Panasonic PV-GS9 Troubleshooting

The Panasonic PV-GS9 is an entry level camcorder in Panasonic's line of digital videocameras.

Note: This troubleshooting page covers the Panasonic PV-GS9 and should not be used for other camcorders.

Your camcorder does not power up

1) Make sure that the battery is in the device.

2) Make sure that the battery has a full charge. If the battery is not fully charged, remove the battery from the camcorder and place on the charger. A dead battery may take a couple hours to fully charge.

3) If the battery is fully charged make sure that the [ OFF/ON ] is in the on position.

4) If problem still arises consult the repair guides to see if there is a solution to this problem.

While filming, there is no image displayed on the LCD screen

When this happens there are a few things that may be causing this problem. First of all you want to make sure that the battery is charged and the camcorder is turned on. Also make sure that the LCD screen is fully opened from the body of the camcorder. If the picture is black then check to see if the lens cap is covering the lens remove it and see if there is a picture now. Sometimes the camera will be displaying a blank blue screen on the LCD. If this is the case then check to see that there is a blank tape in the camcorder. If there is a tape that has no room left on it to record video then the camcorder will display a blank blue screen. Replace the tape and see if the problem is fixed. Still not working? There cold be a wire loose inside the camcorder. If this is the case then follow our repair guides for replacing the LCD screen.

While filming, you cannot see the image through the viewfinder on the top of the camcorder.

This problem is very similar to the LCD screen not displaying an image or video. Again you want to check some basic things like the power is on and the battery is charged and in correctly. The viewfinder must be pulled out for it to produce an image so make sure that this is the case. Also the image will not display through the viewfinder if the LCD screen is opened at the same time. If the screen is closed and the camera is on, with the lens cap removed look through the viewfinder. Is there an image? If so then congratulations. If not there is more to this problem. There may be a problem with the viewfinder connecting to the camcorders logic board. To remedy this problem check our repair guide for replacing the viewfinder.

Tape compartment will not open when open/eject switch is deployed

First thing to check when the tape will not eject is that the battery is charged and the camcorder is in the on position. If the cassette holder opens but the tape will not eject the first thing to do is to close and reopen the holder. This should fix the problem most of the time. However, if the tape still will not eject then Check if the cassette compartment cover is in contact with grip belt as shown below. If so, be sure the grip belt stays clear of the cover when opening. The tape should eject after the belt is clear. If the cassette holder will not open or the if the holder does not rise up, then review our repair guide for replacing the cassette holder. There may be a problem with a hing being stuck that can easily be fixed.

Computer will not recognize the camera when plugged into the DV of firewire ports

First check to see if the USB connection on the computer is the problem. Try out other USB ports on the computer to make sure the computer is not the problem. If this is not the problem and the camera does not appear on the computer the problem probably has to do with the camera's USB connection. If the camera shows up, but your software does not recognize it the problem has to do with the device drivers. Install the needed drivers from the included CD to get it to work.

Not able to take and store a still photo

Make sure the camera is in the correct mode for taking still images and and lens cap is removed. If the camera will not take video or still images there is a problem with the recording functionality or a physical problem with the lens of the camera.

No sound is either emitted from the camcorder's speaker or recorded by the microphone

If during playback no sound is emitted, make sure the volume is turned up on camera. To adjust the volume, push the lever on top of the camera to change to volume mode. Push to the right to increase volume. If no sound is emitted at all from the device (no beeps on button push, no playback volume, etc.) there may be a problem with the speaker.

If the buttons emit noise when pressed but no sound is emitted on playback, there may be a problem with the microphone. Make sure there is nothing obstructing the microphone, located on the front of the device, below and to the left of the lens. The microphone may need to be replaced if this does not fix the problem.