Broken Camcorder

[Fievel]

I hope somebody can help....

I have a sony camcorder. Recently it has started a problem. When i try to shut the door that holds the 8mm cassette tape, it automatically ejects whether there is a tape in there or not?

Anybody know what could be wrong? Is it something permanent or can it be fixed? And is it something simple?

I have all my disney videos on that thing, and my proposal to Becky on 8mm video, so it's kind of important to me.

Thanks to anyone who can try to help.

 

[The_CEO]

It doesnt really sound like its Manual.. It sounds like its a tech problem.. Try bringing it to Circuit City or somewhere and show them the problem.. Did you get that extended warrentee?? That didnt do crap for me.. I bought a cam corder ......* sony* ...... and everything was covered on the Extended Warrentee except what i needed fixed.. How cheap is that?? It doesnt seem like you can really do anything yourself. So just take a visit to the Electronics store SOrry i couldnt of been anymore of help...
~ Justin...

 

[dalton30720]

When you close the door, do you hear it click/lock?

 

[Fievel]

yeah, it clicks, and goes back down into the camera.....it loads the tape over the head like normal....then it simply ejects the tape like i hit the eject button

 

[mkt]

something either electrical or mechanical. Take it to an authorized repair center ASAP

 

[dalton30720]

I had a similar problem with mine. It sounds like while the camera is loading the tape, it thinks it has detected the end of the tape and immediately ejects. I'm assuming you have tried several tapes and they all provide the same results. Sounds like it could be a motor problem. That's what mine turned out to be.

 

[Fievel]

What does a repair like that cost? What did you pay?

I'm thinking that if it's going to be pricey, I might as well invest in that digital camcorder I've been itching for.

 

[dalton30720]

It cost me about $100. I hated to do it, but I've got so many 8mm tapes that I needed to convert. That was several months ago and I'm still in the processs of converting the videos while shopping for a DV.

 

[Fievel]

I have a feeling that it'll be worth it to just buy a new camera...this one has been nothing but problems anyway....it's had several problems:

Turns on by itself
Ejects tapes by itself
Stops charging batteries halfway through sometimes

The thing is a real piece of ....er......work.....

I'll probably upgrade to a hi8 camcorder...i can't afford a digital right now.....

 

[dalton30720]

Good luck.

 

[DisJosh]

Oy doesn't anybody fix things them selves any more?!

Fievel if you know the tinyest bit about how to take soemthing apart or putting things back together then just rip the sucker open. The problem sounds like a mechanical one to me. I wouldn't worry about fiddling aroung w/ any of the electronics or circuit boards. Just open it up and poke around...you'll be surprised. I don't know jack when it comes to technical things like cameras or stereos yet I'm always fixing them by just taking a few minutes to see for my self what the real problem is.

 

[The Mom]

Josh, Thank God you're not going into medicine!!

"Gee, Mr Smith, I don't know what's wrong with you. I think I'll just open you up and poke around a little bit."

BTW....Mom arrives...Friday, 5:30 PM, TFGreen (or whatever it's called these days) airport....time to lock your doors...hehe. :lookaroun

 

[neilybealy]

hi all

does anyone know if any camera/camcorder shops in orlando have websites?

i'm looking to buy my first digital camcorder and have been told by lots of people to wait til Sept when we're in orlando as they are much cheaper than in the UK.

thanks

neil

 

[markymark]

Originally posted by neilybealy
hi all

does anyone know if any camera/camcorder shops in orlando have websites?

i'm looking to buy my first digital camcorder and have been told by lots of people to wait til Sept when we're in orlando as they are much cheaper than in the UK.

thanks

neil

Neil,

Will it work OK on tv over here? as surely it will be NTSC not PAL

 

[neilybealy]

in USA they use NTSC and we use PAL.

most of the shops in orlando sell PAL models of camcorder specially for the many UK tourists that buy whilst abroad.

i have been told that their prices are not that good compared to mail order prices you can get in the UK and i just wanted to see if i could check the internet to see how well their prices compare.

one way round it would be to order it from the internet whilst out in orlando and get it delivered to the villa but many shops only ship to the credit card's billing address, ie. the UK

 

[markymark]

Originally posted by neilybealy
in USA they use NTSC and we use PAL.

most of the shops in orlando sell PAL models of camcorder specially for the many UK tourists that buy whilst abroad.

i have been told that their prices are not that good compared to mail order prices you can get in the UK and i just wanted to see if i could check the internet to see how well their prices compare.

one way round it would be to order it from the internet whilst out in orlando and get it delivered to the villa but many shops only ship to the credit card's billing address, ie. the UK

I didn't realise you could get PAL gear over there! Might check it out myself!

Other than that see what the prices are like on kelkoo.com They usually come up with good prices.

 

[neilybealy]

i've got a few websites that compare prices in UK shops which is pretty good.....

my g/f's parents bought a vhs camcorder whilst in orlando 5 years ago and they said it was considerable cheaper than in the uk but posts in other forums seem to indicate that local shops in orlando have increased their prices.

 

[Erika]

Fievel,

We bought a Sony digital cam right before our wedding, almost 2 yrs ago, and we are really happy with it. If you can't fix your old one by yourself, and you take it somewhere, be sure to ask what kind of guarantee they have on the repair. Between that and the price you might be better off just getting a new camera.

In the meantime, find someone with a WORKING CAMERA and transfer those 8's ASAP!

Good luck!

 

[NowInc]

The way I see it...since you are going to get a new camera ANYWAY...it couldnt hurt to take the old one apart.

 

[DisJosh]

Originally posted by NowInc
The way I see it...since you are going to get a new camera ANYWAY...it couldnt hurt to take the old one apart.

Great minds think alike!

But I would take it apart even if I weren't getting a new one. :lookaroun