How many hours is too many when buying a used HVX?

Richard J. Johnson

Richard J. Johnson

Joystick Member
I am trying to buy a used HVX200 or 200A and I have a great deal pending but how many hours is too many to pay $3000 plus for a camera? for instance, is $3600.00 too much to pay for an HVX200 with over 500 hours of operation and no P2 cards. Would including cards make up for cost in some way? Thanks for your help.:)
 
The best cams have some warranty left.

I think the more hours, the less appealing.

A card isn't going to make up for the hours. It's just a bonus.

A HVX200 with at least a 8 GB card with warranty and less than 100 hours will be at a premium I would think.
 
I'm interested in this question as well. I was going to buy an HVX200 off Craigslist for a ridiculous deal, but when I showed up at the guy's house 30 miles away it had 1100 hours on it! I was pretty sure this was a waiting to die camera, but I wasn't sure.
 
IMHO, $3600 is too much for a camera with 500+ hours and no cards, unless you are getting the 200a.

The number of operational hours isn't really that big a deal in and of itself, since there are no moving parts. Most HVX200s are going to be out of warranty at this point (but all 200a models are still IN warranty). The more hours there are on the camera, the more I want to see detailed photographs of the camera body, as there is a greater chance that it has suffered some damage, cosmetic or otherwise. There are known issues with the HVX200 that appear over time, like the battery tabs and firewire port being weak. You camera might still record just fine, but if you can't hook up a battery or transfer the footage out via firewire, that's obviously a huge problem.

Your camera with 500+ hours may be in great shape, but I wouldn't pay $3600 for an HVX200 with zero hours, unless it came with a card or was the 'A' model. Take a look around the marketplace, see what others are selling for - this is your best indication.
 
I have been looking, trying to make deals. The best I've found is a 200a with 200 hours and no cards for 3900.00 Or a 200 with 100 hours and 2 4 gig cards for 3900.00. But if I get the 200a, by the time I get 2 cards I'm in the HPX170 range. Conundrum?
 
No one is letting go of the HVX cheap because they need as much as they can get for the HPX170. Makes sense. I may just get an HPX and call it a day.
 
The hours really means nothing, you gotta remember, no moving parts. I mean aside from the tape deck, but that has a separate hour counter. I mean I put over 300 hours on my camera in the first 3 months, and it's still in pristine condition.
 
the hours do infact mean something. It means the goods have been around the block a few times. And eventhough the P2 slots and the cards have no moving parts, the more hours on the cam, the more times the zoom mechanism has been working, the lens exposed to the elements and the camera tossed around from location to location.
 
godamgo said:
the hours do infact mean something. It means the goods have been around the block a few times. And eventhough the P2 slots and the cards have no moving parts, the more hours on the cam, the more times the zoom mechanism has been working, the lens exposed to the elements and the camera tossed around from location to location.
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Totally agree. I just can't buy a cam with over 400 hours on it. unless it is real cheap. I have kids, mortgage, car payments, etc. and I am trying to stay as far away from 5 Grand as possible. Damn kids.:Drogar-Love(DBG):
 
godamgo said:
the hours do infact mean something. It means the goods have been around the block a few times. And eventhough the P2 slots and the cards have no moving parts, the more hours on the cam, the more times the zoom mechanism has been working, the lens exposed to the elements and the camera tossed around from location to location.
Click to expand...

True - but I think it's also important to consider what kinds of hours those are.

I'd rather buy a used camera with 600 hours on it from a guy who does studio shoots than a cam with 100 hours on it from a guy who shoots deep sea fishing videos.

Of course that's assuming we're talking about solid state camera with minimal moving parts (which we are).
 
agreed...I've got about 1 thousand hours on mine and everything is working like it did the day I bought it. Lets give ol' panny a little credit here. They're the second largest electronics manufacturer in the country I think they know how to build stuff that lasts . also I fairly doubt they would have us all pay 5k for a camera that's only good for minimal hours. I'm treating mine like I treat my cars, I'm babying it until it has nothing left to give...My guess its gonna be awhile.
 
Also - we should keep in mind that the 170 come with a 5 year warranty - meaning the only thing keeping the HVX200 (and 200a) with a 1 year warranty is the tape drive. The solid state side of these cameras can take a lot of wear. I wouldn't blink at a cam with low tape hours and hundreds of P2 hours on it.

Of course, I'm also selling one.
:)
 
Agreed, the only thing someone should be concerned about is tape hours,
not overall hours. Panasonic has a long standing reputation for reliability.
Check out any Consumer Reports in the last 20 years, any electronic product,
you will see Panny at or near the top of the list, usually two or three times as reliable as the bottom of the list. And CR accepts no advertising.
 
Agreed that Panasonic has a great reputation. But all things being equal, an HVX with fewer hours is worth more than one with ten times the hours.

Luis brought up a good point. I would add that a single owner is more desirable than more than one owner (or say, a camera used by many, ie, at a school).

Don't go driving long distances unless the seller has sent you an email with a photo of the meter hours, the lens in CU, the battery compartment and can show proof of where it was purchased.
 
A while back I read an ad for a used hvx that had 5,000 hours on it. The rental house selling it claimed it still performed like brand new. It did not say how many of those hours were tape or P2 recording.
 
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