How many hours are too many when purchasing a used HVX200?

L

lakaianddie

New member
Hi guys I am new to the forum and need some help. I am looking at purchasing a used HVX200 with right around 1000 hours on the meter it also comes with 2 16gb R series P2 cards for $1700. I am just curious if this is a good deal? the camera looks great I am just nervous about the amount of use it has. Please help me I have to give an answers soon. Thanks, George
 
That's a good price. 1000 hours is some use, but not terrible, which leads me to ask - are you certain there is nothing wrong with the camera? Inspect the lens closely under a bright light if you can. Find out if the Firewire port is working.
 
Thanks for your reply. I have yet to inspect the camera personally, but the seller says the lens is clear and sent me some photos of it which look good. I will ask about the firewire port that is a good point. Any other tips on what to check when I see the camera in person? Thanks
 
I bought a used HVX200 with 2400 hours of use, the tape head had 460 hours, it was in mint condition. You can never go by just the hours on the camera..
 
I'd agree with Carl that you can't ONLY go by the hours. Personally i think camera with over 1000 willl have problems soon. All mine have less then 300. I buy and sell a lot so i keep my equipment young. That being said, a camera will die after 200 hours if abused and might last thousands if cared for. i would never buy a camera with 2400 hours on it, but hopefully Carl got a good deal. I've heard rumers that panny says the hvx-200 will last 100000. (11.4 years running 24/7) that can't be right though. Panny recommends head replacement after 2000 hours on the dv head. The head will require professional cleanings before then. I would just do a through inspection before buying. Scratchs may be cosmetic but hey show how the camera was treated and are probably bad. Anything broken probaly means the cam was dropped even if its cosmetic. When i buy a cam I check that all the ports work. I check the hour meters. I check that it rights to both p2 and tape with no issues. Also you want to play it back and look for distortion. I also remove any uv filter lens protection and inspect for any scratches. Lastly i checl that the camer clicks when rocked while off. (its the image stabilizer and it should go clunk). Aside from that there isn't to much you can do.
 
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