Video Camera Repair

Camcorders, cinema cameras and action cameras — consumer and professional, current formats and legacy ones. Vintech is an independent service centre and we repair all brands, makes and models, which is particularly useful for tape-era equipment that manufacturers no longer support.

Faults we see

Tape transport mechanisms

Legacy tape formats — VHS and VHS-C, Video8, Hi8 and Digital8, and MiniDV — share a set of familiar mechanical faults. Loading mechanisms that will not accept or release a cassette, tapes that jam or get chewed, drive belts that have perished, worn capstans and pinch rollers, and dirty or worn head drums that show up as dropouts and noise on playback.

If your aim is to get the footage off old tapes rather than keep the camera running, media conversion may be the more direct route.

Lens blocks

On a camcorder the lens is an integrated block rather than a detachable unit. Faults include zoom and focus drives that stall or run noisily, iris mechanisms that stick, stabiliser errors, and blocks that will not extend or retract on power up.

Connectors and ports

SDI, HDMI, USB, DC input, timecode and audio connectors take a lot of strain from cables in use. Loose, bent or broken sockets, intermittent signal that comes and goes when a cable is moved, and torn solder pads behind a connector are all common.

LCD panels and viewfinders

Cracked or dead flip-out LCD panels, backlight failure, and hinge and ribbon cable faults where the picture flickers or cuts out as the screen is rotated. On the viewfinder side, blank or distorted EVFs, and eyepiece dioptre adjustments that no longer hold.

Power and battery contacts

Cameras that will not power on, worn or bent battery plate contacts, power that drops out under load or when the camera is knocked, faulty DC input jacks, and problems with dummy batteries and external power adapters.

Audio inputs

XLR and 3.5mm inputs that crackle or cut out, phantom power that does not come through, one channel noticeably noisier or quieter than the other, internal microphone faults, and dead headphone monitoring outputs.

Action cameras

Water ingress and failed housing seals, unresponsive or stuck buttons, charging and port faults, battery problems, and scratched or damaged lens covers.

Warranty on video equipment

Repairs to video equipment carry a 6-month warranty. Photographic equipment carries a 12-month warranty. Full details, along with quote times and service timeframes, are on warranty and turnaround.

What to bring

Bring the battery and charger or power supply, any recording media the camera uses, and the cable or accessory involved if the fault only appears with a particular one. A short clip or a photo of an on-screen error message helps considerably, and for tape equipment a tape you do not mind us using for testing is worth including.

To book equipment in, see the contact page.