buying used, what should I ask

S

skullkrusher101

Member
Im considering buying a used DVX100B from someone local. It has 155 hours on the heads and he says it is in excellent condition. I am wondering what kinds of questions should I ask? And what should I look for when I inspect it?
 
Also there are 3 batteries included, one being the original, and two after markets.

What do I need to know about these. How long do these batteries tend to last, not time wise but in terms of years before you cant recharge them anymore.

I realize the answer depends on the type, but im looking for more of a range here and to know which are the good ones and which arent.

I appologize if this type of info has been posted before but I tried searching for things like "battery life" and "buying used" and couldnt find anything.
 
I just bought a DVX100B used from a fellow of Craigslist. I had strict guidelines on who I wanted to buy from, if it went outside of these guidelines I forgot about it and looked for the next deal I could trust.

I asked these types of questions:

How many owners?

What kind of filming did they do? (i.e. if someone uses it for out doors documentary you'd probably want to know that)

Was it used as a deck?

How long have they owned it for?

How was it stored?

Was it ever serviced or repaired?

Does it come with extras?

I would also make it a point to call the person more than once to get a feel for what they're like. Sometimes you can just tell when someone is dishonest. Ask him if you can operate it when you meet face to face. Record some footage while before handing over the funds and test playback and mic levels. There shouldn't be any reason why he won't let you. You probably know a lot of this already but its fresh in my mind since I literally bought it off this seller on Saturday.

Hope this helps.
 
Thats good stuff. Ill use that as a basis to judge when I check it out. Im trying to setup a meeting this weekend. Already found out some of that, its a couple eyars old and he bought it originaly from one of the authorized resellers listed here in the where to buy sticky thread. So thats good, dont have to worry about grey market.

Other thing is he said he used the clear filter at all times and the lens is in perfect shape.

When you say used as a deck, does that mean used for playback?
 
skullkrusher101 said:
When you say used as a deck, does that mean used for playback?
Click to expand...

Yes, more specifically did he use it for playback, and capture or did he use a seperate deck or mini dv cam for that kind of thing. If he did, my opinion is that he knows what he is doing, and probably took care of it well. That shouldn't be the only indication of that, but it is one.

Sounds like a solid seller so far.
 
Thanks man, you've been helpful. This board is one of the most incredible resources on teh subject i've found so far. It, and all the users here, definitely played a role in me choosing Panasonic over other brands.

That and the footage I've seen is just unbelievable, especialy with a mini35 adapter. That will be the next purchase, although im gonna wait a while and get to know this camera first. Was also thinking about renting one for a day just to test it out and see how great they are for myself.
 
Glad I could help. I'm new to the DVXuser.com scene myself and i agree with you 100% I've learned tons from the users of this board.

I've taken the same route you have, wanting to play around with the camera for a while first and properly evaluate when and if I need a 35mm adapter. From what I've experienced so far a 35mm adapter is definitely in the horizon, maybe even sooner than I thought. I say this because though you can achieve shallow DoF without one, it isn't practical for indoor shoots as you have probably read. I also would get a good fluid head tripod.

I have shot some footage with it if you are interested. I shot this in about 4 minutes and kept the parts that worked.

Edit: I didn't add this to toot my own horn or anything its just test footage, I'm just super excited at what this camera can do so thought I'd share it. Sorry if it came across that way. *thumbs up*

http://www.adrianlu.com/files/Sequence 01_1.rar (63Mb or so)

You'll have to extract it first.
 
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