What should I do with a broken XL1?
 

Hey all. I have two XL1's. One works wonderfully and the other has a fried servo board that would cost almost as much as I paid for the camera to fix. Other than that the camera is in great shape. I'm leaving in a few weeks on a trip to Central and South America and will be shooting and was wondering if I could get your opinions on the following:

1) Should I keep the camera and use it for parts in case something happens to my working XL1?

2) Should I peice it out and sell the lense and everything else that came with it and if so, how much would something like this fetch?

Any suggestions on this would be helpful. Thanks.

Scott,

I'd definitely keep it for parts. At least until after your trip. For what you'd get for the parts, it's not worth parting out unless you're really scraping for cash for the trip.

If you make it back in one piece then consider parting it out. Who knows what might happen though?

BTW,

I'm going to be in Costa Rica for a month (Jan-Feb). I see your putting together some travel docs.

I'll probably have some wildlife (birds, monkeys etc.) footage you could use.

Hey Ken. Thanks for the info. The camera did come with some extras like a huge metal box that fits under the back seat in my bus and also a nice carry bag, extra batteries etc so it wasn't a complete loss.

That would be very cool. Even better would be a trip report and recommendations on the country. Cheers!

Scott,

I've been twice before, for a month each time, but not for 12 years. This time we're taking 2 kids (yikes!). We're just renting a house in a small beach town, and are pretty much going to hang out. There's lots of jungle and wildlife around there. If you want some pre-travel info on the country, you can call me 1-800-518-8378.

It's an incredible part of the world. We've actually been scouting out some properties down there for a while now.

Hey Ken,

Thanks for the number. What part of the world are you located in? I'm going to be shooting me and my bus traveling through Latin America but the first shoot will be the U.S. Down the west coast and from L.A. I head inland through Nevada, overo to Texas and back through New Mexico and Arizona and back into Cali before heading down the coast again to the Baja. If you're somewhere along the way I wouldn't mind hooking up and buying you a drink or two and discussing latin america. I've spent about a year there but have never made it as far south as Costa Rica. This should be a fun trip!

Scott

Scott,

I'm over on Vancouver Island.

Dude, your a wild man!

You're taking your bus! How big is it? Are you traveling solo?

I've thought about driving before, but never really seriously. I've heard it's 3 weeks from the Tex/Mex border to the Nicaraugua/CR border.

I met a guy once (I think he still lives in White Rock), he WALKED from Vancouver to the southern tip of South America. Too bad he never had a cam. He came back with a lot of great stories though.

I'm going to be hanging out in a small surfing/fishing village called Nosara, on the pacific coast.

Hey again! I'm in Vancouver. How funny is that? I've got a 1973 VW van (bus) that's coming with me on the road. I'm traveling solo but will be picking up other backpackers along the way and asking that they do the shooting while I'm either narrating, doing drive bys etc. I'll set up the shot and they can press the buttons. It's going to be very amateur but I think that with enough effort and love a reasonable presentation will be put together. We'll see how it goes. If you're in Vancouver in the next few weeks let me know and we'll hook up for a pint or 7.

Scott

A VW bus. OK that's not so bad. I thought you meant a BIG bus.

Have you seen matt harding's vids http:www.wherethehellismatt.com