I'm hyperventilating

August 13th, 2002, 06:25 AM

After an eon, my short film is finally edited and I'm ready to get it off the computer via mini-DV. My camera is the XL1. Every tape I put in is met with REMOVE THE CASSETTE. The camera was fine a couple of days ago. It's hot in NYC, I have the air conditioning on and off in my room, is this a factor? The Canon site says things like, "Bring your camera in to be serviced" but my project is do-or-die due Monday and I don't have time to waste. I suspect weather, heat and humidity are a factor. What can I do? Respond with haste before I have some sort of stroke. Thanks.

Chris Hurd · August 13th, 2002, 06:35 AM

Howdy from Texas,

Have a glass of ice water and relax. Your camera definitely needs to go across the river to the Canon repair facility in Jamesburg, NJ for service. However, in a city like New York, somebody somewhere will have a DV camcorder (doesn't have to be an XL1S) that you can borrow or rent long enough to record your master edit back to DV.

You can start by asking the Jamesburg, NJ Canon facility for a loaner and from there, work your way down though contacts at school, work, friends, fellow DV Info Net community members in NYC, or the many locations in the city where you can rent a Mini-DV camcorder for a day.

Hope this helps,

August 13th, 2002, 06:37 AM

Rats.

Patrick Coker · August 13th, 2002, 06:55 AM

two things.

1. this happened to my xl1-s a couple of weeks ago, it's the weather. just let it sit for a few days and the condensation will evaporate and then clean the heads and it will be fine, at least mine was.
2. I'm in NY, what do u need, maybe I can help

August 13th, 2002, 07:08 AM

Thankin' y'ever so, e.patric, but I've already called and gotten one out of a friend. As for the camera - should I leave it at the open, empty, ejected and off stage or some other way?

I find the XL1 to be a finicky camera - on our shoot day it went down with the same error message, thank God we had two back-up cameras (Sony's), I can't say I'm a fan of it in times of crisis.

Thanks again

Chris Hurd · August 13th, 2002, 07:11 AM

Just curious, are you being careful to close the inner cassette mechanism door first, before closing the outer white tape loading door? There are two separate things that need to be closed when you insert a tape... just closing the outter white door isn't enough and will cause you to get the warning.

Just wanted to be sure that your problem isn't an operational error.

August 13th, 2002, 07:14 AM

Yessir, always.

Patrick Coker · August 13th, 2002, 09:53 PM

leave it open and good luck!

Nathan Gifford · August 14th, 2002, 11:48 AM

I had one nasty problem like that when I was shooting in Ft. Lauderdale. The cam had gotten really cold and when it was hauled out in the wonderfully muggy Florida air...

Well, I turned on the car's heater and a/c. That technique throughly dried out the air and warmed the cam (NOT BOILED PLEASE). After that I was much more careful about storing the cam in a cold room.

Besides what you have done already, have you tried a different tapes? Also, its also real important to let the tape mechanism load the tape before closing the tape door.

One other thing I was thinking about, was there any time the cam was exposed to all that dust after 9-11? It could be possible that you have a really severe case of dust contamination.

Nathan Gifford

Jacques Mersereau · August 14th, 2002, 02:24 PM

I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. It didn't
seem overly humid, but I got that message many times.

I thought I was ready for a new transport (major repair)
but the next day (and tape) went without issue.

I think I had a weird tape.

August 13th, 2002, 06:25 AM	#1
gammagirl66 Posts: n/a	I'm hyperventilating - HelpHelpHelp After an eon, my short film is finally edited and I'm ready to get it off the computer via mini-DV. My camera is the XL1. Every tape I put in is met with REMOVE THE CASSETTE. The camera was fine a couple of days ago. It's hot in NYC, I have the air conditioning on and off in my room, is this a factor? The Canon site says things like, "Bring your camera in to be serviced" but my project is do-or-die due Monday and I don't have time to waste. I suspect weather, heat and humidity are a factor. What can I do? Respond with haste before I have some sort of stroke. Thanks.

August 13th, 2002, 06:35 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Howdy from Texas, Have a glass of ice water and relax. Your camera definitely needs to go across the river to the Canon repair facility in Jamesburg, NJ for service. However, in a city like New York, somebody somewhere will have a DV camcorder (doesn't have to be an XL1S) that you can borrow or rent long enough to record your master edit back to DV. You can start by asking the Jamesburg, NJ Canon facility for a loaner and from there, work your way down though contacts at school, work, friends, fellow DV Info Net community members in NYC, or the many locations in the city where you can rent a Mini-DV camcorder for a day. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 13th, 2002, 06:55 AM	#4
Patrick Coker Regular Crew Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brooklyn,New York Posts: 169	two things. 1. this happened to my xl1-s a couple of weeks ago, it's the weather. just let it sit for a few days and the condensation will evaporate and then clean the heads and it will be fine, at least mine was. 2. I'm in NY, what do u need, maybe I can help __________________ ...all I need is a crumb!

August 13th, 2002, 07:11 AM	#6
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Just curious, are you being careful to close the inner cassette mechanism door first, before closing the outer white tape loading door? There are two separate things that need to be closed when you insert a tape... just closing the outter white door isn't enough and will cause you to get the warning. Just wanted to be sure that your problem isn't an operational error. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 13th, 2002, 09:53 PM	#8
Patrick Coker Regular Crew Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brooklyn,New York Posts: 169	leave it open and good luck! __________________ ...all I need is a crumb!

August 13th, 2002, 07:08 AM	#5
gammagirl66 Posts: n/a	Thankin' y'ever so, e.patric, but I've already called and gotten one out of a friend. As for the camera - should I leave it at the open, empty, ejected and off stage or some other way? I find the XL1 to be a finicky camera - on our shoot day it went down with the same error message, thank God we had two back-up cameras (Sony's), I can't say I'm a fan of it in times of crisis. Thanks again

August 13th, 2002, 07:14 AM	#7
gammagirl66 Posts: n/a	Yessir, always.

August 14th, 2002, 11:48 AM	#9
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	I had one nasty problem like that when I was shooting in Ft. Lauderdale. The cam had gotten really cold and when it was hauled out in the wonderfully muggy Florida air... Well, I turned on the car's heater and a/c. That technique throughly dried out the air and warmed the cam (NOT BOILED PLEASE). After that I was much more careful about storing the cam in a cold room. Besides what you have done already, have you tried a different tapes? Also, its also real important to let the tape mechanism load the tape before closing the tape door. One other thing I was thinking about, was there any time the cam was exposed to all that dust after 9-11? It could be possible that you have a really severe case of dust contamination. Nathan Gifford

August 14th, 2002, 02:24 PM	#10
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. It didn't seem overly humid, but I got that message many times. I thought I was ready for a new transport (major repair) but the next day (and tape) went without issue. I think I had a weird tape. __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager