OK Guys......Just had the same problem with my VX2000.

The whirring/whining noise got so bad that the high pitch noise was bothering the dog :-) Anyway---sent the VX2000 to the SONY Service Center in Bristol PA. It arrived on December 23rd.
WELL...................the day after Christmas, SONY notified me that it was the lower head drum assembly. I already knew the problem so they were honest.

YIKES!!!! It cost me 460 dollars to repair BUTTTTT...............LUCKILY, I had an extended warranty under the G.E. Plan. G.E. stated----"NO PROBLEM" a check will be sent out to me for that amount as I sent them documentation and a SONY contact number/person.

The Camera arrived right after New Years----PERFECT JOB--WELL DONE!!!!!

Now as far as the strobing problem: This is the SAME problem exhibited by the SONY DSR300 as it relates to the DJ's flashing lights. Contact Laurie Batwin on the WEVA Bulletin Board as she had a fix for this problem. Lou Bruno gocycle@optonline.net

I don't understand, Lou. The DSR-300 does not have SteadyShot which is where the problem lies.

The DSR-300 problem may be different but because I have one of those, I'd like to know if you have any further information. I've posted a question to Laurie so I may get a response there.

Juan,

Thanks for the information. I'll relay that to Sony on Monday.

One would think that Sony knows enough to shield their products from radio waves.

That would explain a lot of how this bit me.

Those of us who work with the police never talk about Shooting anything, especially them. :-)) Just like we never ever point at a police dog after the first experience.

Thanks for the input, Juan. I had ignored the contribution that radio might make to the problem even though I know, for example, that automotive ignition systems can sneak noise into the audio circuits quite easily.

It would appear that Sony does not adequately shield their cameras. They probably depend on the digital nature of the camera's internal circuits to ignore that source of problem.

To compound the issue, I'd bet they've reduced the operating voltage of their digital circuits from the normal 5 volts to something much less so they can extend the operating time of their batteries. Only someone forgot to consider outside interference.

Lou, I had a long talk with Lauri today. wow, what a information source she is on cameras. She is on the WEVA camera committee and will be sitting down with Sony next month to discuss new camera features and existing camera problems with them.

What a resource she could be if Chris Hurd could talk her into moderating a general forum on camera performance and setup!

Lou, the strobe light issue is as follows:

On the DSR-300 and 500, especially if a DJ is using a blue strobe light and the bride is wearing a white dress, the color of the dress goes into sort of a negative mode and gets recorded on tape. Ruined clip, ruined reception video.

The solution is to switch the camera filter/mode into flourescent mode which will stop the problem and not effect white balance.

That said, I cannot find such a filter on the camera and conclude that that may be only a DSR-500 tool.

Thanks very much for connecting me with her. A huge source of information. I learned more about setting up my DSR-300 than I ever did by reading the manual.

My pleasure-HOWEVER---I still think it is related. I remember taking a camera with me in my sector patrol car years ago and also had a problem with my roof rack which I fixed via shutter speed. At the time I used a Panasonic 3260.

Here is an email I received from Paul Basile today:

Mike, there is definitely a problem with the steady shot feature on the PD150 and radio signals. I own three PD150's and seven of the 2-watt UHF Motorola radios. From day one, the radio, when used close to the camera would make the picture jump. We had to turn off the steady-shot when using our radios in the church. This was not a problem because we use them on a tripod.
Paul basile

Lauri Batwin, a member of the WEVA camera committee said she is going to contact Sony this week about this problem.

I'll keep you informed.

Sony Norcross called this AM and told me although they had repaired the transport section of the camera, they could not replicate either failure of the SteadyShot.

Because of this, they have already FedExed me a new PD150.

Although this doesn't solve the RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) problem, it does handle the random failure of the SteadyShot that happened when the camera was new and once in a while over the past 10 months.

Kudo's to Sony for this action.

A NEW camera? WOW!!!!! Can't beat that for customer service.

WAY TO GO SONY!!!

RFI
 

PD-150's and Radio Frequency Interferance. Guys I think all of these problems are related.... even the DJ's strobe lights. If you ever put a radio or any type of receiving device near a set of strobes you will understand why you won't do that again (although if your working on a sci-fi flick you might like it!)

The police use several different types of cars and you will notice the police running around with handi-talkies. In a lot of situations te HT will not be able to communicate with the base station so they will roll in what appears to be a normal police car but is actually a radio car. It receives the low power HT transmissions and re-transmits them on a different frequency at a much higher power level with a much better antenna. Several police departments has problems with these vehicles. They were putting out so much power and interference that they were fooling with the vehicle's computer system (motor would race or shut off).

Notice the length of the PD-150 on-board microphone cable. Look at the antenna on the police car. Notice anything? Yeah, thats right, about the same length. Just because it is not connected to a radio does not mean that it is not an antenna! You could be sucking RF down that cable.

You would be amazed at the RFI that is running around in the average 'emergency sitauation' where you have police, fire and anyone else who owns a radio!

I agree. And never never let the police point their radar gun at your camera.

Which leads me to another question. Wait, I think I'll start another thread . . .