I bought a Sony AX-700 in May 2019 to replace an AX-55 which failed just after the Sony warranty expired but for which I received my money back from Amazon. With covid delaying planned foreign travel, I have used the AX-700 very little, probably under 7 hours of recording in all. I took it on a wildlife trip to Indonesia in November, keeping it in a special compartment provided out of air conditioning. I then carried it in a waterproof bag up a hill to a bird hide (blind). It had been raining and the humidity in the hide was high. The AX-700 would not turn on. I put it on a bench beside me. Somebody sitting behind noticed some time later that the green light had turned on spontaneously. The camera was extremely hot, especially around the screen display area so I switched it off using the button inside the flap. Again after a few minutes it turned itself back on. I again switched it off and disconnected the battery.
Over the next day some functionality returned to the viewfinder and recording but only for a few seconds. The camcorder shut down.
Back in UK I sent it to Sony for repair. This was the reply:
Regrettably we are unable to repair the unit as we have found it has suffered liquid contamination, therefore we are unable to guarantee a reliable repair. Please note this damage is not covered by warranty. Attached is the photo of the contamination. In order to resolve the case, we wish to offer an alternative solution. We wish to offer a new FDR-AX53 at a discount price of £270.71 as a replacement for your unit as it is no longer available. Please note if the replacement is accepted, your original unit will not be returned.
Thanks but no thanks was my response.
The camcorder has been kept in dry conditions since I have had it. Reading more about corrosion in electronic circuits, it seems high humidity is sufficient to dissolve the salts formed from the soldering flux deteriorating over time which then cause mayhem.
I then sent the photograph to another, independent, repairer. He also said a repair is impossible because of corrosion. It seems there are no spare boards available for the AX-700. I am left with a useless hulk. And Sony are still selling the AX-700. I wonder when they were built.
My love/hate relationship with the AX-700 is over. My views on Sony are unprintable.
