Just here to whine a little bit.

[Lee4145]

Without getting too dramatic or detailed, I just sent my camera back to the garage for the third time in the last year or so. I'm just bummin' because I know I'll be without it until probably the end of May. One of my daughters has a b-day in June so I have my fingers crossed.

This is a frustrating, third party, Sony repair of a Minolta camera. And the third party is all but incompetent and/or disinterested in this contract. Or so it seems.

Oh well.

[Mr. Pickles]

That kind of stinks. Doesn't bode well for the Sony camera system if they farm out their repair work...to people who don't need or care about the business. Kind of sad. Says even more about the repair place.

[Lee4145]

In fairness to Sony, it's a Minolta camera. And it seems they've kept some of Minolta's customer service people because they're motivated to make things right. It's just a three-ring circus trying to get something from the repair people, and getting nothing, then calling Sony so Sony calls them, then Sony calls you back... blah blah blah.

I didn't mention the name of the facility because I didn't know if that was ok. I can give anyone with an impending repair, or any interest, a very simple way to read through more first-hand accounts of this facility than they ever wanted to know. Specifically about Minolta repairs. It's on another forum sort of infamous for it's tendancy to rant!

[Cato]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pickles

That kind of stinks. Doesn't bode well for the Sony camera system if they farm out their repair work...to people who don't need or care about the business. Kind of sad. Says even more about the repair place.

Don't worry, Sony isn't going out of business anytime soon... and the minolta camera is getting fixxed, now isn't it.

[Lee4145]

Well it's at the same facility it's gone to twice before and still has the same problem so I'm not counting chickens.

And as far as Sony going out of business, that was never a concern. I had assumed that one of the reasons they bought Minolta camera div was basically that they were buying a customer base. I think they would like to move all the Minolta users in to Sony cameras eventually. Otherwise they might have changed lens mounts and the silly proprietary hot shoe. So far I don't know many Minolta people who are impressed but we're patient. We'll see what the next offering is. =) In the meantime I'm not adding anything to this system.

[Cato]

Yeah, I pretty much agree with ya. You didn't say what was wrong with your camera, but it's definately unfortunate that you haven't had the problem properly taken care of. I really can't say why that is based on the information here. Regarding the system though, there's no need for concern as it continue to grow. I hope you get your camera back in time fully repaired

[Lee4145]

Me too. Thanks. They replaced the shutter mechanism last time and they've reinstalled the firmware every time it goes in which means the file # resets to 1 when I get it back. Sort of an inconvenience. Hopefully they're looking at the mirror this time. Here's the problem.

[Cato]

Hmmm, I have seen this before. Apparently it might have something to do with a well known 'black frame' error. I have to link to another forum where I found information about this, if that's not OK then I ask the moderators to edit this post and offer my sincere apologies.

A discussion about this: Dark area of pictures sometimes : Dyxum forums
And information about the black frame error: News section - dyxum.com
Konica Minolta will fix black frame issues for free: Important Notice | KONICA MINOLTA

[Lee4145]

Thanks Cato. I've had every problem possible I think.

I've had black first frame and lockup, backfocus, and this. Which I believe to be the mirror. One thread you linked to mentioned a shutter will leave a more distinct edge. Plus I've noticed when using external flash, I can actually see a quick flash through the viewfinder when it happens. This problem has been part of the list both other times that it's gone in. Each time it comes back, something is fixed and something is not. This is the last problem. It works great except for this. I know, "Other than that, how'd you like the play Mrs. Lincoln?" If you aren't in the US that may not make sense!

Hopefully it will be a normally functioning camera after this visit. And it is the 7d so, in my opinion, the Alpha is not a suitable replacement.

I love the camera but it is trying my patience!

[aquaholic]

I have the KM 7D which had the first Black Frame problem which I could live with but then I got an Anti-Shake shutter proble which prevented me from taking photos at all. It only happened sporadically especially on hot days but I missed so many great shots being in Japan over their summer (festival season). I sent it into Sony for repair here in Tokyo and after 3 weeks it ha just been returned. Entire Anti-shake assembly replaced for AUD$300. It has a 12 month repair warranty so I opted for the repair but I have been contemplating the Canon 30D (AUD$900), Nikon D200 (AUD$1000) or the Pentax K10D. Anyway, I will give my newly repaired KM 7D a chance while I sort out the other options. Sony A700 has been previewed already here but I think I will change brands. ]Nikon D200 sems the most comfortable to hold for me. Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[Lee4145]

I'm already pretty heavily invested in Minolta gear so I'm going to give the A700 a chance. My 7D was finally fixed properly so it should be fine for another year. I've always really enjoyed it and the A100 was certainly no replacement. Hopefully the 700 will be. Time will tell on that. I had Nikon's D80 for about two weeks and was underwhelmed by it. Nice camera but maybe my expectations were too high. Unless you shoot in very low light and need very low noise at high ISO, I haven't ever noticed one camera far outperforming another so I'm in no hurry to change brands. After having the repair problems I've had, SERVICE will be a consideration for me! How does it feel in my hands and how is the service. #1 & #2.

There are many great photos on the Camel and unless someone mentions it specifically, I'd never know what they shot with. The image quality is pretty competitive.