Fuji A Question for those who have suffered the SABs

I'm curious about when it happened for you. So I'd like to know a) how many shots before SAB and b) how much time had elapsed between purchase and SAB?

Asking because I haven't had it yet, I've not shot much (not a quantity shooter, me) and am now well outside the warranty period and rather think I'll be screwed if I get it. OTOH I may escape it.
 
Mine was preowned and a fairly early serial number.
I figure it would have happened by now.
(eternal optimist)

I was just wondering if it was numbers of shots OR time OR a combination. Those who got it seemed to have done a LOT of shooting in the early days of owning. I don't think I have even shot 1000 yet. I'm hoping that whatever causes it is somehow related to shooting like a maniac when you get a new camera. I never do.
 
I was an early adopter and it happened after a couple of months and a few hundred shots.

Check your serial number which will give you the date of manufacture. I think those from second quarter 2012 are ok.

The number format is e.g. 13 third quarter 2011 and 21 first quarter 2012 etc. the letter in the serial is the region.
 
I was just wondering if it was numbers of shots OR time OR a combination. Those who got it seemed to have done a LOT of shooting in the early days of owning. I don't think I have even shot 1000 yet. I'm hoping that whatever causes it is somehow related to shooting like a maniac when you get a new camera. I never do.

No, it was related to when the camera was manufactured. If you have one with it, it'll show up at some point. If you don't, you can shoot like five maniacs and it won't happen. It seems to have affected a lot of those manufactured in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake a couple of years ago. The very early ones didn't seem to have it, then a whole bunch did, then Fuji discovered and eventually fixed the problem, and I don't think anything made after late 2011 had it. There are corresponding serial numbers but I don't recall what they were. I had one of the first batch to hit North America (via Canada) and I shot like a maniac for the first aeveral months and never had a problem.

-Ray
 
Mine had SAB. Fuji was super. I mailed the camera to them, they replaced the entire lens assembly and Fedex'ed it back to me at no charge. I had the camera back within a week of when I mailed it to them. They even called me to let me know the progress. Their staff at their repair facility in New Jersey was fantastic. I think the guy's name was Steve Pulhamus (I'm probably mispelling it). My experience with Nikon and Pentax was very different when I had service issues. Kudos to Fuji. Great cameras, great service. Nikon was a PAIN to deal with.
 
Thanks, Ray. That means I am likely to get it, I think mine was in that post earthquake batch. Damn.

[edit] Is the serial number the one thats preceded by FS on the bottom of the battery door?? Mine says 12M11164...
Yeah, I think the 12 & 13 serial numbers were susceptible, maybe some beyond that - I don't recall.

BUT.... There were plenty from those batches that DIDN'T get it too. I don't know that Fuji ever calculated or released numbers or percentages (almost surely not), but I doubt that it was a very high percentage based on the anecdotal evidence. Yours is from the batch that MIGHT get it, so I'd be aware if you start getting a lot of over-exposures, but I wouldn't assume the worst.

-Ray
 
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