Question about Sony PMW-EX3 with high hours on meter

J

jlpvideo

New member
I'm thinking about buying a pre-owned EX3. With a traditional tape-based video camera I'd be a little skeptical about buying something that had many hundreds of hours on the drum; however, I'm not sure whether to be equally skeptical when buying a Digital Video camera with upwards of 800 hours on the meter (obviously there's no drum). The camera has apparently been well maintained and is in good operational condition (lens, cosmetics, viewfinder, etc.). Does anything "degrade" with the CMOS sensors or other solid-state portions of the recording system after many, many hours of use? For instance, can I expect the color correctness to be as good on hour 800 as it was on hour 1? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Great questions. I'm no engineer, I just own a 3 year old EX3 with 800 hours on it. It is like new in every way except for the lens, which steps or sticks on a creep zoom. Sadly, this is common on fairly new kit lenses as well. The camera itself still looks and records and plays back the same as it did the day I bought it. The EX3 is a rock solid camera. I sent it into Sony last month for the firmware upgrade so it would work with SxS1 32GB cards, and it was put through a thorough diagnostic check. No issues whatsoever. I think it's an unknown quantity just how many years we will get out of these cameras. I also have an EX1R that is reliable as the day is long. My new F3 is built like a tank--I expect many years of service out of it as well. They are the best investments I've made in 28 years in the biz. I don't have a clue how they work, I just keep them clean and dry and safe, and they make gorgeous pictures. Any engineers on this board?
 
Thanks for the reply and the insight into the experience you've had with your own ex3. If I end up buying the camera I'll post my experience back here.
 
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