dovey wrote:
Helena,
Could you please send a link to that ebay seller?
I got a rubber hood, not that useful

Sure, this is the one I got:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/F121-Metal-Lens-Hood-49mm-For-Sony-Cyber-shot-RX1-DSC-RX1-Digital-Camera-NEW-/160922862977

I was using focal to calibrate my canon lenses today. As I was firing off so,e test shots - btw the software yielded way different results than my manual calibration- anyway

At the end I was slipping through shots. And then cleaning up my test folder. I was looking at the 35L shots and then the rx1 ( which I returned due to Sony freaking me out with their seeming incompetence in support). I was surprised by how different the characters of the two lenses are.

I can say that I actually prefer the rx1 output I think, but its hard to ay, 1.4 is a more unique look, but the sensor and lens combo in the rx1 is obviously finely tuned in design.

So, coupled with the rx100 which was returned repaired I am considering relegating the canon kit to only event shooting. with the 40 pancake as a smaller lens. However. Even though Sony did repair the rx100 it certainly wasn't a smooth procedure. The communication and repair order make me nervous.

So have any of you dealt with Sony for repairs and can you share your experiences.

I'm very sorry for the long drawn out post. I really do love the output but the support makes me nervous. I can get past the af and price, and for children and animals its a lot less intimidating.

Thoughts?

That $7.19 hood look terrific, what a fix, what a price, haha.

I am with dovey..you see a lot of good work out there over the years, but very few cameras/ 35mm FL lenses can so casually roll out RX1 standard work, it's a very capable device indeed. The tiny size means it captures a lot of shots that would be otherwise missed, and the level of versatility is near unbeatable, as it does justice to such diverse subject matter.

I hope the side cast is a firmware fix issue, it seems like there is a workaround, good.

Way back early on, there was a meme developing that the camera was really just good at close focal distances...here is a link to a large jpeg of a distant landscape:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3380728?post=50821742&image=0

Also saw a tripod shot by Martin on the image thread, which was excellent - leaf shuttered light cameras make very low demands on tripods, as seen there. It seems to surprise experienced users in an absolute sense, so it's not: 'it's great for a small camera' but rather 'look what it can do!'.

I am also starting to think they will find it hard to make other lenses in the RX1 form factor, what with the unique rear element, and I wonder what the implied registration distance is?

H00ligan, so you decided to return it after all? I think you made the right decision, because you never seemed to be totally happy with it.
I also have a 5DII. In the past the 35L was my workhorse lens. You can get shallower DOF with the 35L, but overall I really like the RX1 lens better. Nicer bokeh, sharper, nicer colors,...
Nailing the focus is a lot easier (and faster) with the Canon though.

THE big strengths of the RX1 for me are it's inconspicuousness and small size/low weight for traveling. When you pull out the big DSLR, people react differently. "Make room for the pro" The shutter is also much louder.
It's nice to have such a small package without any compromise in IQ.

I liked the camera. I loved the output. But ultimately Sony support freaked me out.

In going back through shots. Maybe not in spite of rather because of the slower af, my keeper rate was super high. I prefer the rendering of the rx1.

I'm just going to keep two lenses for the canon kit. 24-70 of so,e sort and 70-200 ii

that's really all I'm using for events. I may keep the 24L ii as well. But that leaves me with some lenses to shift.

I was at the end of the return window and what really threw me was Sony support. The files are outstanding.

So I'm wondering if my poor support experience is an anomaly. Can anyone venture into that?

I would say file wise it's e best camera I've used. Better than the m9 summicron/ lux. Their lack of clarity on what was done to my rx100 and poor communication caused me to rethink the rx1. But tbh. Since I returned it. I miss it. And the rx twin combo is a hell of a light walk around combo.


.
At about 35 mm the 100 clears up in the corners enough for my landscape needs. And honestly I could shoot 28 and crop corners too. I just think the twins may be the answer I've been looking for. But.... If a problem develops I want to know Sony can and will effectively remedy it. Especially if I splash for their warranty and buy the vf.

The only lingering doubt is. Will the x100s be close enough at half the price and double (at least) the speed. That said I'm pretty addicted to ff. and the rx100 is soooo good I don't feel a need for anything between it and full frame.

Edit ------

I've decided to stick with it. I like the files just that much.

Hopefully Sony support is actually good mi bought a bundle from adorama for the same price as the standard camera. It comes with a 3 yr Mack warranty. I have no idea if Mack is good but between that and my insurance policy I should be good for a few years.

I just couldn't ignore the keeper ratio and how great the output is.

It's not a perfect camera. But they did more right than anyone else with the sensor lens and size. So I'll use it more. I couldn't ignore the fact the output is probably the best of any camera I've owned.

LIttle snippet:

The Spanish website DSLRmagazine (translation here) interviewed Mr. Masaaki Oshima from Sony. The main talk is about the RX1. What I didn’t know until now is that *all the RX1 cameras are manually assembled in the same factory*. This allows Sony to have a 100% control over the final quality, and that’s part of the reason why the RX1 is expensive. Actually two people are working on one camera during the assembling process.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=es&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dslrmagazine.com%2Fdigital%2Ftecnicas-de-fotografia-digital%2Fsony-entrevista-en-torno-a-la-rx1.html

rather nice photos to go with the chat.

I am so reminded of the fine film compact Konica Hexar AF with its (apparently) pre-asph Leica M 35/2 lens. It would be like a homecoming to have one.

I find it a bit surprising that they go to extra lengths to provide higher levels of QC, yet what people are getting have so many problems that some return the camera without getting another. Sony QC is not the worst in the industry, yet they clearly have some way to go. I wonder if what we are seeing with the RX1 is indicative of the difficulty of putting together a well-functioning, high resolution 135 format digital camera?

Thanks for the interesting link Philip.
The part about the QC made me laugh, what a joke.

carstenw wrote:
I find it a bit surprising that they go to extra lengths to provide higher levels of QC, yet what people are getting have so many problems that some return the camera without getting another. Sony QC is not the worst in the industry, yet they clearly have some way to go. I wonder if what we are seeing with the RX1 is indicative of the difficulty of putting together a well-functioning, high resolution 135 format digital camera?

to be fair they're still doing better than leica. apparently there is something difficult about this process that we consumers are missing.

the quality control doesn't concern me much, but having to deal with the sony consumer electronics behemoth if i have a problem does not sound pleasant.

carstenw wrote:
I find it a bit surprising that they go to extra lengths to provide higher levels of QC, yet what people are getting have so many problems that some return the camera without getting another. Sony QC is not the worst in the industry, yet they clearly have some way to go. I wonder if what we are seeing with the RX1 is indicative of the difficulty of putting together a well-functioning, high resolution 135 format digital camera?

Machines are more reliable

I had to send a lens back to Sony center in Texas to clean some dust under warranty. Putting in a request was a pain but after I spoke to someone on the phone, it was smooth all the way and everything worked out well.

Philip, thanks for the link to the interview. Reading that parts of the RX1 are hand assembled in Japan, I think I need to be more gentle with my RX1, not sure if the service techs outside of Japan are competent enough to make fine adjustments.

Joe. Thanks for the heads up. My experience was the opposite. Getting the rma set was fine, ought no prepaid shipping box, afterwards though. The right hand didn't know what the left was doing. My final note said..camera operating normally. Though a later conversation revealed they cleaned the sensor, it was just confusing. And I coud see turning into a pain.

That said, I'm willing to take the risk. Because I knew as soon as I et the camera go I would end up rebuying. I just had to wait a couple weeks to try and justify spending less....which didn't work. Lol.

'Sony QC is not the worst in the industry, yet they clearly have some way to go.'
I and others would be interested in comparative data reflecting this conclusion, as opposed to the vast echo chamber for complainants that photo fora have become. Do you have any, carsten?

'Well-functioning high res cameras' are being assembled in vast numbers as we speak. So it seems to me. Re Sony service, my purely anecdotal story (something a lot of people overlook to state) is that I have direct experience of five Sony cameras with nil problems or issues - just lucky?

So I cannot answer the frequent calls for the oft-repeated 'what is your experience with Sony service' questions - because I don't have any dealing with them...at all.

Although I will send in my a900 for a clean and inspect prior to sale soon, I like doing that - they want $66 for the job which seems very fair, they were very professional over the phone too. Other folks mileage seems to vary widely and I have to say, you sure get to hear about it...and them hear about it some more.

As a postscript, I like the idea of hands on by a factory specialist, it means they value the users highly and wish to get their product right, and in the case of the ground-breaking RX1, it's good to see. No one makes anything even remotely like it (and why is that?) Zeiss are checking every new 15mm f2.8 for MTF performance in batch one. Good companies do that kind of thing, IMO.

Sorry if I was banging on about it. My point was initially to get feedback.

h00ligan, you may have seen my post on another forum so I won't recount my whole episode to get my spotted RX1 lens/sensor repaired/replaced. What I have not posted is I sent an email to Hirai-san, CEO of Sony, towards the tail end of my slowly addressed and frustrating experience with the repair center, and am aware of one other who did the same (they sent me a personal note requesting the email address).

I have found out the RX1 is a personal project of Hirai-san, and due to our direct contact, Sony called me personally (and sent me a nice complimentary camera bag) and advised Sony corporate was taking direct steps to make the repair facility more responsive for the needs of RX1 owners.

Since my episode I have seen 1 other post elsewhere where an RX1 was sent in for repair and the individual was readily sent a replacement. Not sure if there is a connection but I feel confident Sony has taken notice of the need, particularly for their Flagship RX1. Not sure if this addresses your question, but I believe the necessary steps have been taken to address the repair service needs of RX1 owners.

Teseg, thanks for sharing that. Nice to hear they finally took care of the problem.

Nikon had the D800 battery debacle at the beginning, glad I got my copy after they fixed that. Still have the left AF sensor problem.
The RX1 being a completely new design with tight manufacturing tolerances required, is amazing in how much they got right this first time.

Thank you teseg

wayne seltzer wrote:
The RX1 being a completely new design with tight manufacturing tolerances required, is amazing in how much they got right this first time.

I agree, but I think that they didn't realize how revealing a 24 mpix sensor would be with a lens that gives such a narrow DOF. Even the slightest misalignment can be seen and it doesn't really help that the Sonnar has a character with very low spherical aberration.

And of course it gets even more difficult due to AF. The inner tube of the lens must be able to move fast and without too much friction, which means that it must have a looser helicoid than a MF lens.

What with all the RX1 (and by implication Sony) 'my camera won't work right' diatribes, I thought I'd add some balance with this guy's experience:

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/43887-possitive-feedback-sony-service.html

They have a good RX1 image thread there too. The word people use for the Sony files are 'pliable', 'detailed' and 'dynamic range'. Also mentioned is something I see in the a99 files - no banding. The 14 bit depth may have been more important than realised. For me, its more when than if, re buying one.