I would be grateful for any help/advice on my Panasonic Mini DV Camcorder Model NV-DS60B, which is only 3 years old. When in record mode there is no picture visible on screen or through the viewfinder. On playback there is no picture but sound. On playback of old tapes there is both picture and sound. I've been told it will be a minimum charge of £50 to just look at the problem, which could easily double making it not financially feasible. Is there anything I can do besides removing the lens cap, which I've done!! Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers. Pete
Have you tried putting in a MiniDV tape cleaner? It sounds to me that the Read/Write head is either dirty, misaligned, or broken.(Meaning that the "Write" portion of the head is not working since you are able to watch older recordings on it) I would try cleaning it first. If that doesn't work, then you will have to take it to a shop to get it repaired. There also may be a small chance that the "Write" circuit can be bad as well, but I would believe the audio would not work if that was the case. They generally are part of the same circuit.
Tried the tape cleaner and no joy. Went to a repair shop and they said that my problem was fairly common and would likely cost at least £100 and up to £150 dependant on the extent of the fault found. In his opinion it was probably not financially viable and given the circumstances I have to agree. So other than playing back my old tapes it looks like my Panasonic NV-DS60 is no longer. R.I.P. Thanks for your help anyway Pete