# Sony Service



## chrysoberyl (Nov 28, 2017)

For those of you who also use Sony bodies and lenses (gasp!), how is the service?


----------



## Dylan777 (Nov 28, 2017)

I live about 1hr away from Sony Pro Service Center in Los Angeles. My last service was FE50f1.4 on recall. I was in and out within 40mins.


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 28, 2017)

Thanks, Dylan. Are there no other Sony users on this forum, or do they not want to admit that they use Sony as well as Canon?


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Nov 28, 2017)

They have a reputation for slow service, but the pro canter in CA was supposed to boost service to pros. I see positive remarks from recent users of the pro service center, and poor service remarks from years ago.

You might ask your question in the Sony forum at Fred Miranda.com I did a search for "service"

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/56


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 28, 2017)

Thanks. I specifically want impressions from users of both (Sony and Canon) brands. A Sony forum is likely to contain a fair number of fanboys (fanpersons?). Well, heck, so is this forum...

Is there a Canon Pro Center? Or do you just pay an extra fee for better service?



Mt Spokane Photography said:


> They have a reputation for slow service, but the pro canter in CA was supposed to boost service to pros. I see positive remarks from recent users of the pro service center, and poor service remarks from years ago.
> 
> You might ask your question in the Sony forum at Fred Miranda.com I did a search for "service"
> 
> http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/56


----------



## danski0224 (Nov 29, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Is there a Canon Pro Center? Or do you just pay an extra fee for better service?



CPS: Canon Professional Services

Far as I know, the different CPS membership levels have different repair price discounts, different repair turnaround times, whether or not shipping is included and product loaners while your gear is being fixed.

The level of repair service, with the exception of those perks mentioned above, is probably the same for any "average" customer paying for a membership. Million dollar+ accounts might get some preferential treatment here and there though 

I have no complaints, especially with a location within driving distance.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Nov 29, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks. I specifically want impressions from users of both (Sony and Canon) brands. A Sony forum is likely to contain a fair number of fanboys (fanpersons?). Well, heck, so is this forum...
> 
> Is there a Canon Pro Center? Or do you just pay an extra fee for better service?
> 
> ...



Actually, Sony users complain about service and camera features just like any other forum, so its a window into what to expect. There are plenty of complaints about Sony service, but it seems to be getting much better in the USA.


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 29, 2017)

Thanks, all. I am considering whether full frame mirrorless fits for me, but before renting an a7R, I wanted to know how the service stacks up - service is very important to me. And it is now clear that if I want decent service from Canon, I need to ante up for a high level CPS membership.


----------



## Random Orbits (Nov 29, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks, all. I am considering whether full frame mirrorless fits for me, but before renting an a7R, I wanted to know how the service stacks up - service is very important to me. And it is now clear that if I want decent service from Canon, I need to ante up for a high level CPS membership.



I don't know why you'd say that a high level CPS membership is required for decent service from Canon. I am in the US and I'm not a pro, and therefore, I do not qualify for CPS even though I have more gear points that most pros.

I've sent in multiple lenses to be adjusted/fixed and multiple bodies too. Turnaround time was slightly more than a week typically and a lot of that is due to shipping both ways. The items came back as good as new, and I've been happy with the service. Because I am not a CPS member, I don't get discounts, access to loaner equipment etc., but I'd say that the turnaround time was great (and I didn't pay for expedited service/shipping). This is one reason why I'd like to stay with Canon. I have a friend that needed her D800 serviced in the last year, and it took 5 weeks. Ridiculous. And Sony used 3rd party for service before opening up their pro-shop. Hopefully Sony gets better, but I've been burned badly by their products failing just after their warranty expired. I see Sony as a consumer brand -- if it breaks, get a new one. However, that is harder to swallow when the equipment cost thousands. People have been upgrading Sony bodies every couple years, because their advancements in features were large enough to justify upgrading to the newer gear. Now, the rate of change is slowing, and now Sony will face more repairs as people hold onto the equipment longer. Canon has largely closed the DR gap, and Canon lenses are less expensive than their Sony counterparts. Based on my prior experience with Sony products, I would not even consider switching to Sony until their service record is on par with Canon's.


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 29, 2017)

Random Orbits said:


> Based on my prior experience with Sony products, I would not even consider switching to Sony until their service record is on par with Canon's.



My three experiences with Canon service:

1. I had the outermost ring on my 24L replaced. The lens was returned to me with the very same ring badly scuffed (down into the metal). This was resolved eventually.
2. The 80D firmware update would not upload, so I sent it to Canon for the upload. They sent it back to an unknown location. Eventually it was returned to them and I did get it back.
3. I purchased a refurbished MP-E and they botched the order, but repeatedly assured me that the lens was on it's way to me. When it didn't show, Canon would not honor the discount.

On top of all that, the general tone was one of disinterest and cold.

Now it looks like I will not qualify for CPS, so no matter how much I would be willing to pay for good service, I can't. Is Sony service as bad as what I have experienced with Canon?


----------



## Random Orbits (Nov 29, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> My three experiences with Canon service:
> 
> 1. I had the outermost ring on my 24L replaced. The lens was returned to me with the very same ring badly scuffed (down into the metal). This was resolved eventually.
> 2. The 80D firmware update would not upload, so I sent it to Canon for the upload. They sent it back to an unknown location. Eventually it was returned to them and I did get it back.
> ...



CPS might expedite the service including shipping, but it shouldn't affect the quality of service. I think your experiences are just unlucky and not typical of most.

Services I have had done over the last few years:

24L II would not focus accurately (I purchased off Ebay). It was still within the 1 year warranty window, so Canon covered the recalibration of the lens. Fixed satisfactorily.
24-70 f/2.8 II, rubber zoom ring was coming off. Out of warranty. Fixed satisfactorily.
5DIII, error 80? A board had to be replaced. Out of warranty. Fixed satisfactorily.
5DIII, focus screen dirty and misaligned because I was mucking around with it. Out of warranty. Fixed satisfactorily.
5DIII, large rubber piece under shutter button was starting to disbond. Out of warranty. Fixed satisfactorily.
When I had originally bought the 5DIII, it needed AFMA about -3 or -4 for all my lenses. They reset the focus after fixing it and it has been 0 ever since.

The refurb store is a separate organization from the repair shop. Purchased the following:

7DII. Absolutely no issues. There were multiple discounts that weren't supposed to be stacked, but they were and Canon honored it so I got it for about 800-900 and that was 1-2 years ago. I was fully expecting them to cancel the order, but they didn't.
16-35 f/4 IS (this one was via a promotion via their retail store and not refurb
35 f/2 IS
24 f/2.8 IS
EF-S 10-22

So my experiences do not match yours. In reality, it's somewhere in between. Again, most of my purchases/repairs were done within 1-2 weeks, and I don't have CPS.


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 29, 2017)

Random Orbits said:


> So my experiences do not match yours. In reality, it's somewhere in between. Again, most of my purchases/repairs were done within 1-2 weeks, and I don't have CPS.



Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have to admit that three events are not statistically meaningful. If the attitudes I encountered had been more friendly and helpful, I would not dread my next repair. OK, I'm done bitching.


----------



## docsmith (Nov 29, 2017)

Unfortunate to hear about your issues chrysoberyl.

I am much more in the boat with Random Orbits. Honestly, Canon has some of the better service for any product I work with. I have had them work on (when I owned them) EFS 15-85, 100-400L, 70-300L, 7D, 24-70 II, and 5DIII. Great luck, reasonable prices.

I've also had great luck with refurbs including 24-70 II, 16-35 f/4 IS, 70-300 L and now the 5DIV.

Overall, Canon's service is still buying my brand loyalty.


----------



## ecqns (Nov 30, 2017)

I haven't had to use Sony service for my 2 Sony cameras yet but it seems they use a local NYC repair shop for users in the area. Seems pretty convenient.


----------



## bwud (Nov 30, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks, Dylan. Are there no other Sony users on this forum, or do they not want to admit that they use Sony as well as Canon?



I’ve only had one Sony camera (a7r ii, which I purchased at launch). In 2.5 (ish) years I’ve had it, I’ve not needed service, so I can’t answer the question.

I’ve managed to rub much of the anti-glare coating off the rear display. Maybe when my A7R iii comes next weekend I’ll send in the ii for cleaning and touch up before putting it in storage.

I presume it matters significantly where you live. As Dylan points out, being close to a service center is advantageous. I drive my canon gear to the service center in Irvine and usually have it back within a few business days, but have heard of it taking weeks for others having similar work done who aren’t located conveniently.


----------



## chrysoberyl (Nov 30, 2017)

Thanks, all. I have not located a Sony Pro service center in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA area, and I just learned that Sony lenses are FBW. So my interest has waned. The good part is that my bad experiences with Canon service seem to be anomalous, so that's encouraging.


----------



## bwud (Nov 30, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks, all. I have not located a Sony Pro service center in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA area, and I just learned that Sony lenses are FBW. So my interest has waned. The good part is that my bad experiences with Canon service seem to be anomalous, so that's encouraging.



I haven’t found much to complain about with the FBW. The focus rings at least in the lenses I use (Zeiss Batis 25, 85, and Sony 24-70 GM; my next will likely be the 100-400 GM, but I’m waiting to see how the RIII does with teleconverters. The A9 maintains PDAF even with max aperture of f/11. The RII reverts to CDAF, and I’ve not been able to determine how the RIII behaves) don’t really reveal the lack of mechanical linkage. In fairness I rarely focus manually, but when I do the ability to zoom in in a high-res EVF makes more of a difference than would a mechanical focus system.


----------



## xps (Dec 22, 2017)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks, Dylan. Are there no other Sony users on this forum, or do they not want to admit that they use Sony as well as Canon?



My experience with these services: Sony got better in Germany, after having 2 bodies and 2 lenses to repair. But it is still not very accommodating. High costs for fixed things and many calls to recommend that the problem of the body is under guarantee in 2016. My grandson´s A9 and 100-400 got fixed in November fast and without claims from the service company.
Canon ist faster, but gets more expensive here. Had an issue with Check and clean of an 5DSR (that was still under guarantee) and the 5D Mk IV, where the video update was performed without asking me, if I wanted to do so. 
IMHO Sony´s service got much better. Not only the pro service, but also the normal one. But is still expensive if there are some hardware to fix. 
Canon is still superior, but the gap in between is getting smaller


----------



## RGF (Jan 21, 2018)

chrysoberyl said:


> Thanks, all. I have not located a Sony Pro service center in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA area, and I just learned that Sony lenses are FBW. So my interest has waned. The good part is that my bad experiences with Canon service seem to be anomalous, so that's encouraging.



What does FBW mean?


----------

