DVX100A vs B....prices?

N

newbie

Active member
I´m just wondering how much less the DVX100A should cost so it would be a better deal than the new DVX100B? The A retails for about 3000 euros and the B will probably not retail for less than 3500 euros.

I plan to use the camera for about a year and then sell it, so both usability and resale value is a concern for me.

Somebody here probably knows how things were when the A replaced the original? So, is it wiser to just save the 500 euros and get the A or wait a couple of weeks and buy the B?
 
I think the general consensus is that the A will drop in value both in new and used markets as the B is released just as the 100 dropped in value as the A was released. From my understanding the rebates and everything else that Panasonic is offering are due to their desire to clear out the A stock prior to the release of the B.

That being said, with the HVX being released a lot of people are expecting the used market to be flooded with the DVX versions 100, 100a, and 100b. This will obviously affect your overall return.

You need to keep in mind that the DVX or any camera is a piece of technology. Just as when you buy a computer, new versions, better, faster, and with more bells and whistles will be released. This will have an affect on your return.

To answer your question, it's a crap shoot.
 
I´m not so sure about the HD revolution right now, it is too early for the mainstream. I don´t see the used market flooded with PD170 after the Sony HD came.

The SD cameras have better light sensitivity and most of the market is still SD and will be for several years. Otherwise, Panasonic wouldn´t have relesed the B..
 
I am going to keep my DVX and shoot with it if the client does not pay me extra for shooting on the HVX or if the client just wants me to hand them a tape the same day of the shoot.

Plus, I wrote my name on my DVX so the resale value might not be nearly as good. LOL
 
newbie said:
Somebody here probably knows how things were when the A replaced the original? So, is it wiser to just save the 500 euros and get the A or wait a couple of weeks and buy the B?
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When the A replaced the original, it was accompanied by a $200 price increase.

Also, the A replaced the original with no advance warning -- we woke up one day to a press release that said "guess what -- there's now a DVX100A". So people were taken by surprise.

Many dealers still had substantial stock of the DVX100, so it was possible to still buy a new, unused DVX100 from B&H for a few months after the DVX100A was on the market. And there were many, many posts asking "should I get a 100 or should I get an "A"? In retrospect the question seems silly, of course the "A" was the better camera.

This time though, things are different -- there are substantial incentives in play on the 100A, that weren't there with the 100. That makes the choice more difficult. The 100B is the better camera, no doubt about it -- but a $500 rebate is awfully tasty, as well as all the other promotional goodies. And Panasonic USA hasn't announced anything about the marketing of the 100B, so we don't know what it may or may not include with it.

So, you have to make your choice. The "bird in the hand" is the 100A, with its $500 rebate and known bundle of freebies. The "bird in the bush" is the 100B, an improved product with the same MSRP, but no announcement of whether there'll be any rebates or bundled items with it. And, unlike the 100/100A situation, there probably won't be very many 100As left by the time the 100B is on the shelves; I think EVS is down to fewer than a dozen, and I know that some retailers are completely out of 100A stock already. If you decide to go for the 100A, don't dawdle, as there aren't many left. If you decide to go for the 100B, it shouldn't be long before they're available.
 
I just made the decision to buy the 100a knowing the 100b is just around the corner and the HVX is out there. I simply couldn't afford more money for a camera, and thought the $500 rebate and all the goodies they're throwing in with the camera made it irresistable. I think even when the B comes out it will be several hundred dollars more expensive than the A, and without the goodies.
 
Thanks Barry.

I haven´t seen that Panasonic is offering any rebates with A here in Europe. But the local dealer in my city lowered the price of A by 200 euros, which isn´t enough IMO. I´m going to visit him later today and ask when he will get the B because of the better noise reduction.

However, is it possible to reduce noise in videos as you can do in e.g. Noise Ninja with photos? I use a Mac and am going to get FCP.
 
Mister Big said:
I just made the decision to buy the 100a knowing the 100b is just around the corner and the HVX is out there. I simply couldn't afford more money for a camera, and thought the $500 rebate and all the goodies they're throwing in with the camera made it irresistable. I think even when the B comes out it will be several hundred dollars more expensive than the A, and without the goodies.
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You are in the States right?

I´m going to contact Panasonic here in Europe and ask them if there are any rebates here too.
 
Scandinavian Photo in Sweden have the same price for A and B € 3525 including VAT
 
We are officially down to 4 100A's. :cry: Sad to see them all go, but it's nice to know they have good homes :)

I think we may be getting a couple more, and I will announce if we do.
 
Newby -

Another consideration - it depends on how you use the camera. For instance, when I bought my DVX100A, the first thing I did was to shoot the building of my pond over a 3 week period using a nifty feature allowing me set the camera up to to shoot 1.5 seconds of video every 10 minutes while the pond was being built. This feature is no longer available in the 100B. If that capability is important to you, then the 100A might be a better choice. In my case it is and I am glad I bought the 100A.

Grasshopper
 
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