I Bit The Bullet...

O

OnTheHorizonMedia

New member
Well...last evening I bit the bullet and ordered the DVX100B from B&H. Along with it I got the UV filter (HUGE advocate of protecting lenses), a Bogan Tripod w/503 head, a Pelican case w/dividers to protect the investment and the Mack 4-year extended warrenty. I'm not a fan of extended warranties - first expanded warranty I've ever purchased - but I think it's a fairly cheap insurance policy. And of course a 10-pack of Panasonic mini-DV tapes.

In all, it was a $4k package. Really not too bad, since all the produces are professional.

I've researched this for almost a year, and thanks to this forum, I made my decision - I was considering a GL2 or a PD170 previously.

Thanks!

PS...next month, after I get paid for one of my gigs I just did, it's a look at audio.
 
Congrats! I'm about to take the plunge too. How much will a UV filter cost and is it worth it? I live in Phoenix so it's ALWAYS sunny and I'll be doing a lot of shooting outside. If it will help protect the lens, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
 
Gary the Llama said:
Congrats! I'm about to take the plunge too. How much will a UV filter cost and is it worth it? I live in Phoenix so it's ALWAYS sunny and I'll be doing a lot of shooting outside. If it will help protect the lens, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
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Yeah there's no reason not to buy a UV filter. The cost depends on the brand, but generally speaking I think you can find a 72mm UV (thread size for the DVX) for about $25 or $30 new, maybe cheaper. The only reason I have them on my camera lenses (and my new DVX which arrives tomorrow!) is to protect them from getting scratched. If you do buy one though make sure its of good quality (Hoya, B+W, Tiffen is pretty good and fairly priced as well) because anything cheap you put over the lens of your camera will obviously degrade the quality. Hope this points you in the right direction.
 
Good evening all. I just received my 100b, a Bogan tripod with a 503 head and a Rode NTG-2 mike from B&H after purchasing a 100a for my daughter's graduation from Temple U. last February. Reading the informative posts here at DVXUSER was a great help in making my decision for both cameras. I look forward to continue to learn from the wealth of knowledge tihs forum offers us all.

Keep pushin',

Kamau
 
OnTheHorizonMedia said:
Bogan Tripod w/503 head, a Pelican case w/dividers to protect the investment
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Congrats! Just wondering which legs you got with your 503, and which Pelican case?
 
Gary the Llama said:
How much will a UV filter cost and is it worth it? I live in Phoenix so it's ALWAYS sunny and I'll be doing a lot of shooting outside. If it will help protect the lens, I'll buy it in a heartbeat.
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To put it in perspective, there was someone on here just a few weeks ago who posted about getting a chip in his lens - if I remember correctly he was told it was going to cost around $900 to replace/fix the lens.

Replacing a chipped UV filter will cost you $25-$30.
So yeah, it's very much worth it.

By the way - don't go too cheap on a UV filter either.
While it's there just to protect the lens, it's also infront of your lens - and the last thing you want to do is spend 3500 dollars on a camera to shoot through a piece of cheap plastic.
thumbsup.gif
 
SilverWolf said:
What lens do you use Luis ?
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I assume when you said 'lens' you meant the UV filter?

I have a tiffen UV filter on camera I use - but basically you'll be fine with anything made of decent quality. The long and short of it is don't buy a plastic filter - get some decent glass.

That might sound funny, but I've seen people spend a bunch of money on a new camera, and the quibble over a $10 plastic filter or a $30 glass filter.
:)

Here's a link to a Tiffen 72mm UV Protector filter
 
Congratulations on your new baby. We just got a February baby (DVX100B) last week. BTW, how much is a 4 year Mack warranty if you don't mind me asking?
 
Speaking of the 4 year Mack warranty... Do you have to purchase it when you buy the camera or do you have a time-period in which you can buy it afterwards?
 
mehnkle said:
Yeah there's no reason not to buy a UV filter.
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Uh, yes there is. Lowers contrast. Lowers resolution. I never put ANYTHING between my lens and my scene. Okay, maybe a pola and some NDs or grads or something, but besides that--NOTHING!
 
Forget the Mack warranty. It's virtually worthless, in my opinion. All it covers is the tape transport. B+H will let you return the Mack warranty if you want. Just tell them you received the Mack contract, and after reading the contract carefully, you figured out it only covered the tape transport, and you didn't think it was worth the money.
 
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If a UV filter lowers your contrast and resolution then is there another option for protecting the lens?

Is there an extended warranty that's worth getting? (In other words, one that covers more than just the tape transport.)
 
Well...the good people at B&H and UPS didn't let me down. I ordered the equipment at 5:30pm on Tuesday and at 5:00pm on Friday the big brown truck pulled in the driveway with all the goodies.

I have to say, I'm VERY impressed with the camera. I did some general shooting and uploaded the clips to FCP. I still have a lot to learn, and having a lot to do this past weekend and this coming week, I won't have time to concentrate on learning the camera until next week.

Thanks for all the advice I found on dvxuser.com! You are a great bunch of pepole!
 
Hi all. I've been reading the board for a few weeks; incredible resource. Thank you all!

I don't want to clutter the board with another new owner thread, so I hope no one minds me jumping on to this one.

I picked up a DVX100b yesterday, along with a Manfrotto tripod with 503 head, UV filter, and a Pelican case. Courtesy of EVS, who happen to be a convenient walking distance from work! Incredible service, great pricing; an outstanding transaction overall.

I'm barely getting started. The Panasonic manual isn't very helpful, huh? I'm looking forward to the accompanying book.

I'm strictly an amateur photographer, and haven't run a film camera since a Canon 1014XLS in the mid 80s. I am a professional music composer/producer/engineer as well as an Avid editor, so if I can give back something to the board on those fronts, I'd be glad to.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to getting started.

First, trivial question: is there a lens cap that I can buy that will fit over the Schneider filter? Or do you all keep your lenses un-capped in the case?
 
pieter said:
Courtesy of EVS, who happen to be a convenient walking distance from work!
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Dreamworks Animation?

Congrats and Welcome! The DVX100B should come with a lens cap on the camera. I got a Tiffen UV filter, and it fits nicely over that, as well. Not sure about Schneider filters. Barry Green's DVX book is outstanding, and will really open your eyes as to the capabilities of this camera!
 
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