Issue with Slow Zoom and Stepping…

[Don Greening]

One of this forum’s hosts, Craig Seeman, had a similar issue with one of the early EX1’s with super slow zoom speeds. After some attempts to have it fixed Sony ended up replacing the whole camera. Of course, since you didn’t mention what kind of camera you’re having problems with (early or more recent EX1 builds or any EX3 builds) this info may or may not be helpful to you.

– Don

[Wes Browning]

Yes, that would have been helpful information: I have an EX1. I purchased in August 2008.

Thanks for the tip.

[Craig Seeman]

Yup, I had the issue. Got the camera December 07. I found Zoom would start to step at speeds below 10. Sony couldn’t fix it and replaced the camera in Feb 08. It’s now smooth down to speed 2.

[Wes Browning]

Great. What was your experience with Sony. Quick turnaround?

[Craig Seeman]

It took them like 3 weeks with Sony San Jose CA. They spent close to 2 weeks trying to fix it and gave up. It then took them about a week for them to get approval to send me a new camera.

One would hope that at this point they either have a quick fix or will send you a new camera right off. I was in “unchartered” territory so Sony service was new to some of these issues at the time.

[Olof Ekbergh]

I had the same exact problem with an EX3, back in September.

My dealer sent the lens back to Sony and gave me a loaner 1/2″ lens, so I could keep using the camera.

Sony sent me a brand new lens 10 days later. It has worked great ever since.

Olof Ekbergh

[Felix Halter]

I had exactly the same problem with an EX1, sent it in to Sony Europe (in France), but all they did was a firmware update with the following comment:
“Smooth operation with the handle zoom speed in “hyper slow” mode (between 1 & 10) is not guaranteed due to lens variability & environmental conditions. All we can recommend is to set the zoom speed no lower than 10 to maintain consistently smooth operation.”

Felix Halter, Switzerland

[Craig Seeman]

It sounds like they feed you a hockey puck. There’s no legit reason that a feature in the camera shouldn’t work properly.

[Felix Halter] “is not guaranteed due to lens variability & environmental conditions”
I haven’t seen this in the Sony warranty and neither will you. Of course one might wonder what happens at -40C but room temperature 20C would not be an adverse environmental condition. If there’s an issue with “lens variability” it’s OUT OF SPEC!

I’d send it back and tell them sorry but the settings in the camera should work under normal conditions and Sony didn’t design “non working” zoom speeds in the camera. Sony has fixed vignetting issues, back focus issues, batter drain issues, letters rubbing off issues . . . and the slow zoom stutter issue.

[Felix Halter]

That was about a year ago when I sent it in. My answer to them was:
“Too bad, because I think the EX1 should deserve a better zoom than that! There seem to be other people in this world who seem to have similar problems with their stuttering zoom” and I referred to your thread https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/142/857261#857288

I had to send it in later for another issue, bad contact on a circuit board (upon vibrations the picture went out, in camera and playbavk mode) And I must say that they fixed that problem very nicely, within a week I got the camera back including another firmware update and a fix for the battery drain problem.

[Wolfgang Schliessner]

I own 2 ex1’s after 3 years one had an overheating isseu and went back to repair.
Vocas in The Netherlands told me the lens had to be replaced….for a overheating isse 😉
So I got a new lens for €1500,- (and a software upgrade wich nobody told me!)…you guessed it without any zoom under 14 wich didn’t stutter.
So it was send back to get my old lens back in with zoom!…since Sony told them no warrenty on a professional camera under the speed of 8!
So they wanted to put my old lens back under warrenty since it wasn’t working.
Then they call me and tell me they did someting I didn’t ask for and replaced the electronics from the new lens and put in back my old lens with zoom.
You guessed it again I had to pay for a complete new lens to get my old one back.
Sony and Vocas …you”@#$%#” = this being polite not to use bad language.

Now I ‘m looking to get these camera’s replaced with anything decent.
No more Sony or Vocas for me!..I learned my lessons the expensive way!