I have had a Canon MV530i camera for about 3 years now and suddenly, I am unable to record or playback images as the screen is very dark with only a faint image. Can anybody suggest the reason for this please?

[MarkE19]

It sounds to me like you could have the CCD failure that has been well reported in This very long thread.
The good news is that if it is the know CCD failure you have with your camcorder then Canon will do the repair free of charge

Good luck,
Mark.

Thanks for the advice. However, looking at the many other questions about similar problems, the difference with mine is that there is no playback on pre recorded tapes either. I have also tested the iris and this does not seem to be functioning . Have I got double trouble?

Any further advice would be appreciated.

[jomike]

Have you tried connecting the cam to a TV and playing back a prerecorded tape that used to work before the problem started? If this plays OK you may have a screen problem.
Else it could also be a record/playback head problem. If you havn't done so already,use a cleaning tape.