HELP - problem with my SR8

[david lambursky]

Hi,

I am having aa focus issue with my SR8. The actual issue can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZA4XZGALUo

Does anyone know what causes this problem? and if there's a way to fix it?

[acgold7]

Could be a lot of things. If the room really is as dark as it looks, there may not be enough light for the AF to work. You could be having an EIS problem, but that could be the YouTube encoding. The WB is off, and while that probably isn't it, it might be having an effect.

How long have you had the cam and has it worked properly in the past, or is this a new problem? What mode are you shooting in? What are all your settings?

[Doughie]

looking at that video i would say that your camcorder has a fault. It does not look normal in any way.

To echo Adam, i would try doing another test and shoot with your EIS off and on. It does looks very jittery. If there is a significant improvement when shooting with no image stabilisation, i would say that yes your EIS is defective. If it looks equally bad with and without EIs, then i would return cam to Sony for evaluation / repair.

[acgold7]

And I would absolutely do this new test outdoors in good light to see if the problem remains.

[david lambursky]

Hey.. thanks for all the reply...

I have this video since January 2008, and it was working fine up until last year.

I usually filmed in SD XP setting with auto exposure, auto focus, and auto WB. But then, there were times where I switched everything to manual prior to filming and the jittering also happens...

I called Sony last year, but because the camcorder is out of warranty, the rep suggested me to bring the camera to an authorized dealer to have a look. The dealer quoted me a min of $150 to look at the camcorder even though he is not sure if he can fix it. Hence, if I can't really determine what the problem is, I might just get a new camcorder...

I have tried to do the following when the jitter begins:
1.) Turn to manual/auto focus
2.) Turn to manual/auto exposure
3.) Turn on/off EIS
4.) Resetting camcorder
5.) Zoom in/out
6.) Changing WB (one push, out door, indoor)

Sometimes the jitter will fix itself, but most of the time, it doesn't. But after an extended time being turn-off, it will function probably again.

Would this be caused by the contrast issue such as background being "too bright or too white"? or would this purely be an electronic problem (such as a failing sensor chip)?

[acgold7]

From all this new info it is indeed pretty clear that something is wrong inside the cam, if all the things you've tried have no effect. It may not be worth fixing. Might only be a firmware issue but really no way to tell without looking at it. For $150 it might be worth it, but too much above that and I'd upgrade to a nice new CX560....

[david lambursky]

I couldn't agree more with acgold7... in fact, I am actually thinking of the MC2000..
although, the 1080/60i ad the 1/4" sensor kinda turn-offs... the images aren't bad at all...
as posted in the MC2000 testing, I am quite curious about the internal layout of the MC2000 because I think 1 of the problems with my SR8 is overheating...

[acgold7]

If, after reading our threads on the MC2000, you're interested in one, let me know. I bought two for testing and will be selling one of them now that testing is completed. You can contact me via PM if you're interested.