I don't think I will every purchase another Canon Video Camera. I was very upset that I was going to be out of pocket to fix my camera. I talked to the customer relations department about the remove cassette error and you know what he told me.

That is the first I have heard of the GL2 with that issue. Give me a break is what I said. It's under FAQ on there website. Sounds to me like it is a pretty big issue if it is on there FAQ. He said that he knows that other cameras have had issues but not this one. So, no matter what I will be having to pay to have it fixed.

Is there an extended warranty that can be purchased? Does anyone know? I know they don't offer one.

I had same prob, and overnighted my cam to canon.

here's what they did:
replaced idler gear ass'y, drive gear ass'y, slide chassis ass'y and AV Jack. Cleand head and tape path.

got it back within a week.

until I sent it, I used a pain in the ass workaround -- pop out the battery while it's still on, and pop in back in.

did not encounter this problem for years of owning my gl2. four years maybe problem free?

now my zoom is frozen, oy. anyone know an easy way to fix that? hate to have to send it out again.

. . now my zoom is frozen, oy. anyone know an easy way to fix that? hate to have to send it out again.


Which Zoom? Grip/Cassette Door or Handle? - Have you got a LANC to test it?

I had same prob, and overnighted my cam to canon.

here's what they did:
replaced idler gear ass'y, drive gear ass'y, slide chassis ass'y and AV Jack. Cleand head and tape path.

got it back within a week.

until I sent it, I used a pain in the ass workaround -- pop out the battery while it's still on, and pop in back in.

did not encounter this problem for years of owning my gl2. four years maybe problem free?

now my zoom is frozen, oy. anyone know an easy way to fix that? hate to have to send it out again.

Oh this is stuff that I don't want to hear. Did you happen to ask them if this is common on the GL2 cause they told me they had never heard of it. I only use one camera and that is one GL2. I don't know how I can trust this camera now. I am worried I am going to be out shooting somewhere and the next thing you know I will be screwed. I am looking at getting a second camera however I don't think it will be a Cannon due to some of the reliablitiy of them.

Jason, I've had my XM2s now for over 4 years - one at 4 years and one at 3 years. Used on Weddings, corporate work, countless out and about shooting, reviews, Christmas's, birthdays & bar mitzvahs. I've had 'em on building sites, dusty and noisy, in rocking and rolling cars and vans, street processions of 50,000 people, at rock/bangra concerts, . . . yeah? I CAN'T get enough of what they produce. Behind me I must have at least 400 60miniDV Sony tapes. That'll give you some idea of my usage.

Repair history:

Camera 1:

a) Erratic Pixel striation 4 weeks before the ed of manufacturer warranty. Free Repair.

b) Zoom "Madness" and only now, 2 years further in had I bothered to have it fixed - had the back up, see? Repaired as part of my insurance cover.

Camera 2:

a) CCCD Block White Pixel. Again Canon repaired this under their 1 year warranty and while they were about it, they ALSO did the transport stuff too.

Morals of story?

#1 If you ARE doing anything near pro work, commissions from clients, you SHOULD have a backup camera anyway.

#2 The cost of these cameras is negligibly compered to the ROI it brings.

#3 Canon's treatment of me has been nothing but fast, considerate and thorough.

#4 The trouble is, this freaking camera gives outrageously excellent video!! Now that I have converted nearly 100% to using the 16:9 mode, and seeing the end result on screen, I'm finding it really hard to step up to anything that aint HDV! And that is a real - £££ - problem!!!

Look, if you are that worried then get a backup. If you aren't, then when things go wrong AND it isn't a matter of life and death get it into the Canon Garage. The XM2 IS a cheaply priced camera and NO amount of convincing by me or yourself that the experience should not be what you are getting. I agree . .. but sometimes ? Yeah . .. ?

I'll tell you what though, I was only TOO glad that when I started out on this craft there WAS a camera that was going to stretch me, provide me with enough challenges to conquer and experiment, AND have enough budget head room left to buy the extra stuff I have.

Best regards,

Grazie

Well with that said it does make me feel better. As you mentioned I do need a second camera. I don't do a lot of work as it is only my second line of work so I have never invested the money in a new camera. I like canon and the quality as you mentioned seems to be great. I am also looking at getting into HD. Anyway I was upset that Cannon told me it was the first they had heard of the Canon GL2 model having this issue. I just felt like I was being fed BS. I will say that the last time my camera was in there under warrant they repaired everything and it was like new when I got it back and it took almost no time at a all. So, I would have to say there customer service is great.

Update: I was given a quote of $240 then an adjustment of $190 bucks. I am not sure why the adjustment but really appreciate that. My cost is now 64 bucks including overnight shipping. Way to go Cannon they have satisfied me.

I was one of the people successful in using the cleaning technique. I didn't have any suitable "spirits" handy, tried 60% rubbing alcohol, didn't work. I tried some lens cleaner, nothing more than alcohol, didn't help. I used some electronic "contact" cleaner, trichloroethane, it worked. Every few months while using the camera, I get the error. a drop of two or trichloro, bingo, works for months again. I'm about to leave for Cozumel Mexico to do some U/W photography, so far the camera still works ok. I might try to find a way to take a small vial of trichloro with me on the plane in my luggage just in case. If you want to try some other solvent, you have to make sure it will not affect the plastic parts.

Jim

Has anyone else tried Cosmin's solution with the alcohol and clutch? It seems to have worked for him and some others. I have a GL2 arriving any day. Trying to head off problems before they arise.

I recently had my GL-2 fixed, out-of-warranty, by Canon with a final cost also of $ 65. The turn-around was less than a week - same repair as described above.

Well I think I beat all of you - I hadn't used the camera for a total of 15 minutes when I got my first "remove cassette error" . I hadn't had time to read the manual yet so I assumed it was something I was doing. To make a long story short I had the camera about 2 weeks and it was NEVER reliable. I could never tell if would work or not. I have subsequently sent it back to Amazon and I'm waiting for a refund so I can order a different camera. I think we're going with the panasonic AG DVC30. We were really disappointed. This was a purchase by our church and we really wanted to be ready to use this camera for our Christmas Eve Service...we may still have a new one on time but hardly time to learn now to use it ...or to make the videos I had planned as backgrounds. I will never consider another canon videocamera although I love my little canon digital still camera. I am so glad I found this forum. You guys helped me alot.
Marie

I have had my XM2 for over 3 years, so it is well out of warranty. Like many users I experienced the "Remove Cassette" problem, and worked around it. However, recently that became impossible so I decided to have it repaired. It was sent to Canon UK on Monday and was back in my hands the following Friday. The repair was carried out free of charge as a goodwill gesture, the lady at the service centre told me, when I rang to ask the charge.
Canon also replaced the zoom key assembly.

I have had my XM2 for over 3 years, so it is well out of warranty. Like many users I experienced the "Remove Cassette" problem, and worked around it. However, recently that became impossible so I decided to have it repaired. It was sent to Canon UK on Monday and was back in my hands the following Friday. The repair was carried out free of charge as a goodwill gesture, the lady at the service centre told me, when I rang to ask the charge.
Canon also replaced the zoom key assembly.

Talk about a Christmas present. That's really good to hear.

Prior to buying my GL2 I did a lot of research and I seen the odd case of the "remove the cassette" error here on this site. But still bought one Feb 16th of last year. Well today It finally happened. After using my canon to do some live recording yesterday (direct to the computer no cassette in it) today I was going to capture some old footage I had. I open the tape bay and hear a strange noise, something didn’t sound right. But I still went and put my cassette in. And now its screweded, royally. "Eject" constantly flashing and "remove the cassette" when It wont even spit the tape back out.

I am sick to my stomach. I found my receipts from B&H and this little "canon limited warranty" card. I don’t know if there’s some other warranty thing I need or not. I’m really too upset to even look for it.

Anyone with this experience can you please tell me what I need to do to get it fixed?

Hi Matthew

Welcome to the "remove the cassette" club here ...

I bought my GL2 back in July of 2006 and last month I got the famous message. Taking the tape out and putting it back in would not work. Putting in a new taoe would not work as well.

I had it sent in to Canon Canada (Toronto) and it came back fixed. They had to replace the tape transport mechanism. luckily I had purchased the extended warranty so I was covered.

I also had the same problem on my XL1. On that one my warranty ran out so I had to pay $600.00 CDN buckaroos!!!!

Canon keeps denying there is anything wrong with their tape transport mechanism. It seems thay are using the same cheap tape transport mechanism on their XL1/XL2/GL1/GL2 lines.

Search for "Eject Tape" or "remove the cassette" in this forum and in the XL1 forum and you will see many users who had experienced this same problem.

The only solution to your problem is to send it in to Canon Canada in Toronto. You may want to first check to see if there is a Canon repair centre in Alberta. If they cannot do the repairs in Alberta, they will send it to Toronto.

At the end of the day, what keeps me staying with Canon is their gorgeous FRAME mode.

good luck

thanks, there's one In Calgary so I can send it off there. I’m just over the 1 year warrantee too but they said they might be able to extend it by 5 weeks. I really hope they do.

How did you ship your camera? I think I’m just putting mine in the original box it seems pretty secure in there don’t think I’ll even bother with bubble wrap. This isn't really any fun. I just hope I get it back.

well I just sent it off. No idea when I'll even get it back. I dont like the Idea of sending off a camera that I really did like up until it broke. And now it has to travel trough the mail, to go to some random tech in some shop. I'll most likely end up waiting a month or 2 before I get it back and have the same problem happen again a few weeks later.

Hi Matthew

I actually brought it to my local Canon office here in Montreal. They took care of the shipping and handling of the camera to Toronto. So I did not have to pay for any shipping and handling. I brought the camera as is (no box) and they just wrapped it up in some plastic covering and they sent it off.

These are the parts that were replaced on my XL1:

DY1-8030 Recorder Unit, DMC
DA1-8534 Cushion Stand.

Total cost for everything was $600.00.

This was repaired back in Septembre of 2004. The same problem came back in the summer of 2006. Back it went to Canon and they had to replace the DY1-8030 piece again. This time they only charged $400.00 (Labour only).

For both time, it took about 2 weeks before I got the camera back.

Oh by the way, the first time it came back,the camera could only operate in easy easy mode so back it went ...

I think I have a "Friday" model ...

Regards

I had the same issue with my Elura 2... 3 years out of warranty and they fixed it for free...

My HV10 also stopped playing back footage, sent it off and got it a week later working flawlessly.

I think canon has awesome customer service when it comes to their video cameras...

I found my receipts from B&H and this little "canon limited warranty" card. I don’t know if there’s some other warranty thing I need or not.
I am sorry for your difficulty. I found your original purchase, dated 02/13/06. If you need another copy of your invoice, email me.

What? HV10 has also this problem??
Nooooooo!

What? HV10 has also this problem??
Nooooooo!

Haha no, I was filming in the pouring rain, and it got in through the microphone I assume and did something with the playback... it would simply not playback, you hit play and nothing would happen.

I sent it to canon and got it back in a week working perfectly... been filming non-stop ever since then and gotten 15-20 hours worth of footage to play with... :)

I'm also in the club, but once I remove the tape the camera works fine. What I gather from reading the other "eject tape" threads is that the problem seems to reoccur. Rather than sending it to Canon and spending a load of money, I'm thinking of taking the money and putting it towards one of the DTE hard drive recorders. There is a thread on the FS-4 that works for alot of people.

Well the 15th, according to Canada Post Canon got my camera. A couple days ago I phoned to try to get an Idea of when I could expect it back. The service rep on the other line told me it can take up to 4 days before any information gets entered into the computer. Whatever no big deal, I told him I'd phone back Monday. Today I get a parcel, and guess what. Its my GL2. They shipped it back on the 21st. Even though I was just outside the 1 year warrantee they fixed it free of charge. the cause - defective parts. the part - DYI-8264-000 Recorder Unit DMC II. (can anyone tell me more about this part or its value?)

I gotta say, although I am still very upset for having this occur in the first place. My hats off to Canon for an ultra quick turn around time and doing the repair and general clean/check for free. It was better than I hoped for.

Having said that I still haven’t turned on my camera... I'm too scared I'll brake it. ;)

I can't believe the differences in what has been charged for the same "eject tape" problem, $600! I had it and limped by for a time using the alcohol trick mentioned here on this site. It finally came back worse than ever so I sent it to NJ repair center. Had it back in a week and was only charged $35.

Hi everyone,

I have a GL2 and the MiniDV tape loading mechanism is stuck open. I got the "eject cassette" message, so I opened the cassette compartment to remove the cassette. After opening the tape compartment to remove the MiniDV tape, the carriage mechanism automatically retracted with the tape carriage cover still open. Now the tape carriage cover and the compartment door are stuck open because the tape holder has retracted. The tape loading mechanism refuses to come back out even after powering on/off.

I am using this camera for a school project and I don't have another camera to use, so I was wondering if there's anyway to fix this problem?

*edit*I have posted uploaded some pictures of the camera onto ImageShack: http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1187sg4.jpg
http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1188zd1.jpg

Thanks!
Chuck

Is this your GL2 or a school loaner.

Perhaps this is too simple a response but I don't know your familiarity with the GL2 but note that this is your first post. That said, the tape cover door is closed manually. You do this AFTER after you push the tape carrier in where it says PUSH on the carrier. Similarly the carrier is opened by pressing the eject button under the door. A good battery must be installd.

Perhaps this is too simple a response but . .

Don, I thought this too, but it was our friend's further assertion that: "Now the tape carriage cover and the compartment door are stuck open because the tape holder has retracted. The tape loading mechanism refuses to come back out even after powering on/off." made me think that it HAD been pushed back in? Yes? No? - But none-the-less a good point!!

Anyways, Don, just where IS this eject button under the cassette door? I have oft wondered at the "blind" recess that is on mine. Do you think this IS a function feature not present on PAL XM2s?

Thanks for the reply, Don and Graham.

Well, I know that the tape compartment door and cover needs to be manually closed, but my problem is that I can't even manually close it because the tape carriage has locked the cover out when it retracted. Now both the tape/carriage door cover and the compartment door on the body are locked open. The carriage itself has retracted back into the body as if the carriage cover (not the compartment door on the body) has closed. The tape loading mechanism was not pushed in, it automatically retracted itself while the carriage cover was still open.

I'm sorry if I did not explain this very well, but the couple of pictures should show the state of the tape loading mechanism now.

Thanks,
Chuck

Hi Chuck. - Is there ANY movement in the door? Any movement at all?

Hi Graham,

The compartment door on the body cannot close (not even a tiny bit), because the carriage cover was locked open when the carriage retracted by itself. The carriage cover cannot be closed either.

Hmmm. Sounds like a position sensing switch in the mechanism maybe bad, or the mechanism jammed possibly by a bit of foreign material, causing it not to want to move. Probably means a trip to Canon.

Graham. I was thinking GL1-style mechanism. I gather taht the GL2 does not have the same eject button. (I know that the A1 does not.)

Don: Yes the GL-1 has the button and the -2 does not.

Chuck: I would suggest trying an idea from the cell phone insudustry. With cell phones if you power off the unit it is like shuting down a computer. It performs certain functions that are a part of the shutdown sequence before it actually turns off. Sometimes if a cell phone is misbehaving badly a tech will have you do a hard reset in that you simply remove the battery so it can not perform the shut down routine.

I suggest you do the same. Turn the camera on and let it do its power on cycle. When it finally stops doing stuff and is waiting on you remove the power (battery or coupler) so that it is instanty robbed of power. I don't know if there is a shutdown sequence for the switch but it may be that if it crashes due to no power all of a sudden it will perform other self checks when it gets power again.

Also listen to see if you can tell if the carrage moter is turning and binding. It may be trying to extend the carrage and can not because of a wire coming loose, a screw loose that has but the system in a binding situation, etc.

Wish I had a better answer for you but it is at least some things to try.

Randy

I like that idea Randy! I like that a lot.

I think I remember removing the battery and then replacing it, not sure it WAS for this purpose, but I do know that I can sometimes be too quick to open the door and I need to start again - by removing and re-plugging battery. Hmmm...

The GL2 can be reset by removing the backup battery. It is inside the area that is covered up by the LCD when the LCD closed. Removing it might make a difference.

I'd also like to hear what happens when the Canon 7.2 volt CA-920 mains adaptor with adaptor plate is used to supply power to the camera.

I decided to call Canon USA service for some information about this whole "remove the cassette" error message business. The service advisor did some research for me and found that there was a service notice a few years back that would allow all repairs for this error at a maximum cost of $50. He advised me to send my GL2 in with a letter stating that I had spoken to him and was aware of this service notice.

I mailed in my GL2 one week ago to the California service center with my letter with some hope. Today I received my accept/deny repair email and sure enough, the only cost was for labor - $50 (plus $12 in shipping)!

Thank you everyone for the replies.

So I have tried doing a hard reset by taking away the main battery and back-up battery. I have tried this both when the camera was on and when the camera was off to try and do the hard reset. I have also tried to supply power to the camera by using a main adaptor. None of these would cause the tape eject process to restart. Does anyone know what else could be wrong?

I've brought it to a local technician, I will keep you guys posted as to what the technician says is wrong.

Thanks,
Chuck

Do you have the details of this service notice (ie a number or a date and r a title) so others might aslso reference it when sending a GL-2 in for this problem?

If it bites them!

Jim,
I should have asked for the information but didn't. I will try and call and see if they will give it to me. The service rep advised that I simply describe the malfunction, state that I was aware of it and ask for them to honor the price of $50 maximum for the repair.

I would love to get a copy of that notice. I think it is really lousy of them charging everyone different prices for this repair when it was a known problem and especially since there seems to be a set policy on fixing it.

Just called Canon. The service rep I spoke with looked up the product advisory, but when I asked him to give me a specific date and/or reference number for the advisory he refused to give it to me (in a very nice way). I mentioned that the last rep told me that the max cost for repair was $50 and he said while that was true it's up to the technicians to determine cost of repair.

Basically he told me the same thing the last guy said which was to tell them I am aware of the advisory. He also said since there is a product advisory, it doesn't matter how long you've had the camcorder they will fix as stated.

So a local technician looked over the camera, and they have informed me that somehow a chip on the main board has been fried. The technician said that the chip has a burn mark on it, indicating that the chip got so hot that it looked like it caught on fire. The technician mentioned that a power surge or something could have caused this, but he is not certain and could not pinpoint what caused this chip failure. On the otherhand, the actual tape loading mechanism itself is fine and was not damaged.

Although I have not send it into Canon yet, I would like to know if anyone has heard of such a problem before? Do you have any more ideas as to what might have caused it? Has anyone had their main circuit board fried and if yes, what might have caused it? Also, does anyone know the estimate cause to replace the chip/board?

Thanks,
Chuck Ng

The rep I spoke with had me put the commentary in the appropriate field online saying it was a remove the cassette error, quoting the $50 cost max and using his name and extension number for a reference. My other GL2 has shown no problems so far but it's good to know it will be taken care of if it does. I haven't gotten my confirmation that they will fix it but I'm assuming the best at this point.

Just for the sake of general information, Bao, do you happen to know if the service advisory you mentioned applies only to transports on GL2's, or if it also covers the transports on other models (GL1, XL1, XL2, etc.)?

Yes! inquring minds want to know. I also have an XL-1s that needs service for this problem

I think I can offer some good news. I too had the error many times, unfortunately being 80 feet underwater sort of makes it difficult to open the door and close it, or remove the battery and reconnect it. Can really ruin your dive. I was one of the first to use a drop of solvent on the little white gear/pulley near the top of the cassette deck. It improved the reliability but not 100%.

I held off sending the cam to canon for fear of the charge and fear that they would not fix the problem. I finally had some down-time so decided to bite the bullit and have the work done. I shipped the cam to their Irvine repair center along with a description of the "famous" problem. I also menioned that I would eventually like to upgrade but the decision on which brand would depend on how the "cassette error" problem works out.

I just responded to their message asking for authorization to pay the $62.00 repair charge, which I granted. I told the person that I was expecting more like $250. She checked the notes, it was originally $240 and had been changed. The charge was $0.00 parts, $50.00 labor, $12.00 shipping. Perhaps Canon has gotten the message. The camera is over three years old now.

When the camera arrives, I will test it and report back. Other than replacing the zoom rocker switch myself, and the cassette peoblem, I have been very happy with the camera and would recommend it to anyone. I have also had good responses from their repair service, even on another canon camera.

I don't check this forum often, so if anybody needs to contact me, emptech@yahoo.com.

Jim

Jarod,
When the first rep was reading the advisory aloud, I remember him reading GL2 but I can't recall if there were other cameras under the advisory as well. My suggestion would be to call and ask if you have the same problems with other cameras. By the way, I received the camera back very shortly (within a week) and no messages so far!

Sorry it's taken so long to post. I don't seem to get messages to old threads even though I've subscribed to them.

Is there any correlation between the "remove the cassette" error and leaving tape in the camcorder for extended periods of time (like weeks at a time)?

HV20 has the same issue. How do I know? Coz my cam is dead and I have seen other to report the same issue.

Hi guys,
Here is the link to the advisory page: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=227&modelid=7512

hope this helps

Hi

I got my my XM2 (GL2 / Europe) in 2003.
2003-2005 no problems at all! Great DV cam, was worth the money.
Always used the same tape brand ("Sony Excellence").
2006 - "remove cassette" - was repaired, about 300,- Euros!
2007 - "remove cassette" - was repaired, about 300,- Euros!
Two weeks ago - - - you won't believe it: "remove cassette" pops up again :-(
Putting in a new tape in does help... but i have to try it a few times...
In 2 weeks I will get my PMW-EX1 from Sony. But still have a lot of DV tapes and I guess from time to time I will need a good DV cam as a "B"-roll.
I really don't know what to do. Again paying 300,-/400,- Euros ?

Regards from Germany
Rainer