Broken mic on XHA1. What now ?
 

Well darn it all I've snapped the mic off my XHA1. I suppose it'll have to go for repair. Does anyone know whats the best way to go around this. How long will it take, and how much am I looking at.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts,

Mark.

Canon USA has good turn around time. Are they quick in the UK? If you need your cam for a shoot, use external mics and send it in later.

Although I'm getting a bit of the same feeling about your accident as when one of my kids falls and scratches up a knee, please tell us the details. There's a bit of speculation as to the robustness of the mic. What holds the mic together? Is it plastic or metal? How can we avoid a broken mic?

Thanks.

Hi Doug,

Well I ended up catching the top of the mic on the car door. It didn't take much before it snapped the whole mic off. It's pulled the two ribbon plugs from inside, which I could replace myself, its just getting inside the handle looks like a bit of a job. I'll give canon a ring today, hopefully it shouldn't take to long.

Thanks for the reply,

Mark.

About $400 to fix w/ labor. Got mine fixed at Ritz Camera, but I had insurance, but they said it would have cost about $400.

*e

You might think about investing in a good case to protect your gear when transporting.

I wouldn't leave the store without a Pelican (or Storm) case for my new video camera.

I've got a Storm case for my Pana GS400 and a Pelican (depends what's in stock I guess) for my A1.

They're great for customising and they're waterproof.

Choose the right size and you can also fit in spare tapes, batteries, lens', hood amd other stuff.

I have a Kata carry bag for my Canon. The camera needs to be taken out of the bag to use it. It was when I was taking the camera back to the car to put it back into the bag that I caught the door.

Mark

P.S. I'm now having to sell my Canon, I can't afford to wait for the two weeks it'll take to get repaired, I've just got to much on, so I've now bought another. I'll be selling it as it is, so if anybody's interested, send me a PM.

Mark

Not trying to come off sounding like a jerk, but... That's the whole point of a "Carry" bag!

If the $400 price is correct, why repair? Instead, use the money to invest in a good XLR microphone. The built-in microphone is not bad, but not at the same level of quality. The only hard point: the external microphone mount does not shield enough from motor noise (especially the zoom), at least for my configuration.
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Fred

External Mic Noise
 

Yeah, I noticed the same problem with my external AT897 shotgun mic mounted in the included holder. The easiest/cheapest way to resolve this issue is by 'padding' the mic within the holder using some medium-firm density foam. I actually found that the foam makeup applicators my wife uses (white discs, about 2 inches in diameter) make for wonderful isolators. Cut one into a square that would fit into the bottom of the mic holder; works like a charm for pennies. Maybe I should get a patent?

Since I've pulled both ribbon cables out from the camera, will an external one still work. I don't fancy splashing out on a new mic to find it does'nt work. Another thing, can anyone point me in the right direction for a pretty good alternative mic.

Many thanks,

Mark.

As far as carry bags - I have one, but if you are shooting somewhere where you need to be mobile, I leave the bag in the car. I certainly couldn't manage shooting and toting a big bag on my shoulder.

The Rode shotgun mics NT-G2s I've heard are decent, and not too pricey.

Trish

What kind of mic do you want?
For stereo, check out the AT-825.
A wide variety of shot guns out there too.

Actually the NT-G1 works fine because it is phantom powered by the camera. I think it is a great mic.

Mark-
Do the XLR inputs still work on your XH A1? If it is still untested, go to a music shop and look at (plug in) one of their condensor mics as a test. If you are shooting mostly inside, you may want a cardioid or super-cardioid condensor mic anyway, which should be available at the music shop.