alternate Dv cam for capturing

gkumar

gkumar

Carbonite Member
I want to buy an alternate mini dv cam for caputring and logging my footage to spare my DVX heads. does it matter what kind of mini dv cam i buy?Is the quality of all the cam heads the same as the DVX heads? or are all the mini cam heads the same in all brands, and they capture same quality?

thankx :beer:
 
It doesn't matter what Mini Dv Camera you buy for capturing (all the same quality) but video camera heads are not going to hold up as good as a deck will. The heads on a video camera are designed for recording not constant rewinding and fast fowarding. Cheap mini Dv cameras will hold up for a while but the heads will eventually fail. Its better to invest in a (Used) DSR-11 deck on ebay than to keep buying new mini dv cameras. Then again, I know somebody that has used the same $200 canon for capturing for over a year.
 
I'm with NO CASH (and I also ironically HAVE no cash).... anyhow,

I have a DSR-11 that I've run into the ground over the past 4 years or so, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I'm pretty sure a MiniDV Camera would have died by now.

But, it all depends on what you need the deck for.
You mentioned you want to use a cam to capture your DVX footage, so I'm guessing you're just shooting stuff for your own projects and capturing that. IF that's the case then I would go ahead and get the cheapest DV cam you can. Chances are you don't put that much wear on the heads anyhow, unless you're shooting an ungodly amount of footage each week.

A word of caution...check any cam before you buy it. Take a DVX tape with you to Fry's or BestBuy or some place like that and play the tape back in their demo cam. Some cameras have problems with tapes form other manufacturer's cameras. Always best to double check.

Lastly, keep in mind what NO CASH said, you can always get a slightly used deck.
I would check out the prices on some lightly used gear. If you find yourself buying a camera for anywhere near the cost of a used deck, then you might want to rethink it.

Of course, having a second camera is never bad either...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top