New xl1-s Eating Tape

Lorinda Norton · September 19th, 2003, 12:29 AM

I looked up this old thread because my second XL1s just started eating tapes tonight (during rewind). The conditions surrounding my cameras do not support some of the theories I've read, not that it matters, but here they are, for any statskeepers out there:

First camera purchased on 8-31-2001. It's been the workhorse and hasn't had this problem yet. *knock on wood*

The second one was purchased 1-7-2002. It sees medium action--enough that this problem could have shown up a long time ago.

I've used nothing but Sony premium tapes, and live in a dry climate. I'm thinking there's no rhyme or reason--that it just happens to some and not others.

Off to Canon repair it goes! I'm not giving it a chance to tick me off again.

BTW, any chance of salvaging the tape? It's crumpled around the 30 minute mark (60m tape) and the stuff I want is near the beginning. Home repair, take it somewhere, or toss it?

Dylan Marchetti · September 19th, 2003, 12:47 AM

Got my XL1-S back from Canon today. According to the service order-

"Replaced slide chassis assy, idler gear, drive gear assy., performed tape bath adjustment, cleaned head, tape path checked, all GWO."

All that plus my yearly maintenance wound up being $273.73, and I got it back in 5 buisness days. Not too shabby for being out of warranty.

As for the damaged tape...you CAN salvage the footage. Flip the tape upside down, pop open the top, make sure you stick something in the little indentation in the middle (so the tape moves freely) and, using a pencil, rewind the tape far enough that the damaged section won't go through the heads on the camera when you insert it, and you should be able to get any footage at the beginning of the tape back without much difficulty. Just make sure you don't try and play the damaged part again.

BTW- Even while it was eating tapes, I found that when I used Panasonic Master AY-DVM63MQs, I had no problem. That's the only thing I'll ever feed it from now on...

Lorinda Norton · September 19th, 2003, 09:39 AM

Not bad! Considering a general cleaning/service cost me $252.00 last month, that's not bad at all.

Thanks for the tip on rewinding my damaged tape. I'll give it a try.

Martha MacGregor · March 16th, 2004, 11:11 PM

Hi folks, sad times. My new XL1S, which could aptly be named "Jaws," also has a voracious appetite for tape. Sadly, in post production it chomped its teeth into master footage for a DV drama-film for which I am now currently out of funding. And here I thought I was sitting high and dry with all of the principal photography completed! The digested tapes are 60 min. pro Panasonic, and are the only brand of tapes run through the camera. In fact, only 12 tapes were ever used in the camera. The problem occured about 4 seconds into rewind function. Like the experience of others, an EJECT, REMOVE TAPE signal came up and upon ejection I discovered a stream of master video ticker tape. I've sent the camera off to Canon but am feeling very blue. This is not the first problem I've had with the camera. I've also had great difficulty with the lens with respect to focusing. The usual system of zooming in, adjusting focus and slowly widening out yields a slip in focus. Canon suggested I clean the contact points between the lens and the body of the camera, which I did, but to no avail. So, I'm lamenting my purchase and hope that when the camera returns the Cold War will be over. P.S. on a brighter note, I thank you all for your insights, experiences and comments in the various threads. I've learned so much and feel connected to a collection of very special people. Cheers.

Frank Granovski · March 16th, 2004, 11:48 PM

Martha, clean the heads once or twice and give Fuji a try. If your cam still has an appetite, time to take it in for an inspection.

All the people I know with XL1 cams and who use Fuji, don't have any problems.

Lorinda Norton · March 17th, 2004, 02:09 AM

Hi Martha,

Sorry about your experience with the tape. I share your "blues" because my second XL1s just seems to be problem prone. It hasn't eaten any more tapes--yet, but ruins footage sometimes, even though it's been to Canon repair recently. I never use it on event (one take) shoots anymore.

As for the drift in focus, it wasn't until I'd been hanging around this forum for nearly two years that I read about the stock lens being pretty much useless. I'm still saving up for a manual lens.

Best wishes for a problem-free completion of your film!

Frank,
Seems like you've been running an informal survey on camera-specific tapes for quite some time, so I trust your findings; think I'll experiment with my problem camera and switch it to Fuji. I'll be careful not to mix tape brands between the two cams. Thank you for the reminder. I'd switch both right now but just stocked up on Sony's and they seem to work fine with the one camera.

September 19th, 2003, 12:29 AM	#31
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	joining the club I looked up this old thread because my second XL1s just started eating tapes tonight (during rewind). The conditions surrounding my cameras do not support some of the theories I've read, not that it matters, but here they are, for any statskeepers out there: First camera purchased on 8-31-2001. It's been the workhorse and hasn't had this problem yet. knock on wood The second one was purchased 1-7-2002. It sees medium action--enough that this problem could have shown up a long time ago. I've used nothing but Sony premium tapes, and live in a dry climate. I'm thinking there's no rhyme or reason--that it just happens to some and not others. Off to Canon repair it goes! I'm not giving it a chance to tick me off again. BTW, any chance of salvaging the tape? It's crumpled around the 30 minute mark (60m tape) and the stuff I want is near the beginning. Home repair, take it somewhere, or toss it?

September 19th, 2003, 12:47 AM	#32
Dylan Marchetti New Boot Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: New York, NY Posts: 5	Got my XL1-S back from Canon today. According to the service order- "Replaced slide chassis assy, idler gear, drive gear assy., performed tape bath adjustment, cleaned head, tape path checked, all GWO." All that plus my yearly maintenance wound up being $273.73, and I got it back in 5 buisness days. Not too shabby for being out of warranty. As for the damaged tape...you CAN salvage the footage. Flip the tape upside down, pop open the top, make sure you stick something in the little indentation in the middle (so the tape moves freely) and, using a pencil, rewind the tape far enough that the damaged section won't go through the heads on the camera when you insert it, and you should be able to get any footage at the beginning of the tape back without much difficulty. Just make sure you don't try and play the damaged part again. BTW- Even while it was eating tapes, I found that when I used Panasonic Master AY-DVM63MQs, I had no problem. That's the only thing I'll ever feed it from now on... __________________ ------------------ Dylan http://www.brokenmachinefilms.com

March 16th, 2004, 11:11 PM	#34
Martha MacGregor Tourist Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 2	Hi folks, sad times. My new XL1S, which could aptly be named "Jaws," also has a voracious appetite for tape. Sadly, in post production it chomped its teeth into master footage for a DV drama-film for which I am now currently out of funding. And here I thought I was sitting high and dry with all of the principal photography completed! The digested tapes are 60 min. pro Panasonic, and are the only brand of tapes run through the camera. In fact, only 12 tapes were ever used in the camera. The problem occured about 4 seconds into rewind function. Like the experience of others, an EJECT, REMOVE TAPE signal came up and upon ejection I discovered a stream of master video ticker tape. I've sent the camera off to Canon but am feeling very blue. This is not the first problem I've had with the camera. I've also had great difficulty with the lens with respect to focusing. The usual system of zooming in, adjusting focus and slowly widening out yields a slip in focus. Canon suggested I clean the contact points between the lens and the body of the camera, which I did, but to no avail. So, I'm lamenting my purchase and hope that when the camera returns the Cold War will be over. P.S. on a brighter note, I thank you all for your insights, experiences and comments in the various threads. I've learned so much and feel connected to a collection of very special people. Cheers. __________________ Yogic Scottie

September 19th, 2003, 09:39 AM	#33
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Not bad! Considering a general cleaning/service cost me $252.00 last month, that's not bad at all. Thanks for the tip on rewinding my damaged tape. I'll give it a try.

March 16th, 2004, 11:48 PM	#35
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Martha, clean the heads once or twice and give Fuji a try. If your cam still has an appetite, time to take it in for an inspection. All the people I know with XL1 cams and who use Fuji, don't have any problems.

March 17th, 2004, 02:09 AM	#36
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Hi Martha, Sorry about your experience with the tape. I share your "blues" because my second XL1s just seems to be problem prone. It hasn't eaten any more tapes--yet, but ruins footage sometimes, even though it's been to Canon repair recently. I never use it on event (one take) shoots anymore. As for the drift in focus, it wasn't until I'd been hanging around this forum for nearly two years that I read about the stock lens being pretty much useless. I'm still saving up for a manual lens. Best wishes for a problem-free completion of your film! Frank, Seems like you've been running an informal survey on camera-specific tapes for quite some time, so I trust your findings; think I'll experiment with my problem camera and switch it to Fuji. I'll be careful not to mix tape brands between the two cams. Thank you for the reminder. I'd switch both right now but just stocked up on Sony's and they seem to work fine with the one camera.