Question about buying the EX 1

realdefender2002

realdefender2002

Member
Ive been browsing the forums for a while now (although I became a new member only last week or so). Based on all the videos Ive seen & other research Ive done...I find the EX 1 to be a worthy successor to my XH A1.
Now Ive dug up a deal on a used EX 1 + 40GB worth SxS cards for about $5500. It was a Feb 2008 purchase, so its out of warranty.

My question for you guys out there is are Ex1's known to have any problems after a year or two of usage?

Any issues that manifest themselves frequently that you guys have had to deal with?

Also, what sort of minimum fee will I be paying to send the camera into SONY for whatever reason, just to have it serviced or evaluated out of warranty?

Any comment on if the asking price is fair?

Ive heard earlier models had issues with back focus and the sound board. Guess I have some last minute jitters before making my purchase & I'm hoping you guys can help me clear some things up. Any help on this topic much appreciated! Thanks for reading.


K. Adithya Ashok
DEMO REEL
http://vimeo.com/5530664
 
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Can't answer your questions, but Im about to sell mine, love the camera but cant justify the $$$$. Im in the Portland area and would be happy to meet with you and show you the camera. I bought it from BH about three months ago so still under warranty? I also have WA lens, pellican case and on camera ligthing for it. Its in perfect shape!
 
I got my cam around this time last year. Had to upgrade the firmware for SDHC use.

My camera works as well now as the day I unboxed it. LOVE IT! I have not had any significant issues that weren't addressed with the firmware update.

I can't answer the out-of-warranty question for you.

To me, if the camera is in good condition, the asking price is more than fair. I felt it was a bargain at full price. Given all the changes in the market since last summer, I'd buy the same camera again today without hesitation. Well, maybe I'd try for the EX3.

-P

realdefender2002 said:
Ive been browsing the forums for a while now (although I became a new member only last week or so). Based on all the videos Ive seen & other research Ive done...I find the EX 1 to be a worthy successor to my XH A1.
Now Ive dug up a deal on a used EX 1 + 40GB worth SxS cards for about $5500. It was a Feb 2008 purchase, so its out of warranty.

My question for you guys out there is are Ex1's known to have any problems after a year or two of usage?

Any issues that manifest themselves frequently that you guys have had to deal with?

Also, what sort of minimum fee will I be paying to send the camera into SONY for whatever reason, just to have it serviced or evaluated out of warranty?

Any comment on if the asking price is fair?

Ive heard earlier models had issues with back focus and the sound board. Guess I have some last minute jitters before making my purchase & I'm hoping you guys can help me clear some things up. Any help on this topic much appreciated! Thanks for reading.


K. Adithya Ashok
DEMO REEL
http://vimeo.com/5530664
Click to expand...
 
My first EX1 was bought in Feb 2008. It had the battery drain problem and backfocus problems requiring TWO trips to Sony to get it all sorted out. They replaced a power controller board and updated the firmware. Lucky it was a warranty repair, lest it may have cost a grand between 2-way FedEx and the repair charges and parts costs.

My advice is to buy NEW. You get a warranty that way and also any subtle issues with the design may have been corrected with unannounced engineering changes in production.

You DON'T want a 2008 Feb camera if it hasn't had the power controller replaced. It will drain a BP-U30 to DEAD over night. Imagine you're on a flight from NY to Melbourne and you arrive and your camera is dead. Battery drain is a big issue. Don't waste your money on such a cam. Get a new one, or one manufactured after May 2008.
 
Yeah the biggest outright cost is shipping to Sony. Costs me over $100 EACH WAY. Sony Tech Time is $135 an hour. Usually a minimum anything is at least 2 hours. So you're looking at a minimum of $400 to $450 for each service incident. That does not include any overpriced parts.
On balance. Sony LA is usually pretty good. Manager is Stephen Gill. You gotta push them a bit, but Steve will usually return email you within a day. Hey, they're engineers, not customer service people.
 
The forty GB of sxs cards has to be worth something.
The Ex-1 has very few moving parts and is not like a tape recorder camera with many moving plastic parts.
The cameras weak points include a poor mic holder.
If you buy the camera, make sure you insure it.
 
Other than perhaps the lens alignment there are no show stopping problems, but the potential problems cost a lot to fix if your paying for them.

1: Battery drain: Battery slowely drains if left on the camera even with the camera turned off. Estimated repair bill AU$1000 (probably something like US$700

2: Markings on the camera rub off. To replace the side panel apparently the whole camera needs to be pretty much taken apart... Low parts cost but high labour cost

For an idea on Sony parts costs, I got a quote on a replacement SxS door on an EX1 (just a project idea). You can't buy just the door, you have to buy the whole side it attaches too, the quote was something like US$200 - US$300 (for a piece of plastic...)

If you can't confirm these issues don't exist with the camera, you should adjust your purchase price.
 
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