Good News for IR contamination problem

[Vincent Oliver]

Here we go, as promised I used my powers as a journalist to contact Sony technical support and had a very interesting conversation.

The Sony service guy told me that the EX3/EX1 camera does not have any problems that are wortth doing anything about. I am only the second person to mention this and as such he didn't regard it as a major issue. He also told me that if more people complained then Sony would be forced to take action.

I pointed him in the direction of my web site which now contains a video displaying the problem

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/video/Canon...on_1D_mk4.html

and although he could see the brown shirts (should be black) he was still in denial of the problem.

I also mentioned that there had been umpteen posts on forums such as this one and the service guy told me that they don't take any notice of what is being written on forums, as many contributors can say anything they like - accurate or not.

So here we go, anyone who has the "alleged" IR contamination problem should ring the Sony Service department on 0500 555 622 (UK number) and register their complaint

Good luck, I will probably sell my EX3 and buy something that doesn't have problems that need to be fixed.

[Ned Soltz]

Sony knows. That's why they addressed the issue in the EX-1R.

And the captain of the Titanic questioned the existence of icebergs.

[Vincent Oliver]

It would also cost Sony a lot of money to correct the problem.

I will not give up on this issue, as it stands the camera is "not fit for purpose" and as such the trading standards office will force Sony to do something about it.

[Vincent Oliver]

Looked into other options and the Tiffin filter seems to be my best move - I hate having to spend money on problems that should never be there in the first place.

[Andrew Stone]

Thanks to everyone that posted up about the Tiffen T1 IR screw on IR filter. To me it's a matter of getting on with it. 69 bucks. What's your time worth? Not worth the aggravation spinning your wheels over the issue.

[Ronn Kilby]

I have one of the Tiffens coming from Abel. I plan to send the bill to Sony.

[Buck Forester]

Oh, I'm sure Sony and all the manufacturers of anything read the industry user forums. Whether they do anything about what's being bantered about is another thing, but they're reading. Hi Sony!

[Marcus Durham]

Of course Sony know, but no way will they publicly acknowledge it. Just like Apple and the various iPhone faults. The second you admit it the floodgates open.

[Bruce Rawlings]

Perhaps sending the bill to Sony is a good idea. Having said that it's a good camera that gives amazing pictures so perhaps it's not worth the hassle of arguing with them. But the fact that the EX1R is coming out so soon to rectify various faults must mean a few people have had their a*** kicked.

[Vincent Oliver]

The EX1R may have solved the problem, but I have the EX3 and still have the problem.

I agree the EX3 is a fine camera and other than the Brown Blacks, I can't fault it in any other way - well maybe I can nit pick here and there, but I can live with minor faults.

I am going to dig deep into my pocket and buy the Tiffin filter - it's a cheaper option than seeking out another camera and all the bits that go with it.

I have heard rumours that Canon make an SLR that can also capture video, surely not.

[Dave Morrison]

What ever happened to the Sony guy who used to post in here months ago? Did somebody piss him off too often? My guess is that his overlords....er, bosses.....got to him and told him to quit interacting with the users. That's a pity, actually, as having this kind of direct link to the manufacturer is vital with a product as good as this one. But, I'm still upset that I spent over $200 on the 486 filter and now I have to pony up another $70+ for yet another filter. I'd love to know who to send BOTH of these bills to. Don't get me wrong....I love this camera but this issue should never have been passed along to us. Sony should have bought filters for all of us.

[Peter Eggleston]

BTW, why is this thread "Good News...", Have I missed something, or is it irony?

I waited for the Tiffen, but when I heard it lost 1 stop overall (which early testers were saying) I sent for a 77mm B+W 486 instead. I leave it on all the time as a lens protection filter and although I can see slight cyan vignetting in the corners of a wide if I try very hard, it hasn't spoilt anything I've shot so far.

It certainly does kill the red/magenta black fabric problem and the insertion loss is negligible. Ignoring vignetting, its effect on colour balance is small enough to be able to use preset colour temperatures at a pinch and correct the overall greeny-cyan cast in post; but a normal camera white balance corrects everything (except the tiny vignetting) nicely back to neutral.

[Andy Shipsides]

The good news is that they have eliminated this problem in the EX1R and 350.

I did some testing - Tiffen T1 Far Red Filter and the Sony EX Cameras | CineTechnica

Andy

[Dave Morrison]

Awww Peter, had I known you were in the market for a 486, I would have sold you mine! ;-)

[Ronn Kilby]

Originally Posted by Bruce Rawlings

Perhaps sending the bill to Sony is a good idea. Having said that it's a good camera that gives amazing pictures so perhaps it's not worth the hassle of arguing with them. But the fact that the EX1R is coming out so soon to rectify various faults must mean a few people have had their a*** kicked.

I got my Tiffen. I'm sending the invoice to:

Sony Broadcast and Business Solutions Company
Accounts Payable
One Sony Drive
Park Ridge, NJ 07656

They won't pay it, but it may stir them up or at least cause some confusion and memos to fly around. I know, I'm evil. I once sent an invoice to my dentist for 3 hours of my hourly rate that I had spent waiting in his lobby because he had "overbooked" (I finally had to leave). They almost paid it.