problems with GL2 still there????
 

Hello, on my painstaking journey to find a higher-end video camera to suite my needs, I always find myself coming back to the GL2. The only thing is I've read a few complaints about the Cassette tape holder/ejector having problems and I'm wondering if someone can tell me just how prevalant this is. Is it still a problem and what is canon doing about it??? If you know anything about what I have mentioned please let me know and also let me know if the info above is misinformation. thanks.

I can't say how prevalent this is, because it's never happened to me in three years ownership of the camera.
Of course, there can be a problem with the zoom control which you can read about on this forum if you make a search for it.

Like you only hear the bad news...

Robin

. . .and " and I believe that Canon has a "significant" announcement due later this month . .. 21st Feb . . and counting .. . ? Tick . .tock . .tick . . tock . .

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=39065

Grazie

No, it is not misinformation, and no, they are not doing anything about it. I just received an estimate for $250 to repair this problem. I'm annoyed about having to pay that much, but will do it as long as I'm guaranteed that the problem will never come up again. Unfortunately, from what I've read elsewhere, the possibility that it will happen again is very high. I think the reason for this is that they are not replacing the tape transport, just "cleaning and adjusting the drum/tape path", as it states on my estimate. I'm also not sure what the warranty period for the repair is.

Regardless, I was pretty mad about this whole issue, and ended up writing a letter to the president of Canon USA. I did receive a respose from a Customer Relations representative, and he has been working with me to make sure this gets fixed in a manner that is satisfactory to me. I'll let you know how it all turns out, as he is supposed to be getting back to me later today with some answers to my questions about the repair.

Do I think I would have gotten anywhere if I hadn't written the president? Nope, as evidenced by other experiences I've read about here and elsewhere. That's a shame. In fact, even the person I've been talking to from Canon vehemently denies that this is a manufacturing defect, and refuses to acknowledge that quite a few people are experiencing this same problem, regardless of how well they've treated the camera, or what brand of tapes they have or have not used. Pretty sad....

Ryan

surprising to me
 

wow, you'd think after spending thousands on one of these cameras that you would have the maufacturers unconditional support and understanding. I am glad however, to hear that someone is working with you and I hope the problem gets a permanent solution for you. Thanks for the insightful info Ryan.
By the way, have you had any problems with the zoom control as mentioned??? thanks.

Steve,

Nope, no problems with the zoom. But then again, I rarely use it, and when I do, half of the time I use the one on the handle, and half with the one by the tape door. So I doubt I've given either one enough use to cause the problem. Of course, I'm sure now that I've said that in a month it'll start causing me problems!

Ryan

Just an update:

I spoke to the Customer Service Rep yesterday, and he answered some of my questions.

1. The warranty period on repairs is 3 months.
2. The estimate does not tell you what parts they'll be replacing. You don't find out what parts they've replaced until after you've paid for the repair (which is a flat rate of $252, including return shipping). If I had known this, I would've made some sort of mark on the tape transport so I could see if they'd really replaced it or not upon getting it back.
3. The repair also includes a thorough cleaning and general "tune-up".

I expressed my concern about a few things, namely having to do with the reports that once people have this fixed, the problem crops up again 5-6 months after the repair. He recommended using the camera heavily during the 3 month warranty period to make sure this doesn't happen. Personally, I'll be doing a lot of rewinding and fast-forwarding of tapes, just to make sure it really is fixed.

However, he did say that I shouldn't have to worry about this ever happening again, and that if it did, Canon would pay for the shipping and the repair. Again, I don't think this is standard practice; I think I'm getting preferential treatment because of my letter to the president of the company.

Once I get the camera back and get the invoice, I'll write back to let everyone know what parts they replaced, and what other things they did to it while it was there.

Ryan