October 16th, 2009
Earlier today, I sent this support request to Canon in regards to my ZR800 camcorder:
The camera’s LCD display is stuck in constant upside-down mode. The display is supposed to do this when it’s flipped so it’s facing towards the front of the camera. But it’s supposed to revert back to its normal right-side up display when flipped back so the display is facing towards the back of the camera. But now, no matter which way the display is facing, it’s as though the display is set so it’s facing forward. This means that, when it’s facing back, the images on the screen show up as upside-down. When looking through the camcorder’s viewfinder, the image is properly situation (right-side up). And recorded video is also properly situated. It’s just the way the video appears in the display when the display is set to face towards the back of the camcorder that’s a problem. I’ve looked through the manual as well as your website but haven’t been able to find a fix for this. I also disconnected the camcorder from A/C power and battery power for 24 hours, thinking that is might’ve just reset itself. If you have any suggestions on how I can fix this problem, please let me know.
This is what the camcorder’s display looks like:
I received a surprisingly fast response from Canon. That response contained only one suggestion, though. And that was to remove the main battery and the backup battery to see if the camera might reset itself. As it shows in my original support request, I had tried removing the main battery pack already. But I had forgotten about the backup battery. So this time, I removed both batteries and let the camera sit wthout any kind of power for about 20 minutes. Then i reassembled the camcorder and powered it on only to find that the weird upside-down display problem is still there. I haven’t been able to find anything online that refers to this problem. The only other thing I can do at this point is to send the camcorder in to Canon for repair. It’s outside of warranty, so that repair will cost money. And it’s hard to say whether or not that repair cost is justifiable. Also, the camcorder still technically works. It’s just the display that’s borked.
If anyone out there has any ideas on how to fix this, feel free to contact me.
October 16th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Thats a new feature, no. Does that screen swivel? Looks like the sensor that orientates the display is not orientating.
October 16th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Yes, you can flip it forward. In which case, it’s right-side up. But that’s only useful if you’re taking video of yourself. The rest of the time, it’s upside-down. And I do agree with you that it’s likely to be a sensor issue. But I don’t think that’s a user-serviceable part. (LOLZ.)
October 17th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I really hope this is not a time released feature! If the repair was just a few dollars it could be justifiable but by the time you pay for shipping (both ways probably) and the repairs, you could probably get the newer model. Sucks.
October 17th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I think there is a little sensot inside the screen that has become stuck or no longer works. The cam doesn’t know that the screen has been flipped back to the normal position.
Firt I would tap the top of the screen to see if I can release the sensor.
The only way to fix it after that point would be to take the screen apart to see if there is a bad circuit or maybe something inside the screen causing a short. I don’t suggest this course of action. When I take things apart to look at them, I tend not to be able to put them back together.
October 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I recommend going through the built-in menus thoroughly under ‘Setup’ to see if there’s a way to deactivate that feature. If you can shut off the feature, the sensor becomes irrelevant.
October 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I have gone through all of the menus and settings and haven’t been able to find anything that addresses this particular feature. I also wouldn’t try taking it apart myself. I’ve learned my lesson well over the years in that department! I did some online shopping and noticed that HD camcorders are now available for less that what I purchased the ZR800 for. It just seems silly at this point to pay to have the camcorder repaired. I’ll probably just sell it on eBay and put that towards something new. I’ve kinda been wanting to get a new video camera, anyway.
October 17th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
If you’re going to get another MiniDV camcorder this would make an excellent camera to pull video off of tapes with. That way you will save from wear and tear on the new camera. But of course, most of the ones on the market now are hard drive camcorders.