Buying a used HVX... Some questions

K

Kamizanate

Active member
I am planning on checking out some locally used HVX200 cameras tomorrow, and before I buy, I want to make sure that I know what I am looking for.

One camera has 799 hours on it, though the guy said that they are almost all from using P2 cards. Should I be wary of that many hours on the camera?

Also are there any common glitches or problems with the HVX that I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks a lot.
 
Sand in the focus/zoom rings. Firewire port broken. Stripped tripod/handle screw. Scratches on lens, LCD and/or viewfinder. Stripped filter threads. Check it goes into all modes (record to P2 & tape, playback from P2 & tape) - you will need to turn the camera off before switching from P2 to Tape. Verify the hours within the menu.


Jason
 
Yeah broken battery tabs (though, I think panasonic will fix this for free now), bad firewire port, etc... there are operational hours (p2) and tape head hours which you can check separately in the separate modes. 799H is alot I think. i just sold my HVX200 and I was one of the first people to get it and it had half that many hours and I thought I used it alot, though there was nothing wrong with it when I sold it.. I would be most concerned about the tape drive, test that out throughly, try to shoot then capture dv footage through the FW port, even if you don't plan on using DV that much, its big red flag about the condition of the camera..

Also, make sure it has that wacky panasonic video component camera cable, xlr covers, remote, mic holder, big battery... if it doesn't have P2 cards make sure you take that into account for the price...
 
Last edited:
Kamizanate said:
I am planning on checking out some locally used HVX200 cameras tomorrow, and before I buy, I want to make sure that I know what I am looking for.

One camera has 799 hours on it, though the guy said that they are almost all from using P2 cards. Should I be wary of that many hours on the camera?

Also are there any common glitches or problems with the HVX that I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

Unless you're looking for a REAL bargain (like under $2K) I'd stay the Hell away from an 800 hour cam. There are plenty of HVX's with low mileage available................. at very good prices.

cheers
JohnG
 
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