Can some vets on the camera come in here and chat with me?

ericengland33

ericengland33

Active member
Hey guys! I'm a big newbie from Arkansas and I have ZERO miniDV experience. Now, I'm going to film school in Los Angeles in June. I've been writing for years and have a few connections in LA (some MTV guys, some sounds guys that work for Disney), and I thought I would go to LA to get some experience, meet some more people, and show the world what I can do.

Now, with that said.. I've got some shorts I've been wanting to shoot and some scholarship contests that require a short film coming up. My MTV buddy told me that the DVX100 is the camera to have. SO, I've got some money in the bank and thought I would see what I could get my hands on.

I don't think I need like the best setup you can buy, but I'd like something that I can take out into the world with me and be comfortable, for example.. long lasting batteries, shoulder straps, cases, and tripods. For my shorts, I'm not going to need fancy stuff because like I said.. I'm a newbie and this is all just a learning experience.

So my questions to you guys who know what you're talking about/doing is.. off the top of your head, where is a decent priced DVX? I've looked in the Authorized dealer thread, but just thought I would ask here as well. Also, what all comes in the package with the camera when you buy it? And what accessories would you suggest for a guy like me? The main thing I'm really worried about is my quality looking good and having a long lasting battery. I hate nothing more than dead batteries.

I'm sorry for the long post, but I could really use your help. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this! :dankk2:

Eric
 
Hello Eric, and welcome to DVXuser :)

If you have some money, get a new DVX100B. You'll get the latest edition with all the bells and whistles, a warranty (very important), and Barry's book on the DVX. To save money, the best bang for your buck will be had in the Marketplace or with dealers/individuals who have used DVX's for sale. Here are some general rules for buying used:
1) Hand inspection of all functions (zoom dial, focus ring, menus, recording quality, playback, audio inputs, no scratches on lens)
2) Confidence in the camera's history (was it used in a lot of desert/beach filming?)
3) Knowing the owner/company and trusting that person/entity
4) Getting some kind of money back guarantee for a few days at least
After the camera, you'll need a clear 72mm filter, extra long life batteries, a decent tripod, a shotgun or lavolier mic, headphones, a carrying case, and some other miscellaneous items that we'll help you with as you ask more questions and tell us what you intend to produce with the gear.
 
I appreciate the fast and informative reply. It's good to know that people are here to help. Basically, I'm just going to be shooting anything that pops up in front of me.. I've never really been one of those kids with a lot of resources, so I decided to make as much money as i could as fast as i could and i did, so now i just want to have a camera with me at all times before i go to school.
 
Here is someone who just popped up to sell a DVX package. You'll find many more, prolly some local to you that you can meet to see the camera first. If you give us specific projects/needs, we can suggest specific tools. But the list I gave you is a good place to start.
 
I'll chime in here to echo the importance of Rush's advice about getting a clear "UV Protection" filter for your lens. As the name implies, use it to protect your lens; put it on and never take it off.

If, or more to the point: when, it gets scratched, you can just replace the filter instead of having the whole lens repaired/replaced.

Another very important thing to get right away is good insurence for your camera. Accidents do happen, make sure your camera is protcted.

- Mikko
 
I appreciate all the input so far. I do plan to get the camera insured.. I will cherish it too much to let anything happen to it! That includes not insuring it! Haha! Do you guys have any links to any specific items you would suggest or will anything I can get my hands on do?
 
You're getting great advice straight from the horse's mouth; Rush has helped many new owners pick exactly the right gear for them. The guy knows every bit of equipment on the market and he knows DVX users, so he'll set you straight.
 
Barry_Green said:
You're getting great advice straight from the horse's mouth; Rush has helped many new owners pick exactly the right gear for them. The guy knows every bit of equipment on the market and he knows DVX users, so he'll set you straight.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear I'm in good hands
 
do you have any suggestions for the UV glass? I received a filter with a package I got from broadway photo (the glass is from merkury optics), but I noticed the filter adds significant glare / sunspots than without. any help appreciated.
 
That filter is, most likely, garbage. A good high-quality multicoated filter like a B+W or Heliopan should not add any glare or sunspots.
 
i would suggest;

Barry's book is a must for everybody new to the DVX.

A Tripod with good legs and head.
you'll want to look into fluid heads - they give smooth pans and are just better. A Manfrotto 503 is probably best bang for your buck.
For the legs a set of Manfrotto 3251 - they are still camera legs and bloody heavy compared to video ones. but they support alot of weight, faster to set up, they're cheaper and are sturdier.

microphones-
the onboard mice is not that good. you'll want at least two mics. a shotgun mic for outdoors and a hyper cardoid mic for indoors.
the best bang for your buck ones are;
Rode NTG1 and a windscreen - the shotgun
Oktava MK012 - the hyper cardoid
if you only buy one, get the Rode. it's decent enough for most shots. the Oktava just gives nicer sounding audio for indoors shots.

Buy an extra battery. the ones they sell from this sight are very good and cheap. the one you get with the camera and the extra should get you through an entire day of shooting if you use your time well.

And you cant forget that clear filter to protect your lens.


that should be it for starters.
in the near future you'll want these things as well.

lighting setups -

lighting is the key to making your shots look good. study this as much as you can.
however proper lights cost a fortune. i would never buy my own lights. rent if necessary or borrow from schools. you can get a decent cheap set of lights, but they aren't great and you need to be creative :)
you need at least 3 lights. 2 main and one sub.
you can get work lights from a hardware store, they come on stands and are decent. you'd get two 500w ones and a 300w one. (the globes in them are yellow tinted so you need to replace them with blue tinted ones.) then you need a couple of reflectors like car sunshades. at most this should cost a few hundred. that's cheap!!!

followfocuses and rails -

if you don't know what a followfocus is, it's a cog system that lets you control the focus of you lens from a wheel at the side of you cam, allowing much smoother focus pulls and better control. i didn't think this was necessary at first but now i do. the rails are to hold the followfocus and anything else you might want to add.
the best bang for you buck follow focus and rail set is the indifocus set. - indifocus.com

35mm adapters -

a 35mm adapter lets you use 35mm still camera lenses for shooting. these make the footage look more like film than video because of the shallow depth of field.
there are alot of makes ranging in price and the look. the limitations of this are they make the footage upside-down and lose light. research these more and you'll find out.
the letus35A ( in my opinion ) is the best bang for you buck. http://www.letus35.com/
you'll need to figure out how best suits you to flip the image while shooting.
some people use mirrors, some LCD monitors.
you can get the Letus35FE which has an inbuilt flipping system. but that loses alot of light. around 3 stops (the image is 3 times darker) which makes it ALMOST impossible to shoot indoor stuff. do lots of research on 35mm adapters. you'll want one.


a lens kit-

this is to go with the 35mm adapter. you'll need at least 3 lenses. a wide, a standard and a close up.
a wide is anywhere between 24mm - 35mm. with the widest aperture a minimum of 2.8/f. (any more than 2.8 (like 5.6 or 4) and the image gets dark)
a standard 50mm lens with 1.4/f or 1.8/f
a close up around 85mm with 2.8/f

if you do research on this stuff you'll find out more.



that's just about everything you'll need to shoot your very own indie feature. i hope it helps.
 
Last edited:
i know you said you don't have to have the best there is, and i'm sure you want to save some cash, but at least check out the hvx. it's definitely going to set you back some extra cash, but you can add on excessories as you go. personally, i have a dvx100b. i love it, and don't regret buying it at all. but if i had it to do over again, i'm not sure i wouldn't have just sucked it up and gone for the hvx. just a thought.
 
also...once you get your camera, there are tons of info online that'll help with making it look like a cam worth ten grand! i found this small site about dvx 100 tips and tricks the other day...hope it helps! also...there's a link about a free ebook! pretty cool!
 
hmmm.. i was inquiring about a package online from Zotz and this is the message I got back:

Hi Eric; Are you sure you want what amounts to an obsolete camera? I am an authorized Panasonic industrial dealer, and that is this camera's division.


again, if you want to confirm you are okay with standard def, no 16:9 and a camera that was designed about 4 years ago, do let me know. I just have to know that is what you want before I am okay with it. The current HDV cameras have image quality about 6x this camera, and the Canon XH A1 is only $300 more.

please get back to me, the kit is $5550, there is no sales tax. The Sennheiser ME66 are due back in stock in days, they are usually in short supply. I am sorry my listing on this camera is so out of date, the rebate is actually up at $900 now, but it does change, and changed rapidly as the 2 earlier versions went to end of life cycle

thanks brian

I've heard nothing but good about this place. But what is this dude talking about is obsolete? And I thought the DVX did 16:9? And I believe he said he was an authorized dealer? He responded within minutes of my inquiry. Does anyone care to give their thoughts/opinions on the message and give some insight on what was said? Thanks!
 
Hmm, sounds very suspicious.

Order from one of the dealers recommended here on user.

EVS, Able, B&H, Spec-Comm, etc..


...and how someone actually managed to receive anything from Broadway photo is beyond me. They are known as the worst of the scammers.

- Mikko
 
Sounds like he may be trying to gain your trust so he could scam an extra $300- off of you and then take the whole amount, but I have never ordered from them so I would'nt know. Just looking out.
 
I'm usually suspicious of dealers who try to talk me out of what I clearly say I want, in favor of a more expensive item - especially when he didn't ask you what your budget might be, or what you will use the camera for. Without asking some questions, a salesman has no business trying to talk you into a more expensive product when it's clear that the only beneficiary will be, well, his own bottom line. I bought my DVX from Samy's here in LA, and their extremely knowledgeable sales people didn't try to talk me into or out of anything; in fact, when I started drooling over an HVX, they shared information with me that led me to realize that (at the time) the HVX wasn't the camera for me to be buying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top