Color LCD viewfinder

Owen Dawe · June 10th, 2005, 09:45 PM

It's one darned thing after another. Canon xl1s has flicking horizental lines in the viewfinder on both record and playback. Totally unusable. Lines somewhat similar to warmup flicker, but remain. Lines only confined to viewfinder as they don't appear on tape or on a monitor thru Y/C or 'S' connectors. Is there a simple remedy, or is it back to Canon tomorrow?

Rob Lohman · June 12th, 2005, 07:21 AM

Make sure the cable / connector is securely seated. If that doesn't help, the
camera probably needs to be send back to Canon for maintenance.

Owen Dawe · June 12th, 2005, 04:05 PM

Thank you Rob for your reply. Yes, I have checked the cable fittings and still no go. It's going in for repair.

Mike Teutsch · June 21st, 2005, 09:38 AM

I recently picked up another XL1s as a back-up and second camera. It was a body, remote and MA-200 adapter only. I had extra lenses and mics, so was not concerned. All I needed was to get a viewfinder, as not all camera info shows on an external monitor.

After failing to find a used one on ebay or anywhere else, I began looking for a new one at retailers. An on-line search revealed many retailers who sold the color viewfinder, FU-500. However, when I tried to get one, all of them said they were out of stock and did not have a firm delivery date yet. Some took my info, and said they would call me back.

One of the places I called was B&H, of course. To my surprise, the salesman said that the item had been discontinued! A day or so later I called directly to Canon, and I was told that it had not been discontinued, and that I could buy it from them directly. I felt relieved then, and gave the other retailers a few more days to call me back, as it was $100.00 lower than directly from Canon. No callbacks! I wanted to get the other camera up and running, so I said the heck with it and called Canon back to order the FU-500.

To my utter chagrin, the sales lady said that the item had been discontinued! I said, “What, I just called two days ago and it was OK!” She checked around and put me through to another location, and after talking to them I was able to order the part.

I waited to post this until the viewfinder actually arrived, but it finally did. I am not sure, but it does appear that the viewfinder is being discontinued. They may have stock, that they intend to keep to sell directly to consumers, but may never ship to retailers again. After all, the unit fits the XL1 and the XL1s, but not the new XL2.

The only alternative to the FU-500 is the FU-1000 B&W unit, but that is at least $1,600.00 no mater where you can find it, nearly $2,000.00 retail.

So, just a note of caution, if you think that you might need another FU-500, you might want to do some further investigating and decide for yourself. Hopefully they will still be able to repair units that go bad.

Just for your info.

Mike

Mathieu Ghekiere · June 21st, 2005, 11:07 AM

Thanks for posting this.
Not very good news, unfortunately...

Owen Dawe · June 21st, 2005, 03:21 PM

I was checking over and cleaning my xl1s ready for a shoot today and noticed three tiny crawleys in the viewfinder. They are in the viewfinder not the lens as they're visable when the camera is off. They appear to be on the inside of the outside glass. At first I thought they were specks and tried to blow brush them off, then a wipe with lens cleaner and tissue. It was then I saw they were moving about.

The camera is 13mths old and I've had it from new. The viewfinder has never been taken apart. I live in a temperate climate.

How did they get there in the first place? and are they going to multiply and eat the inside of the viewfinder out? or, do I let the little blighters starve to death?

Lorinda Norton · June 21st, 2005, 10:42 PM

Call me cruel, Owen, but I'd take that viewfinder apart and vacuum those little devils outa there!

I've had to clean specks from inside the viewfinders on my cameras; they aren't airtight--that's for sure.

Don Palomaki · June 22nd, 2005, 04:46 AM

Odd. Normally Canon supports a discontinued camcorder with parts and service for on the order of 5 to 7 years after manufacture was discontinued. However, I can see where retailers might not be able to buy it as it is a maintenance part, not a current production item.

Chris Ivanovskis · June 28th, 2005, 11:46 AM

My viewfinder has snapped right at the pivoting joint. I've super-gluing for now but I need to locate a new one or a better alternative method. Any advice on where to find one (and not a $1200 replacement!!)??

Any help would be awesome.

Chris Ivanovskis · June 28th, 2005, 11:48 AM

How much did you end up spending on your FU-500? I just read this after making a new thread because mine snapped :(

Mike Teutsch · June 28th, 2005, 01:36 PM

Chris,

Sorry to hear about your loss. I paid $369.00 + shipping I think. The second time I tried to call they told $399.00 and I said, "Wait, you told me $369.00 yesterday,” and they changed the price back. Multi-tiered pricing I guess, so ask!

Again sorry to hear about the viewfinder, but on the bright side, it could have been a FU-1000 B&W. They are only $1900.00!

I do constantly look for a used one now, after going thru this problem, so if I find one I’ll let you know.

Mike

Bob Safay · June 30th, 2005, 12:05 PM

Chris, I had that happen a few years back. I sent it to Canon and they fixed the swivel, and it was VERY affordable. And, like you I used super glue for about 5 months until I sent it in and had it fixed during routine maintainance. Call Canon Service Center in NJ. Bob

Henry Cho · June 30th, 2005, 12:38 PM

or, if you can't wait and need the fix right now, temporarily use an on-cam or off-cam monitor with the xl1's video out.

Keith Miller · July 29th, 2005, 11:52 AM

Are there optional viewfinders available for the xl1s?

Mathieu Ghekiere · July 29th, 2005, 06:08 PM

You have the one that ofcourse comes with the cam, the colour LCD viewfinder, and you can buy the optional FU-1000 CRT viewfinder.
This last one is black and white, and is pretty expensive (I thought something of 1500 dollars) but is preferred by many because you can focus easier, and it gives you the full frame, instead of the LCD which has serious underscan.

There is an article about it here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article83.php

I can't comment on it, as I only used the standard LCD viewfinder that comes with the camera.
Best regards,

June 10th, 2005, 09:45 PM	#196
Owen Dawe Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Lake Tarawera, Rotorua, New Zealand Posts: 244	xl1s horizental lines on viewfinder. It's one darned thing after another. Canon xl1s has flicking horizental lines in the viewfinder on both record and playback. Totally unusable. Lines somewhat similar to warmup flicker, but remain. Lines only confined to viewfinder as they don't appear on tape or on a monitor thru Y/C or 'S' connectors. Is there a simple remedy, or is it back to Canon tomorrow? __________________ Owen

June 12th, 2005, 07:21 AM	#197
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Make sure the cable / connector is securely seated. If that doesn't help, the camera probably needs to be send back to Canon for maintenance. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

June 12th, 2005, 04:05 PM	#198
Owen Dawe Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Lake Tarawera, Rotorua, New Zealand Posts: 244	Thank you Rob for your reply. Yes, I have checked the cable fittings and still no go. It's going in for repair. __________________ Owen

June 21st, 2005, 09:38 AM	#199
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	XL1 & XL1s Color Viewfinder Discontinued!?!? I recently picked up another XL1s as a back-up and second camera. It was a body, remote and MA-200 adapter only. I had extra lenses and mics, so was not concerned. All I needed was to get a viewfinder, as not all camera info shows on an external monitor. After failing to find a used one on ebay or anywhere else, I began looking for a new one at retailers. An on-line search revealed many retailers who sold the color viewfinder, FU-500. However, when I tried to get one, all of them said they were out of stock and did not have a firm delivery date yet. Some took my info, and said they would call me back. One of the places I called was B&H, of course. To my surprise, the salesman said that the item had been discontinued! A day or so later I called directly to Canon, and I was told that it had not been discontinued, and that I could buy it from them directly. I felt relieved then, and gave the other retailers a few more days to call me back, as it was $100.00 lower than directly from Canon. No callbacks! I wanted to get the other camera up and running, so I said the heck with it and called Canon back to order the FU-500. To my utter chagrin, the sales lady said that the item had been discontinued! I said, “What, I just called two days ago and it was OK!” She checked around and put me through to another location, and after talking to them I was able to order the part. I waited to post this until the viewfinder actually arrived, but it finally did. I am not sure, but it does appear that the viewfinder is being discontinued. They may have stock, that they intend to keep to sell directly to consumers, but may never ship to retailers again. After all, the unit fits the XL1 and the XL1s, but not the new XL2. The only alternative to the FU-500 is the FU-1000 B&W unit, but that is at least $1,600.00 no mater where you can find it, nearly $2,000.00 retail. So, just a note of caution, if you think that you might need another FU-500, you might want to do some further investigating and decide for yourself. Hopefully they will still be able to repair units that go bad. Just for your info. Mike

June 21st, 2005, 03:21 PM	#201
Owen Dawe Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Lake Tarawera, Rotorua, New Zealand Posts: 244	Small mites crawling in viewfinder I was checking over and cleaning my xl1s ready for a shoot today and noticed three tiny crawleys in the viewfinder. They are in the viewfinder not the lens as they're visable when the camera is off. They appear to be on the inside of the outside glass. At first I thought they were specks and tried to blow brush them off, then a wipe with lens cleaner and tissue. It was then I saw they were moving about. The camera is 13mths old and I've had it from new. The viewfinder has never been taken apart. I live in a temperate climate. How did they get there in the first place? and are they going to multiply and eat the inside of the viewfinder out? or, do I let the little blighters starve to death? __________________ Owen

June 21st, 2005, 11:07 AM	#200
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Thanks for posting this. Not very good news, unfortunately...

June 21st, 2005, 10:42 PM	#202
Lorinda Norton Wrangler Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Southwest Idaho, USA Posts: 3,066	Call me cruel, Owen, but I'd take that viewfinder apart and vacuum those little devils outa there! I've had to clean specks from inside the viewfinders on my cameras; they aren't airtight--that's for sure. __________________ Lorinda

June 22nd, 2005, 04:46 AM	#203
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,487	Odd. Normally Canon supports a discontinued camcorder with parts and service for on the order of 5 to 7 years after manufacture was discontinued. However, I can see where retailers might not be able to buy it as it is a maintenance part, not a current production item. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

June 28th, 2005, 11:46 AM	#204
Chris Ivanovskis Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 60	xl1 viewfinder My viewfinder has snapped right at the pivoting joint. I've super-gluing for now but I need to locate a new one or a better alternative method. Any advice on where to find one (and not a $1200 replacement!!)?? Any help would be awesome. __________________ itimebomb productions

June 28th, 2005, 11:48 AM	#205
Chris Ivanovskis Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norman, OK Posts: 60	How much did you end up spending on your FU-500? I just read this after making a new thread because mine snapped :( __________________ itimebomb productions

June 28th, 2005, 01:36 PM	#206
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	Chris, Sorry to hear about your loss. I paid $369.00 + shipping I think. The second time I tried to call they told $399.00 and I said, "Wait, you told me $369.00 yesterday,” and they changed the price back. Multi-tiered pricing I guess, so ask! Again sorry to hear about the viewfinder, but on the bright side, it could have been a FU-1000 B&W. They are only $1900.00! I do constantly look for a used one now, after going thru this problem, so if I find one I’ll let you know. Mike

June 30th, 2005, 12:05 PM	#207
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,557	Chris, I had that happen a few years back. I sent it to Canon and they fixed the swivel, and it was VERY affordable. And, like you I used super glue for about 5 months until I sent it in and had it fixed during routine maintainance. Call Canon Service Center in NJ. Bob

June 30th, 2005, 12:38 PM	#208
Henry Cho Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 516	or, if you can't wait and need the fix right now, temporarily use an on-cam or off-cam monitor with the xl1's video out.

July 29th, 2005, 11:52 AM	#209
Keith Miller Tourist Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1	xl1s viewfinder Are there optional viewfinders available for the xl1s?

July 29th, 2005, 06:08 PM	#210
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	You have the one that ofcourse comes with the cam, the colour LCD viewfinder, and you can buy the optional FU-1000 CRT viewfinder. This last one is black and white, and is pretty expensive (I thought something of 1500 dollars) but is preferred by many because you can focus easier, and it gives you the full frame, instead of the LCD which has serious underscan. There is an article about it here: http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article83.php I can't comment on it, as I only used the standard LCD viewfinder that comes with the camera. Best regards,