Handle held in place by 8 screws, and there are two ribbon cables as well.

To open the handle, remove the accessory shoe spring with tweezers (it has a sort of horse shoe shape), there are two screws under it. There are abotu 7 other screws under the handle holding its top cover in place.

And another 11 screws inside the handle holding the pieces in the top half, including the key PC board.

GL1 just shut off and wont go back on!!
 

Well in the middle of filming a race it just went and shut off, Ive tried everything! Different battery, made sure the lock switches were off and nothing. Anyone have anything like this happen?

No indication of problems with the battery contacts?

There are three fuses inside the camcorder, one may have blown. Generally not user replaceable.

i know in the gl2 there are several conectors near the tripod mount on the camera...if the mount is loose it could have knocked on loose...or just over time one could become loose...other than that i havent a clue

GL1 Repair Manual
 

Anyone know where to get a factory service manual for the GL1? I figure I would like to have one since I have 3 cameras, that way i can fix the "little stuff" myself. I know its not much of a comparison, but I use to be able to get the FSM for my cars from different place (legally of course). Thought maybe someone here would know where to get one for the GL.

Unless you have an "in" with an independent service person, you won't find a repair manual on any Canon Camera. You must send the camera to a Canon repair center. Follow the online instructions to the letter, and Canon will respond to you with a "brought up to factory specifications" repair within two weeks on the average. It may or may not cost a lot. Canon is responsive in many ways.
Canon may not service cameras older than seven years, so be prepared for a message in this regard. They will let you know before you ship.

As a rule, Canon factory service manuals are very difficult to obtain. There aren't any parts that are user-serviceable anyway. Your best bet, as Waldemar points out above, is to use the Canon factory service centers in Irvine, CA and Jamesburg, NJ.

As Chris notes, there isn't anything inside the camcorder that is end-user repairable or adjustable - but someone with strong technical abilities and specialized test equipment might be able to put them to use. And for most folks, the risk of damaging their camcorder would be rather high.

That said, at one time you could buy the GL1 service manuals from Canon, cost was about $60 for the camcorder. To get one you had to sign a warranty waiver (no warranty coverage for camcorders you worked on) and you had to go through a gatekeeper at Canon USA as well. Reasons for this are pretty clear if you think about it. Given the age of the GL1 and original XL1 they might be more inclined to release the manuals to a buyer these days.

GL-1 Zoom Issues
 

Hi, All.......

I've started to notice a problem with my GL-1's zoom system. Too often, especially when hand-held shooting, the zoom starts automatically, especially after hitting the record button. Then, when I zoom back out to full-frame, the camera hesitates a few seconds then automatically starts zooming back in again.

I'm not sure of the rocker switch needs cleaning, or if it an internal electronics issue. If anyone has had similar problems, let me know.

Thanks!
James

GL1 w/ infrared like image in viewfinder Need Help
 

Well I don't think it's been dropped but now I am getting a infrared like image in my viewfinder not sure why.

So am I screwed?

Any help would be grateful.

Thanks
Mike

Hers a pic
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/IMG_6737.jpg

The picture you posted leads me to ask, does the image we see in the LCD screen also appear in the viewfinder? Does this same image appear on the tape? If both answers are "No", then it's probably just a bad LCD screen.

If that's the case, my answer would be "NO, you're not screwed." You just have to decide to put up with a bad LCD screen or have it fixed.

Good luck!

mmmm.. unfortuantely it does appear in both the LCD and the viewfinder..

Any ideas?

Thanks
mike

Any chance some effect or preset (e.g., ART) is turnd on?

Does it show up on tape?

GL1 odd pixel problem
 

My GL1 has two stuck pixels, but they only show up at shutter speeds slower than about 1/200. It's definitely in the imaging system, as I tested it by hooking it to the TV and running it on "camera" with the lens cap on. As I dial through the shutter speeds, the bright pixels just fade away. Is this something that will get worse over time, or can this camera be relied upon when shooting brightly lit conditions. It was used almost exclusively outdoors, so I don't know how long the pixels were like this.

I had hoped to sell the camera now that I'm more or less committed to getting an XH A1, but I don't want to sell something that will crap out on someone. Still, if someone can get some use out of it, it's better off in their hands than in the back of my closet.

Xm1/ Gl2
 

EDITING - has anyone encountered a problem with split files when capturing using an EDIUS system?
If I use the NX card setting and firewire connection, when capturing and having selected 'no divided files' it does divide / split the capture into 1 second clips. Someone informed me that it is due to a setting in the Canon to do with data stream.
I need to know what can be altered to stop this.

Regards,

I had this same problem (actually, mine would also zoom out on its own... thought mostly it would zoom in) happen to me a year or two after I purchased my GL-1. It was still under the extended warranty at that time so I took it in to the Jamesburg Canon office, and they did some work on it. The problem seemed to be gone, but then came back maybe six months later, though I think not as severely as before I took it in.

If you ever figure out what it is, I'd appreciate it if you posted your findings (or just message me)

Hot pixels are a possible issue when shooting at slow shutter speeds and with gain is used; i.e., shooting in poor light. They should not appear in images with average content with shutter of 1/60 or faster and 0 dB gain, and usually fiorst appear in deep shadow areas. High temperatures can make they more apparent.

Can't say whether or not they will get worse over time, but you may want to warn the buyer with some specific notes as to when they may be apparent.

from my experience .. if you do see hot pixels at shutter speeds below 1/200 - you might leave the camera ON for 1 1/2 - 2hr and see if they start showing at any speed ... also i find you see them better using interlace mode and 0 gain ( after camera is on for 1 hr)
i've had nothing but problems with hot pixels over the years ... it's a good thing i bought a GE service contract ... from 2001 - 2006 they replace the CCD's 3 or was it 4 times ?? .. my GE contract expired last Dec 14 - lucky i had the camera in for repairing hot pixels on Dec 11th ... they are still trying to fix it 7 months later ... this year they were replaced in Feb , April & May and i still have hot pixels ( yes 3 times .. 3rd party repair shops blame it on faulty Canon CCD's ) ... just yesterday they approved $793 for Canon to replace the CCD's ...
i don't get it ?? they have put more $$ into repairing the camera this year then it is worth BUT what can i say but THANK YOU GE ... i guess i can say GE has a excellent service contract !!!!

canon gl1 zoom problem
 

the same has been happening to me but one day it just stopped doing it..but this problem needs to be solved.

I'm having the same problem with my 1 year old G2, but my rocker zoom does not work at all. The handle zoom works untill the "auto zoom" takes over, then nothing works till I shut the thing off and then back on.

Might be caused by bad contacts on the rocker switch.

I had this problem with my XM1 a couple of years ago when recording some stage shows. The zoom just kept doing its own thing in the middle of the performance and I had to fight for control of the lens.

Strangely, it only happened at 2 venues which were within a few hundred yards of the police HQ, where they were testing a new secure radio system at about the same time. I blamed RF intereference at the time, but was never able to prove it.

tapeless with GL1
 

My church uses a Canon GL1 to record the weekly services. Right now there is NO post-production being done so its being recored live to a DVD burner directly from the camera. How do I get the GL1 to operate without needing a tape actively recording in the camera? It goes to sleep on me if I aren't recording. For now I am just recycling the same tapes each week but I know there must be a setting for this.

Sorry but there's no way around that on the old GL1.

Leave Door Open?
 

I believe that it can be accomplished by leaving the tape door open. This is a crude work-around, and it can subject the inside of the camera to excessive contaminants.

GL1 Woes...
 

I just bought a used GL1. The camera works in every respect except:

There are some black bars on the left and right side. This does not show up on the LCD or viewfiner. It only shows up when I download the video.
- This happens in 4:3 and 16:9
- I tried with PPro and Windows Movie Maker's capture and results are the same.

Questions:
- Is this normal for all GL1's ?
- If it is, what is the best solution for removing in post?
- Is there a way to capture WITHOUT the back bars?

I imagine the simple solution is to crop by increasing the size of the image, but then EVERYTHING on the timeline would have to be rendered. And that sucks.

HELP!!

An old question. You can find several threads on this issue here and in the XL1 forum.

The black bars correspond to the "overscan" area with normal TV sets. You do not see it on a TV. The bars are well out of the "action safe" part of the image, amounting to 8 pixels at each end of the scan line. It equates to a true 4:3 aspect ratio for a 480 line NTSC image, and is one of several standard standard formats.

However, overscan concept does not apply in the world of PC, so you do see the black bars on a computer with video shot on an older camcorders such as the GL1 or XL1.

How to deal with it depends on your NLE and what you are delivering. For most purposes producing video for display on a TV set you can usually ignore it.

The bars are in the video stream from the tape, so you get them if you do a IEEE-1394 (firewire) capture.

.

Thanks for the reply. Since I rely heavily on my content being delivered to the web, the black lines are a big deal.

Thanks for the input.

I try to remember, but i am not sure... it will works, if you use the camera on Power Supply and without tape inside.

I record timelapse footage straight into my laptop with no tape..had the power supply connected..worked fine, but I think the camera being connected to the computer via the firewire overrides the camera fallin "asleep." Do you have access to a laptop by any chance? that's probably ur best bet..capture straight into NLE..and you could edit if needed or just burn onto dvd from there..

tapeless..
 

You don't need a tape to accomplish what you're saying. Eject any tape. Run the AV cable into the DVD Recorder, the camera won't power down.

You can still do it off of battery and you can still do it with the tape door shut, as long as there's no tape inside.

I've done it many times.

Canon GL1 & GL1a
 

What is the differnce between the Canon GL1 & GL1a?

I'm new to this site as you can tell

My grandmother gave me this video camera that I hardly ever use. So I think I might get rid of it but I'm not sure if it's the GL1 or GL1a.

There was no such thing as a GL1a. There was only the GL1.

Are you sure you're not asking about the difference between the GL1 and GL2? There's a world of difference between these two camcorders. So much changed going from the GL1 to the GL2 that it's a lot easier to tell you how they're the same rather than how they're different.

How they're the same: Both have a 20x zoom lens, optical image stabilization and Frame movie mode. Everything else between them is different.

Within the XL line, the DM-XL1A was the North American (NTSC) version
The letter "E" was used to designate the European (PAL) version; e.g., DM-XL1E.
The NTSC version of the HV20 is labeled HV20A, and the PAL version is HV20E.

FWIW: The Canon L2A was the NTSC version of the L2, and the old A1DigitalA (going back to to 1991) was the NTSC version.

I've not seen the "A" designation used in the the GL1 literature (owners manual or service manual), because the PAL variants have a designation (i.e., XM1). However, that nomenclature (DM-GL1A) is retained on the nameplate of the NTSC version of the camcorder.

Thus we can assume with some measure of confidence that the GL1A is just the North American (NTSC) version of the GL1.

Now that I did not know. I learn something from you just about every time you post, Don -- many thanks,

Okay. I have the GL1 then.
On the botem of the camera it has GL1a, but on the side it has GL1.

Thanks for the help.

Can GL1 be used as webcam?
 

Obviously, there is no USB interface. Is there a way to allow it to operate as a webcam? I do a daily internet video program, and I own a GL1. I currently use a Panasonic sdr s150 as a webcam. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Marc

I have used my Canon XM2 as a webcam several times. So I believe you should be able to use the GL1 too. (you will have to use firewire)

I use 35mm as webcam. Really, works great, I get no complaints from my chat-partners!

only kidding, I think you should have no problem using the GL1 as a webcam, if the program and your computer recognizes it.