PMW EX1 life span

P

Peteyb

New member
Hi Dvxuser peeps

I'm getting a second hand EX1 for £2900 which has had just under 500 hours of use and a light drop as indicated by the microphone holder coming off.

Basically I was wondering if this is still a smart purchase or if its going to suddenly stop working on me. I hear 500 hours isn't much for a semi pro camcorder. Plus of course being solid state a drop wouldn't be to worrying.

Still has 6 months of Sony silver support and I can extend that by another year as well. Bought from UK creative video.

Would like to hear your input.

Thanks!
 
The "drop" would concern me more than the time on the device. Equipment that is well-cared-for can easily exceed useful life expectancy. Dropping it on the ground is another matter particularly since this is basically a computer with a lens attached to it.

It's still warrantied, you say, but I'd inquire whether the warranty will transfer to you. In some situations, warranties are non-transferable so you'd want to know that up front. I don't know the answer to that.

If you can, take it to a service center and have it inspected. I'd be concerned about lens alignment and other things that might not be obvious with casual inspection.

Good luck
 
The warranty is transferable - I wouldnt have bought it otherwise. So perhaps getting it checked at a service center might be a good option...

That probably wouldnt be done for a while so is there anything to look out for? Soft edges in the picture for example?

Thanks again
 
I'd keep an eye out for anything unusual in the image and, in particular, any slop in focusing or using the iris....by that I mean excess play or unusual resistance when focusing.
 
Without the traditional moving parts (and wearing heads) of tape transports, I would expect that the life-cycle of something like my EX1 to be limited more by the quality of the electrolytic capacitors and the moving target of video formats than by the hardware itself.

If I were taking the chance on a unit that had been dropped (however "gently"?) I might ask them to pay for the extended warranty as compensation. A drop would most concern me about the lens. Double check the images at all the extremes. Double check (manually) the complete range of motion of the iris, zoom, and focus mechanisms, looking for any kind of binding or variable resistance to turning, etc.

But inspection by a certified repair facility would be best, of course.

How many charge/discharge cycles has the battery been through? That is another limiting factor. They only have a finite number of cycles before they lose their potency.
 
Besides being a Sony Broadcast Dealer, We're also a Service Center in New York.

We don't get many EX1's in for repair. Its usually physical damage ie: tripod plate replacements, mic holder, drops. LCD screens (don't flip the LCD out too roughly or the internal cables might snap).
 
Thanks all for the info, much appreciated. A question to EC junior though as you have had experience of dropped EX1's, what would you say is the major failing of a fall? Also are they usually cheap to repair/ claimable on the warranty?

Also, if the camera is all working would you say this is a good price? £2900
 
If I had to guess, if the camera is still working after a drop, it should be fine. Something would 'typically' be out of whack immediately if there was damage. As for warranties, some warranties cover accidents, some exclude them and only cover manufacturer defects (and those are usually scrutinized closely to look for any sign of damage by dropping/water, etc. so they can exclude it). For peace of mind I'd probably get the extended warranty in your case.
 
Peteyb said:
Thanks all for the info, much appreciated. A question to EC junior though as you have had experience of dropped EX1's, what would you say is the major failing of a fall? Also are they usually cheap to repair/ claimable on the warranty?

Also, if the camera is all working would you say this is a good price? £2900
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how it works in the UK as far as warranties and insurance.
The damage occurring from a drop would be based from how high did it fall and the where the impact is. If it is a drop on the lens, it would require the entire Lens assembly replacement, expensive!

As stated on your post, the broken microphone holder is from a drop, did the seller verified that? It could be from banging the camera on something or shoving it into a carrying case roughly.

Converting £2900 to $4,639 in USD, seems like market price for a used PMWEX1. A search on ebay to compare used EX1s would give you a good idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top