Sand in focus ring - repairs $1,250?!?!?!

[Chad Peter]

First off, let me clarify because I have a few questions for y'all...

I was lent an HVX through a close friend to shoot our feature film on. At some point around day 30 of filming we managed to get some grit under the focus ring. To me, having used several cameras with the same "problem", this is not a very big deal. Generally cheap and easy to clean & fix.

So, imagine my surprise when my friend who lent the camera calls up and angrily states that Samy's Camera wants to replace the ENTIRE LENS UNIT because "the lens will jam within 6 months of regular use". To me, this is absolutely a bogus claim and a waste of $1,250 or so (Samy's quote). Is there any validity to this claim? We used the camera for a week with that grit under the focus ring and there were never any problems - especially to the point of replacing the lens itself.

My question is this... are there any other servicers here who can offer us a better alternative for the cost of simply cleaning the grit out? I'm considering buying a new HVX for her and swapping out cameras, because after having dealt with so many cameras, this doesn't strike me as a big deal.

--Chad

 

[Jarek Zabczynski]

Compressed air will do the same job at $4.99 a can.

 

[pcascio]

No one can make that prediction with any degree of accuracy. It was very unprofessional of Samy's.

 

[THoff]

Compressed air will do the same job at $4.99 a can.

Or it will make things worse.

Andrew Hoffman from Spec-Comm has posted about this very problem before -- I would try contacting him for details and an estimate.

 

[Jason Ramsey]

Yep. Check with Spec-Comm. They can give you a good idea of the what and the how much, and can get you taken care of quickly too. Search for them on the boards here if you want to see what others think about them. First class folks by most accounts.

Jason