Hello, I am going to purchase a GL2 with an extended warranty but the warranty does not even cover a yearly cleaning. My question is if a camcorder is used about 200 hours a year will it need a cleaning?

I don't want to spend a fortune sending it to Canon since they are the only ones that are authorized to do any work on it. I have heard that through regular use particles of the mini dv tape actually shed onto the heads which will cause problems if not cleaned. Is this true? Should I use a dry cleaning tape every six months or so? I have heard that it is good to use and others say they should only be cleaned by a professional.

Thank you,
Tony

which extended warranty did you take ?

How often it needs cleaning will depend in part on the environment in which you use it.. How often it needs service depends on how hard you use and abuse it. Many folks will use a camcorder for the nominal 7 year lifetime of the camcorder and never need service. If used professionally, annual service is good insurance. Note that service includes more than cleaning - e.g., checking the units alignment, updating any firmware patches, etc.