Does B&H ship units with new firmware?
 

I intend to order from B&H but I am worried that they still might ship older stock lacking the actual 1.05-firmware. Has anyone purchased and got his EX1 from them recently? Thanks in advance.

I got one from B&H a couple of weeks ago. It has firmware v 1.03

The thing is how to uppgrade the camera yourself, is this posible from the sony website and how?

That's exactly the point, Alfredo: Sony does not allow end users to upgrade firmware.
But I don't like to buy knowing I have to send it back to Sony right away.

Hi Michael, maybe you should call B&H and ask them specifically?
In the worst case, I suppose they'll tell you that they can't open boxes just like that, so they can't check... But maybe they have serials on the boxes and can 'know' if those have new firmware?

Guys I had the same scenerio play out a month ago when I was about to buy my EX-1. I called B&H ton 2 seperate occasions and explained that I wanted a newer s/n due to the vignetting and what not and they said that they would not and could not tell me me. The guy was rude on the phone and they treated the situation like I was making them do extra work for an item that was $6.50. At that point I was pissed off and hung up. I don;t care how big of a place you are or what your reputetion is. If you can;t give me the customer service I need, i will go elsewhere.

I went to Abel and they were very nice and told me exactly what s/n I would be getting and the transaction went very smoothe. I purchased my camera over 1 month ago and I have a higher s/n and latest firmware than anyone who purchased theirs from b&h in the past couple of weeks. I think it's a joke that they are still selling the older firmware units.

There are two issues here. The first is rudeness, real or perceived, for which I apologize. While I know that some of our sales associates' "Nu Yawk" style can be perceived as rude by folks from west of the Hudson, the fact is we don't tolerate rudeness and I am sorry.

Second is that our sales associates are on the 2nd floor of our Manhattan offices and our warehouse is in Brooklyn and there's simply no way for a sales associate to know or confirm what may or may not be in (or printed on) a box with absolute certainty. When he said he could not tell you, he was speaking the truth.

Dear Mr. Poser, is there any possible way to find out what firmware there is on the units that B&H is shipping right now? That info seems to be quite important since customers do not want to risk to send the cam back for backfocus control right after the purchase.
Thanks in advance.

Henry, thanks for your feedback. I'm from Chicago so we can give and recieve abrasive behavior. The kind that I got on the phone on 2 seperate occasions was just not acceptable even by a Chicagoan who has lived, worked, in rough patches of our city.

When you are inquiring about a 7k product, you should have the best customer service possible. I have worked in sales all of my life and I can tell you that I have never told a customer " No we can't do that" let alone in a rude tone. What he could have said was "I'm so sorry, the way that our wharehouse is structured, we are not able to go all the way downstairs to find out what s/n we have but what I can do for you is...." and I dont know what the resolution would be there should be one when spending that amount or any amount for that matter.

The sad part is that me and my friends have spent a ton of money with b&h in the past. After that experience, I just don't know.

I asked our buyer who replied,"As per Sony 95% of our inventory has the new firmware. Unfortunately you cannot see it on the outside of the box." That's ALL I know at present.

Mine arrived with 1.03 firmware from BH with invoice date 04/17. Bummer. Gotta get that update.

I hope Sony lets us update in the field like Nikon and Canon. If it goes wrong, then we could send it in.

Agreed.
I'm not sure why Sony can not offer a disclaimer and have us perform the software upgrade in the field. This process will save them a LOT of time.

Right now, we can sense that customers reading this forum are stalling their EX1 orders.

FWIW my sister got hers from B&H on April 3,2008 with 1.03

Unless something has changed very recently B&H wont ship the EX1 overseas. Best bet is to have someone in the US buy it for you and send it to you in Germany, unless youre planning on pick up, then no worries.

I bought my EX1 last Monday (4/21) in Atlanta and it came with 1.03 and it was supposedly from a "fresh" shipment.....but who knows?

Got that right!

There is even more at stake because Sony indicated at NAB08 there will be yet another firmware upgrade (July-August) to coincide with the EX3 launch. It is supposed to deliver at least three new significant features: SDI with proper 24p, Hard Drive Support and 3rd Party SxS support. Guess how long its going to take to clear out existing inventory before we see that firmware release in newly shipped EX1s. Then again based upon Sony's current track record, how many more firmware updates will be needed to get these new features to deliver reliably and as advertised.

Sony Broadcast, repair depots and its Pro Dealers really need to get their tools and business practices in order. As clearly explained above, for the money involved, all we are getting are shameful excuses/stories and firmware updates that can only be done by Sony at a properly equipped Sony repair depot. Most distressing of all is that most pro dealers are clueless as to what they are shipping or they simply don't give a hoot, just so long as they are making their sales quota's.

Moreover, there is no tangible indication from Sony to prove that they will launch and deliver the EX3 without the same EX1 blunders. Add up all the lost time and the expense that existing owners have shelled out. The customer should not have to do Sony's R&D work, nor compensate for their vapor ware quality control.

At this time, I cannot justify the investment of my hard earned money or lost time that are required to own an EX-n camera, let alone draconian firmware updates. So much potential but at the end of the day -- totally unacceptable!!!

Gentle. I agree with you. However, customer backlash will just teach them to deliver bug fixes rather than new features. Perhaps they will even sell firmware upgrades.

Microsoft has demonstrated with VISTA how well that business strategy is not working and so customer backlash now has them supporting XP out to 2012. But wait, Windows 7 is going to set things right by delivering what the customer wants. See the pattern ...

Customer loyalty has to be earned and maintained even in the broadcast world.

We all know the process. Delay the product longer so that software is perfect. Still, there is little reason for Sony to offer new features on the EX1. We are very fortunate they've decided to do so. I've sat on all sorts of software development teams, and giving away free features, especially some so that the EX1 will be closer but not match the EX3, is always a low priority.

For the record, this is a Sony USA rule and not B&H's. In theory it applies to every authorized Sony USA retailer.

But B&H would ship an European customer's EX1-order to an US-addressee - is that correct?

Just got the shipment notification on my EX1 order from B&H!

Now if "As per Sony 95% of our inventory has the new firmware. Unfortunately you cannot see it on the outside of the box." is correct, I have a 19 out of 20 shot of getting current firmware.

Translated to the real world, that amounts to a 50/50 chance, right? But if everyone on the forum will just cross their fingers for me, at the same time, ready 1-2-3.

Thanks everyone. That should do it.

You can;t see the firmware version on the box but you can see the s/n. It is safe to say that the higher the s/n the higher your chances of a newer firmware. I believe that someone purchased a s/n of about 4,000 last month and recieved v1.03 where as I purchased a s/n 4700 and got v1.05 . I would say that anything about 4,500 should be v1.05+

Question for Dennis
 

Dennis, how is your new EX1 working? Any issues?


Dave McCallister

Very good actually. No paint problems no vignetting, I thought that I had a backfocus issue but that was operator error. That seems to be fine. All and all I have no complaints besides the dreaded rolling shutter. If this camera was 4-2-2 doing 50 mbs/vbr with global shutter I think I would buy 4 of them. Throw 2 of them under next years Christmas tree. Hopefully the EX-5 will not have rolling shutter.

Hello,

May be a stupid question. Where or how will I find the EX1 firmware version info ??

Push the Menu, Cancel, and Select button at once.

Then you'll see extra menu's appear, and in some of them, you can find it.

BTW: I have a very old firmware, 1.02. I know Sony said that the new firmware would help the backfocus problem, but many people with the new firmware have the backfocus problem also.
With the method of people on this boards, I have been able to fix the backfocus for the most part. I don't seem to have any vignetting, although I want to perform a third check to make sure ;-).

This brings up the question: what could a newer firmware provide for me?
I'm not planning to send my camera to Sony if my troubles are gone, and the camera does with it have to do, but then what are the differences in the firmwares?

And will they, in the future, make the firmware's user-upgradeable?
There still seems to be conflicting information regarding this point...

Mathieu, I spoke to a Sony technician in Cologne yesterday - about buying in the US and getting support in Europe at one's one expense - and he seemed to be sure that future upgrades will not be user-upgradeable.

Side info for all Europeans who, like me, plan to buy in the US:
Not having European Prime support a backfocus problem fix (including firmware upload) would cost approx. 250 Euro.

What is wrong with this picture?

In the first place, the camera comes with a 1-year warranty, parts and labor. So why should a customer have to pay extra to resolve a manufacture's defect (i.e. backfocus fix and a firmware bug fix). There are national and international laws to prevent this sort of thing from happening. I believe in the US there is a mechanism called Class Action Suit's which are inflicted upon reputable manufacturer's both hardware and software/firmware to sort out the very issues appearing in these forums. Bottom line is that a manufacturer does not have license to indiscriminately take advantage of a consumer.

If there is a lawyer in this forum, please enlighten us on national and international law regarding warranty so that folks can make an informed purchase?

S/N 103978 Firmware 1.03

Hey Gints, Do you know where the Sony facility is here in San Jose? I feel like I should drive over there and drop my camera for the upgrade. Wonder if they do walk-ins.

Barry, Europeans who purchased in the US can send the cam back to Sony USA to get it fixed/updated for free (covered by warranty), but we would have to pay for shipment and may have difficulties with customs etc.
So it might be worth a consideration getting it fixed in Europe instead at one's own costs - knowing we already have saved a lot having bought in the US.

Luckily I bought it in the UK...

First off, I am not a lawyer. That said, here's my view.

There are significant differences in "consumer protection" laws between the US and Europe and even between states and countries within these regions, not to mention other regions of this globe.

For example, there is no minimum warranty period in the U.S. many products come with a very short (6 months or even less) warranty. Also manufacturers are left pretty much free to handle claims however they see fit (at least procedure wise).

In Europe however there is a minimum 1 year warranty and even a required 2 year minimum on "durable goods". This includes cars, but also washers, TV's and camcorders. Basically anything that should last a few years at least. Here in Holland, and I believe in the whole of the EU, it is also a consumers' legal right to return the product to the dealer/reseller having sold them the product, even if they haven't got the reciept anymore. The reseller cannot 'hide' behind manufacturer warranty and is required to cover any discrepancies. Bussineses are not awarded the same rights/protection as consumers.

All warranty is "Limited", sometimes even so that it infringes on consumers' rights. In Europe consumers cannot enter into a contract that limits their 'inalienable' legal rights, making such clauses invalid. In the U.S. I believe you can enter into any contract as long as you are competent and of legal age, although (some) states may have protective laws in place.

In the U.S. "free market/kapitalism" (don't get to use that often in a post) is the mechanism that should 'make' manufacturers provide quality products and customer service backed up by a comprehensive warranty. In Europe it is a more "socialist/government driven" process.

This results, in my personal experience, in better customer service (CS) in the U.S. than in Europe. Whereas with U.S. organisations CS is a way to distinguish themselves and generate a positive effect in their customer base, in Europe the government requirements make it more of a cost center, inviting 'cost savings'.

One of the limitations found in warranties is geography; a (sales) organisation cannot be expected to have to service/repair all their equipment worldwide, although sometimes "international warranty" is offered. A common requirement is that equipment has to be 'returned to base', which may be an appointed service center.

As to manufacturers requirement to fix manufacturing defects, this is a.f.a.i.k. always part of the product warranty, however it is usually limited to "parts & labor" and the customer is responsible for the product return (and costs thereof).

Because of such differences as well as general market and operating cost differences, prices vary for the same/similar product based on geography as does service/warranty.

The Sony Primesupport Silver extends the 'standard' manufacturers' warranty beyond the European requirements, including provisions for a 7 day turn-around time and 'loaner' equipment for repairs which cannot meet that timeframe. It also includes free pickup and return shipments within it's service region.

U.S. customer support is a bit more "fluid"; I've read some people getting free pickup shipments and others having to pay for it themselves. Some have got replacement cameras, some have had to wait a long time. Not to say that support has been "all good" over here; there's a whole "dissatisfied with primesupport" thread on the forum somewhere.

To summarize, in the U.S. you need to read the fine print; in Europe a little less. It is always a good idea to do so. Manufacturers can (and do) limit warranty and support, and it differs geographically. Unless specific "international" warranty/support is provided it is generally limited to your region.

George/

P.S. Third party waranty extensions may extend geographical coverage and/or other terms, but also have 'fine print'; always good to read that too.

Mathieu,
Thanks very helpfull I have the 1.05_0405 serial 0104735

I forgot to add my serial #102393. We might be able to figure out via SN where the firmware changed from 1.03 to 1.05. Was there a v1.04?

Again I would like to thank everyone for their great finger crossing work. My EX1 arrived last night and the firmware is 1.05!

Congratulations, George.
Please post your first backfocus-tests (under 1.05). Would be much appreciated.

Could you let us know what your serial number is?

I haven't been there, but I will find out in the next week or so. I'll ask them if they take drop-offs.