My EX1 is back after repairs
 

I noticed a small crack on the bottom plate of the handle, when i was walking EX1 with Letus Extreme mounted around holding by handle. And in a few minutes there was no display on the LCD. Had to use view finder for the rest of the day.

Sent to Sony Service for repair. Sony Replaced handle and LCD harness and charged about $800. Had to wait for about 2 months for repair for non availability of parts.

Very costly mistake. Just wanted to share.

I think the 2 month wait is the worst part of it. You can at least make back that money with some paying gigs but you can't make anything if the camera's gone for 2 months. The lost income could be much greater than $800 for sure.

When the camera is attached to heavy accessories, it's a good idea to support the camera from below. Not only to relieve stress on the handle. But also to minimize the risk of damaging the small tripod socket which is brittle and secured by four very small screws.

I currently have my Sony EX1 at Sony regarding water condensation. They have sent me a bill for €1850.00 to replace the main board. Hopefully it won't take 2 months to repair. The cost is enough pain.

I got my EX1 back a couple of weeks ago. It was gone nearly a month. The prism block was replaced because of dust on the sensors. Cost was $2,507.53. Praying that the extended warranty will reimburse me.

Why would there be dust on the sensors on an EX1? Isn't it a sealed system?

I was wondering the same thing. I had crud inside my camera but I'm not sure if it was on the chip itself or inside the prism block. Either way, Sony paid for it under warranty. If it had been dust that "I" managed to put inside the camera, then it would be my fault.....except that I'd complain about Sony not putting a sufficient dust seal system in the camera. ;)

I've wondered about it as well. The only thing that I can think of, since it IS sealed, is that the dust was always there, that is, it was there before the block was sealed, and moved over time or with the right bump to a spot where it became a problem. I'm not a technician, maybe someone else can offer a better explanation. The factory warranty is long gone, as I mentioned I did get an extended warranty and hopefully I'll be reimbursed.

In my case, the gunk was always in the system but didn't become visible until I pointed the lens toward the open sky and stopped down to around f11 or f16.....not a good idea anyway given the softness of this lens at those apertures. I'm guessing that you got an extended warranty, but not the Sony Extended Warranty, correct? Keep us posted on your situation.

Right on the warranty. I bought it through B&H when I bought the camera. I'll let you know how it plays out.

I purchased a Canon stills camera to take a few snaps a couple of days ago. When I got it I noticed a blob on the images. Lens is clean so it must be on the sensor itself. Either way the camera has had to go back.

I assume Canon managed to get the contamination in there during manufacture. Annoying as I wanted to take a few long exposure snaps during a shoot this weekend in fairly dark conditions to cut in with my EX1 footage. Best laid plans!

So I guess it's possible Sony might have contaminated the sensor during manufacture. Although the lens is sealed, from what I know of the Canon problem it is the case the lubricant from the zoom mechanism can leak in there if it has been applied too liberally. Problem doesn't always show up immediately but the more you use the zoom, the higher the risk.

Might be a totally different problem with the EX1 though.

Where did this repair took place(repair centre?)?

Got it repaired in LA service center.

What firmware did your cam come back with. I had all the panels replaced on my cam about a month ago and the firmware was updated to 1.14.

Well, looks like I have the same issue Mark had with Dust on the sensors... I had this same purpleish looking blemish pop up almost 1 year ago at a shoot in the Grand Canyon, at first thought it was a smudge on the lens but cleaned it and was still there... Next day powered it up and it was gone... not seen it since until yesterday pretty much ruined my day... I have the extended warranty thru Sony so hope that covers this. I do not plan on paying Sony 2500.00 then trying or hoping to get reimbursed.. Mark was your warranty the Sony one? I too bought my Camera and extended warranty thru B&H. See attached images.. it is strange for this issue to have been present within the first 6 months of having the camera then gone now back a year + later... I am dreading to have to package it up and pray that the unit is delivered ok (bad luck lately with shipping) I am tempted to try and schedule something with Sony and fly the thing down to the repair center myself, as shipping and insurance would almost cover airfare... Not to mention being without the camera for weeks or months is a killer on the wallet... Can not afford a backup Camera right now... This Sucks!