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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Are there optional viewfinders available for the xl1s?

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,

The B&W viewfinder is $1,900.00 list and hard to find used. About $1,500.00 to $1,600.00 is the best buy on it new. Many here use a LCD monitor to get a better view. I have a Varizoom on one of mine, and I like it. It has underscan, so you get a better idea of what you are actually shooting. Framing on the color viewfinder is way off.

Just so you know the word is that the FU-500, the color viewfinder, has been discontinued. I would not recommend getting rid of it. You might end up needing it.

Mike

My viewfinder, a canon fu500, has literally cracked in half. Has anyone else ever had this happen?

Do I need to replace the whole viewfinder or do they sell just the casing. Any ideas?

My viewfinder, a canon fu500, has literally cracked in half. Has anyone else ever had this happen?

Do I need to replace the whole viewfinder or do they sell just the casing. Any ideas?

Had another post the same problem here about two months ago.

You need to call canon right away to see if they have any left, or if they can repair yours. They are being closed out. No supplies at retailers now. B&H says they are discontinued. I paid $369.00 for one at Canon a couple of months ago. Push them, as they may say it is not available anylonger, but they will have some stashed somewhere I believe.

A FU-500 and the stock mic, went for $660.00 last week on ebay.

Mike

I did find one at focuscamera.com. Ever heard of them? They have one for $319.95. I found some a little cheaper but didn't trust the sites. I may put in my purchase order for this one and see if something better comes along before they cut my check for it.

Thanks so much for your help!

I really love this site!

Hi Lisa,

Just because a site lists that item, doesn't mean they have it in stock. Be sure to check with our sponsors first (see link in my signature). Try calling EVS, B&H, Zotz Digital and ZGC. Maybe I was seeing things but when I visted Zotz Digital awhile back, I thought I saw an FU500 box on the shelf there.

Exactly, call and ask when they can ship. They will probably tell you they are awaiting a shipment, on back order, but don't know when it will arrive and will want you to order and let you know when it will ship later.

As I said before, Everyone wanted to advise me on shipment and B&H told me they were discontinued, and in fact they are no longer listed on their site. Check it out. All they have are FU-1000s.

Call the sponsors quickly, and try to get one. I could not find one and twisted Canons arm for one. In fact it would be great for B&H if they could buy any existng stock and help us out. Problem is, I don't think Canon is selling their existing stock. Call everyone quickly and if there are none, call Canon quickly.

Chris, perhaps you could contact B&H and get us a difinitive answer, so all of those here with an XL1 or XL1s will know where we stand. This could end up being a big problem for us users, after all the XL2 viewfinder will not work on the previous models.

Thanks for your help.

Mike

You can send it to Canon If it can be repaired they will send you an estimate. When I broke mine it cost about $100.00 inc parts

hello i realize this is an old thread... but my camera broke in teh same spot
well not at the swivel but on that brace that goes accross and mounts to the camera rite in teh L part of it... when it was broken open i was able to look inside and theres only one wire going through it and with some screws and L plates i put it back together now stronger than it ever was...

Hi Norman;
You've probably fixed your viewfinder by now. So here are some tips for those who haven't. First, if the screen still shows an image, you can use rubber bands to hold the viewfinder together long enough to finish your shoot. I've used mine that way for a month after it was broken in Alaska. When you are ready for a permanent fix, dissassemble the viewfinder with a jewelers philips head screwdriver, call Canon Service and order the rectangular part with the four studs that is probably broken. Part # DA1-8351 000, I think. Reassemble the unit, being careful to position the parts correctly. Be sure the electical connections are secure. Cost: $9.95 or less.
Presto, good as new and your on your way!

how accurate is this display with the settings of it set on the default or no additional EVF color toward the red or green...I know shooters install their own monitors, but is this a neccessary expense?

If the situation allows, always use a good broadcast monitor attached to your XL1s.

The viewfinder is not really good enough for critical focusing. Also, it is easy to miss important things, such as a boom pole in the scene, or lens flare.

Using a good, properly setup broadcast monitor will help you see things clearly. It is a great tool. Of couse, I realize that this is not always possible.

You can set the camera to display the SMPTE colorbars, and then check the colors yourself. Personally, on my Xl1s, I never had a problem with the color rendition, I just did not use it as the final authority.

It may slightly vary with different XL1s bodies, but with with the ones that I have used I found that the XL1s viewfinder set at default (EVF colour marker at central position) shows far more red colour than the final footage on the actual tape, so tend to adjust the viewfinder EVF slightly towards green. If you simply leave the viewfinder EVF control at the central position, and then increase colour (color) gain in the Custom Preset, the viewfinder will tend to show a much warmer image than the actual DV footage (for example, when later shown on a digital TV screen, or made direct into DVD without any colour change in editing, the results tend to be cooler than what was shown through the original XL1s viewfinder).

Hello, I turned on my camera for the first time in 2 months and noticed
what looks like pixels in the viewfinder. Anyone familiar with this problem,
and can I still use the camera without the pixels showing up on the
recording? I haven't run any tests yet, but thought I'd get some professional
opinions before going further. FYI - I did take the camera to a well known
video/audio company here in Houston but they wanted $90 before even touching the camera.
Appreciate your comments.
J.A.

You need to establish if the dead pixels are in the viewfinder or the ccd unit in the camera. Connect the camera up to a monitor or tv and see if the dead pixels are visable. If they're not the problem is probably in the viewfinder. You maybe able to live with this and keep shooting. Also it may not be a pixel problem but specks of dust. Use a blower brush and clean off the lens and the glass on the diopter. You can remove the eye glass section and clean both sides of the eye glass. There is a very small lcd unit. Don't touch or scratch it.
The eyepiece lcd konked out on my camera and cost over 400 bucks to fix.

I'm shooting with an XL1 and I have a freelance job that requires I feed video directly out to a DVD recorder as I'm shooting. The problem is the record display. I can't figure out if there's a way to turn off the display counter and video info that's normally in the viewfinder. Is there a way to turn it off?

Thanks

ac

For the XL1 - Press the "Display" button on the remote control. It toggles the on-screen display in the analog output. (The default is "ON" when in camcorder mode, and "OFF" in VCR mode.)

For the XL1 - Press the "Display" button on the remote control. It toggles the on-screen display in the analog output. (The default is "ON" when in camcorder mode, and "OFF" in VCR mode.)

And, if you need it, the manual is available as a free download at the Canon site.

Cheers,

Mark

Hello, do you know where can I get the xl1 viewfinder electronic programs ?
I want to use my viewfinder with my panasonic dvx100b and sgpro 35mm adapter. I'm tring to find out if its possible to get a picture in the viewfinder from the dvx video out ?
Ariel.

Hi Ariel, you'll find the EVF pin-out description and diagram in Don Palomaki's article located at http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article29.php

Good technical documentation for the original XL1 viewfinder internals is not generally available that I am aware of. This link may provide some useful information. http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article29.php for your project.

I am wondering how to keep my viewfinder from fogging, I shoot outdoor video during various weather conditions and have a problem fogging, I have tried fogtech and it does not seem to work, any suggestions? Also, I was wondering if any one knows how to set my XL1s to regen when I stick in a new tape!

The only cure I found for the fogging you mention was to keep my face a few mm's away from the eye cup so that it did not seal completely. Nothing else seemed to work.

Not quite sure I understand your Q about the tape and 'regen" tho'.

CS

I sent in my XL1 for servicing and when it arrived back today there was a EVF included in the box. My original is here sitting in a box so now I have 2. Advice on getting in touch with Canon to see about returning it? I want to do the right thing, but they're going to cover shipping if they want this thing back.

Call their 800-828-4040 number and ask.

I sent in my XL1 for servicing and when it arrived back today there was a EVF included in the box. My original is here sitting in a box so now I have 2. Advice on getting in touch with Canon to see about returning it? I want to do the right thing, but they're going to cover shipping if they want this thing back.

I just feel sorry for the poor sap who got his/her camera back with the VF missing. Doh!

Good for you Jacob, wanting to do the right thing. The world needs more honest folks like you.

-gb-

Jacob,

IS IT YOUR CAMERA? Seriously, check the serial numbers and make sure the right camera/viewfinder got sent back to the right owner.

Out of curiosity... roughly how much does it cost to get your XL1 serviced?

I feel kinda dumb. I read about people removing the view finder for storage but I don't see how to do it. When I loosen the locking nut, the viewfinder slides and hits a stop. I've searched around and I can't find a procedure. I give. How do you do it?
TIA

The slide stop is just to keep it from falling off accidently... be sure the viewfinder is unplugged and just be a little forceful sliding it off...

LOL. Awesome. Thanks.

I posted this question earlier in another forum and probably didn't get read by anyone who could help. My problem is; the viewfinder will not display an image, it just displays a white field with vertical blue lines. I can connect to a monitor and see and record what I am looking at but can not get a picture in the viewfinder. This tells me that the problem must be in the viewfinder itself and not elsewhere in the camera. Am I correct?
There isn't anyone around that has a XL1 so I can't swap viewfinders to to verify that it is in the viewfinder. Is this a common problem and does anyone know what to check and a fix short of replacing the viewfinder?

First case I've read about an EVF problem like this.
The EVF has a number of different circuits from the analog outputs. They are both in the EVF and in the body.
Check to be sure the plug is in fully.
It is possible that a ribbon cable has worked loose inside the machine.

Just dug out my trusty mothballed XL1s to double check a couple of things, so, here goes...............

1. Remove the EVF plug from it's socket and check all 12 pins in the plug are present and straight. They are very easily damaged. If ok, replace firmly into socket.

2. Power up the camera. On the LHS lens housing module you'll find the "EVF Display"/ "On/ Off" button. Whilst checking the viewfinder screen, press this repeatedly - does the picture change? It scrolls through about 4 or 5 differnt options then returns to wherever it was.

3. Below the above mentioned button you'll find the "DE/ Bars / Select" and "On/ Off" buttons.

Press the D.E./ Bars Select" button once. This will put the camera into "colour bar" mode".

Press the "On/ Off button once. You should now have digitaly produced colour bars in the EVF.

If you now have bars, there is a problem with the camera internally. If all the above produces nothing it could be anywhere.

4. Last but not least: Flip the EVF up and over so you have access to the underside. You'll see a release switch on the LHS to release the lens housing, and a rubber bung on the RHS with a triangular "lightning" mark above it.

Remove the rubber bung and, using a NON METALIC (GOTTIT?) slot driver, rotate the enclosed potentiometer to the full extreme of anti, then clockwise, all the while keeping an eye on what the EVF is doing (does require some contortions but can be done).

It is possible this has been turned up to max or min and thus rendered the EVF unusable.

Best I can do I'm afraid.


CS


PS. Whatever the above turns up, the way forward, given the age of the XL1s (if you wish to keep using one) is not to get it repaired (not sure if Canon is still doing them anyway) but to buy another system S/H. They are coming onto the market in increasing numbers and are pretty cheap. Just cobble the best system you can from the two and away you go. I would do so with mine if I hadn't gone completely HD.

If you can find the pinouts, you can run the video to another monitor. This was not all that uncommon when some videographers did not like the low resolution EVF.

I have a Canon XL1s and the screen in the viewfinder has become progressively more pixelated. It is now to the point that the viewfinder is worthless. What is the cause/ best fix?

Many Thanks.

Unless the cable/ plug have partially un-seated or has a bent pin, I can't really tell you the cause.

Your best plan of attack is to borrow another XL1/ s and see if that viewfinder works on your camera.

If it does, you have a sick viewfinder.

If it doesn't, you have sick camera internals.

I suppose you could try Canon but think they might just show you the door.

There's plenty of second hand A1/s's knocking about, you could try buying one for parts and build one good one from two duds.

You probably haven't got a high enough post count to be able to access the "For Sale" forum here, but you could always ask in this thread and see if you get a bite.


CS