Michael Pruitt-bruun
Forum Replies Created
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Craig, i appreciate what you’re saying. i believe the inability to directly demonstrate the problem in the presence of Sony’s tech may account for some of the problem here. I have frequently wondered just how their tech is testing the problem in making a determination. Would someone who hasn’t spent years as a camera op be able to make a clear determination? Certainly everyone for whom we’ve demonstrated the problem has had no doubt.
The problem with referring the tech to the “button” on the top grab handle is that Sony seems to have issued marching orders to their techs that any problem associated with that zoom control is not going to be supported. If i describe the problem as a function of that button they won’t respond, apparently on the premise that this button at slow speed (pre-set internally, as you know) is not part of the normal function of the camera. And i won’t argue that point. But their argument implies that the failure with the primary rocker IS a real malfunction. So they keep redirecting the conversation back to the button. I assume these marching orders arrived some time after you and a few others had the problem with your earlier cameras.
This is the frustrating part. Sony will acknowledge that there is a problem, but won’t address it. They will issue disclaimers for the top button (they see there is a problem), but won’t acknowledge it as it concerns the primary rocker. They’ll state that there is a problem, but only as a function of 24p sample rate. Maybe they consider that acceptable, but what does that indicate when the problem is found at lower sample rates? Why did they replace the front lens element?
The disclaimers or explanations seem to be given without any reference to actual cameras exhibiting the problem. I don’t know if it’s a smoke screen, or just idle speculation on their part.
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Jay, so long as ex lenses are used, the issue seems to follow the camera. We’ve tried swapping lenses from another ex3 that worked properly. As far as i know the problem may be a combination of issues. I’m not in a position to make a determination about that, and frankly that’s not my responsibility. Neither Sony nor Fujinon would be too bothered about my conclusions anyway. I’m sure there are many vendors that Sony buys parts and assemblies from. Would it help me to know who supplied a certain relay or capacitor?
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Hey Craig,
I remember that you had this issue as well, and i remember that Sony came through for you and got you a camera that worked properly.
I did do some tests with the handle-rocker. The first Sony tech i spoke with asked me if this was the problem, and if it were that Sony wasn’t bothered. I told him that while i was able to reproduce the problem with the little handle-rocker, i wasn’t concerned about that. I never use it. The issue was that the camera would not execute a proper zoom with the primary rocker.
Michael
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Hi Jay. You sound skeptical. I understand that, but you also appear to be reading something into my comments that i haven’t put there. I am not suggesting that your camera doesn’t work properly. In fact, i’m suggesting it does. Mine doesn’t. That’s part of the point i’m making.
And if i were you, i would also wonder whether the problem were user-induced. We reproduced the problem in front of dealers, techs and Sony reps. For those of us dealing with the problem, it’s very clear. There hasn’t been any dispute on that point. But i understand why you might reserve judgment, not having actually seen it yourself. I would do the same.
As far as the ultimate source of the problem, I’m not really interested in speculating on Sony’s character. I’m describing the issue as it has unfolded. I don’t really care who’s to blame for the manufacturing errors, as that doesn’t get me any closer to a solution.
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mine was on the bench in teaneck this past week. i spoke to the tech and he asked about the grab-handle rocker, if i was having the issue there or at the primary zoom control rocker at the lens. he started to tell me that if it was with the grab-handle rocker that i was out of luck. it seems like sony doesn’t care about the programmable slow zoom. personally i don’t care about the grab-handle either, i just want the primary servo rocker – the one at the lens – to work properly, as i figure if they get that to work then i should be able to execute slow zooms with a rear-zoom control as well.
seriously, the camera isn’t usable without a proper zoom. i can think of few better ways to make yourself look like an incompetent in front of your client than to not be able to execute a smooth zoom.
i hope they come through. we only purchased the camera a few weeks ago.
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thanks again for your help, Greg. here and elsewhere.
it’s true, the footage certainly points out some things to pay attention to with the camera. i’ve never seen a screen crawl so badly. i wasn’t using any gain, and this looked bad. it certainly didn’t look like that on the external monitor coming out of the camera though.
i’ll have to do some more tests. usually in the past, with my own or rented tape-based cameras, i really never got to see my work. i’m not an editor, so like many shooters i hand off the tape and that’s it. with this camera and the different work-flow and equipment, it’s easier for me to follow up and check results. hence my interest in adequate viewing of the files.
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yes.
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yeah, that would be the part not available to me. 😉
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“Even Quicktime has an “Enable Final Cut Studio Color Compatibility” preference.”
maybe yours does. but i imagine you have FCP installed.
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thanks Craig.
with the three Calibrated plug-ins i can now play mp4 and mxf files in QT. i have to say, they don’t look very good though. playing back on a 17″ macbook pro (high res screen, blah blah) they look like crap. really noisey. i assume there is some compromise in picture quality inherent in these methods that wouldn’t be present working with these files in fcp.