Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
I don't usually trash manufacturers' replacement part operations, but anyone who buys a NEX (I'm sorry, Alpha) should understand that if any bit of any accessory gets lost (even one that lists at $150), replacement is not a realistic option.
I recently had the windscreen for an ECM-SST1 mic (the NEX external mic) go missing. That part was totally my fault - I let my 4-year-old make movies at a park, a family member confiscated the camera to protect it, and at some point over the next few hours of "protective" custody, the foam cover for the mic went bye-bye. I figured this would be a 10 or 20 dollar part, max, so I didn't take any time to look for it (as if over 40 acres, it would surface anyway). Even if it were $30, I would probably suck it up.
Yesterday, I called the Sony parts line and after being connected to India(?) and having them try to cross-sell me batteries, memory cards, and all kinds of other expensive things you would never buy for a camera worth something in the low $200s, learned that this foam cover costs SIXTY PLUS DOLLARS to replace. By way of comparison, the whole microphone costs $90 new (originally 150), and even the most expensive, custom-made dead cat windscreens don't exceed Sony's price. In fact, generic foam covers cost in the single digits (and I'm guessing cost about a dime to make). And that looks like the direction I will follow here.
Lesson learned, blah blah blah. Keep closer track of the stuff attached to your equipment. But the second lesson (or warning) is that Sony's camera group apparently gouges on replacement part prices, to the point where Leica parts look cheap (especially considering the longer lifespan of a typical Leica camera and Leica's longer corporate attention span).
Dante
I recently had the windscreen for an ECM-SST1 mic (the NEX external mic) go missing. That part was totally my fault - I let my 4-year-old make movies at a park, a family member confiscated the camera to protect it, and at some point over the next few hours of "protective" custody, the foam cover for the mic went bye-bye. I figured this would be a 10 or 20 dollar part, max, so I didn't take any time to look for it (as if over 40 acres, it would surface anyway). Even if it were $30, I would probably suck it up.
Yesterday, I called the Sony parts line and after being connected to India(?) and having them try to cross-sell me batteries, memory cards, and all kinds of other expensive things you would never buy for a camera worth something in the low $200s, learned that this foam cover costs SIXTY PLUS DOLLARS to replace. By way of comparison, the whole microphone costs $90 new (originally 150), and even the most expensive, custom-made dead cat windscreens don't exceed Sony's price. In fact, generic foam covers cost in the single digits (and I'm guessing cost about a dime to make). And that looks like the direction I will follow here.
Lesson learned, blah blah blah. Keep closer track of the stuff attached to your equipment. But the second lesson (or warning) is that Sony's camera group apparently gouges on replacement part prices, to the point where Leica parts look cheap (especially considering the longer lifespan of a typical Leica camera and Leica's longer corporate attention span).
Dante
