Sinar supplies a "reference file" CD with every back. This file contains information about the CCD of the specific back in question, and is used to recalibrate, in case such an error happens. Do other back manufacturers also supply this file?
Kumar
I don't know about Leaf or Hassy, but Phase One includes this information on the firmware in the back itself. Either system however can fail if a new pixel spontaneously fails. This is likely what has happened. A new, and previously unmapped, pixel has died. Like I said before, it's very rare, but it is certainly not unheard of (at least by the few dozen of us around the world that deal with hundreds of backs per year).
Does it have to go back to the motherland, or can it be done by a local dealer?
best,
adam
It must be done in Denmark.
I'm not sure, I didn't buy the back yet...
It's a P30, so if anyone knows the answer it would help me greatly..
From what I've heard from the local dealer it'll cost $900 USD to fix if it's just in need of calibration, but this is from my local dealer, and the prices may be inflated...
If it's a hardware problem, $2,800USD he said is the minimum I'd spend and it could be more!
Best,
Adam
Since you did not buy the back from the dealer the dealer is under no obligation to do the repair at-cost. However, $900 is too high. You should contact another dealer.
Hardware repairs (except sync port, motor ports, mulitport repairs) are very expensive if out-of-warranty. You're much better off buying an extension of warranty than to wait for a possible repair. All insurance (warranty being a form of insurance) is based on a ratio of expected income versus expected payouts and adjusted by the time-value of money ($100 today is better than $101 next year). But unlike most forms of insurance Phase One has a heavily vested interest in customers having repairs (reputation/loyalty/perception are all very negatively effected by out of warranty repairs), they factor that in to the price. That said $2800 is also too highly marked up.
I very strongly suspect your back requires only a recalibration and not a hardware repair to address this line.
It makes one feel very bad after reading the otherwise excellent explanation by Doug.
I wonder if these manufacturers can give away software to remap their digital backs to correct such problems easily. In the past, I had done remapping of my P+S Canon cameras using a Russian Genius's software, and after making a firmware upgrade, all was fine.
After paying a small fortune for these cameras (any brand), I don't like the idea of paying for a defect, which has formed without any fault of the user, after such a short period of usage. I hope my camera (if something like this ever happens) will have a better service understanding than the one outlined here.
Best regards
Seyhun
Agreed. That's one a hundred reasons we recommend our customers to buy the Value Added Warranty. Not only does that provide three years of warranty, but also a loaner shipped priority overnight so that you are never without a back. If the back is still in active use after three years (most are) then you can extend the warranty one year at a time while you are still in-warranty.
When you have a VA warranty and there is a problem it is really really pain free. The loaner back arrives the next morning and some time later your repaired back arrives and you return the loaner. I've even been able to use the loaner program for try-outs. e.g. an H25 user had a repair and I had P1 ship a P45+ as a loaner.
A used back with no warranty comes (on average) at a discount, and in an efficient market that discount would be exactly what the hassle-factor of a repair would be. But I have a feeling that the market mildly under-accounts for the value of the warranty/loaner (i.e. used backs are mildly overpriced).
Thanks for the explanation Doug. I had this problem with the DMR (twice), and Leica tried to re-calibrate it, then wound up replacing it. They did not charge me. That said, your explanation is much better than I had been given before. I knew it was a dead pixel that set off a chain reaction as it were, but I did not know the further background.
Phase has a similar unwritten policy that if a repair is unsuccessful two or three times (done case-by-case depending on warranty, and the type of issue) then a replacement is given.
I would wager Phase has a bit more expertise in this than Leica did during your recalibration. The DMR was/is an excellent but Leica's first go at support for digital products was a bit lacking. I'm sure there are many Leicaphiles out there hoping that Leica's partnership with Phase One for the S2 will include support/software/firmware (our competitive advantages) from Phase and lenses/ergonomics from Leica (their competitive advantages)
If I buy this MFBack... Send it to Phase and they fix it and charge me the $900 USD that a Phase One official dealer quoted me, will they also give me some sort of warranty period with the back that states if the problem reoccurs within 6 or 12 months we'll fix it again for free...
If that's the case, it might not be so bad to have it sent in.
Yes. A "repair warranty" will cover that specific procedure for 6 months. If you're working with a dealer and it's 6 months and two weeks, you can probably have it put through, but any significant period after 6 months and you'll have to pay the same. A pleasant bonus, which I don't think even most dealers know (it's in our dealer agreement in small print in the very back and in two different three-day training sessions they've never mentioned it out loud), is that a re-repair always comes with a loaner back but only if the dealer executing the re-repair requests it.
Yes, but what if it reoccurs again in 7 months, or 14 months? Then you are out another 900 dollars, plus more for shipping, insurance and the time wasted while it is in the shop. This is a buyer's market, you should be able to find another back that does not have problems at a decent price.
I've sat here for ten minutes trying to decide where I fall on this issue. It's a close call. Even I don't have enough points of reference to decide if a back which falls out of calibration is more likely to have it happen again; It is just too rare a occurrence in the first place. Once you have it repaired that defect would be covered by a repair-warranty for 6 months. That said, this is a buyers market and I guess if I had to pick a side, I would say keep looking. But only you can make that judgement call. You wouldn't be foolish either way.
The bigger question I think you should be asking yourself is if you want to buy a back which is not in-warranty. I've seen some really cheap user-to-user private sales lately on eBay and LL (presumably because of distressed sales due to the economy), so I can definitely see why. Just like buying a foreclosed-on house though you need to be very diligent about buying a back from a private seller. That's why they pay me the big bucks!
In any case, best of luck, and let us all know how it goes for you.
Doug Peterson, Head of Technical Services
Capture Integration, Phase One & Canon Dealer |
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