In need of purchasing advice!

[SamTSchweikert]

Hey guys! I'm fairly new to dvxuser so i'd like a little advice from some of the more seasoned pros. I'm in the market to purchase a DVX100. (I am aware of the marketplace forum here too. I've been looking everywhere to find a good deal) I'm pretty much trying to find the best deal for a camera in good/great shape and I have a question.
I have the opportunity to locally buy a DVX100b +Sennheiser K6 Mic + two long life batteries for $1200. The camera is in good cosmetic shape and the lens has no scratches BUT, it does have 650 hours on the heads. I'm not too familiar with how the actual technology of the heads works so I was wondering if that should be a concern. (How long do heads typically last)
I know all of the tricks to get rid of/reduce head wear (i.e. use a slave to record, capture with deck or old cam ect) but should I still be wary of the 650 hours on the heads. It seems like a great deal to me but i wanted the experts' opinions. Thank you guys so much for the help, I really appreciate it.
--Sam--

[commalot]

From what I've read people say heads should be good anywhere from 1500 - 2000 hrs. If you're getting it locally have him shoot some video and play it back. $1200 sounds good from what I've seen if the camera is totally operational.

[Paladin]

At 650 hours, the heads are approximately 1/3 of the way to replacement time. Even so, that is a long time. That's using it for five hours per day, every day, for about nine or ten months! However, you can extend the DVX's useful life by using the DVX only for shooting your footage and using a cheap miniDV camcorder for rewinding and capturing your footage to your computer.

Also, you can use a cheap camcorder as a slave and virtually eliminate head wear on the DVX entirely. By using a slave camera, you don't even need to have a tape in the DVX and the heads are not used at all.

Check this out:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=142362

[SamTSchweikert]

So I ended up getting a 100A with 115 hours, two extra long life batteries, uv filter, polarizing filter, and 2x telephoto lens for $930. I feel like I came out with a good if not great deal...agree?

[ryvac]

So I ended up getting a 100A with 115 hours, two extra long life batteries, uv filter, polarizing filter, and 2x telephoto lens for $930. I feel like I came out with a good if not great deal...agree?

that is such a great deal.

[ryanschindler]

So I ended up getting a 100A with 115 hours, two extra long life batteries, uv filter, polarizing filter, and 2x telephoto lens for $930. I feel like I came out with a good if not great deal...agree?

wow thats actually a REALLY good deal

[Austinv]

GREAT DEAL. I would not worry about the heads on the camera that much. Shoot a few shorts and you will be amazed by how few hours you have put on your camera. I saw 50 hours and I was like "damn im using this thing a lot" and after reading through the forum and seeing that they could last 1500 plus hours I didnt really worry.

Treat the camera like a baby, clean the heads every so often, use the same tapes, and dont capture and your all good.