So how did you afford your DVX?

[joemiked]

I just stole mine. Best criminal decision I've ever made.

J/K. I graduated with a degree in Broadcasting and I spent the money from presents on the cam.

yeah!!! good one!!
i was so broke when i decided to go for a dvx!!

working two jobs one standing on my feet doing inventory with a bunch of bad attitudes and managers favorites.

i spent maybe 4 months hording soem cash ,then acualy buying 2 dvx getting ripped off before going with an authorized dealer paid cash, started getting odd video jobs then the computer nle just takes the cake! now im into a new nle
and still have my dvx 245 hours since new works and peopel still ask me to shoot or edit for them.
mike d
www.mikedvideo.com

[Bryan Daniel]

Being only 16 and a junior in high school, I am fortunate enough to not have to be making payments aand living expenses etc. The money I saved for my dvx came basically from 3 things:
-Money I had received as gifts for my birthday/the holidays.
-Money I made earning minimum wage working every single day this past summer.
-And money I made selling many of my possessions on ebay.
With a fair amount saved up, I started hunting around for deals on a dvx on the marketplace and just last week picked up a used dvx100b andromeda for what I believe was an unbelievable deal, and am completely stoked on!

After so using so many dvx's, I am so excited to finally have one of my very own. And after all that time and saving it I am glad to say that it was worth it!

[andythefilmer]

I got an unbelievable deal on a Sony VX2000 on ebay, but then in January, a bunch of ******* kids came up to me and snatched the camera right in front of me then ran off. Luckily, it was in front of my house, so homeowner's insurance reimbursed the cost of a new "VX2000". I got an unbelievable deal on the DVX too.

[Anomie]

I got a pretty large thankyou-bonus/gift from the school I work as a volunteer for four years now. (I took over the ICT department, which was one teacher and a company who only got payd but never did anything. After that four years I have helped the school entering the digital age, installed and managed two servers and standard desktop pc's and played helpdesk for all problems with the hardware and software. After three and a half year the school got a new head and she wanted tot pay me. But I had made a contract for myself that said I could never ask money for it. Then the school decided to give me a present. That was an envelope filled with money. I did not say no.)

I knew I wanted to buy a secondhand prosumer camera from the start so I started reading and talking around. My options were:
-Sony VX200
-Canon MX2
-DVX100

I called and texted with a professional director, a professional editor and a professional DP and told them about the options. They all said 'buy the DVX! throw in extra money if you have to.' Didn't have to throw in extra money for the deal, luckily.

The buying itself was also quite interesting. I had to go to a shady part of Amsterdam and started fearing it was going to be a ripdeal. Stood there waiting in a very worn down street. Rang the bell five times in five minutes then called the seller's cellphone. Turned out he had gone out to get some food. Fifteen minutes later he finaly showed up. Behind the door there appeared to be a music recording studio. He was a musician/producer who also owned a 'professional' camera to offer the option of a videoclip to his clienst. But since there is a financial crisis in Europe, everyone sits on their money. So he got clients who wanted a nice demo recorded, but nobody was up for a videoclip. He had his own record finished and had used the camera to make a videoclip for that (looked like sh*t, but I didn't say that of course). Now he had to create funds for promoting his record as he had no distributor yet. Had to sell stuff he did not use. Had to sell his DVX.

So there I was. Read through a big load of dvxuser topics and posts, bought Barry Green's book, bought more books, and shot quite a lot of footage as an exercise.

Turns out I can quite easily use my film ambitions and DVX at my dayjob. And I have I nice dayjob: something for the gouvernment (even have a suit I sometimes have to wear). Access to nice locations for future use. And so far the like what I deliver. (I don't, for the most of it. I am a beginner and it shows painfully. But I can see progress....)

Jasper

[invdrzim]

Good thread to read.

I just worked part-time for six months at Quiznos. Half of all the money I made from there went into paying for a state college here in Los Angeles, the other half went to purchasing a used DVX-100B from someone on eBay (who eventually I became friends with).

-b

[HaVe]

I kinda feel ashamed to post my experience here. I've read over 10 pages of how people paid 1000s of dollars for their cameras, and even tho I was expecting to pay around 1500$ for a DVX, i got the best deal i could ever imagine. I picked up a DVX for 400$, it was missing the viewfinder, but actually not because of damage, but because it was removed to make the whole setup smaller. Everything else works perfect, cosmetically it's in 10/10 condition, it had 190 hours when i purchased it. First week after i bought it, i was still shooting and waiting for something to go wrong with it, but i'm beginning to think that I got a hell of a deal.

As for affording it, i saved up for 3 months, no more smoking, took the subway instead of driving, no more nights out, no more drinkin (on my own expense) and I had about 1200-1300$ saved up. So paying just 400 for the camera was amazing, cause after that I could afford my M2 and rails.

[Kevmo]

I kinda feel ashamed to post my experience here. I've read over 10 pages of how people paid 1000s of dollars for their cameras, and even tho I was expecting to pay around 1500$ for a DVX, i got the best deal i could ever imagine. I picked up a DVX for 400$, it was missing the viewfinder, but actually not because of damage, but because it was removed to make the whole setup smaller. Everything else works perfect, cosmetically it's in 10/10 condition, it had 190 hours when i purchased it. First week after i bought it, i was still shooting and waiting for something to go wrong with it, but i'm beginning to think that I got a hell of a deal.

As for affording it, i saved up for 3 months, no more smoking, took the subway instead of driving, no more nights out, no more drinkin (on my own expense) and I had about 1200-1300$ saved up. So paying just 400 for the camera was amazing, cause after that I could afford my M2 and rails.

Similar experience. I have been wanting it for over a year now after renting the DVX100. So I was skimming Craigslist for months and then christmas hit and I had some saved cash and decided to buy the DVX100a with shotgun mic, 2 batteries+, charger all that ish for $900. Fell in love with it, got a gig within three days @ a local club. Went out shooting, great night and then I put it down where I thought it would be totally safe...

Learned my lesson, dont ever leave it unattended no matter what or where.

Now Im back to renting, doing gigs, saving that money to buy another camera.

[Mike K]

Parents bought it...and they're hopefully buying my HMC this summer

[ejmijares]

dvxb is sold here in the Philippines for P115,000 (USdollar2,500) if you buy it in cold cash. I got a bank loan and will end up paying for it for P170,000 for 2 years for around P7,000 a month. judging from the projects I am getting from the DVX monthly. It can easily pay for itself.
I mainly shoot weddings and corporate events with the dvx. well worth it.

[brazillionaire]

first post here... and I'm stoked to be talking about how i got my Dvx100b!

I'm a total newbie to filming but I got the love for it and, instead of following "you should start with the crappy ones blahblahbla" advices, I went for the big bucks! I'm sure I'll be able to learn the basics and progress to higher quality shootings without losing time or getting stuck in gear limitations.

So, last august I got a paid internship and I could save money for 3 months. I saved up to R$2900 (US$1700) and I found a very nice deal on Ebay. Like new cam with 65 hours on the heads with a big and awesome Kata bag for US$1026.
Shipped it to a friend in New York.. and some other friends that went spend last week there picked it up for me and brought back to Brazil

Here in Brazil, this same deal would go for more than R$5000 (US$2900).. Im just psyched!

[Justyn]

Congrats to one and all. Sometimes it is frustrating to see the trust fund babies buying 4 red cameras and then not even knowing how to use them, or that they should have opted for something else.


If you keep your head down and see the prize then it all pays off in the end. My first pro camera some 12 years ago now was an XL1. I was so nervous taking that out cause it was such a huge amount of money to me.. but that camera was a workhorse camera for years and it made me 10 times what it cost. I had the same experience with my HVX package which cost me as much as a new ford ranger... but again, I used that for 3 years and it made me all kinds of money. Now I'm about to embark on the AF100 but I'm keeping my HMC150 as it's a kick arse camera...

Keep the faith, keep the work coming and when friends ask to borrow your camera TELL THEM NO.

[MattSegerFilms]

Been working since I was 16 (18 now) and sold my previous setup (vx1000, century mark 1 lens, bescor 20/40 watt light) and bought just the dvx itself and then bought some more accessories as i got more money

Did the exact same thing, but i've been filming various sports videos like kids football, and volleyball so that gave me an extra 2 grand + what i was making at a pizza place which wasn't a crazy amount. DVX100b was the best purchase i've ever made, the money i've made off of it is easy five times what i paid, 2 grand.

[TMerry]

At the time I bought my first DVX I was using a Canon GL1, it was two days before a short film shoot and suddenly it got a hot pixel. So I was forced to buy a camera and have it shipped overnight, Then learn how to use it for next days shoot. It was my Dvx100 and I fell in love with it. (which I'm selling this week on ebay, part of the ongoing story) I put it on a family members credit card and then sold LOTS of music gear to pay them back over the next month so they wouldn't get a bunch of interest charges.

It seems like everything cool I've ever bought, I had to sell tons of other things to cover. Some people can afford to hang onto everything they buy for a lifetime, not me LOL!

I'm buying a 5D MkII this month, and to get it I'm selling a precious Ibanez Chrome guitar, a Nady wireless, a nice watch, a 24 track digital recorder, a wad of cash, and finally... My DVX100.

The cycle of life continues :-)

[Enlight3ned]

Wow. My 1st DVX was a gift from my girlfriend. I feel like a bum lol

[ZazaCast]

Wow. My 1st DVX was a gift from my girlfriend. I feel like a bum lol

I told her you'd like it...you bum!