Torn apart by two loves :(

[Robert86]

Hey every...oh dozed off, forgot I was typing(bad case of narcolepsy). Hey everyone.

I just don't know what to do. I have messed with a DVX100, I loved it, I want an DVX100a. I just bought some briteks, I loved them, I would like to get more involved in lighting. The dilema is, who to choose. I want to save up for a DVX100a wich will cost me about 3,500 of which I wont have until I saved enough late 2006. I will have a steady income of about $160 every two weeks. $320 a month up until about Sept of 2006 at total of about $2,000 between now and then. Now I am an editor at heart(currently have a powerbookG4&Final Cut Studio) but I would like to diversify my skills with lighting and camera work. Should I buy a bunch of lighting equipment with the money I am going to get, I know lighting is super important so this would help a lot. Or should I take the risk and hope I can save enough money before I move to L.A. for a DVX100a. I could always borrow a DVX or 3-chip and get better with lighting, then again I could always learn so much with a DVX and borrow lights. Any and all advice is welcomed, really, I just placed a welcome mat on my screen. :)

[Sumfun]

By Sep 2006, I think the DVX100a will be phased out in favor of the 100b. But I still say go for the camera. There's plenty of things that you can shoot with ambient light. If you bought lights, then you would still need to camera to see how your setup looks on tape.

[Walter_Graff]

Buy the time you go for your purchase I think the 100b will be what you are looking for. No don't just buy lighting equipment. That's like saying you are going to build a car form scratch so should you just buy a bunch of parts that you think you need or should you learn how to build one first.

My first DVD on lighting will help you understand a lot about how lights work and how little you need to make quality video. And best of all its $24 for 50 minutes of hands-on instruction. That may save you a great deal later when you start to realize that less always does more. So far I've gotten some very nice responses to it. That's the reward for me, helping folks who don't have resources to teach them about real-world lighting. There are very few reasonable and informative sources out there. I'm gearing up for the next disk in the series now.

[Barry_Green]

If money's that tight, consider used. Once the 100B and the HVX come on the market, I expect that there will be a significant increase in the availability of used DVX100s and DVX100As. You could probably get a used DVX100 for around $1500-$1800 in the January/February timeframe, etc.
And if you want lighting equipment, don't forget ebay. You can get a lot of gear for a little cash on ebay, and lighting equipment lasts forever.

[Noel Evans]

My first DVD on lighting will help you understand a lot about how lights work and how little you need to make quality video. And best of all its $24 for 50 minutes of hands-on instruction. .


And where can you purchase this little gem? Im ok with lighting.... but I think your experience is about 100 times greater than mine.. please give link.

[Robert86]

Here are two other factors. I have a sony TRV-70(1chip), but the college that I go to has a pd150 and DVX100 that I am allowed to borrow for a couple days at a time.

[Sumfun]

Does the college have lights that you can borrow, too? If they do, then maybe you won't need to buy anything for a while.

[Robert86]

Well, they do. Lowel omni lights, tota's and others. But I just want to be able to light at my house whenever I want to practice and better my skills, so I can't borrow any of their stuff for too long. Only little at a time, plus I have no car to keep transporting lights back and forth, as well as a camera. I just want to be well diversed with my skills but the cost for that sometimes can be difficult to pay, as in my case, no car. Plus I just feel it is better to have my own equipment at home, ready at will. Unless anyone here has a DVX100a they would like to sell, I might be able to afford both.