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Fixing my camera
Dec. 10th, 2014 21:08Recording this here. It's already on Facebook, but that's Facebook, fleeting and unimportant.
Some good news, more good for me than anyone else.
My workhorse camera, a JVC GR-HD1US, popped its power selector a few months ago. I nursed it along for a couple months, where I could find the sweet spot that the plastic cover would sit in and still operate the camera, and then one day I couldn't anymore.
It's a twelve year old camera and uses mini DV tapes. The video world has moved to a tapeless workflow (hard drive or SD card) and the camera itself is out of production, so finding someone willing to fix it has proved challenging. Even JVC doesn't know who could work on it: every Missouri phone number on their list of "authorized service centers" was disconnected. Apparently keeping my money local wasn't to be an option.
I found one company in California who offered to fix the camera - "just ship it to us and wait!" - but web/email only; no human being to talk to. Uuuuuuuhhh...no thanks.
I started on JVC's list again, working my way in an expanding spiral outward from Kansas City and found a shop in the west side of Chicago metro where the tech was not only undeniably human, but friendly and who recognized the camera's issue and has made the repair so often he could ballpark the price without stopping to think about it. (Ballpark because the price of the part fluctuates by availability. It's an old camera, like I said.)
I could probably buy a miniDV camera for cheaper than it will cost to repair this one, but this one was my first so there's some nostalgic value - in addition to just being a pretty good piece of equipment with a few features I haven't been able to find in other cameras.
It's a huge relief. The camera goes to UPS tomorrow.
Some good news, more good for me than anyone else.
My workhorse camera, a JVC GR-HD1US, popped its power selector a few months ago. I nursed it along for a couple months, where I could find the sweet spot that the plastic cover would sit in and still operate the camera, and then one day I couldn't anymore.It's a twelve year old camera and uses mini DV tapes. The video world has moved to a tapeless workflow (hard drive or SD card) and the camera itself is out of production, so finding someone willing to fix it has proved challenging. Even JVC doesn't know who could work on it: every Missouri phone number on their list of "authorized service centers" was disconnected. Apparently keeping my money local wasn't to be an option.
I found one company in California who offered to fix the camera - "just ship it to us and wait!" - but web/email only; no human being to talk to. Uuuuuuuhhh...no thanks.
I started on JVC's list again, working my way in an expanding spiral outward from Kansas City and found a shop in the west side of Chicago metro where the tech was not only undeniably human, but friendly and who recognized the camera's issue and has made the repair so often he could ballpark the price without stopping to think about it. (Ballpark because the price of the part fluctuates by availability. It's an old camera, like I said.)
I could probably buy a miniDV camera for cheaper than it will cost to repair this one, but this one was my first so there's some nostalgic value - in addition to just being a pretty good piece of equipment with a few features I haven't been able to find in other cameras.
It's a huge relief. The camera goes to UPS tomorrow.