Camcorder Repair
We can refurbish your broadcast camcorder to its full functionality and restore it to its factory specs. Based on our experience, camcorders can suffer from power issues, mechanical issues, and image discoloration. Whether your camcorder needs a new CCD block, Prism Assembly, Lens, Buttons, Tape Transport, or PC Board, we can help. We are a high volume service center for Panasonic, Sony, Canon, and JVC. We also repair AJA and Grass Valley camera systems. We only recommend service on mid-range and high-range camcorders, exceeding $700 in replacement value. We especially recommend repair for 4k camcorders and box camcorders, as these units are very expensive to replace and are built to last. Some repairs will be too expensive according to the manufacturer, we have ways to acquire parts for significantly less, taking down the cost of camcorder repair.
Your Camcorder Needs Maintenance!
After a mobile shoot for an event like Coachella, Burning Man, or a Color Run, your camera will definitely be in need of service and maintenance. Despire their weather seals, camcorders are very susceptible to dust and sand damage that can enter and affect either PC Boards, or moving parts like buttons, lenses and tape transports.
Institutional Relationships
We frequently work with universities, colleges, school districts, non-profits, churches, and other corporate entities to do large cleaning and refurbishment projects. If you have more than 10 camcorders that need cleaning or repair, please let us know, as we are one of only a few national facilities capable of handling large quantity orders in a timely fashion.
Discolored Image
Output image discoloration is one of the most common issues on camcorder repairs. If your camcorder shows a yellow, red, purple, or blue tint along all or part of your image, it needs to be professionally serviced. A discolored image means that there is an issue with the CMOS, CCD Block, or Prism Assembly. If caught early, this repair only requires cleaning, labor, and recallibration of the optical sensor. In most cases this repair requires replacement of the sensor.
Dust, Specks, Lines and Dark Spots on Camcorder Image
Camcorders require cleaning and maintenance. Failure to do so on an annual or semi-annual basis can lead to dust within the optical section which will show up as dots or specks on your recorded image. If the dots are a tinted color or hue, this means that the dust has settled on the sensor, which means that the sensor needs to be cleaned. Less commonly, this could also be a result of a damaged sensor chip (from being dropped or otherwise).
Lasers were Pointed at Camcorder
If your camcorder was pointed into a laser beam during an event, it is likely that the CMOS or CCD blocks were burned. If you believe your picture has been affected by this, you will need to replace the optical sensor. See here for an example.
Camcorder Won’t Power On & Other Camcorder Power Issues
If your camcorder unexpectedly shuts off or won’t power on, there may be an issue with the power supply, battery, or software. In some cases, there may be damage to the internal circuit boards. This repair will involve pinpointing the cause of the problem,. This is not a user serviceable repair. If you own a Panasonic AG-HMC40 and are having power issues, please see this article.
No Inputs Recognized by Camcorder
The issue could be either software or hardware. Try switching to a different input, for example, use your monitor or laptop to plug into the SDI or HDMI port you previously were not using. Make sure that your camcorder is on the right mode. Sometimes, broken buttons on the camcorder will prevent you from switching to the correct input, so test these too. If you have confirmed that the camcorder’s hardware or software is the cause of your input issue, it is likely that the interface board may need replacement.
Cracked Camcorder Lens or Camcorder Housing
Mishandled camcorders that have been dropped may need work to replace physical features of the camcorder, including replacement of any mounting brackets for lenses, or the lenses themselves. Lenses are not repaired, but they are rather replaced.
Preventative Maintenance for your Camcorder
Preventative Maintenance will increase the lifetime of your expensive camcorder, and we recommend this for camcorders that cost more than $1500 new. For schools and businesses using camcorders, especially more expensive camcorders, a good Preventative Maintenance schedule calls for a cleaning and re-calibration once a year.
