p.2 #1 · Horrible reliability and support experience with Atomos Ninja V
sungphoto wrote:
Ninja V was out of warranty, but Atomos agreed that my frustration is warranted. Their service process is basically sending the unit back and forth to Hong Kong, and repair and shipping costs of the cheap components would equal or exceed the cost of a new unit. So these are basically throw in the trash units once they break due to shoddy workmanship.
In my personal experience, Think Tank, Chimera, Sony, Canon and Nikon all will service products out of warranty if it is related to a defect because they stand by their products. I’d expect the same out of a company selling $600 ticking time bombs ...Show more →
So the product is out of warranty, and the manufacturer has agreed to look into the failure. The manufacturer has NOT denied you service for an out-of-warranty product. The quoted cost of the parts is higher than the price of a new unit. To offset that and as a gesture of customer relationship, the manufacturer has given you a discount on the purchase of a new product. So how is this horrible warranty service? Is your expectation that an out-of-warranty product should be replaced/repaired free of cost, just because the user did not use the product significantly during their time of possession?
Canon and the other manufacturers also charge you for service of out-of-warranty products and even refuse to service products that they have retired. Sometimes, the cost of repair quoted by Canon/Nikon and other manufacturers are higher than the original cost of the item. At that point it's up to the user to decide how they would like to proceed.
p.2 #2 · Horrible reliability and support experience with Atomos Ninja V
If something in my kit fails without warning after a little over a dozen uses I’m not replacing it, I’m changing my workflow, because I make a living with this gear. Thankfully like I said the Z9, Z8 and Z6iii don’t require the Ninja V any more, and I’d rather just stick to cameras with that tech built in than invest in dodgy equipment that’s just going to go in the trash after a few years because it’s not serviceable
p.2 #3 · Horrible reliability and support experience with Atomos Ninja V
"fails without warning"
So if it gave you a warning, say, worked intermittently on one day, then total failure the next day you'd be OK with that?
"because I make a living with this gear"
You'd be better off working than complaining on FM.
You are making stuff up. Failure warning, shoddy workmanship, dodgy equipment. Horrible reliability and support experience.
If you were a reasonably successful Youtuber they'd probably sue you for the dodgy and shoddy comments. Maybe the rest too. They'd win, as none are justified, according to any consumer law.
p.2 #4 · Horrible reliability and support experience with Atomos Ninja V
Thankfully I was able to arrange giving the Ninja V to someone here on FM to use as just a monitor, rather than just sending it a landfill. Just trying to help others avoid the same mistake buying this cheaply made crap. No US based service centers kill the long term viability of these units. I’m happy to pay to have it serviced, just like I’m ok paying $200 for a new shutter or a new capacitor in one of my Profoto strobes. If you bought a fridge and were told that you have to buy a new one when the compressor goes out, you probably wouldn’t buy it. A sata connector shouldn’t cost the value of the entire unit to replace.
