Capturing Deck

[John1919]

I bought a dvx100a in the spring, hired a cameraman, and filmed a great deal of footage for my first documentary film. I now need to capture the footage into Final Cut Pro using an iMac or a Powerbook G4. There is a lot of discussion concerning using the dvx to log and capture, and it seems that most people are happy using a cheap 2nd camera for capturing. (We filmed in 24P.) But I would like to know what kind of capturing deck would people recommend, if I decide to buy a deck. It sounds like a deck is more reliable concerning drop-out issues. I just haven't been able to figure out what kind of deck to buy. I don't want to spend a lot of money. If I do, I might have to sell the dvx, but I do want quality. Any thoughts?
Thanks, John

 

[tashbee]

you will get the same quality output through using a deck, or a cheap mini dv camera. (and the camera will be able to capture 24p because its just reading whats already been recorded on the tape)
i personally go the cheap camera method i've been using a canon zr830 without encountering any drop frames yet (only about 2 months of use)
i paid 200 and the way i see it, if i get like 200 hours out of it i could buy 4 of these for the same price as buying a cheap or used "pro" deck and i have a 1 year warranty of free everything including head cleaning from a reputable store (henrys) here in Canada
i think a deck would only become more reliable over age, because the heads on the camera will obviously wear out alot faster
this is just my opinion and im sure you will get a few others but i hope it helps a little bit

 

[KSC]

I don't want to spend a lot of money.

I don't think it's possible to not. Most decks are pretty expensive. If they did sell a cheaper one, then you're "quality" is going to go down anyway.

I second the purchase of a consumer Dv cam for capturing. As long as it has firewire, you're good.

I might have to sell the dvx...

If that's the case, why not just capture with the DVX? Sure, it's not the best option as far as head wear is concerned, but I'd rather have a DVX with a few more hours on the heads then no DVX at all and a pricey capture deck sitting on my desk.

 

[pronghornproductions]

Go with the elcheapo camera for a deck, as said before it will read whatever is captured on the tape and you won't have to spend $1200 for a "real" deck.