Cleaning the XL1 - how much, how long and where?

i bought an XL-1 new and in box, but secondhand (i know this was not the best idea, but i am a struggling actor/director trying to make it and saved $2,000 - right after the XL1-S hit the stores). the camera worked great for awhile, but is starting to seem like it needs some service.

since it was secondhand, i am not in the XL1 owners club. wish i could be.

given the above, how much does it cost to have the factory techs clean it back up, how long does it usually take, and where do i call to have that info? is there a place in chicago that is local and can do it? i get nervous about sending it out.

gracias, online tech communities have gotten me out of so many jams i can't say enough how great i think each and every blessed person on these things is.

chap!

[Jeff Donald]

What makes you think it needs service? Is it acting strange or just has a lot of use and hours on it? Cleanings on an XL1/s usually are $100 and up depending on who does the service. Canon service will charge the most (unless you get a rush service locally). I would allow 2 to 3 weeks for Canon service depending on shipping, weekends and such.

Many times a camcorder starts acting different and people hope a cleaning will fix it. That's like your car smoking and hoping a car wash will stop the smoking. Describe your problem and I can advise if it's better to go to Canon or an indepenent service organization.

Jeff

[Chris Hurd]

Service center contact info plus other details at www.dvinfo.net/xl1.htm -- click on "XL1 Skinny." Hope this helps,

Jeff-
in specific here is the problem that i had that makes me believe i need a cleaning/service on the camera.

did a shoot with a Sennheiser MA-60 mic into the MA-200. at the beginning of the shoot i had the audio on "Auto", and after i noticed a lot of noise i switched it to "Manual" and reduced the recording level.

Now, when i go to capture the footage in to the PC, the beginning of the tape is OK (i think while it was on "Auto"), but the second half gets bad and starts having digital distortion and the image gets "blocky".

when i re-seat the tape and rewind, and try again, different sections of the tape experience similar distortions, but specific words that were being muted previously will come in crystal clear (meaning the distorted sections change after the tape is re-inserted... which gives me hope that the tape itself is OK).

anyone had problems with switching the audio level after a shoot has started? side note, the mic is plugged into the left channel, and then i used a splitter out of the left channel to simulate stereo sound. is this bad? i guess i could record only one channel and duplicate it in post, but listening to only one ear during a shoot can be maddening.

thanks
chap


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thank god for online communities

[Jeff Donald]

Can you play the tape in another DV camera? If it plays the same in another camera I 'd say you've got a tape problem. If the tape plays OK, then you've probably got a tape path alignment problem (with cleaning $200 to $250). That's my best guess. But it sure could be tape related, too.

Jeff

thanks jeff, i have been trying to get a hold of my friend that has a GL-1 to check it out. it was a NEW tape, and if it exhibits the same problem, then i should DEFINITELY have the camera cleaned, right? as it would be indicative of a recording problem.

thanks
matt

[Jeff Donald]

News tapes can be defective, but it is odd that the bad audio move around (not always the same scene). I doubt a cleaning is really what is in order. Let me know what happens on a different machine.

Jeff

scheduled test is for tonight. don't forget about me, i will post results on this thread!

thanks, Jeff.

chap

jeff-
i tested the tape on a friend's GL1 (he was out on a job, sorry this took so long). it captures the same way, so i know there is at least a problem with the tape currently.

however, strangely, when we play it through an analog signal into a VCR the pic gets distorted here and there, and the sound is much better, so to attempt to salvage some of the shoot i can try taking the footage in through an analog signal through my Dazzle DV Bridge.

in the meantime, i was capturing different footage which was getting blocks of distortion in the background, the same tape played fine in a friend's camera. i am now led to believe there is something certainly wrong with the camera, and this must be the first shoot where it presented itself, during the recording and now all playback...

i am mentally preparing myself to send the camera in for service.

matt

[Nori Wentworth]

I feel that this is the appropriate thread to attach this to.

Vent Warning....

As you can see from my bio, I live in Kelowna B.C. Canada. Recently I have been having a problem with a couple of tapes being eaten when they are first inserted into the camera, so I decide, since I have had the camera for almost two years, that it is time to send it in for a cleaning and general servicing. On October 10/02, I sent it to the Canon service depot in Calgary Alberta, (which is the closest service center). Didn't hear anything so I call them this morning. Left message at 9:30. It is now 4 in the afternoon and I just got off the phone with the tech there, who informed me that I need a whole new recording mechanism... $1000!!!! I am writing this still in shock, and I am currently quite un-impressed. He says that this kind of problem is caused by mishandling the unit. My XL1 is my baby, I have seen the way other shooters handle their cameras, and I can assure you that pulling my camera out of it's molded case and put on my tripod, is not aggressive use. I asked him about upgrades to the camera and he had no idea what I was talking about. So I guess I have to bite the bullet and pay the price. I will post again when my camera is returned to me, and I will let you know if $1000 is worth it to have my 1 in 10 tapes not be eaten.

Just curious what other people are paying for their servicing? I feel that in Canada we're getting screwed not being able to be members of the XL1 owners club.

Nori

[Jacques Mersereau]

Is there no way for you to send it to Canon in Irvine, CA?

I had mine in for cleaning (couple of years ago, but I'm due again)
there and they did a couple of other fixes that improved the
focusing and viewfinder sunburn issues. I got it back
within a couple of weeks. I think I just got it back in time so
Canon didn't charge me.

I know a few guys who've have had to have their transports replaced.
(I thought I needed one back in the summer, but that problem
turned out to be a bad brand new tape).
I think a new transport is about $800 US. Is your quote in Canadian dollars?
If so, that ain't bad.

Look at it this way, with a new transport, there is almost
nothing to go wrong.