Canon XHA1 problem / New camera recommendations

My Canon XHA1 won't turn on. When I try, the led blinks a couple of times and that's it. Nothing. The tape does even come out. Has anyone had this problem before? Before you ask, I've tried a fully charged battery, and I've checked the stand-by/lock switch.

I'm going to the Canon repair store later this week, but I suspect the repair costs will be pretty high so I'm already planning to just get another camera. I'm planning on filming a documentary later this year and I would like to continue film narratives. I like the image quality of a DSLR but I hear that the sound is pretty poor. The Canon XA10 is high on the list right now, but I'm going to look into a little more. Any recommendations for an affordable (Under $4000) camera?
 
My Canon XHA1 won't turn on. When I try, the led blinks a couple of times and that's it. Nothing. The tape does even come out. Has anyone had this problem before? Before you ask, I've tried a fully charged battery, and I've checked the stand-by/lock switch.

I'm going to the Canon repair store later this week, but I suspect the repair costs will be pretty high so I'm already planning to just get another camera. I'm planning on filming a documentary later this year and I would like to continue film narratives. I like the image quality of a DSLR but I hear that the sound is pretty poor. The Canon XA10 is high on the list right now, but I'm going to look into a little more. Any recommendations for an affordable (Under $4000) camera?

If your happy with the XHA1, the XA10 will have similar audio capability. I would hold off on a DSLR purchase at the moment for documentaries for a simple reason. You can "one man band" interviews with a prosumer camcorder, but you need at least 2 people with a DSLR.

I come from a news background, so I can tell you it is possible to not only monitor audio and shoot video, but run a live microwave transmission at the same time all by your lonesome. :cool: Not with a DSLR, though.
 
I still have an XHA1s, so this breaks my heart it woke up dead like that.

My heart is beyond smashed. We had good times together, me and my trusty XHA1, but it's time to move on. Thanks for the advise about the DSLRs, I think I'll go for the XA10 unless something better pops up. I'm going to the states in August so I'll hold out until then. It's much cheaper there than in Japan due to the strong yen, around $700 cheaper.
 
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