XL2 color LCD viewfinder

[Matthew C. Abourezk]

Pete,
Thanks for the reply. Canon has again been very receptive to my complaint. They have agreed for a second time to replace the camera without making me wait. Fed-X will pick up the camera and as soon as the Fed-X tracking number is received, Canon will expedite a third XL2 to me. Pretty impressive that they will not make me wait for them to inspect the return.

Canon had me talk directly to (what they call) "High Level Tech Support" and together we decided that the problem was not fixable and that a replacement is necessary.

Anyway, I have had a bit of a bad run of luck eh?

Well maybe the third time is a charm? I hope so.

Matt

[Pete Bauer]

Yeah, every product line is going to have at least an occasional bad apple so it can be difficult on an individual basis to know if you're just unlucky or there is really a systematic problem. Folks like you posting their experiences help us to sort that out though...and I must say that it is great to learn that Canon will actually stand behind their product. Thanks!

Perhaps a bit O.T., but I had similar experience with an expensive HP scanner. The transparency adapter / sheet feeder had a problem. Over the phone they agreed it sounded like a defect and overnighted me a new one even though I wasn't expecting overnight service.

There'll always be horror stories, I suppose, but it does seem like customer service is beginning to regain an importance that seemed lacking over the past several years. Maybe the companies are learning that consumers do vote with their wallets...

[Christopher Go]

I agree, it's a pain when something you buy breaks or turns out otherwise, but it's the customer service that counts afterward. If you're treated well, then that's all that matters in the end.

Matthew, let us know when you receive the third camera, hope it's okay. Also, could you describe who you contacted first, and at what numbers? Not that I want to have this happen to anyone (knock on wood) but I think it will be useful to the community what steps you took to reach that "high level" of support.

[M. Scott Smith]

Hello! I just received an XL2 kit purchased from B&H Photo, and the thrill of opening it up quickly disappeared when it became clear that the viewfinder/LCD/EVF wasn't functioning.

The viewfinder is connected (securely) to the color viewfinder port. The red LED's underneath the LCD screen will light up (e.g., the gain light), but the actual LCD screen is completely blank, and has been since the XL2 came out of the box. (It looks like the backlighting doesn't come on at all.) If I connect the XL2 to a TV, I can see the image and menus fine through the TV. It appears all functions of the camera are working fine; it's just that nothing will show up on the viewfinder. (Which certainly makes it kind of hard to use!)

I contacted Canon tech support, and they thought it sounded like the camera was dead on arrival and suggested returning it to B&H. I contacted B&H, and am waiting for them (for a few hours now) to e-mail me a shipping label so I can return the camera for a replacement. (And it sounds like that could take a week -- after paying $140 to get the camera shipped next-day priority shipping. Sigh.)

I thought I would make a desperate plea here to see if anyone has experienced this problem, or knows of a simple solution. If the EVF is really dead on arrival (e.g., the backlighting bulb is blown out), then there's nothing I can do.. But I'm hoping there's a button hidden away somewhere that turns off the EVF that I don't know about, or some other voodoo I can perform to make it magically start working.

Failing that, any comments on B&H's returns process might ease my mind. (I've purchased plenty of items from B&H before, but never had to return something; this is a case where I would have much rather purchased the camera at a local retailer where I can simply swing by and swap it for a new one.)

Besides the LCD not working, the XL2 seems like a fine camera. <Sigh.>

Thanks,

- Scott

[Brent Ray]

The only thing I could think of is that the brightness and contrast in the EVF display settings is set to the lowest setting, but even then you should still be able to see the menus and everything. So I think you're probably out of luck.

The only other thing I can suggest is to make sure that there is a solid connection between the EVF display cord and the input.

Good luck with all of this, and welcome!

[Devin Doyle]

Scott, I too ordered an XL2 from B+H and when I got it there were 2 dead pixels in the EVF. I shipped it to Canon for repair and it should be coming back tomorrow, but I must say I was thoroughly upset after shelling out $4300 to not be able to use the camera for 2 weeks. You'd expect the cameras would be flawless after coming right off the production line. Sounds like a lot people have been experiencing problems like ours. Can't say I'm too pleased with that, but the images the camera produces are simply amazing. What a double-edged sword!

[Ed Bicker]

Hello devein,
When you shipped your camera to Canon, where did you ship it, ie. the address and did you call them first to get an RMA number. If you called them, what number did you use? I need to do this also with an accessory(charger).

[Devin Doyle]

Ed, I just called customer support and they sent me an email with directions on what to do. There's a canon repair facility in Jersey where all the east coast products go. Don't expect to get the charger back for 2 weeks.

[M. Scott Smith]

Hi folks -- thanks for the comments. It seems like the backlight isn't getting any power (or maybe the bulb is dead), so the viewfinder is dead on arrival. It's a little disconcerting that a problem like that could make it out of manufacturing, assuming it wasn't introduced by a wild and crazy ride in the back of the FedEx truck. (It was packaged well by B&H, so I doubt that was the case.)

I never did get the shipping label via e-mail that B&H promised me, so I guess I'll have to call them again tomorrow and finalize the return. A little depressing, because I paid $140 for overnight shipping -- and now it will probably be at least a week before the camera's back. Hopefully B&H will have a quick turnaround time and there won't be any problems with the replacement.

Outside of possible dead-on-arrival issues, does the XL2 seem reliable? A long-term dream of mine is to take the XL2 on a trip to Antarctica to make an independent documentary. That wouldn't be a day in the park (for the camera or me!) I've had a Nikon D100 (still digital camera) for a couple years and have really given it a beating, and the only problem it has had is occasional dust on the CCD. I haven't had a video camera in awhile so I guess they might not be as rugged with the extra moving parts.

On a side note, I'm glad I discovered this resource -- looks like a great message board with a lot of useful tips.

Thanks,

- Scott

[Pete Wilie]

Why are you being charged for shipping? Seems like B&H and/or Canon should be picking up the bill for this. I would certainly expect it for any brand new item I received DOA.

Is this B&H's normal policy with regard to DOAs?

[Greg Boston]

Welcome to the forum M. Scott. I am sorry that you found us under less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps while your camera is being repaired or exchanged, you can make use of the forum to bring yourself up to speed on this great camera. We welcome questions from new folks and veterans alike so ask away!

regards,

-gb-

[Rob Lohman]

B&H should be able to send you a new camera when you are
sending this one to them. Just phone them up and talk them
through this issue and express your problem that you need it
fast (and paid for overnight shipping) and now you can't use it.

[A. J. deLange]

Scott,

Sorry to hear of your bad luck but that's what it is. You are the victim of "infant mortality" the phenomenon by which electronics are much more likely to fail early in their life cycles. Because of this most manufacturers "burn in" their products which usually involves continuous operation at elevated temperature for a couple of days. At the end of this period most of the systems destined to fail early on in life will have failed but not all. You, unfortunately, got one of the exceptional ones. With this in mind, I'd say the Cannon cameras are reasonably reliable. You won't find many reports of failure here though there are some.

Since it's only the viewfinder and you are able to work with the camera through an external monitor you might want to consider negotiating the return of only the viewfinder so you can at least go through familiarization while waiting for the replacement.

I know how frustrating this must be.

[M. Scott Smith]

An update on my dead-on-arrival XL2: I returned the dud to B&H and a new one is en route now -- it should arrive Monday. If it works I'll be quite happy. B&H handled the return pretty smoothly -- I was afraid it would take them longer to send a new one out.

For some reason, every LCD display I buy out of my own pocket seems to have a dead pixel (e.g., the past two Apple Cinema Displays I've bought, along with a 12" PowerBook I just bought). Every LCD display I've purchased at work (not on my own dime) over the past few years has been free of dead pixels. The XL2 had 200,000 dead pixels, so I really think there might be something going on with me and LCD's. I'd recommend that no one have me purchase an LCD display for them. :-)

Thanks again for the tips and encouragement -- I can't wait to get my hands on the XL2 and see what it can do.

- Scott

[Eduardo Mayen]

Why does my in stock viewfinder look so much brighter than my Monitor. How can I correct that