GH2 Has anyone tried the Beachtek DXA-SLR?

S

swanny

Well-known member
I'm curious as to how well this system works and if this is a solid work around, instead of a stand alone recorder?
 
Yes, it works perfectly. I've had it about a month and it makes the conversion a breeze. From Digital Juice they include a bonus adapter.
 
I've been using it the past couple of weeks and I love it. The AGC is nice and being able to switch between mono and stereo is very helpful also. Also it comes with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm so you don't have to go out and buy an extra adapter.
 
It was alright, wasn't in love with it by any means...but its useable. I have a juicedlink at work that is AWFUL compared.
 
Rob, could you elaborate on why the juicedlink was awful in comparison to the beachtek? Also what would you recommend/use instead? Thanks
 
I HATE the juicedlink so very very much. No headphone jack, no level meters. Theres an LED that goes red when you go over, but that doesn't mean crap, but no headphone jack while recording is unforgivable. I kept having to run downstairs from the studio, and check out the audio we recorded to see if it was total crap or not.

If you're not going to do duel system sound (and you should do it if you can) spend the extra cash to get a box with level meters, a headphone jack etc.
 
The DT-454 does have a headphone jack. You might not be able to monitor what is actually recording if you don't have level meters on your DSLR/m43. But you are able to atleast hook a headphone at 3.5mm to it.

Agreed the level does suck with its out-dated LED.

What solution would you recommend, brand, make, model. etc? I'm really tempted on one of these just for the AGC disable alone.

Thanks.
 
griplimited, I'd really recommended you read my review at: http://vtkproductions.com/dar_juicedlinkdt454.htm. I cover AGC in there. The DT454 does have a headphone jack, basically it's just there for "basic monitoring". Depending on you camera I'd suggest disabling AGC in camera (with, most probably, a hack like magic lantern) but if this is not possible I'd think the AGC functionality on the DT454 may be better than the Beachteks. I can't be too sure because I don't own a Beachtek to compare and review (Hey Beachtek? :cheesy:), but I remember a reviewer somewhere online that wasn't too impressed with the Beachteks AGC disable.

robmneilson said:
It was alright, wasn't in love with it by any means...but its useable. I have a juicedlink at work that is AWFUL compared.
Click to expand...

I can strongly disagree, maybe your specific model was "AWFUL" or it didn't suit your needs. The DT454 really served me well on my last film and I think the sound quality was quite acceptable. It also carried a lot of convenience along with it.
 
Kyle

I actually did read your review when you posted. Then went on to see your work and Incoherent, which was amazing btw. Then proceeded to watch the BTS which you did mention the Juicedlink.

My partner just got the Juicedlink DT454 Thursday night and we put it to test last night in a crowded event of 100+ people. He was able to put better use of his Rode Videomic and pick up audio from a specific group of people from the crowd. So I ordered mine late last night as well for my setup.

The Beachtek was actually at the bottom of my list due to same AGC disable issues I've found. However I was curious in the opinion of why Rob felt the Juicelink was much worse than the Beachtek and what is a better model for it.
 
Thanks! Yeah I think Rob might be more for a duel system, which would obviously give you better sound (if done properly) - but for some of us that's not physically possible. Over here it was also cheaper to run the juicedlink rather than a duel system.
 
Def in favor of duel system sound. When I was shooting with the DXA the headphone jack was only monitoring what was coming into the box. I ended up shooting a few tests, only to see that the sound was completely over loaded in camera (no red LED lights went off to warn me).

We eventually got it working, but it would scare me that in a pinch I would overlook something and end up coming away with unusable sound!

Call me old fashioned, but I love duel system....if only cuz it keeps that damn sound guy as far away from me as possible! (I kid some of my best friends are sound guys).
 
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