Canon Vixia: LCD Screen Broken -- Ideas?

[Christian Brown]

The screen on one of my HF100s has gone black. The camera still works, but of course you can't see what you are recording or edit any settings.

Before I ship this in to Canon, has anybody had the same problem? Was it just a loose wire that I could reconnect.

When I turn on the camera, it looks like the screen tries to light up (it lights up black) for about about a half-second, and then it goes legitimately black (no power or signal).

Thank you.

[Mark Gerhart]

its hard to get a reply up in this site m8!

[Pete Bauer]

I don't really have any idea what the actual failure was or what it'll cost to repair. However, I think if this happened to my HF10, I'd just consider it a loss and get a newer model. For example, it's not the very latest but B&H has a Vixia M300 for $352. Maybe repairing the old camera would be less than that; maybe not. But definitely won't be easier and quicker than just buying a new camera.

[Bob Richardson]

About 2 years ago I purchased a supplemental HF100 and within an hour it exhibited the exact symptoms you described. I sent it back to the dealer, and they didn't have an immediate replacement, so I did without.

If you're like me and you have a lot of accessories which won't all fit/work correctly with later models, or you have a desire to keep a consistent user interface between multiple cameras, you can readily find used HF100 (or HF10) cameras on eBay or CraigsList in the $275 to $400 range, depending on condition and accessories.

[Christian Brown]

I hope a repair will cost less than replacing the whole camera. I have several others cameras, so I don't need to purchase a new or new used to tide me over.

I've printed off a repair authorization from Canon's website. I'm going to wait a little bit to ship it in.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Bob, did they tell you what the problem was?

[Andy Wilkinson]

From what I've read, often the LCD on many small cameras (various makes) with fold out/twist round screens go black because of a stress fracture in the small thin ribbon cable hidden within the "hinge/swivel point" linking the screen to the electronics inside the main body. Some makes seem more prone to this than others (look at a thread about this regarding Sony HC7/9s and Sony AU1s/HC1s in that Forum section, for example). I have a HC1 amongst my cameras, so that's why I'm aware of this (but touch wood, it's so far not had this problem).

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-hvr...dead-help.html

Hopefully, this is all it is. If so, a relatively simple (?) disassembly, replacement of the cable and putting it all back together will cure it....now I could easily be wrong.... but let's hope that's all it is and your repair bill is not going to be too bad (there are some worryingly high prices in the linked Sony thread though). Hopefully Canon are more reasonable in there repair costs? Good luck!

[Christian Brown]

With the help of a friend and a set of tiny screwdrivers, I was able to open up the camera screen and arm. Thankfully, I do not see any tears or crimps in the ribbon cable. After cleaning out the sand (I bought it used, I swear!), the screen seems to be working fine! I moved the screen and ribbon cable at many different angles while the camera was on in order to make sure that there wasn't a fault in the cable. I was not able to get it to cut out, which is a good sign.

I'll take some pictures before I put it back together, and I'll try to post them here.

Cheers.

[Christian Brown]

Special thanks goes to DM, who did most of the legwork on this.

Upon opening the Vixia, there were several grains of sand on the inside. Cleaning it out solved my faulty LCD, but taking the camera apart and putting it back together was not a walk in the park.

The lens/shutter cover had been having difficulty opening. Cleaning that area out (sand, again), solved that problem.

I have attached a PDF showing the Vixia being put back together. You can take a look at the ribbon cable, etc.