DVX100A used, whats a reasonable offer?

A

Adrius

Member
Hi all,

I've done a lot of research (on and off this wonderful forum) and found that the DVX100 is hard to beat. Just from reading all the positive comments I already feel attached to the camera, and I don't even have one.

That being said, I'm passed the "Should i buy one?" phase and into the, okay where can I find one phase. My situation is similar to another poster, I want to get into film, would love to test the waters, but also strive for excellence and know that good equipment makes the experience much more enjoyable all around.

I found someone selling their used DVX100A up here in Canada and I'm hoping you guys can share from your experience what you expect a reasonable offer for it would be:


DVX100A - Used for weddings & documentaries - 444 hours logged.
Case
Two Larger batteries
One smaller battery
One Charger
One Remote
TwoTiffen filter kits

The seller is asking about $1500. What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Adrian
 
Hey Adrius, Im not an expert on this kind of stuff, but it seems like a descent deal to me.

Considering how much I paid, when it first came out...lol

444 hours does not seem like that much(I have friends that have a whole lot more, even doubled, and their camera works fine)

Lets see what others on this forum say.
 
crazedfan said:
Hey Adrius, Im not an expert on this kind of stuff, but it seems like a descent deal to me.

Considering how much I paid, when it first came out...lol

444 hours does not seem like that much(I have friends that have a whole lot more, even doubled, and their camera works fine)

Lets see what others on this forum say.
Click to expand...

I'm starting to think its a pretty decent deal as well, thanks for the reply. Anyone else feel the same way or think otherwise?

Adrius
 
Not that I want to rain on your parade but you should be aware that the DVXA is currently having a "hard to get parts for" issue(from what I have been reading). 444 hours may not seem like that much, but it is. Considering you can get a used DVX B for a few hundred more. I realize that there are a couple of extra batteries involved but believe me when I say that if that camera goes down, you will pay to have it repaired (whatever that cost may be). I purchased my new DVX B from Henrys in Toronto last year and we haggled til he dropped another $300.00 off the price. I was in Henrys again last week and they said they would drop it down to $2499.00 from the $2699.00 price that they are listing it now for. I know it may seem like alot more ($1,000 plus $375.00 taxes) but you get a one year man/warranty from panny, brand new camera and its a DVX B model. And believe me when I tell you that the warranty is worth it's weight in gold if there is a serious problem with the camera. All these things I have mentioned I considered quite extensively before making my purchase last year. Ebay is full of cameras with low hours - middle of the road price- and no warranty. Buying used is always a risk, no matter what the item. I just thought I'd share with you how I proceeded when I was in your situation not so long ago.

Good luck
Steve
 
Thanks Steve for sharing your experience, it really gave me a lot to think about and to be honest I didn't think about warranty when I should have. The guy I'm talking to is local, so I'd get to see it before I drop the cash. Even then there is no knowing how it'll fair once I start using it. I have to think about it because I have a fear that I will use it for a few projects, then just not use it, but I guess that is all up to me, and I suppose selling it off if that does happen won't be too hard unless SD gets totally wiped out.

There are a few people selling used with super low hours for $2000 ish. Decisions, decisions...

If I call Henry's and try to haggle do you think they'll offer me the same or similar deal? We don't have a Henry's in Vancouver unfortunately.

Adrian
 
Your best bet in Vancouver is Vistek. Calling them on the phone however will doubtfully yield good results. You gotta go in there, put on your game face and let them know they can do better on price(vistek is Henrys competitor out here & i've played them both off each other for pretty good deals). Your right, there are great DVX B models that are going for great rates used with hours in the 10-84 range, I've seen them go on ebay for $1.600. Henrys just listed one on Henrys ebay used with 84 hours some minor scuffs with 90 day warranty starting at $1,722.00 or a buy it now price of $2003.66, now thats not too bad. Here the link.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/PANASONIC-AG-DVX...20332QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Mind you , this is just an example, not too big on the slightly scuffed lense they mention.

Steve
 
Don't buy an A.... huge difference in light sensitivity and noise compared to a B.. and if your shooting widescreen the distorted viewfinder sucks

and 1500 is a rip off more like 1200
 
Too many hours for an out of date camera model.

You are buying into trouble at that price.

If it was five hundred bucks cheaper...maybe. But that is a big maybe.

Think long term. Trying to save pennies now is only going to cost you more in the future. Not to mention aggravation when, not if, the camera needs repair work done and you discover Panasonic has already discontinued making the printed circuit boards for that unit.
 
Thanks guys, I knew I came to the right place for advice and input. You all make a lot of sense. I guess I might have to take a half step back here and think about how much I want to start committing to pursuing film. I'm at a point in life where there are things to start saving for. I really love film, I've done some projects and loved every moment of it. It's... just a lot of money. But I guess if you don't try you'll never succeed.

So I think I'm at deciding if I want to buy say a used vx2100 for $700ish, or spend the money to buy a brand new DVX100B.

Thanks again all! If you got anymore advice I'd love to hear from people who have traveled the path ahead of me. Not just your purchase decision, but your thoughts on even getting into film at all.

Adrian
 
I disagree with the people telling you the A is not worth it. I have a 100a and it is a great camera. My first thought was that was a bit high on hours. But, they do seem to last a long time. The price sounds like a fair deal. As for the B - yes new is always more fun than used... but think about the $ and see what you can realistically afford. Remember you'll probably buy additional batteries which will run you some money. When comparing the A to the B, there are differences and I'd suggest searching that here for the details. But in real life application, friends/coworkers of mine who have used both tend to prefer the A. They just say it feels better. I know that's not very helpful. But, I wouldn't rule out buying a used dvx100a. I'm willing to bet that whatever you decide you'll be happy. So try not to drive yourself crazy. All the best.
 
444 hrs on the heads is a lot of hours. I'm not saying that the camera can't work past that but i've had my camera for going on 2/12 years and I've put almost 600 hours on the heads. I use my camera a lot of don't capture with it. For a person to put that much on the heads they are using it a lot.

For 1500 i've seen cameras with 100-200 hours on the heads. Unless you are planning on making the money back pretty quickly or barely using the cam I don't really think it's worth it.

There is a dvx100-a for sale right now in the marketplace for 1650 with only 102 hours on the heads.
 
Jason,
Just giving feedback. I don't believe the A looks/feels "more plastic". I can't speak for the light sensitivity since I have not compared them. The biggest diff that I can speak to is the ability on the B to remotely control iris/focus (I believe). This would be helpful when using a jib. Both are solid cameras. budget is important and I don't believe spending almost double for a new B is necessarily best for a new shooter. I say almost double because when you add the tax, possible shipping, extra batteries, and possible filter or 2 it gets up there quickly. Like I mentioned... just my 2 cents. Both cameras are great.
 
We've had several 100a units, a couple used, one we bought from Gualbert on this very board. We have several hundred hours to a few thousand hours on these cameras, shooting in Northern Canada -50 degrees celcius and in the heat of the summer, knocked around, bashed around and haven't had so much as a peep of a problem with them. We really rough these things up and they just keep humming away.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. I got a chance to play with a Canon XH A1 over the weekend. It was actually kind of funny how it happened, I was at a friends for his birthday. As I went to greet him his dad who was behind him came out of a room holding the XH A1, I was like, "heeyyy happpy..." I see the camera, "...HOLY that is beautiful" I shout as I bypass my friend to get to the camera. Good times. So after I played around with a prosumer DV camera, I absolutely want one even more.

@Tumbleweed - I hear ya, you've given me a lot to consider about my budget, new or used. I think if I can find a reliable seller who is offering a used camera I would go for it. Just a matter of finding that seller that I can have confidence in.

@SilverWolf - I checked out the Marketplace forum, there was a few people selling their DVXs, I'm currently looking into a couple of them. Thanks for the tip.

@Skycron - I had a friend who went to Tuktuyuktuk in northern Canada last year for some filming and performance for youth. I think it was on a government funded project. He said it was about that, -50, I cannot imagine how cold that must be, crazy!

Adrian
 
Update: I Gots the DVX100B!

Update: I Gots the DVX100B!

Hi guys, just wanted to give you all an update. After mulling over either buying brand new or used, I decided to buy used but on very strict requirements. I didn't have to wait as long as I dreaded and I found the a great deal on a used DVX100B, year and a half, one owner and only 51 hrs on the heads. It looked pretty pristine. I wanted to be able to talk to the guy face to face, see and play with the camera before I handed over the cash. I brought it home and immediately started playing with it, and I have to say, I have no regrets about making this investment so far even thought its only been 3 days. I have lots to learn but I want to thank everyone who chimed in, it really helped my thought process along.

I do have one question. I read that ND filters help to achieve a slightly more shallow DoF, and when I played around with the built in one I did see quite a difference especially on the highest setting. Since I'm holding out on buying a 35mm adapter right away I thought i would try other alternatives. Is a ND Filter something like a UV filter I can buy and attach to the lens?

Adrian
 
Adrius said:
Hi guys, just wanted to give you all an update. After mulling over either buying brand new or used, I decided to buy used but on very strict requirements. I didn't have to wait as long as I dreaded and I found the a great deal on a used DVX100B, year and a half, one owner and only 51 hrs on the heads. It looked pretty pristine. I wanted to be able to talk to the guy face to face, see and play with the camera before I handed over the cash. I brought it home and immediately started playing with it, and I have to say, I have no regrets about making this investment so far even thought its only been 3 days. I have lots to learn but I want to thank everyone who chimed in, it really helped my thought process along.

I do have one question. I read that ND filters help to achieve a slightly more shallow DoF, and when I played around with the built in one I did see quite a difference especially on the highest setting. Since I'm holding out on buying a 35mm adapter right away I thought i would try other alternatives. Is a ND Filter something like a UV filter I can buy and attach to the lens?

Adrian
Click to expand...
The higher the ND filter you use, the more stops of light you use/ the more open your iris must be compensated to allow the same amount of light in. The more open your iris, the more shallow your depth of field. You can purchase ND filters for the lens I believe, but just remember that the more ND you want to use, the more light you're going to need.
 
Thanks for explaining it so plain and simple, I'll probably look into getting one down the road. I saw these 4x4 tiffen ND filters. How do they attach on to the camera?

Cheers!
 
4x4 filters are put in matte box trays, so you'll need a matte box. otherwise, try to find circular 72mm screw-on filters that attach directly to the lens.
 
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