Digital Video Camera failure

It's probably the filter on the front of the CCD. You can change this yourself at a cost of about $90 it is a bit of a cleanroom operation as usually dust caught up in the operation is a problem. If you look up camera conversions to infrared you will see how to do it. Try www.maxmax.com or lifepixel digital camera infrared IR conversion services as a starter. Could be easier in the end to buy something new.

Hello to you, DAVAH,

Thankyou, very very interesting, especially the IR conversion pictures - but with reference to your comment about the filter failure - what makes the filter fail?

If it is the filter failure, why would I be being quoted upon a new CCD?

I have the feeling I am being ripped off.

If it's a new CCD it is not an easy job the hot filter and the cover glass are also changed because of the dust and scratching possibilties. Several parts need to be desoldered and resoldered. You are not able to test the new parts or camera until it is fully reassemble. Then even if it is right first time it will have taken a moderately able technician at a minimum 3 - 4 hours to complete in a cleanroom atmosphere. If you do not use a cleanroom then the chances of having to do the job a second or maybe third time are extremely good, with all the consquences in the soldering operation. You are now looking at 8-9 hours of time. The repair shop will not tell you that they have done the job more than once you will simply have to pay. The only way to do this is to chance it yourself, and be prepaired to write off the camera anyway, or simply sell it for parts. You can open it to check if there is something simple wrong but be prepared for a professional repair shop to turn you down on the grounds that they cannot know what has been done to the camera before they got it or else quote you high so the job is not worth it to you.

http://www.lifepixel.com/IR.htm

"Is there anything I can do myself, as a moderately qualified technical person. apart from spending several hundreds of dollars with some camera repair place?" Yeah, spend several hundred dollars on a new recorder.

If you have dropped it, chances are something got lose. I have one with the plug from CDD actually came lose. All I need is open it up and plug it back in. Try that. If it doesn't work, try to find another broken and use the parts to fix it. You can find them on eBay.

Pineapple