C200: My C200 is DOWN!

There's a big difference between GAS and not having a backup.

And expecting the manufacturer to cover you if you go down.

Although, there's always rental.

Based on what a relatively cheap camera is paying for.

It's almost like the goose that laid the golden egg.
 
indiawilds said:
Fully agree. I used to have the gear acquisition syndrome. However, I am now very strict in terms of buying equipment. If it is not earning me enough money then I dispose off. Now I am careful about buying and don't buy if it doesn't become absolutely necessary. My C300 v1.0 is good enough for paying corporate as well as broadcast clients. If someone asks for 4K, I ask them to show the money. If so, I can always get any cinema camera. And I do have a 1DX II all the time for my own projects. And a 80D of my partner. At times clients also ask us to do still photography. I am earning my living from filming. So will only spend whatever is necessary for my clients. I have a no debt policy. I am an MBA and come from a corporate background. I have seen how easy it is to fall into the bad habit of debt. I only buy equipment in cash.
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You get it Sabyasachi. Too many people, myself included, have bought too much gear that was short lived, not needed, over the course of our careers. Now that the end is in sight, perhaps in 5-10 years, I am taking stock of what I have done over the course of it and GAS is deadly. So many people buying tons of expensive gear that's outdated in a matter of months, who meanwhile, have high interest credit card debt of tens of thousands of dollars, student loans, a car payment that is way beyond their means and often rent or mortagage that is beyond their means. Financial acumen is in short supply in our community. I've always thought if you are debt free, your kids collge is paid for and your savings and investments are healthy, then buy all of the toys you want. But it is estimated that less than 10% if Americans fit into this category. Not wealthy, just financially wise.
 
Our C200's DC in stopped working 4 months in, they fixed it under warranty and apparently had to replace the entire motherboard and could never quite pinpoint the problem, but we lost the camera for a month and a half, maybe longer I can't quite remember.
 
IanTheM said:
Our C200's DC in stopped working 4 months in, they fixed it under warranty and apparently had to replace the entire motherboard and could never quite pinpoint the problem, but we lost the camera for a month and a half, maybe longer I can't quite remember.
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Ouch! Did you have CPS and did they give you a loaner? FWIW, the DC In on our C200 sucks, it periodically cuts in and out when hand holding the camera with a V-Mount on a brand new Wooden plate setup. We just don't use the DC in. Most of the rental C300 MKIIs I have used have the same issue. Canon should have re-designed it, that's a poor design.
 
puredrifting said:
Ouch! Did you have CPS and did they give you a loaner? FWIW, the DC In on our C200 sucks, it periodically cuts in and out when hand holding the camera with a V-Mount on a brand new Wooden plate setup. We just don't use the DC in. Most of the rental C300 MKIIs I have used have the same issue. Canon should have re-designed it, that's a poor design.
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The DC IN on the original C300 is junk, too. Improperly shielded/filtered and creates a ground loop if you have an external battery powering the camera and anything else touching the camera. Whenever I shoot with my 300 I have to carry the Canon batteries to power the camera and a brick powers my VF and 17-120(if I'm shooting with it)(and other accessories).
 
Run&Gun said:
The DC IN on the original C300 is junk, too. Improperly shielded/filtered and creates a ground loop if you have an external battery powering the camera and anything else touching the camera. Whenever I shoot with my 300 I have to carry the Canon batteries to power the camera and a brick powers my VF and 17-120(if I'm shooting with it)(and other accessories).
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Good to know, I was thinking of using the DC in for an event this September on my C300 mk1 and now I think I will just plan on getting an extra battery. I've always run it off of batteries so I wasn't aware of any potential issues with the DC in.
 
homerc67 said:
Good to know, I was thinking of using the DC in for an event this September on my C300 mk1 and now I think I will just plan on getting an extra battery. I've always run it off of batteries so I wasn't aware of any potential issues with the DC in.
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If you were planning on the actual plug-in A/C power supply, you're probably fine(test it out). The issue is with external batteries and devices and them creating a ground loop buzz in the audio.
 
Update 09/09/18:

Shot the final race for our documentary yesterday, Newport to Catalina. I had the C200 out on the boat but it was as calm as a lake, no spray, no swells, etc. At the start of the race, the LM-V1 Touchscreen went dead. Nothing, no flicker, dead. I tried unhooking and then reconnecting the cable, the touchscreen is dead or the connector from the camera is dead, I don't have a spare C200/C300 MKII laying around to try the LM-V1 on. At the same time as the touchscreen went dead, my camera exhibited the fan error message AGAIN. I re-booted the camera several times, then finally, the fan error warning went away and the little white fan display in the EVF stayed white instead of red with the error. But sadly, the touchscreen never came back to life. Luckily the camera still recorded so I could cover the race and after race interviews but only shooting with the EVF, which was a PITA, although workable. Better than a dead camera. So camera is going back to Canon Wednesday, I have another big shoot coming up Tuesday so I can't take the camera in for service until Wednesday morning.

It appears that my C200, sadly, may be a Lemon. I'm going to strongly suggest to Canon that they replace it, it's diffiult to use a camera to make your living and not be able to count on it working. This is extraordinary, I've owned many Canon cameras and this is the first one that's ever broken down, twice now in less than a month. Had my 80D as backup, I was using it to shoot stills so if the C200 would have died, I at least would have still had a usable camera but it would have been tough to shoot what I was shooting with a DSLR.

Disappointed.
 
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Paul F said:
Will this be rattling in your head every time you shoot or is this behind you? I.e., do you have a notion that something was mechanically wrong and got fixed or are you wondering if it will pop up again?
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I wasn't worried about it after the repair and testing, but after this second breakdown, now I am extremely paranoid to use this camera. I'm going to see if Canon will consider replacing it.
 
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puredrifting said:
I wasn't worried about it after the repair and testing, but after this second breakdown, now I am extremely paramoid to use this camera. I'm going to see if Canon will consider replacing it.
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If Canon does agree to replace your camera, I doubt it will be with a brand new one. Most likely, Canon will give you a refurbished C200. Good luck.
 
I doubt they’d have many non new c200s laying around. Hope they just get a new one off the shelf and be done with it.
 
Wow, that's terrible. Sorry to hear about your troubles!

I now think I'm passing on the C200 (not just because of your experience, Puredrifting, but it's the last straw for me). The 1DX II is plenty great for me right now, and rock solid in all the time I've had it. I just got an EgoDisk 512GB CFast card, and it worked perfectly recording long interviews.
 
Yep. Shot with it today, just a few shots, but it worked fine with the EVF. I already know they're going to say, "We can't reproduce the fan problem". They need to believe me that it's an intermittent issue and it's done the fan warning three times now. This camera has left me stranded twice now in less than a month. Never thought I'd see the day when a Canon was so marginally reliable. I'm curious if it's the touchscreen that died or the output connector on the camera body.
 
Update:

Dropped camera off at Canon Burbank this morning along with a copy of my paperwork for the last "repair" they did a month ago. While I was waiting for the tech, I took the camera over to their display C200 and plugged in my touchscreen to the display camera to determine if my camera's touchscreen output is not working or if the touchscreen itself died. It didn't work with their display C200 so the touchscreen is definitely dead. They said they are sending the camera to their lead technician in Costa Mesa to bench test it for a few days, I will be without it for 5-7 business days so this won't be a quick repair. I couldn't speak with a service manager about just replacing the camera so I guess I'll have to wait to see if they can repair it
 
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I can't believe their "lead" C200 tech is in Costa Mesa.
Every time I went to Costa Mesa looking to get my hands on a C200 after Cine Gear they kept referring to me to Burbank.
And every time I went looking for an 18-80 lens to put on my C200 after I bought it they said go to Burbank.
I could almost walk to the Costa Mesa facility.
So going to Burbank is big inconvenience for me.
They keep telling me its a photo centric facility, not a video centric facility.
My 10-22 lens made 3 trips to Costa Mesa before they finally got it right.
I hope you have a better experience with your C200.
Good luck. (Sincere, not sarcastic comment)
 
Stills2HDConvert said:
I can't believe their "lead" C200 tech is in Costa Mesa.
Every time I went to Costa Mesa looking to get my hands on a C200 after Cine Gear they kept referring to me to Burbank.
And every time I went looking for an 18-80 lens to put on my C200 after I bought it they said go to Burbank.
I could almost walk to the Costa Mesa facility.
So going to Burbank is big inconvenience for me.
They keep telling me its a photo centric facility, not a video centric facility.
My 10-22 lens made 3 trips to Costa Mesa before they finally got it right.
I hope you have a better experience with your C200.
Good luck. (Sincere, not sarcastic comment)
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I'm technically out of warranty but I was told that they "extend the warranty an extra 2-3 months" before, which I found interesting. I would like to just replace it but if they won't, I'll probably get it back, it will either work or won't and if it doesn't, they'll get it back, repair it and I will sell it. I think I may just have a lemon. Really like the C200, it's been working incredibly well for my needs so I would just get rid of it and buy another.
 
puredrifting said:
I'm technically out of warranty but I was told that they "extend the warranty an extra 2-3 months" before, which I found interesting. I would like to just replace it but if they won't, I'll probably get it back, it will either work or won't and if it doesn't, they'll get it back, repair it and I will sell it. I think I may just have a lemon. Really like the C200, it's been working incredibly well for my needs so I would just get rid of it and buy another.
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What's your insurance deductible? Maybe it "accidentally" falls in the ocean... ; )
 
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