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  1. Member zoobie's Avatar
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    about 2.5 weeks...sounds like you should rent one while having yours serviced
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  2. Member
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    I've had mine fixed twice by best buy from the "heat wave" filming, if it happens one more time I get a new one. Just a matter of time before it does it again I assume.
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    I have the same problem on a HDR-SR7E from 2007, so yes mine is as old as they get, but still I've handled it like a baby and honestly haven't been using it that much. It's extremely wrong that a product that costs this much can have this kind of internal component/construction error without the manufacturer acknowledging the problem. And I feel really bad because I've influenced many more people, friends and family, to also buy Sony camcorders like mine, which from all I can gather will all suffer the same fate sooner or later..

    I'm going to call Sony support in Sweden today and see what their view is on all this, but I doubt I will get a very positive respons.
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    So I just talked to Sony support, they connected me directly to a service/repair firm here in Sweden where they said the know about the problem and that they solve it via a firmware upgrade!? Sounds strange to me, that they can solve a mechanical error via firmware, has anyone else received the same info?

    Anyway, from what they told me it's not possible for the end user to upgrade the firmware themselves, it can only be done via a service firm that has the correct windows app and hardware dongle/key etc.. Does anyone know if there are any hacks out there to be able to upgrade the firmware or a Sony camcorder on your own?
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  5. Thanks for the thread. I knew there were others with the same problem, this stinks of a manufacturer defect. My unit is 2.5 years old and has been acting up with this autofocus issue for over 6 months.
    The problem is intermittent and appears to act up when the unit overheats. I called Sony a few months ago and was very unimpressed with their lack of concern and insistence that there is no problem. They recommended I send the camera to them with a credit card number and a tube of astroglide to prolong the experience. Fat chance Sony. I hate that they are destroying what once was a very fine reputation, it really makes me sick. Especially over something so easy to solve. Does anyone stand behind their product anymore, Mercedes? No, Samsung? No, Microsoft? Definitely No.
    The best course of action is to find the email and contact number of a high level exec, post his info on this thread and inform him of the problem and the scope of loyal customers affected by this issue. This will put some teeth on the issue and bypass the folks in the trenches who really couldn't care less about our problems. If there is still no resolution then the foundation has been forged for a very strong class action lawsuit. No need to call the bottom feeders in too soon.
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  6. Member
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    Well,,, looks like i'm just another victim (maybe joking about it all might help! since nothing else seemd to really work)
    my HDR SR7 is a 2007 Model,,, it started to act this way about a year ago,,, (Barely use it) shaking it doesn't change much "tried that in a moment of frustration",,, but today i was so mad, that i started hitting it and shaking it (I'm an I.T Engineer by the way, not some kind of a stone age cave man - at least usually I'm not)
    anyway,,, since i had taken my Stilshot cam apart earlier to clean the lens, i thought why not try the same,,, so i took it apart looked at the components and figured,,, maybe blowing coud help?! ,,, so well i did so,,,
    for now it's back to normal (my guess is till i take it out to use it again,,, actually let me try it now again... hold on... ummm well, no it's actually holding,,, slammed the LCD a couple of times (this usually used to freak the cam out and lead to that blury image,,, manual focus failed, zooming in and out doesn't change a thing,,, not even restating, removing the battery,,, let me think did i try anything else?! i think i might have begged it a couple of times to work (that didn't help either)

    well, i knew i always hated sony for a Reason,,, NOW I REMEMBER WHY!!!
    worst customer support ever, and disposal kind of electronics (my next cam is certainlly a canon or a Panasonic)... my Panasonic FZ50 is even older,,, with about 90,000 images (tough as a rock,,,)

    any idea how they came up with the name SONY anyway?! they were actually just trying to say SORRY
    cheers guys,,,
    thx for youe comments,,,
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  7. Member
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    So here's another one from Germany found this thread while searching a solution for the described malfunction of the HDR-SR7. So it's a small consolation that I'm not alone with this Sony-Cam problem, too. It is particularly unfortunate that this is the cause for many unusable clips taken during wonderful holidays in Florida.
    Here's a short example
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  8. Member zoobie's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by chriscross View Post
    well, i knew i always hated sony for a reason,,, now i remember why!!!
    rotflmao

    heinhhv, that's a shame. I had my HC-5 refuse to focus even manually. Fortunately, I had bought an extended warranty.
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    I have two HDR-CX7 camcorders start doing this in January 2012. One was purchased new in 2008 and the other 2nd hand in early 2011. I wish I had read this thread before I purchased camera #2. It is certainly the Image Stabilization. I set mine on the dash of the car while in record mode and after about 10 minutes in the sun the stabilization cut loose and the display bounced around like kids on a trampoline.

    When I chatted with the Sony tech he played stupid, but I found it odd that he asked me if it happened around 45 minutes -- I asked him if it was a known problem and he answered NO. I never told him that it was happening to me at 49-50 minutes. Memory card recording area feels very warm and then BAM - spring is in the air!

    For $311 USD they will evaluate it and maybe fix it - or send me a quote for actual repairs. If a firmware update will fix it - which I did ask him about and he denied - then they should fix these for free.

    I told him I would never buy another Sony camcorder and sent him a link to a PDF from Canon's website to get his opinion on which camcorder I should purchase next. He said I needed to re-phrase my question!

    Class Action - I'm in.
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  10. Member
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    I have no less than 3 of these units. Two permanently affected, one loses its way after 45m of recording. I thought I would get them fixed all at once in an effort to get a discount but seriously wonder now if it is worth it after reading whats on here. I have said it on a number of occasions but this time I will actually never purchase another Sony product again.
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  11. Member
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    Hi,

    I have the same problem with my SR7 since i bought it through e-bay, a second hand item. I was tricked by the seller, she did not specify that this problem occurs in the unit.

    I can not send it back to the seller because our snail mail system here does not allow sending electronic items abroad.

    Has anyone found solution to this problem?
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  12. Same problem here with an HDR-SR8E. I'm going to open it and see where the vibration is coming from. Maybe it's possible to disable it. The overheating may be electrical, but the actual distortion, I think is caused by a mechanical fault. If I find a fix, I'll post it here. I don't know if the people in this thread are still following it or not
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  13. Same problem as everyone else. I know were are dealing with a very old camera now, but the problem has been around for years with Many affected. Is there a known cause or fix? Has Sony steeped up or not?

    Thanks
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  14. It's a known issue -- the image stabilization goes crazy when the camera gets warm. It's not worth fixing these days.
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    Originally Posted by smrpix View Post
    It's a known issue -- the image stabilization goes crazy when the camera gets warm. It's not worth fixing these days.
    Exactly!
    Move on and buy a more up to date camera.

    Also image stabilization is not a panacea, a hand held camera (no I do not mean shoulder mount or steady cam) will always give a lousy video quality.

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  16. Originally Posted by newpball View Post
    Also image stabilization is not a panacea, a hand held camera (no I do not mean shoulder mount or steady cam) will always give a lousy video quality.
    Why do you only ever make reference in this forum to poor video quality when shot in hand held mode, what about all the lousy quality video that is shot by people using a tripod as well, and please don't tell me that it doesn't happen, because it does, and i can assure you that i have seen some really bad video when shot using tripods, especially when people have no idea how to use them, or buy inferior tripods with poor quality video heads on them.

    A good Image stabilization and Auto Focus system is generally required for run n gun or roaming video where you are wandering around with the video camera, be it in your hand, or mounted on a camera rig like the ones i use, and the only time i turn stabilization off is when i shoot video on my tripod, or on my custom made monopod, because i don't need it.

    Cheers
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  17. Banned
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    Originally Posted by glenpinn View Post
    Originally Posted by newpball View Post
    Also image stabilization is not a panacea, a hand held camera (no I do not mean shoulder mount or steady cam) will always give a lousy video quality.
    Why do you only ever make reference in this forum to poor video quality when shot in hand held mode, ...
    Because that is my opinion, handheld (no, not shoulder mount or using a glide cam) is one of the worst things you can do to make a video recording look bad, and since this forum is called videohelp we cannot warn people enough against doing this. We are not helping folks to maintain doing what they do if it gives bad results.

    This is a forum, you will find people with different opinions on matters. I accept and respect that, while some folks here apparently cannot and when confronted with opinions they disagree with they unfortunately seem compelled to become personal or accuse others of being trolls. A sad thing really.

    Originally Posted by glenpinn View Post
    A good Image stabilization and Auto Focus system is generally required for run n gun or roaming video where you are wandering around with the video camera, be it in your hand....
    Again, we just have to agree to disagree.

    And 'run and gun' roaming video? What quality will that give you? How long will your average viewer be able to watch such a chaotic video?

    If you want to learn making good videos start with learning to use a stable camera, minimize pans and zooms. Just start with the basics and for goodness sake learn to use manual mode, no auto white balance, no auto exposure and no auto focus. It is really not that hard to learn how to manually operate a video camera, all it requires is effort and practice.

    Last edited by newpball; 25th Jul 2015 at 11:30.
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  18. Originally Posted by newpball View Post
    And 'run and gun' roaming video? What quality will that give you? How long will your average viewer be able to watch such a chaotic video?
    For as long as the content is compelling.

    Originally Posted by newpball View Post
    If you want to learn making good videos start with learning to use a stable camera, minimize pans and zooms. Just start with the basics and for goodness sake learn to use manual mode
    You forgot to mention the MOST basic -- good storytelling.
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  19. Member
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    I just got a camera tech to fix this problem on my HDR-HC7E. He didn't charge anything but said that Sony won't let him divulge what the cause nor the solution are!
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  20. Same problem here. I record my son's soccer games and the first half looks great but then I turn the camera off during half time and then back on for 2nd half and the 2nd half has the problem. This occurred twice so far. I am going to try and keep the camera on the whole time.
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  21. Originally Posted by davehfa View Post
    I am going to try and keep the camera on the whole time.
    It's a heat issue. That's not likely to help.
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  22. Member
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    Here's what mine looked like before it was fixed.

    https://vimeo.com/181229317
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  23. Member
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrcIH73-fcs#t=2m29s

    I think it's worth having a look inside. I think the image stabilisation can probably be disabled easily enough. I know this is an old thread, but hey, the re-sale value on a defective old camera is next to nothing, so it's worth seeing if it can be fixed. I can borrow a thermal imaging camera too, so it might be interesting to see what's going on when these cameras do this
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  24. Member
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    Its o.k., I can get them fixed for free and the image stabilizer still works. There's a repair offered on ebay for £80.
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  25. Member
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    I had a quick look around for a service manual, but those sites always seem to have .exe files in place of anything that you'd expect like a .pdf or something. Seems a rather obscure way to spread a virus, if you ask me. Naked ladies would work better
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