XH A1 Maintenance at DVinfo.net

Giles Buchanan · April 26th, 2009, 02:44 PM

Hi there,

I own a Canon XH A1 and have had it for a couple of years now.

I was wondering if anyone here would know how and what I should be doing to maintain its life span and just generally keep it in good working order - I'm worried that by leaving it (in a sealed Peli Case) it will be slowly dying as I've not used it for a good 8 months now.

Any help would be much appreciated!

All the best,

Giles B

Allan Black · April 26th, 2009, 03:33 PM

Hi Giles, before you put your A1 away, wipe the body down with a damp cloth. I always keep a charged battery installed and some fresh Silicagel in the Pelican.

Every few months take the A1 out, load a tape, shuttle it back and forwards for a minute or two, play it for the same time then unload it. Go to record and operate all switches and let the lens see sunlight for an hour to help prevent lens fungus starting. Keep a filter on it.

Don't ever let a Li-ion battery drain right out, check the guidelines for safety and battery life here.

Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheers.

Giles Buchanan · April 27th, 2009, 12:43 PM

Thanks very much for the advice! Appreciated

Best,

Giles

Don Xaliman · April 27th, 2009, 02:29 PM

What are you saving your camera for?
Isn't the value of a camera based on the images you capture with it?

Bill Pryor · April 27th, 2009, 03:40 PM

Yeah, it'll be obsolete and worth 50 bucks by the time you get it well broken in.

Mike Janke · May 2nd, 2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Yeah, it'll be obsolete and worth 50 bucks by the time you get it well broken in.

I hope it will be worth more than 50 bucks. I spent $3500 on mine in December. I know the industry is heading towards 1080p, and the interlaced cameras are on the way to being obsolete, but the XH A1, still delivers a quality picture, and as long as it does that, its still an upgrade to me, from an SD camera.

Douglas Thigpen · May 2nd, 2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giles Buchanan

Hi there,

I own a Canon XH A1 and have had it for a couple of years now.

I was wondering if anyone here would know how and what I should be doing to maintain its life span and just generally keep it in good working order - I'm worried that by leaving it (in a sealed Peli Case) it will be slowly dying as I've not used it for a good 8 months now.

Any help would be much appreciated!

All the best,

Giles B

I wouldn't worry about it.

Michael Robertson · May 2nd, 2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

Yeah, it'll be obsolete and worth 50 bucks by the time you get it well broken in.

haha, kinda true, it might be worth selling the camera if you arn't planning on using it. Could probably get good money for it. Just rent one when you need the camera every several months.

April 26th, 2009, 02:44 PM	#1
Giles Buchanan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 41	XH A1 Maintenance Hi there, I own a Canon XH A1 and have had it for a couple of years now. I was wondering if anyone here would know how and what I should be doing to maintain its life span and just generally keep it in good working order - I'm worried that by leaving it (in a sealed Peli Case) it will be slowly dying as I've not used it for a good 8 months now. Any help would be much appreciated! All the best, Giles B

April 26th, 2009, 03:33 PM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Hi Giles, before you put your A1 away, wipe the body down with a damp cloth. I always keep a charged battery installed and some fresh Silicagel in the Pelican. Every few months take the A1 out, load a tape, shuttle it back and forwards for a minute or two, play it for the same time then unload it. Go to record and operate all switches and let the lens see sunlight for an hour to help prevent lens fungus starting. Keep a filter on it. Don't ever let a Li-ion battery drain right out, check the guidelines for safety and battery life here. Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cheers.

April 27th, 2009, 12:43 PM	#3
Giles Buchanan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 41	Thanks very much for the advice! Appreciated Best, Giles

April 27th, 2009, 02:29 PM	#4
Don Xaliman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver BC Posts: 96	What are you saving your camera for? Isn't the value of a camera based on the images you capture with it?

April 27th, 2009, 03:40 PM	#5
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Yeah, it'll be obsolete and worth 50 bucks by the time you get it well broken in.