremely inaccurate. For a subject that is 50 feet away, I have to set the focus to 26 feet. Charlie at Roscor Michigan did not do a thorough focus test before sending the camera back to me, so now the camera is going back to him to be worked on under their 90-day warranty. EXTREMELY frustrating. I've been dealing with this issue for months now, and my confidence in Panasonic lens electronics is shaken. Don't know yet if the problem is with the lens, a simple back-focus adjustment, or if something is wrong with the computer board.
 
FIXED IT. Apparently there's an option in the camera menu's to have "MF Assist". It was switched to "ON" so I tried switching it to "OFF"......wala my problem is fixed. Yours appears wo be a different issue it seems but why not try it anyways.

I hope your camera gets fixed man! Good luck with the repairs.......
 
I'm also having this problem. Not sure if my HVX is even worth fixing at this point. I only occasionally encounter the problem (AF motor engaging of its own accord) and I'm really not sure that the camera will make me another $1000 in rentals. I'm not really bitter because I've squeezed every drop of life and money out of this machine, but at the same time... I don't know. Thoughts?
 
My thought is that a 1-year warranty on a $5000 camera is not cool. Panasonic has, however, stepped up to the plate with me and replaced the lens TWICE even though the camera is out of warranty. In my case, even replacing the lens did not fix the focus issue (it did fix the AF motor engaging on its own). Now Panasonic is replacing the camera with another used one. Note though that I pushed hard with Panasonic, contacting the heads of repair on both coasts and dealing with many frustrations. This process has taken over six months and is not done. I think Panasonic is as frustrated as I am at this point, and I have heard that they are rejecting other owners with the same problem looking for a free repair. I feel that if there are defective lenses out there, and the problem arises within 2-3 years, they should be fixed at no cost, but I don't run Panasonic. A friend of mine had the same lens problem and it was solved by a lens replacement. So a lens replacement ($1000) seems to be the minimum fix, but it's no guarantee of a fix (it does come with a 90-day warranty though). You'll have to decide if the cost is worth it. If you don't need a tape drive, an HPX170 apparently has a five year warranty upon registration. And my AF-100 has a three year warranty.
 
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