FYI, Mine just was delivered to LA service center today looks like the same issue Mark OConnell had which was dust on the sensors, the entire prism block had to be replaced at 2500.00 I am very glad I have the extended Sony warranty...btw camera is supose to be sealed and I really have not shot in very dusty conditions...looks like during manufacturing something was in there awaiting it's day to cause havok.... 159.00 bucks is nothing if it pays for itself at some point..for some it has paid 3x over.

Frankly, my suspicion is that the EX series of cameras are simply more prone to problems than other cameras.
Maybe its because its the first of a new and more radical design . Just too many stories here about people getting hit for $2000 repair bills when they've doen noting to create the problem.

Sorry to read that. With the four camcorders (Sony VX2000, Z1, FX1 and EX1) and three DSLRs (Nikon D70, D2H, D3) I've owned and used, I have never experienced a problem that needed to be fixed out of warranty. Though, the D2H had a problem that Nikon fixed out of warranty for free as the problem plagued the entire production run. My Sony EX1 and Z1 needed some work shortly after purchase, and they were covered by the standard warranties. The sum of money spent on extended warranties was about $2000.

I'm a bit late for this thread, but...

B&H offers an aftermarket 3yr extended warranty near the top of the EX1r page for about $500.

If you scroll to the very bottom of the EX1r page they offer the Sony 3yr extended warranty for $150. BUY THAT.

My experience with my first EX1 said BUY THE WARRANTY NOW.

I have never bought extended warranties in the past, but now I would always buy them for EX1s and Macs.

My EX1 failed in the first 20 minutes of use and went to Sony 3 times, for a total down time of about 5 weeks. Apple has already replaced the graphics card and then the entire computer for the Mac Pro 8core I bought in August.

Both have too many problems and are too expensive to repair.

Happy to discover today that Am Express honored the 1 year extended warranty that happens when you use their card to buy something. At $2047 that was a welcome surprise.

That's called a lemon. Was all that down time in the first year? What happened the second year?

If that had been MY EX1, it would have gone back to the dealer immediately for an exchange.

That was all in the first six weeks. It didn't get a second year here, but I didn't have any more problems in the next few months before I sold it. Haven't heard of any problems from the new owner.

It came from B&H. They didn't offer any help, other than "send it to Sony for warranty repair". It was already at Sony repair for a couple of weeks before I called them though.

At that point, I would have been on the phone to the local Sony Pro rep in your area. It's his/her job to take care of problems like this or at the very least to expedite your repair and try to find a loaner for you. Of course, "hope springs eternal". ;)