Cheap miniDV VTR?.

[eronquillo]

I was thinking of purchasing a Panasonic AG-DV1DCP Portable Mini-DV VTR so that I don't have to keep using my DVX100 for editing/playback. Is it cheaper to buy a $600CDN miniDV camcorder just for VTR functions?

[Zoomforce]

the minvtr you are talking about has the same heads as the DVX, which are pretty close to what you would find in a pro VTR. if you bought a $600 VTR it would work just fine, it just probally wont last very long.

I say go for the Consumer VTR, as odds are in the next couple years we wont be recording to tape anymore anyways.

[eronquillo]

Thanks Zoomforce. I'll aim for the cheap camcorder. At least the money saved could get me closser to purchasing a matte box or tripod dolly. :)

[Flintstone]

odds are in the next couple years we wont be recording to tape anymore anyways

Hmmm! Tapeless! Isn't that what we said about paper and computers 10 to 20 years ago? ;)

In the short term, tape is here to stay, at least for the next 5 to 10 years. Although there are solutions in development today (Sony's Blue-Ray, and Panasonic's RAM camcorder), they tend to be targeted at the larger, more expensive cams. As for miniDVD recording to disk, right now, your editing options are limited. I am very favorable to the tapeless concept, but in reality, such an idea is still far from being reality.

One thing I do see as an immediate replacement to tape is recording on portable hard drives. (Sony DRU1, Firestore, etc.) But we are left with the dilema of archiving.

[SirAllen]

Until the price of another medium that holds 14GB or so drops below the price of a tape, I fear tapes will be around for quite a while.

Ideally I'd love to just be able to use a little memory card, but they're barely up to 1GB these days.

Eronquillo, also check out the Pannasonic DV53 for a real cheap mini-DV deck.

[Carlos_E._Martinez]

Everybody is also saying film is dead... but it keeps being used.

Why do people use it: because the quantity of information it can hold it's unattainable by video. Simple as that.

Once the image is resolved by film you can process it and get good post-production results.

Same thing with tape for saving information: more compression methods will have to be developed in order to get into memory chips, and quality will suffer again.

Remember we lost a lot when we went from analog LP to CD and from LV to DVD. Shall we resign to be losers all the time when quality matters?


Carlos

[suprmatch]

I still use tape. Its a nice backup in case my computer dies. At least I know the important events I have filmed are still safe.

[Dick Campbell]

You can use any cheap miniDV camcorder to play miniDV tapes. As long as it has firewire for capture, you're getting the same bits no matter how much it costs. And if it gives up the ghost, you're not our much.

[Shingoshi]

I came to this thread after finding another one of the units described here. I recently brought a small cctv camera for which I want to use a vtr. I figure that if I have a vtr, my security camera with it's interchangeable C-Mount lenses will do me just fine. I paid $26 for the camera. I just paid $16 with shipping for a Leica M39 to C-Mount adapter. With all of the quality lenses made specifically for C-Mounts, and all of the adapters for other quality lenses to that format, there's no reason not to play with this for fun. So now I just need to find a handheld vtr, like the one I had to carry around with me many years past (strapped over my shoulder). It seems like the vtr will be the biggest cost in all of this. So if any of you have ideas about which format is best to use, let me know. The camera itself is digital. And I'm wondering whether a small netbook computer could do image processing while attached and running.


Everybody is also saying film is dead... but it keeps being used.

Why do people use it: because the quantity of information it can hold it's unattainable by video. Simple as that.

Once the image is resolved by film you can process it and get good post-production results.

Same thing with tape for saving information: more compression methods will have to be developed in order to get into memory chips, and quality will suffer again.

Remember we lost a lot when we went from analog LP to CD and from LV to DVD. Shall we resign to be losers all the time when quality matters?

Carlos
Here it is 2009, and you'd be hard pressed to find film in any significant quantities now. And if you do, decide which of your children you'd want to sell for it. Sorry to say it, but film is dead! And life support doesn't qualify as living...

Shingoshi

[David G. Smith]

I bought a little Sony DCR-HCR28 for about $125.00 on eBay and use it as my Mini-DV VTR. It has firewire in/out and composite out. It works fine. There are tons of similar little Mini-DV cameras that would work just as well, for similar prices. It is a handy little camera to have to toss into a jacket pocket and carry around for home movie type stuff. For what I paid for it, I don't worry too much about it and don't see the need to spend a couple of hundred more for just a VTR.
I ain't jumping into this "Film/Tape is Dead" debate.... there are plenty of threads for that.

[Shingoshi]

You can use any cheap miniDV camcorder to play miniDV tapes. As long as it has firewire for capture, you're getting the same bits no matter how much it costs. And if it gives up the ghost, you're not our much.
I'm actually wondering if any type of digital recorder, even those for voice, would in fact work. I remember years ago when Tandy/Radio Shack had their TRS-80 computers which used tape to record data. I think any form of digital recording device will work, as long as you can choose the format the data is written in.

Shingoshi

[David G. Smith]

I'm actually wondering if any type of digital recorder, even those for voice, would in fact work. I remember years ago when Tandy/Radio Shack had their TRS-80 computers which used tape to record data. I think any form of digital recording device will work, as long as you can choose the format the data is written in.

Shingoshi

Well, that would probably work, but the issue really is, long term compatibility. While you could finagle a one of a kind audio or data recorder to store your video files to, but then what, you are stuck with the specific file format of that unique recorder you have. What happens when that device fails to function? (Trust me, it will, sooner of latter). Can you get another one at a reasonable price to replace it? What if you want to share you digital files with someone else. Will they have the same unique device that you have? I think that it would be best to stick to a standardized format that will be around for a while. DV has been around for 15 years, and there are millions of cameras and VTR out there that will serviceable for decades. I wouldn't try to reinvent the wheel on video tape storage.

[Shingoshi]

I'm always sitting in front of my computer. So you caught me searching for devices which store and record MP4 files. (Actually, I think I should concentrate on RAW image storage instead for stills.) Some of the devices that I've found run Linux, which is my preferred OS. Many of these devices will also likely run Linux as a user's choice, even if not originally sold with it. Having a Linux device automatically means the device is OPEN. So there's no need to be concerned about long-term file format compatibility. Then there's the simple fact that many of these devices are so cheap, that you can simply replace it when needed.

The bottom line here is that the video recorders that have been sold before, are no longer required for video production. I meant to write back to you earlier. But my browser crashed, taking with it data I was compiling to post here. So I'll have to get back to it shortly.

Basically, here's the point I'm dealing with now. I've already found a BNC-to-RJ45 adapter for my camera. Remember, I'm using a surveillance CCTV camera here. I have the advantage regular camcorder users don't have. I have C-Mount lenses at my disposal. And I just brought a Leitz M39 to C-Mount adapter today. I will wind up with many of the advanced features that others are duped into paying thousands of dollars for. And yes, the CCTV camera is even digital. So with the adapter, I can record to any device that has an RJ-45 port built-in.

Let me see here:
Samsung SCC-131A Digital Camera, used, $26. Shipping, $12.78
Leitz M39 to C-Mount adapter, used, $12.50. Shipping, $3.31
Impact Acoustics - Balun adapter - BNC (M) - RJ-45 (F) - UTP - black, new, $11.99. Shipping, $5.49

With this device, I'll even have the recorder that fits in my pocket, or anywhere else I want it:
http://m2.sourcingmap.com/smap/images/item/catalog/ux_a08091200ux0017_ux_c.jpg (http://www.sourcingmap.com/hard-disk-enclosure-portable-lcd-screen-usb-photo-bank-mp4-player-p-26954.html)

And that's just the beginning. I've even found Anamorphic prime and auxiliary lenses that will give me a 16/9 format from the standard 4/3. So I'm having a lot of fun and saving a ton of money while doing so.

Xavian-Anderson Macpherson
ShingoshiDao