Viewfinder decided Not to Work HD100

[Lisa Bennett]

So today I turn on the camera and the viewfinder decides it's not going to work. LCD screen works fine but can't see anything but black thru viewfinder. Any suggestions?

It's recording both audio and video but no viewfinder.. fun...

[Don Bloom]

Make sure it's plugged all the way in.

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi Don,

Been plugging and unplugging but nothing works so far. bad timing on this that's for sure.

[Lisa Bennett]

Tested the firewire today and was able to capture footage with audio. Has anyone heard of the the viewfinders being a problem on these cameras? Just wondering if there is any sort of troubleshooting I could do before buying another one and then maybe it being some other problem causing it. The camera is like new and not been damaged and was real surprised when no image in viewfinder and only on LCD.

Can just the flex cable be replaced or whole viewfinder only?

[Paul R Johnson]

Are you sure the side LCD is shut? If it's slightly open, then it cuts out the VF - worth checking?

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi,

Yes I made sure it's closed. I keep it in great shape and contacts on cable look like new.

[Paul R Johnson]

I suspect that you're going to need to find another to swap test it with. I still have a couple of 110s that I use, if you want to send me your viewfinder, I'd be happy to test it and post it back if you can't find anyone local

SCRUB that - I just spotted where you live, and as I'm in england this won't be any use - I'm sure somebody will have one you can try. If I had to guess, I'd bet the switch in the LCD has failed. Just a thought - do any of the LEDs in the viewfinder function, because if the problem is a video one, the leds would continue to work.
Sorry I can't help more, but you really need to find somebody with one before wasting money.

[Lisa Bennett]

Hi,

The viewfinder is totally black.

The LCD screen when open has everything working. I shot some video to test and it recorded video with audio and I tested firewire and was able to transfer the footage to computer.

[Ervin Farkas]

From a technical standpoint it could be a bad viewfinder OR a bad interface (inside the camera) OR bad connections. The only way to test is to plug in a known good VF - surely you can find another HD100 owner within 50 miles and they are mostly friendly people... these cameras were the babies of hobby filmmakers just a few years ago (although they turned out to be workhorses for professionals with lower end HD needs).

[Adam Letch]

Hi Lisa
with these camera's I'm guessing as you use it in your church that they're used on and off sticks, and if on stage they probably are used in a mixture of evf and lcd. My old church had 110s and the switch on the lcd door does eventually give up(same as the switch on a car door lights up on the car dash if open), and if that's the case it treats the camera as if the lcd is still open.
As a possible way of testing that, go into you menu options and tell the camera to never turn the evf off, so basically the evf and lcd stay on continuously. If the evf still fails, the I'd say its probably dead, without trying to sound facetious, make sure all the pins on the cable are good and intact.

[Lisa Bennett]

Maybe I can try to find someone that has the same camera in Orlando area. I am not directly in Orlando but would certainly go there if I can find someone with a good viewfinder to plugin and see it is the problem.

The camera has low hours and it has been sitting a few months without being used. Not sure if viewfinder cable...I heard those flex cables go out sometimes.

At least I am able to record and transfer footage, so that's a good thing just can't do handheld shoots.

I was looking in the menu to find the setting for leaving the VF and LCD on but did not see the setting. Will search thru the menus again to try it.

Thank you.

[Lisa Bennett]

I just discovered, if I press the "display" button for about 2 seconds the view changes from the LCD to the viewfinder. The viewfinder went from black to displaying an image. It's a miracle! I am glad to have an image!

I have to press this button each time I want to change between viewfinder and LCD screen. Maybe it is the switch in the LCD door.

At least I can get an image in the viewfinder and can shoot handheld again and can use the camera.

Thanks for all of the input. It got me looking further into this and then read about the display button on page 19 in the manual.

Didn't locate the menu yet that leaves both viewfinder and LCD screen on at the same time. If someone can tell me how to find that, would be a big help. I'm double checking the manual to search for it but don't see it on the 100 so far.

[Lisa Bennett]

Originally Posted by Paul R Johnson

I suspect that you're going to need to find another to swap test it with. I still have a couple of 110s that I use, if you want to send me your viewfinder, I'd be happy to test it and post it back if you can't find anyone local

SCRUB that - I just spotted where you live, and as I'm in england this won't be any use - I'm sure somebody will have one you can try. If I had to guess, I'd bet the switch in the LCD has failed. Just a thought - do any of the LEDs in the viewfinder function, because if the problem is a video one, the leds would continue to work.
Sorry I can't help more, but you really need to find somebody with one before wasting money.

Paul guessed it right off. It is the switch in the door of the LCD screen. And, somehow I had not even thought about trying the display button.

Thanks a ton!! This forum always has such helpful people. It sure does help when you really need some input on the topic and people chime in with feedback.