Canon XL1 servicing

FastEddie

Hi guys,

I have a Canon XL1 that's in need of repair. I can power it on and get a picture in the viewfinder, I can even capture video on my PC via the firewire link. What I can't do is record or playback tape - all I get is a blue screen. My thinking is that it's the heads that have gone.

I've a couple of questions:

1. Is it usual to get the 'blue screen' when the heads have degraded?
2. How much is it gonna cost me to fix it and where can I get it done? (I've heard Canon charge an awful lot...!)

Thanks for any help you can give...

ThreadKiller

Sorry, can't help with the service but interested in how you rate this camera, I was thinking of getting one.

FastEddie

You get what you pay for really.

You have broadcast quality video and sound in a lightweight and compact package. I've used it indoors and outdoors and I've always gotten good results.

Working from a tripod can be awkward because of the narrow gap between the viewfinder and the detatchable lens when using the servo zoom. If you're not careful, this can loosen the lense housing on the camera over time.

You can also get problems with the back focus - when zooming out from an object the focus doesn't hold the whole way through the zoom range. This can become more pronounced in lower light conditions. I think this can be resolved with a firware update from Canon. Don't know if this is an issue for the XL1s and the XL2.

Apart from these two points I've never had any problems (until now, but I think that's down to normal wear and tear).

idiotproof

Sounds like the blue screen of death to me, your heads could have given up the ghost but they could just be horribly dirty, the best place in Dublin to go as far I've experienced is The Audio Clinic in Monkstown, (left past the big church 200 metres on your left) the guy in their is quality and repleced the entire tape mechanism and main board on my camera over night cos I really needed quickly, XL1s and Canons are common enough (the heads for the XL1 are probably the same for the MV 1 chip range so replacing them shouldn't be too hard or expensive, I cannot stress enough DON'T drop it in to places like Conns or anywhere else or send it off to Canon, they just send it to guys like the guy in Monkstown but add a charge on the top and take an extra month with it and because they dont fix them they don't know what questions to ask when finding out whats wrong. If you've been shooting A LOT for a year the heads could just be dead cos they do that after so many playing hours but if you haven't been using it consistently for that long could just be really dirty.

big_moe

yeah, audio clinic in monkstown. richard in there does all the repairs for canon in my shop. he does a good job and as idiotproof said he can turn it around quickly if needs be.

FastEddie

Thanks for the info guys. I'd say the heads have just died, they've seen a lot of use over the past while.

Any idea how much it would cost??

Ruwenzori

I am also having problems with my casette deck. Audio Clinic has disappeared. Anyone have any idea where one could get it repaired now?

Cheers

halfmoon

I am having sound problems on my XL1. Very crackly on recording. It's not the mic as I've plugged it out and it's still there. Anyone any ideas? Please need a quick reply