20 Most Recent Panasonic Palmcorder PV-GS120 Mini DV Digital Camcorder Questions & Answers

Since we do not know where you are, we can offer no advice as to where you could go for repairs. Sorry.

Hi,

Do not know the part number, but I have acquired one LCD flex cable from ebay. Item number 280545029278
The biggest challenge is to replace the cable through the hinge. I'm still trying to figure it out.

Hi, well I do not think that a hard reset will achieve anything unfortunately. Also cleaning the heads wouldn't achieve much either.
Your problem most likely will be an issue with the lens or the CCD, or perhaps the Video processing unit's electronics.
If you play a tape from another unit is that video clearer? If so this would indicate that the unit's record heads are bad, if it is the same then this indicates and internal electronics problem, but without actually examining the unit it is very hard to tell.
You really do need to find out if it is indeed it is actually fuzzy & out of focus? due to the lens and the like being at fault, or the actual recording mechanism, or? it may even be the auto-focus not working properly?
It maybe that the "Heads" are going bad, as this will cause the symptoms you indicate, the only remedy here if so, is replacement, that is the only way to fix it.
To this end, the best thing you can do, is to contact a Panasonic head or local office, and ask for a referral to an authorised service center, now when here, only ask first for a "Quote" as to what's wrong and how much it will cost, and go from there, this at least will indicate exactly whats wrong, and how much it may cost?
http://www.givemefile.net/smanuals/digital_camcorders/panasonic/pvgs120.html
http://www.fixdevice.com/smanuals/camera/panasonic/pvgs120.html

Above is a link for your service and repair manual, and a backup link too, bellow is a link for the user manual.
http://www.retrevo.com/support/Panasonic-PV-GS120-Camcorders-manual/id/208dj983/t/2/

below is a repair site that maybe able to help you should you decide to use a professional to repair it?
http://camcorderrepair.com/PANASONIC-PV-GS120.htm

Also make sure the lens is clean, try another brand of tape? try without auto-focus, if possible and see if any difference? use the service manual to troubleshoot and hopefully isolate the issue, but really any DIY service is extremely difficult, and a professional, would give to my mind, the very best and cheapest way to effect repair, in the long run.

The camera needs to be disassembled first. You'll need to removve the side case. Then remove the LCD assembly from the hinge. Then remove the hinge from the caase. Then remove the covers from the hinge. It's not really a user serviceable problem and is not as easy as it sounds.

My name is Rick and I'm a professional repair technician with over 20 years in the business and have repaired many of these. I'm semi retired and work from home with little overhead so I can keep repair costs low. If you decide to have the camera repaired, please click HERE for a directory listing that suits your needs.

If this response has been of any help to you, please be sure and give a positive vote for me on FixYa.com .

This is usually caused by an oxidized or defective Audio/Video drum. You can try running a cleaning tape through the camera. If this does not solve the problem the camera will need to be serviced by a qualified service technician.

My name is Rick and I'm a professional repair technician with over 20 years in the business and have repaired many of these. I'm semi retired and work from home with little overhead so I can keep repair costs low. If you decide to have the camera repaired, please click HERE for a directory listing that suits your needs.

If this response has been of any help to you, please be sure and give a positive vote for me on FixYa.com .

Yes. Connect with a firewire cable and open iMovie. That's it, no fancy drivers needed.

The LCD flex for this camera is integrated into the LCD hinge mechanism and must be replaced as a unit.. This can be repaired fairly inexpensively. However, it's not a user serviceable problem and will need to be repaired by a qualified service technician.

My name is Rick and I'm a professional repair technician with over 20 years in the business and have repaired many of these. I'm semi retired and work from home with little overhead so I can keep repair costs low. If you decide to have the camera repaired, please click HERE for a directory listing that suits your needs.

If this response has been of any help to you, please be sure and give a positive vote for me on FixYa.com.

Are you sure its not a problem with the LCD? Do the videos have the lines when transferred to the computer as well?

Hi,

The reset switch on the tape compartment door, on the right side of the camera (seen from behind), next to the Focus mode switch (small hole).

Mine is doing the same thing. It looks like the film holes on a 35 mm film camera or and old 8 mm video camera. It plays fine just can't get rid of the blue marks. Anyone with a suggestion?

This is usually caused by an oxidized or defective Audio/Video drum. Try running a cleaning tape through the camera. If this does not solve the problem the camera will need to be repaired qualified service technician.

My name is Rick and I'm a professional repair technician with over 20 years in the business and have repaired many of these. I'm semi retired and work from home with little overhead so I can keep repair costs low. If you decide to have the camera repaired, please click HERE for a directory listing that suits your needs.

If this response has been of any help to you, please be sure and give a positive vote for me on FixYa.com .

Hello

The problem is that the lens has become stuck in the barrel after dropping it. There are some DIY solutions you could try, but the probability is that you will have to get it fixed by a professional.

Use these at own risk as it may further damage the camera.

Firstly , try connecting your ac adapter or usb cable.

Try holding the shutter button while switching on the camera.

Look at the lens , and if some of the lens 'circles' is misaligned or not concentric then try wiggling it (while holding camera lens down).

Try gently pushing or pulling the lens when it extends but this is risky as it may cause the lens barrel to slip out of its guidance system.

Another way to do this is to place the camera lens down on a hard surface and then power it up. Be sure to use a soft cloth or something similar as to not scratch your lens or casing. Let the lens push the camera up and down a few times and sometimes the little resistance provided by the camera is enough to get things going again.

Try hitting your camera near the lens on the body with the soft tissue on the palm of your hand.

Other than that , I would take the camera to a repair center for a evaluation to see if it would cost more to repair than to replace the camera.

If it is still under warranty I would suggest you take it in before trying any of these steps and remove any off-brand batteries or accessories as some stores are really fussy about warranty repairs on camera's with non-brand accessories.

Hope the advise is useful. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Regards
Andrea

Hi,

It sounds like the ribbon cable has worked itself loose either on the flip or the main body of the camera itself.
If you are confident that you can can take the camera apart and check the cables then all you will need is a set of precision screwdrivers, patience and steady hands as you will be working with delicate parts.

If your not confident with repairing yourself then i recommend that you take the camera to a specialist.


Regards.

rear operation unit must be replaced

no idea but mine is doing the exact same thing its so so frustrating and annoying i have pressed the reset button loads of times and zilch happens , looks like an expensive repair is needed now grr

I have been experiencing the same problem with my Panasonic PV-GS120. I don't know the root cause or real solution, but I found if I keep playing the tape, rewind->play->rewind->play, eventually I would get the image back normal. I think I would try to clean up header with a header cleaner to see if it helps or not. If not, I plan to submit a request to Panasonic support to check out possible solution. Good luck.