FX1 - colour bars keep popping up

[Mike Shaw]

This is beginning to be a real pain:

Sony FX1. I use the viewfinder most of the time.

Whilst filming - it may also occur while I'm on standby - suddenly the colour bars pop up. When it first happened - right in the middle of a shoot - I had to switch off the cam and switch it back on again.

Today it happened again - I opened up the viewer screen, pressed the 'Bars' button, closed the screen and was able to continue filming without losing too much.

But, as Mr Sod will testify, it invariably happens at a crucial part of a shoot: today's was a sporting event. No retakes. What is lost is lost.

Any ideas as to why this is happening, and more pertently, how I can prevent it from happening?

[tom hardwick]

If you turn the camera on, does the bars switch reliably toggle the bars on and off whenever pushed? If not, my guess is that the 'bars' button switch has a fault.

Do all the buttons exposed when you flip open the top screen work as advertised? Has that panel got damp at any time? Snow landed on it? Condensation?

Here's an exploded view of the FX1 showing how that panel is fed by a flexible cable strip:

http://www.camcorderservice.nl/sony_fx1.htm

tom.

[Mike Shaw]

Thanks Tom.

Yes - bars switch seems to work fine - in fact I use it to switch the bars off when they appear.

And yes, all the other buttons work as they should.

The cam hasn't got damp at all - not been used in the rain or the snow for that matter.

(Those exploded views - wow ... don't think I'll be removing any screws to explore inside!!).

I shall watch more closely the next time it happens, and checkl out exactly what I have done or am doing at the time. I wondered if something was pushing on the button - but of course, its just the screen (no dirt on it!). The other thing is to use the cam with the screen opened to see if it happens then - although I prefer to use the viewfinder, it might add another clue if it doesn't happen with the screen opened up.

[Chrisbitz]

Did you ever discover anything about this?

[Mike Shaw]

Nope. But next time it happens, I'll be waiting. Watching carefully to see if i can identify any cause, rhyme or reason.