I've had my XH-A1 now for 5 years, and I'm thinking about having it cleaned and serviced. To those who have done this how much does this cost, and what is the procedure. Thanks.

Don't wait too long. When I did this for an XL1s, it was like $250. Within a few months, they end-of-lifed it so they didn't do service on it anymore. It's also a stand up thing to do before trying to sell it.

I've had my XH-A1 now for 5 years, and I'm thinking about having it cleaned and serviced. To those who have done this how much does this cost, and what is the procedure. Thanks.

Yikes! That's a long time with no servicing or cleaning. I had mine done under a Mack warranty. I think it was $400.

BTW, the sobering reality is that a used A1 itself -- no bundles, bling, or extras -- is selling south of $1k. It's hard to find one without a bag, wide angle adapter, extra batteries and such that pushes a bundle price into the low $1k range. Applying some common sense to this pricing structure, however, you'll see that the cost of even a routine cleaning is now a substantial fraction of what the camera is worth. So it goes with consumer electronics...

As far as the procedure goes, you go to the Canon site and drill down to the section for sending your camera back to them. They'll give you an estimate for some things (like this maintenance checkup). You then printout the service order and mail it to them.

You may want to check out the CPS membership. Canon Professional Service or something.
Silver or Bronze was like $150 and get's you 2 annual cleanings.

Thanks everyone great info. I never want to sell it, I love this camcorder!

If you qualify for CPS Gold membership, then you get two free clean & check coupons per year with free return shipping, plus a 30% discount on repairs, which more than pays for the $100/yr. dues. More info here:

Canon Professional Services - Homepage (http://www.cps.usa.canon.com/)