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

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-xdcam-ex-cinealta/146535-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 (http://shop.dm-accessories.com/products/ex1-flat)

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-xdcam-ex-cinealta/130701-ex1-random-questions-input-needed.html#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 (http://www.pauljoy.com/gear/ex1-mic-holder-replacement/)

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 (http://web.me.com/jeffyr/Jrod/Super_Strong_Twin.html)

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:

Rode | SM3 - On-Camera Shockmount for Shotgun Microphones | SM3

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.

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

60 bucks! It's about $130 in Canada. Good to know. Guess I will be buying my replacement (for when I sell my EX3) in the USofA.

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."

That's marketing/sales speak in my view. I have owned a few Sony video cameras. This mic holder was poorly designed. Maybe not originally intended to break so easily but it does and they charge a ridiculous price for a replacement. My solution including the Rode shockmount will be less injurious to the camera should the mic receive the equivalent of blunt force trauma during a shoot than the original mount.

My original Sony mic mount broke, and I was using it in conjunction with another mic mount that allows quite a bit of soft deflection.

Instead of buying a replacement, I fixed it. I also did the same epoxy repair to the other camera's mount that wasn't broken.

With all the movement I do in small spaces, the repaired and modified Sony mic mounts haven't broken and no damage has ever been done to either camera.

The fix = Gaffa tape.

It's the same problem here in Sydney, to replace the clip is almost $100.
So good old Gaffa tape will always work.

Cheers

I reviewed both replacement mic-holders/hot-shoe-mounts a while back:

Review: hot shoe adapters for the SONY EX camera | Erwinvandijck.com (http://www.erwinvandijck.com/review-hot-shoe-adapters-sony-ex-camera)


regards,
Erwin

BTW, if anyone wants theirs fixed, and you still have all the bits and pieces, then I can help you with the repairs. It's not very difficult.