It's the Achilles of the EX1. Anyone found a way to reinforce it to prevent it from breaking?

Sony EX1 Microphone Holder Broken
 

I have a Sony EX1 and the Microphone holder has broken off.

Just wondering if anyone has had to replace this before?

Since I am reluctant to send it to Sony since they charge a fortune for pick-up and repairs.

The XLR mic connections work fine I just need a new Microphone holder. (Simple plastic brace).

I can see it is only attached with 2 small screws so it shouldn't be rocket science to replace it.

Any help advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Look at my post from this thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...mic-mount.html
It's the best alternative solution I've found. I would not waste my money having that mount replaced.

Sony will sell you the part. It's easy to replace. There's no reason to send the camera in. In fact when I ordered the part they asked how many I wanted. It must mean they think or expect people to keep them in stock given how frequently it breaks.

DM makes a hot shoe replacement as well:
DM-Accessories - EX-FLAT - Shoe Mounts for Sony EX1 & EX3 Camcorders

Then you need a hotshoe shock mount as well.

I understand that Sony says it is to protect the rest of the camera that this is a weak link. I have heard of a few broken top sections on EX1 and EX3's. Not a pretty picture.

I have had mine break twice. Once in an over head luggage compartment inside my case in strong turbulence, once when a helpful producer picked up my camera by the shotgun mic.

I have simply epoxied mine together both times and I have the DM plate in my bag for emergency repairs.

Here's how I fixed one and reinforced the other.

Neither has broken since, and they've been in use since this post was first published in Sept 2008:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...tml#post933958

I removed mine shortly after reading about how easy it was to break it and bought one of the DM Accessories flat plates. The original mount is sitting in a drawer now. Heck, maybe if Sony quits making replacement mounts, mine will become valuable!! ;)

My EX1 just wriggles into a Kata bag (191?) for a small plane overhead compartment without the mic bracket and the eyepiece...so I leave them off.

Using the dm plate with a mount makes it much easier for me to get the ex3 in and out of the kata 195.

Contacted Sony here in France and they have charged €100 for a new microphone bracket. Really Sony this is abit rich. Lucky I personally don't have to fork out the cash but rather the company who are renting the camera off me will pay. But still €100 is a rip off.

I use the DM plate option too, much better than the rubbish Sony one.

EX1 mic holder replacement | Paul Joy

Found Microphone replacement part
 

I too broke my mic holder and bought the J-Rod but wasn't happy with it. I just finally found the replacement part from Sony. They have 13 in stock as of today.

MICROPHONE HOLDER ASSY X21873522

Cost is $44.99 plus shipping $12.50 and tax, was $60.19 total for me.

For parts, go to: http://www.sony.com/servicesplus

I have both the DM-accessories shoe mount and the J-Rod one...

The J-Rod Super Strong Twin Mount

While the DM one is far better kit from an esthetic perspective. Better machined. Anodized properly. The J-Rod one while a bit funky in terms of the machining has more utility as it has two cold shoe mounts that allow you to attach, say a mic mount and a Sennheiser wireless receiver. You might balk at it as the EX3 has two cold shoe mounts already but if you run a Frezzi light and a NanoFlash your mounts are gone.

Rode makes a VERY good mic shockmount that trounces ones costing 3 to 4 times as much:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/398316-REG/Rode_SM3_SM3_On_Camera_Shockmount.html

I complained to a Sony technician about the weakness of the Sony mic mount. He said it was designed that way. Think of it as a "crumple zone." The cheap plastic microphone mount is easier to replace than the entire viewfinder assembly. Those who are "beefing up" their microphone mounts are actually risking very expensive repair bills when they crack the viewfinder mount off.

I now have a spare mic holder in my bag, cause I know I'm bound to break it again in the future.

Sony's mic holder is too fragile. Only takes a little bump on the shotgun mic, and there goes $60.

I can see damage being done if a mic is in Sony's holder because the solid ring around the mic doesn't allow a microphone much room to deflect if the mic bumps into something.

However, some people use a better isolation mount, and those shock mounts use elastic materials to hold the mic in place. They'll yield quite a bit before any damage is done to the camera.