Does the hour meter activate when you use a Firestore

A

accentphotography

Active member
I feel like "young grasshopper" wanting to go to fast where experience is the best teacher but I have to make a lot of video in the next months time so I need some "pro" advice.

If you use a Firestore device for capturing your video does your cameras hourly usage meter actually count up or is that only for the tape head usage?

There is a camera for sale that mentions that the camera never had a tape in it and that the video was shot directly to a capture source but it looked like the hour meter was counting away.

I just want clarification on that one. Otherwise what seems like a low hour camera could be one that was on all year long (like a security camera).
 
yeah the metter does count as long as the camera is on.
so it wont matter if you record or not, an hour is an hour.
however, if you are recording w/ the firestore you are not wearing out the heads on the DVX so there is not usage in the heads.
you will not save the hour metter but will save head hours. (I think he means it by this)
so even if it has 2000 hours on the metter, the heads could be in like new condition and should be able to shoot w/ Minidv tapes. without a problem
 
Exactly the answer I needed! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! Now to get focused and back to work. This forum is almost as addictive as Call of Duty 4 (gamertag Phoenix G5 for any of you brave enough to meet my GOLD SHOTGUN).
 
Actually, the hour meter only counts time when the DVX is on and there is a tape in the drive. If the camera is on but without a tape in the drive, the meter does not run. I have shot nearly one hundred hours of footage with my DVX100B but the meter only shows 14 hours because I used a Panasonic PV GS320 or a cheap JVC palmcorder as a slave for the actual recording.
 
That is what I was hoping for so you have to keep a tape out of the drive. What about the annoying warning light in the viewfinder and red flashing light on the back of the handle. I am guessing there is a pref for that?
 
I will search for that now. Is the only reason to have it on to warn you or if you have it set to EXT and you were planning to record to tape does it not activate and record on the tape mechanism? In other words, if there is a tape in the drive and I set it to EXT will the drive record or not?
 
Good to know. I have no idea why they really even put the tape view window on the camera. I really never see anything there. And why the green glass? Its not light sensitive there is it or maybe it is to help some infrared sensor inside? That window is useless for me.
 
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