Buiyng GL2 secondhand at DVinfo.net

Rasmus Forman · December 21st, 2003, 01:02 PM

Next week I am going to have a look - and properly - buy a GL2 secondhand. Is there anything I have to be aware of (technically...) when buing this camcorder secondhand?

Ken Tanaka · December 21st, 2003, 01:27 PM

There are no considerations unique to the GL2. In general:

Make sure that zoom and focus operate smoothly.
Shoot some steady handheld with the OIS on and then off to make sure it's ok.
Inspect the LCD and the viewfinder to detect any dead pixels on these displays.
Be sure to play back what you shoot on a monitor to check for dead pixels on the CCD and to verify the quality of the image.
Ask if the camera has every been serviced and, if so, for what.
Make sure that all of the original accessories are included with the camera. (Download the manual from CanonDV.com to get a list of these.)
How many, and what brand/capacity, batteries are supplied with the sale?
Turn the camera over and make sure that there is no apparent damage to the tripod screw hole. With poor care the area around the hole may show cracks and/or the threads may look a bit chewed-up.
Set the camera in MANUAL mode and Manual Focus to be sure that the focus, iris and shutter speed controls operate correctly. (Again, familiarize yourself with these controls from the downloaded manual.)
Look closely at the lens, and at the image, to determine if there is any damage to its coatings.
Test the zoom and record controls on the handle to make sure these operate. Also test the VCR playback controls under the handle door.
The camera is supplied with an 8Mb SD Flash card. Be sure it's present and that the "card" mode of the camera operates correcctly.
Make sure the on-camera mic is secure. These sometimes come loose with poor care.
If possible, bring headphones and test the manual audio controls.

Off-hand, those are the items that come to mind.

Good luck!

Imran Zaidi · December 21st, 2003, 01:27 PM

Ask the owner what tapes he/she has been using. Hopefully they've only used one kind, and you can continue using that same kind.

Other than that, the usual stuff... how old, how many hours used, any problems, any warranty service?

Richard James · December 21st, 2003, 10:09 PM

I'm going to be buying the XM2 (PAL GL2) very soon,

One thing to look out for is ebay scams, i have seen about 6 camcorders come up on ebay.co.uk, that use what appear to be hijacked accounts to sell, a DVX100 showed up on there at a starting bid of 300 pounds, and theres currently a GL2 on there for £300,

Just a warning to anyone who uses ebay.co.uk, beware of the camcorder scams!

Rasmus Forman · December 23rd, 2003, 04:35 PM

Thanks for good advices - I use them when I hopefully am going to buy a useed GL2 next week (in fact it's going to be XM2 the european model)

December 21st, 2003, 01:02 PM	#1
Rasmus Forman New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 7	Buiyng GL2 secondhand Next week I am going to have a look - and properly - buy a GL2 secondhand. Is there anything I have to be aware of (technically...) when buing this camcorder secondhand?

December 21st, 2003, 01:27 PM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	There are no considerations unique to the GL2. In general: Make sure that zoom and focus operate smoothly. Shoot some steady handheld with the OIS on and then off to make sure it's ok. Inspect the LCD and the viewfinder to detect any dead pixels on these displays. Be sure to play back what you shoot on a monitor to check for dead pixels on the CCD and to verify the quality of the image. Ask if the camera has every been serviced and, if so, for what. Make sure that all of the original accessories are included with the camera. (Download the manual from CanonDV.com to get a list of these.) How many, and what brand/capacity, batteries are supplied with the sale? Turn the camera over and make sure that there is no apparent damage to the tripod screw hole. With poor care the area around the hole may show cracks and/or the threads may look a bit chewed-up. Set the camera in MANUAL mode and Manual Focus to be sure that the focus, iris and shutter speed controls operate correctly. (Again, familiarize yourself with these controls from the downloaded manual.) Look closely at the lens, and at the image, to determine if there is any damage to its coatings. Test the zoom and record controls on the handle to make sure these operate. Also test the VCR playback controls under the handle door. The camera is supplied with an 8Mb SD Flash card. Be sure it's present and that the "card" mode of the camera operates correcctly. Make sure the on-camera mic is secure. These sometimes come loose with poor care. If possible, bring headphones and test the manual audio controls. Off-hand, those are the items that come to mind. Good luck! __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 21st, 2003, 01:27 PM	#3
Imran Zaidi Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,315	Ask the owner what tapes he/she has been using. Hopefully they've only used one kind, and you can continue using that same kind. Other than that, the usual stuff... how old, how many hours used, any problems, any warranty service?

December 21st, 2003, 10:09 PM	#4
Richard James Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: England, london. Posts: 31	I'm going to be buying the XM2 (PAL GL2) very soon, One thing to look out for is ebay scams, i have seen about 6 camcorders come up on ebay.co.uk, that use what appear to be hijacked accounts to sell, a DVX100 showed up on there at a starting bid of 300 pounds, and theres currently a GL2 on there for £300, Just a warning to anyone who uses ebay.co.uk, beware of the camcorder scams!

December 23rd, 2003, 04:35 PM	#5
Rasmus Forman New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 7	Thanks for good advices - I use them when I hopefully am going to buy a useed GL2 next week (in fact it's going to be XM2 the european model)