No matter what you do, the camera will not turn on or stay on.
Sometimes when this camcorder is in bad surrounding conditions, it will automatically shut off. The temperature in the surroundings is too high or too low. This is not a malfunction. If this is not the case, device is not charged enough. The battery has not been charged all the way. Make sure to fully charge the battery again. If these problems persist, you may need to replace the battery pack; refer to the battery replacement guide.
If the camcorder is shutting off without you wanting it to, there could be multiple things wrong. The camera automatically shuts off after 5 minutes of not being used. Simply turn the device on again. If this is not the case, your battery is probably dead. Charge the camera fully.
Lets say your camcorder is not wanting to turn on. This could be that the battery pack is not in. Make sure to put the battery in. Like said before, the battery could also be dead. If it is running low, charge the camcorder fully.
If the camera’s picture is not up to par when recording.
If the camera has a lit, blank screen, there could be several things wrong. First, verify that the lens cover is not on. If the cover is not on try inserting a fully charged battery and remember to power on the camera.
When looking through the viewfinder, you notice the picture is not clear; there are a few ways to fix this. One problem may be that lens is dirty. Power off the camcorder, use a microfiber cloth and gently rub the exterior of the lens, and then power back on. If this isn’t the case then use the viewfinder lens adjustment lever to adjust the lens. This will allow you to focus the camcorder until the picture is no longer clear.
If you can no longer see any picture in the viewfinder, the actual lens may be broken. You simply need to close the LCD screen. When the LCD screen is open, the camcorder will not display through the viewfinder. To replace the lens, reference the lens repair guide.
The LCD is unlit, black or damaged.
If the camera is not turned on, no images will be displayed on the LCD. Turn the camera on. If the camera will not turn on, fully charge the battery and insure that the battery is properly seated on the Handycam. Rechargeable batteries’ ability to hold a charge will diminish with time. This is characterized by a fully charged battery lasting only a short time before dying. A replacement battery is needed to remedy this issue. You can order a new one here and use the battery replacement guide to replace it.
Should the LCD become unplugged from the motherboard, it will not work properly. If the camera is on, the screen does not appear to be damaged but is unlit, the LCD ribbon may need to be plugged back in for the screen to function. The LCD screen repair guide can help you do this.
A damaged LCD will have cracks, a distorted screen picture or dead pixels. LCD pixels can potentially burn out and die. This is characterized by small, individual black dots on the screen. If this hinders your use of the camera or if you want to fix it anyhow, a replacement LCD is needed. Follow the LCD screen repair guide to fix this issue.
The reader does not recognize, or will not release the disc.
Sometimes the camcorder will not recognize that there is a disc in the drive, this is often attributed to a dirty or malfunctioning disc reader. First open the tray where the disc is held and wipe off the small lens inside, then try again with either a new disc or the same. If this does not work then the reader itself will need to be replaced; follow the Laser Disc replacement guide.
The camcorder can malfunction and not allow the user to remove the disc. First check to make sure that nothing is keeping the disc tray closed. If clear, turn the camera on and off and see if that remedies the problem. If neither of these solutions work the disc will have to be removed manually using the Laser Disc replacement guide.
