Ken,
 

But what's the chance that if I return this camera (and get another GL2) I won't have other/different problems? This is my fear...

Has anyone else ever gotten a "lemon?" I never have, but just checking ... Maybe it's common.

-Heidi

Heidi my XM2(GL2) looks cool against the VX2000 as well. I don't think it a defect it's just the way the camera is. I've also been doing loads of test and when comparing the colour to what my eyes see I can honestly say that the XM2 is pretty close, not spot on but very close. The only area I'd say it struggles with is with orange and yellow it doesn't quite get them right. But if you set it up against the VX2000 and literarily switch between the two the XM2 does look a lot cooler. As for the gain problems you've had I haven't had these problems so maybe your unit is broken.
Well I hope you settle the problems.


peter B

Heidi,

If your camera has a mfg. defect why wouldn't you want it fixed? If I bought a new car and it only got 2 miles per gallon, I would want it fixed. Just because your camera needs a minor adjustment doesn't make it a lemon. Cameras that go in for the same adjustment 5 or 6 times are lemons. Send the camera into Canon and have them adjust it. That way you don't have to risk getting another GL2, but with different problems. Just get the one you know and love adjusted. I also urge you to do it soon. Learning to trick your camera to get something close to what you want is not an ideal learning situation. It's like learning to drive a car and it's got right hand drive. Then having to take your driving test in a car with left hand drive. Everything is backwards, the things you thought you knew are different.

Jeff

Jeff,
 

That's a very good idea.

Should I just send/bring it in and say I want them to check the "color" adjustments?

-Heidi

Yup, just send it in. They will want a photo copy of your sales receipt and warranty card. That proves it is not a grey market camera. I would also include a sample tape stopped at a section that best illustrates your color problem. You might also includea brief note about the problem and your expectations for the repair. Canon has a New Jersey repair facility and I would send it directly to them, attention the service manager.

Jeff

Jeff,
Why should she endure the absurd hassle to repair a -brand new camera-?! If you "...bought a car that got 2 miles per gallon" you wouldn't repair it, you'd take it back and demand a new one.

Heidi:
"But what's the chance that if I return this camera (and get another GL2) I won't have other/different problems? This is my fear..."

If the source of your dissatisfaction is intrinsic to the design, then you will discover the truth. "Fearing" getting a camera with another problem? Uh, doesn't that strike you as just a bit silly? Simple solution: take/send it back.

Good luck, again, Heidi. I've said all I can constructively say on the subject. I hope you find a satisfactory video camera solution before you lose enthusiasm for whatever you were originally going to shoot.

Peter, Jeff
 

Peter:

Thank you very much.

I'm also wondering, how do things look in the viewfinder to you compared to the actual shot? My viewfinder appears warmer than the "real thing" and the actual shot on tape.

BTW, I agree about the yellow and orange, that's where I'm having trouble too! "Out of the box" (no white balance) the picture appears to almost have a blue/grey cast to me.


Jeff:

Thank you for your quick answer. I feel like your idea may be a good solution, since this way, a real person will look at the camera, I won't just be buying another random on off the shelf.

Your idea of including a tape is a good one, too.

Any idea of what kind of wait time to expect?

Hopefully yours,

-H

I would think 2 to 3 weeks depending on how you ship it and weekends and all. In your letter give them day and evening phone numbers and you might even want to provide them with a link to the GL2 threads here. It might provide them with a little incentive. As always, keep us posted.

Jeff

Actually, the one time I sent a camcorder to a Canon-operated repair center, they did good work and even replaced an entire lens without any charge or argument about how it got damaged. But, when I sent another unit off to two different Canon-authorized, but independent repair shops, the service was non-existent, the first 3 of 4 times I had to ship it out of town to them.

The camera section was completely dead, but one shop had it twice and sent it back unfixed, pronouncing that it worked perfectly. The second shop did the same the first time and only after I had an intense phone conversation with the repairman, did I get him to notice that although the VTR worked fine, the camera was dead. He then replaced about 80 capacitors and other parts and it worked again. This took 5 months and I spent $150. on shipping and insurance. The shops collected money from the extended warranty company, for each of the 4 times. Imagine how angry and frustrated anyone would be, if they had to pay for all this themselves, as well as losing the use of their main camera that long.

The extended warranty I now have on an ailing Sony camcorder is accepted by a local repair shop and I will be able to breathe down their necks, if they don't get it fixed just right.

I'd recommend that any purchase of an extended warranty be preceded by a survey of local repair shops. Make sure that they will honor it and take responsibility for either fixing equipment themselves or shipping it to a manufacturer's service center at no expense to you.

Yeah Heidi I've noticed that as well, the viewfinder is a lot richer in colour, reds are very rich. You get a lot truer picture from the flip out screen. Actually can you adjust the viewfinder, I think you can adjust the brightness but what about colour? I'd check the instuctions but I'm at work at the moment.


Peter B

You can shift the color saturation of the viewfinder. It's in the display setup menu. Simply adjust it to match what you see on a monitor. Hope this helps,

Cheers Chris I thougt you'd probably be able to.


Peter B

Hi. I sort of hate to say this for the third time in three weeks on this same thread, but I feel compelled to!

Proof that Heidi's GL-2 is broken is that when she does a manual adjust of the WB and the WB icon keeps flashing slowly rather than doing a solid lock, she gets NO ADJUSTMENT OF THE WB!

On a properly operating unit (like mine, for example), there will be DEFINITE and even RADICAL change in the WB when you press that button but the icon keeps flashing.

In other words, her WB function is clearly busted. And that is a bad thing! Does this make sense?

Your unit is not functioning properly and MUST BE RETURNED.

Good luck!

b

So...
 

what was the final outcome?

-- Schwa, who was out of town for a week.

Hello everyone,
 

I'm currently in the midst of writing a letter to the Canon service people.

Despite some opinions here, I've decided to send my GL2 back to Canon and have them check it.

Once I get a little further with the letter (this weekend), I may send another post to make sure that I've mentioned everything I should (in the letter) and asked for everything appropriate.

'til then, and thank you!

Heidi

Sending my GL2 to service center
 

Hello,

So, as some of you may know, I'm about to send my GL2 back to the service center to have the color (color calibration, manual white balance, and Custom Presets) checked out. I seem to be having problems with the color in natural light (indoors and outdoors).

My question is, do you think it would be helpful to send them a tape too?

If I do send them a test tape, what should I include? Should I shoot something with the auto white balance and then with a manual white balance? Is the manual white balance comparison necessary? Anything else?

At first I though sending a tape would be a nice idea, now I'm not sure.

I'm wondering/thinking that they will probably only check the color against their color bars and an oscilliscope. Also, if I send a tape, how will they know the REAL color of my house? (It's red, but the camera sees it as brown).

Any tips/suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

-Heidi

Wll this thread continued has taken me over 3 hours to read. And around 2 Yeasr after it was posted.....What did happen Heidi!???!!!

Michael,

I'm sorry I can't tell you what happened (as I don't know either), but I find your post to be quite funny. : )

It's almost as if you spent three hours reading a great novel, and you got all the way to the end. Just as you were about to reach that magnificent plot revelation...it turns out the last page was never written!

Oops...hehe. : ) Let's hope someone has an answer as I found myself reading a lot of this "novel" also...

lol. I was waiting all of the way through for someone to say something really stupid, and wind heidi up, i felt a heaviness that needed to be broken, and a bit pride! But they were questions that needed to be asked in order to establish the answer to a tricky problem and i think its great the way people kept making efforts all the way through. I suspect some peoples responses were removed and thats why the thread broke down. None the less, im intrigued, and admire her stamina, emailed her personally to see what the outcome was. Ive a friend who sung the praises of the vdx2000 but i bought an xm2 to rebel against sonys prices and stingy zoom, so i kinda got cought up in the 'best camera' hookline, which really doesnt help get better pictures, but all the technical stuff does! Was some great stuff there. I learnt a fair bit there, and feel more knowlegeable about the cameras functions. The XM2 is fab. Hopefully posted soon will be a 'homemade' idea that rocks... but i have to see if it works before i post it, in the 'homemade accesories' thread.