Help & Advice on SPECIFICS (ordering equipment tomorrow)

Some of this stuff is pretty basic. A rewinder runs under $10.00.

Asking for user opinions on a DV25 tape rewinder when most of the people here shoot in high def seems a little bit obsessive.

Same with a $75.00 balancers.

Sometimes, you kinda of have to take a chance on these low price issues.
 
If I'm going to buy something, I'd like to purchase the best I can get for my money. Someone may have experience with a miniDV rewinder that is helpful to me, and therefore I am going to ask. Most of the Hi-Def users have used miniDV in the past and there is nothing wrong with me wanting to learn from their product experience whether it is for a $35 dollar item (not $1) or $3500 item. (I've heard reports of some rewinders being junk and eating tapes)

A $75 balancer may seem be a "low price issue" to you, but it is still $75 of my money. In any case, it doesn't make my question any less valid: are these useful, or are they an expensive piece of white paper? Is this too much to pay for a balancer?

Anyway, I really appreciate all the feedback everyone has given me so far and it is helpful.

I'm ordering in just a few hours so I would love to hear back from some of the users about my other questions and would love to hear from a few others as well.
 
You might check out EVS in glendale for price comparison.

evsonline.com

Call for the real prices....Ask for Tommy Mack.

I bought both my DVX and Canon XHA1 there..don't be surprised if they give you a better deal. but make sure you say you are a dvxuser forum member.
 
lol... we mentioned, but he has a particular situyation with particular needs

smithy! I got my compouter today, I will be editing a lot more now...
the power supply gets here tomorow though so everything it hooked up waiting for it and the case...
 
ah, suck. I have a credit score of 735 but it says my length of credit history (5 years) is not sufficient (I think it needs 7).

If my bike doesn't sell in time I'm gonna get screwed out of the P2 promotion.
 
From what you say, all this is probably too late now, but I'll say my bit in the hope it will help others.

Didn't realise you're going to use P2 . . .
I think you'll find yourself shooting HD pretty quickly then! What's the point of shooting SD when your footage will be out of date very soon - or maybe you don't want to use your video in the future??
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I think a Rewinder is a bad idea.
I spent a long time on Apple's FCP Forum over the past few years - and there were all kinds of problems with one deck or camera not recognising footage shot on another make. Apparently, the precision involved is so minute, even a tiny variation in positioning between tape and head can mean you can't read the tape. So I wouldn't interfere with it at all by having a different machine rewind it.

Not only that, the more you remove and insert tapes into different equipment, the more chance there may be of mis-alignment or tangling.

I don't know who says that heads are designed for tapes going forward only - that seems absurd. The Panasonic HVX200 is a professional camera. Where in the User Manual does it say that you should use a Rewinder?

If such equipment was needed for the proper operation of the camera, surely Panasonic would market them - or at the very least, recommend their use.

For me, the best option is to rewind the tape to the beginning (using either HVX or compatible deck) then Log every Clip you need and Capture the whole lot in one hit. That way you avoid too much shuttling back and forth.
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I didn't realise that Panasonic don't yet offer a 2 year warranty in the USA - apologies for that.
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As for the bag, get yourself a good quality bag that's about twice the size you think you'll need. I certainly wouldn't go for a heated one - especially up in the mountains, the camera will be hot one minute, freezing the next, etc etc.
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And the Grey/White balance thing is surely for studio use? You'll soon start leaving every ounce of unnecessary geat at home if you really are lugging your own gear up mountains!
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I would also strongly suggest the HVX isn't a good choice for landscape work if that's what you're doing?? Infinity footage looks decidedly soft - read about it on this forum.
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So much of what you ask is a matter of personal choice but as a general rule, I try not to buy spend more than I must unless it will:
1) Increase Picture or Audio Quality
2) Protect or Prolong the Life of the Gear

Andy
 
filmguy123 said:
ah, suck. I have a credit score of 735 but it says my length of credit history (5 years) is not sufficient (I think it needs 7).

If my bike doesn't sell in time I'm gonna get screwed out of the P2 promotion.
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Ooops!
I was typing my last reply while you posted this.

Sorry to hear you're having difficulties.

"Special Offers" will always be there - it may be the P2 now - or something else in a few months' time. Don't be fooled into thinking this is the best offer ever - a better one is just around the corner!

I also think it's a very bad idea to buy something on the assumption you will be selling something else. It's called
"Counting Your Chickens Before They're Hatched".

We've all done it - but it rarely works out.

Sell the bike FIRST - then buy the Video Gear you can afford!
(But why do I have this feeling that once you get on the bike in the spring, the camera will be a distant memory)?

Good Luck!

Andy
 
I'll give the opposite perspective - don't get a rewinder; get a cheap miniDV camcorder to use as a transfer/rewind deck. Use your nice expensive camera only for shooting, to reduce wear and tear on the tape mechanism as much as possible. You can replace a broken miniDV cam for around $200; repair on the HVX tape mechanism would be much higher.
 
ullanta said:
get a cheap miniDV camcorder to use as a transfer/rewind deck
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Yup! Good idea - I like it!
That way, the HVX records the footage and kisses goodbye to the tape for good.

I still prefer P2 though - so quick!

Andy
 
andynick said:
I've been using it thanks - not a single hitch so far!
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perhaps your background in professional photography has prepared you for working with video stored on flash cards. my background has primarily been working with tape. and, tape has a lot of advantages over P2. in particular, it is much cheaper.

andynick said:
I still prefer P2 though - so quick!
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panasonic makes a deck that transfers DVCPRO tapes over firewire just as fast as you can download a P2 card (4x real time). the difference is that 24GB of DV tape cost about $10 vs. over $2000 for 20GB of P2. i just don't see how it's *that* much better as far as speed is concerned.
 
orangesaybananas said:
perhaps your background in professional photography has prepared you for working with video stored on flash cards. my background has primarily been working with tape. and, tape has a lot of advantages over P2. in particular, it is much cheaper.
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Not in the long run - I forget how many thousand times you can re-use P2.


panasonic makes a deck that transfers DVCPRO tapes over firewire just as fast as you can download a P2 card (4x real time). the difference is that 24GB of DV tape cost about $10 vs. over $2000 for 20GB of P2. i just don't see how it's *that* much better as far as speed is concerned.
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Something tells me you haven't used P2 - or at least, not enough to see the full advantages - Just One, is being able to instantly replay a clip that was recorded earlier without having all the hassle of rewinding, fast forwarding etc etc.
Another is being able to record wildly different formats on the same medium.
Another is being able to record DVCPRO HD with its massive colour space advantages
Another is being able to overcrank and undercrank (fast or slow motion)
Another is being able to choose your frame rate - or even record at a high frame rate, then decide what speed you want your footage to run at in post (several different speeds if you choose).

Andy
 
orangesaybananas said:
24GB of DV tape cost about $10 vs. over $2000 for 20GB of P2.
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Apples and Onions.

DV tape, use once, have to buy more every job.
P2, use thousands and thousands of times without buying any more.

DV tape isn't going to hold much DVCPRO-HD footage, either.

AJ-HP126EXG is a 63 minute DVCPRO-HD tape, and it costs $79.00. Thus, P2 makes DVCPRO-HD affordable. Had I shot DVCPRO-HD tape Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, I'd have had to purchase $316.00 worth of TAPE, tape that would never be used again.

OB, I don't think you can compare DV tape to DVCPRO-HD P2, or to DVCPRO-HD tape. It's apples and onions. And not just tape price, but format wise, too. Totally different universes.
 
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BenB said:
AJ-HP126EXG is a 63 minute DVCPRO-HD tape, and it costs $79.00. Thus, P2 makes DVCPRO-HD affordable. Had I shot DVCPRO-HD tape Mardi Gras day in New Orleans, I'd have had to purchase $316.00 worth of TAPE
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Wow, that's a lot of footage. I use a much lower shooting ratio than that...

For instance, I recently shot 11 minutes of 16mm of a VERY important event in my area. The stock, processing, and transfer (to DV) was $225. It's just not possible to re-create the "emotional" qualities of film with any kind of video camera for any price.

Ya'know, there's a reason the NFL uses 16mm exclusively for NFL Films coverage.

For me and my needs, a $150 16mm camera and a $1500 DVX provide the ultimate combination of equipment for shooting most events. I use the video cam for things that don't really matter. And, I use the film cam for things that REALLY matter.

I'm not saying there isn't a reason for the HVX200 and it's stunning picture quality...
It's just that I don't have a need for an in-between solution like the HVX200, especially not at the $5-8K price point.

The point of my post is to encourage other users to consider alternate methods of capturing historical events than simply following the (P2) crowd.

Respectfully,
 
filmguy123 said:
ah, suck. I have a credit score of 735 but it says my length of credit history (5 years) is not sufficient (I think it needs 7).

If my bike doesn't sell in time I'm gonna get screwed out of the P2 promotion.
Click to expand...

This may work for you.

https://www.spec-comm.com/financing.php

Also, get a low cost camcorder instead of a rewinder, or better yet, use the HVX. Rewinders don't have tape end sensers to slow the tape down before it reaches the end, so it may result in tape damage. Rewinding in your camera isn't discouraged. It has actually been known to clean loose tape debris in the heads.

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
 
I've used Mini-DV rewinders for years, they're perfectly safe, a great deal for the price, get one. You'll be glad you did. Rewinding/Fast Forward puts the most wear on the tape motor, which is why rewinders are made. I strongly recommend them.

Also, according to the article I'm reading at this moment in the Feb '07 issue of Television and Broadcast magazine, page 27, the NFL uses HD cameras, not film.
 
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