Carroll Lam over on DVInfo.net has posted a PDF memo dated 15 December 2007 (reproduced below) in which Sony lays out their plans for fixing EX1s with asymmetrical, corner-cropping vignetting. Basically, if your EX1 has the problem, Sony will fix your camera for free.
I’ve published the text of the memo below. Note that it’s from Sony’s USA operations; if you’re elsewhere in the world, you’ll need to contact your local Sony office to get the appropriate procedures for your country.
Sony’s Juan Martinez says it’s a simple realignment procedure taking about 10 minutes, so my guess is that it’ll be a quick turnaround.
Kudos to Sony for this response. Early adopters on the cutting edge sometimes wind up bleeding; it’s always good to see a manufacturer standing behind their product and bandaging the wounds!
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SONY
Broadcast and Production Systems Division
To: PMW-EX1 Owners
Date: December 15, 2007
Subject: PMW-EX1 Camcorder
To our loyal Sony PMW-EX1 Customers:
Since the launch in November, the PMW-EX1 has been received extremely well within the market with a huge level of order commitments and very positive feedback from customers using the product.
Sony regrets to inform you that there have been a small number of reports of a specific lens issue with the camera, which upon further investigation by our engineering team, has been identified as ‘unbalanced light falloff’ at the edge of the picture. The cause of this has been identified as being a result of a mis-alignment of the center of the lens and the light axis. Sony takes such technical matters very seriously and although this issue has only been seen on a very small percentage of the units supplied worldwide, Sony has implemented a full review and modification of the manufacturing process in order to alleviate any re-occurrence of this issue.
Sony will re-align any camera exhibiting the symptom described above at no charge to you at the highest priority. If your camcorder exhibits the symptom described please call our Product Operational Support Center at 1-800-883-6817, option 2-5-2 for advice on how to proceed. When calling, please be prepared to supply your camcorder’s serial number, as well as place of purchase.
Sony would like to thank you for your continued trust in our commitment to you as your vendor of choice when investing in high quality professional video tools, and for your patience regarding this matter.
Thank you.
Mel Medina
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Professional Video Products
Broadcast and Production Systems Division
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