CX5 with lens issue, keep or return?

[kye]

Hi. Just 3 days ago I got my first Ricoh camera ever, the CX5.

I haven't done lots of testing yet, less than 200 pictures, and treated the camera well. However, I already ran into a problem:

When I turned on the camera, the camera seemed to be unhappy with the zoom lens. It moved it back and forward, more than 10 times. I turned it off, back on, same story. Display was kept black. Then, on the third attempt, everything went back to normal.

I used the cam for 2 minutes, then while using the zoom, the problem occurred again.

This all happened yesterday. In total, the camera went into that bad state three times. However, that's it. Since then, the camera has been working.

Now my question: Should I accept this as a one time glitch, and hope for the best? Or does it indicate a badly manufactured device, and I should return it immediately to get it changed?

(Trouble is, how can I prove this...? If I send it in, I'm worried the tech staff will not notice any defect and refuse to change it.)

Thanks in advance for your advice
Kye

[odklizec]

Hi Kye and welcome here! I'm sorry to hear about your issue. It definitely sounds like a serious problem. I would suggest you to return the camera to the shop where you bought it or eventually, contact Ricoh support via this page:
https://ricoh.rma-request.com/RMA/welco ... Language=1

The best would be to record the issue on a video, but I understand it could be a long shot as the problem is not consistently reproducible. Anyway, Ricoh technicians may find the record about your problem directly in the camera service menu. Just contact Ricoh via the above page and ask them what to do. Hope that helps?

[kye]

Thanks for your advice.
Ok, I'm sending it in to the Ricoh for repair. I hope it will be quick. It's sad to have an issue so soon after purchasing a new toy.
(I bought it via an Internet Shop at a remote location, so returning to the shop would probably unnecessarily complicate the story.)

Thanks
Kye

[kye]

The repair center has returned the camera.

All they did was "upgrade the Firmware".
Well, I had done that myself already. The Camera's firmware is still at the (latest) version that I had flashed already.

Based on the repair report, I'm worried they haven't done any physical inspection of the zoom lens mechanism and the procedure might have been unhelpful.
My suspicion is, they tried the camera very shortly and the problem didn't appear while they tested, as I had presumed.
At least the repair center was quick in processing the camera...

I'm back at "let's hope it was a one time glitch and won't occur again". I will report again if it does happen again, but let's be optimistic.

[kye]

The problem reappeared, multiple times.
This time I had sent a video to to Ricoh that demonstrates the issue.

Luckily, Ricoh reacted immediately, and sent me a voucher to send in the camera again, without costs.
They repaired the camera by exchanging the lens (and possibly other parts), notified me about it, and even gave it back to the postal service, all in a single day.

I've received the camera one day later, and I'm very happy with this second service experience.

[odklizec]

I'm happy for you kye! Nice to hear about the smooth service you experienced this time Enjoy your "new" camera and don't forget to post some pics!

[kye]

The camera worked perfectly fine during the previous 3 months. I'm very satisfied with the Ricoh CX5.

Today I've posted some pictures as requested

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7321
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7322
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=7323
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=7324

All images were shrinked to 50% so I am below the allowed file size.
Cheers