Canon gl1 camcorder has artifact when play back what is the problem is the recorder head bad?
Hi there,
I know this camera well !
This is likely to be your heads, but you need to be made aware of the following:
1) MiniDV cassette
The quality of your cassettes should first be considered:
Panasonic, Canon and several other brands use what is called "Dry Lubricant" cassettes. For this reason, you should AVOID at all costs, any cassette made from a manufacturer whose cameras use Wet Lubricant type cassettes. Unfortunately, this means you should AVOID SONY cassettes (as Sony cameras use the WET lubricant system).
Dry type cassettes also cause less wear on your heads.
I would highly recommend you use only Panasonic PQ (Professional), SQ (Studio) or MQ (Master) quality cassettes.
(PS: I use these Dry type cassettes on my Canon Pro Camera)
2) Camera HEADS
As stated in above (re the cassettes), if you have inadvertantly used a WET type cassette in your camera (i.e. Sony or similar), have been using old cassettes or debris/dust has entered the compartment, then there is a high probability that some microscopic contaminants may have fouled your heads.
If so, your heads will require cleaning.
The good news is, Panasonic have a MiniDV Head Cleaning cassette (DVMCLA) which can be purchased for around $8 - $15. (try Amazon.com).
If you choose to use this cleaning cassette, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you only run the cassette for a max. of 5 seconds ONLY, for each clean (and no more than 10secs, as using this cassette longer than stated, can cause wear). Then, try playback of your old cassettes to look for improvement. Cleaning is only necessary, if you experience drop outs on dry type cassettes, or pixelating of picture playback.
If this head cleaning process does not resolve your problem, then you will require professional assessment.
Good Luck !
This is most likely caused by a damaged or misaligned video drum and can usually be repaired fairly inexpensively. However, it's not a user serviceable problem and will need to be repaired by a qualified service technician.
My name is Rick and I'm a professional repair technician with over 20 years in the business and have repaired many of these. I'm semi retired and work from home with little overhead so I can keep repair costs low. If you decide to have the camera repaired, please click HERE for a directory listing that suits your needs.
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