Sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. Anyone else ever had this problem? Was it expensive to repair? Also, is there a way to tether the XL2 to another miniDV camera and record the image there? I don't want to take the risk of missing footage because I can't eject the tape. I have heard of people with a similar problem on their GL2s using this trick in a pinch.

Marco, I have had this happen many times on my XL-2. Close the gate and try again. If this does not work, what I end up doing is, with the gate open, move my finger gently across the top of the tape transport then hit the eject buttom again. Been doing this for about a year. Hope this helps. Bob

My does it too sometimes. As others, when gate is open I just press tape eject button once again and the tape slides out. I don't ever close the gate and open it twice, pressing the button is all I need. Always works.

Piotr

I've also dealt with this. No rhyme or reason to how I get the tape ejected. Most successful method is switching out batteries, sometimes a few times. Had a live action shoot last week and the tape wouldn't eject until about 2 minutes before start time. A little nerve-racking, to say the least.

Yes this is a common issue with this camcorder that is caused by a little pin switch. The contacts oxidize and make it hard to eject the tape. Have that replaced and your problem will be solved.

It sure does seem like an oxidized contact. I wonder if it's reachable with DeoxIt?

Hosa Technology DeoxIt Fader Lubricant F100L-L25C B&H Photo

The switch in question is a very specific switch and is mounted on a flexible circuit board. It's not very easy to get to and almost the entire camera needs to be taken apart in order to get to it. I do not recommend spraying anything in your camcorder. Where the switch is at you can't even get to it with a nozzle anyway.

Ah nuts. I see you work at a camera repair company Sherman. Can you estimate a cost for the repair? Feel free to message me if you don't want to post that publicly.

PM sent Marco.