Inexpensive Camera as good deck

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so glad this thread came up.. saves me posting yet another Q. hehe

Had always wondered about the quality issues of playing a tape from a higher qual camera on a lower quality one...

in response to Long - would u pref to use the heads of ya camera to record as oppose to playback - just so it may last longer - plus I would pref to leave a camera hooked up via firewire as oppose to jacking in and out....from personal experience my sony mini dv cam (one of the origs. dcrpc3) wont connect via firewire anymore - welll if i dink around with it long enough (think hours) it might... but not really....
 
I'm with sfogden, I have a Pany NV-DS55, which I used before DVX & me suplier could not believe that the batteries were compatable with the two cameras. Quote; "you mean you will have two chargers?" Go with a Pany if possible & keep everything the same.
 
ullanta said:
However, dare I suggest it, I also use a Sony Digital8 camcorder -. . . I have also never had a MiniDV tape without a visible glitch or two. In my day job, I've used an identical D8 camcorder for years, and it's been capturing Mars rover tests in dusty deserts and in the rain, it's been horribly maltreatred, left open and exposed to dust (not by me!) for weeks at a time... and has NEVER PRODUCED A VISIBLE TAPE GLITCH. IMHO, the wider D8 format is far more reliable than MiniDV, and I use it to back up all important footage.
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Hey, my trusty D8 has lasted me over 5 years now (my 310 was part of the first D8 batch ever - in 1999). I never experienced glitches until I got to MiniDV. My DVX using the recommended MQ tapes only have given me more glitches in the year since I got it than I got out of my D8 in 5 years. My only complaint about the D8 is that the tape transport is SO slow. I bought a D8 rewinder to help with this. While it can't compare to my DVX100A, it's still a solid performer (I did an outdoor wedding and the footage looked great next to my DVX footage on the three camera shoot - however during the reception the DVX did an outstanding job and the D8 performed poorly - bright, but grainy and colors muted).

Anyway, I'd like to get a Panasonic GS400, the highly rated prosumer 3 chip cam but elsewhere on this site someone said that the GS400 as well as the GS120 and GS200 will not function as a playback of DVX footage. Can anyone confirm or disconfirm this?
 
That's what I assume. But why did some posters say it didn't work. I'll try to track that down. Somehow, I think someone in Barry S.'s thread about cleaning the DVX heads. I'll check.
 
Panasonic Dv53 vs GS9 as deck

Panasonic Dv53 vs GS9 as deck

I've been following this thread for a while and have decided to buy a relatively inexpensive camera to use as a deck. For about the same price I can get a Panasonic DV53 or a Panasonic GS9.

I want to be sure that whichever camera I get I will not lose any quality, data, timecode, etc. I guess my concern stems from wondering if an inexpensive camera has playback heads of the same quality as the DVX100A.

If anyone really knows if one of these cameras is better than the other for this purpose I would appreciate a reply.

Thanks,

Dan K
 
I couldn't find Barry S.'s thread on cleaning the DVX heads in the Technical section (it used to be in a fixed position at the top), so I can't track down those comments about the GS120 and 200.

Gee, that was a great thread, too.
 
Okay, here's a real dumb, unanswerable question. If manufacturers can make El Cheapo mini-dv cams for about $200-$300, why can't they just make decks that are $100-$200? Why are all the decks in the $1,000 and up range? I know that the dedicated decks have a lot of pro features, but come on now. If you take out the lenses and ccds, what have you got left? Codec circuitry and transport? How difficult is that to engineer? I just don't understand.
 
Most decks have lots of editing capabilities built in. That's part of it. But, for some reason (the 1 hour time limit), the concept of MiniDV VCRs just never seemed to emerge from Sony, JVC or anyone. I totally understand your point -if you can get a name brand VHS VCR for $69, why not a MiniDV player for $200?
 
Kishigo said:
Okay, here's a real dumb, unanswerable question. If manufacturers can make El Cheapo mini-dv cams for about $200-$300, why can't they just make decks that are $100-$200? Why are all the decks in the $1,000 and up range? I know that the dedicated decks have a lot of pro features, but come on now. If you take out the lenses and ccds, what have you got left? Codec circuitry and transport? How difficult is that to engineer? I just don't understand.
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Very interesting! but i guess it's the law of supply and demand. most owners of consumer mini dv cameras would use the same camera as a deck for playback and recording. they don't need to buy a deck just so they can play their mini dv tapes.
i would guess the cost of all the ingredients of a thousand dollar deck is around $100. but because of low demand, they have to jack up the price to make up for the cost of research that went into making one. it's like the ridiculous $1000 mattebox, rod support, follow focus and stuff... if you look at it, they don't look like they cost that much. I'm not too sure what kind of high-technological scientific research went into that to justify the price. i guess it's also a way the industry want to distinguish a pro and the not-too-pro (although wrong) by not getting the mass market a hand on these higher end gadgets.

so...going back to the deck thingie...can somebody please come up with DIY deck for less than $100
 
I was using a Sony DSR-25 Deck about a week ago and it snapped one of our JVC tapes during a rewind. We'd backed it up prior to that capture so we avoided catastrophe but... *shudders*

You'd think a ~2500$ deck wouldn't do such things. I'd paint some menacing fangs on it if I actually owned it. (Mind you its never once had a problem with DVCAM, which is the really the only tape that it normally touches.)

-Ben
 
I used this thread to help me get mine, so I thought I'd chime in:

I just got the Panasonic GS9 to use as a deck. B&H for $269. It seems to work like a charm so far. And the batteries are the same, so I got an extra charger out of the deal.
 
JustinT said:
Had always wondered about the quality issues of playing a tape from a higher qual camera on a lower quality one...
Click to expand...

we are working in a digital format which means that what gets recorded to tape is a bunch of 1's and 0's. So the information is either there or it is not. A lower qual camera does not record or read a 1 or a 0 any better or worse then a higher qual camera. (The difference is what goes on before those 1's and 0's are recorded.) So you should feel safe in using a lower qual deck in capturing your footage to your NLE. It just does a straight copy of the info. I've been using a JVC, and it works great. I figure that since it cost me about $200, I can go through 5 of them before I've reached the cost of a deck.
 
Check to make sure the camera supports timecode if you want to log and capture. Also note that this can be inconsistent even with the same camera model. The Panasonic GS 9 doesn't support timecode according to Panasonic and my experience but others have been able to get it to work. Sony's seem to be more reliable with regard to getting DVX timecode.
 
That's odd. Premier seems to pick up the timecode with the GS9, but Vegas does not. My mac is still on loan, so I do not know about FCP.

But the point is well taken. I am using this GS9 as an at home deck on projects small enough that I rarely even look at the timecode. I just go through the tapes, capturing what I want as I go. And for this level, it's a good deal for saving DVX heads.
 
Gs-9

Gs-9

I'm thinking of getting the Panasonic GS-9, but am weary that the timecode will not work with Final Cut Pro, as it works with Premiere (but not with other editing systems).
Does anyone have experience using the GS-9 with Final Cut Pro and its Timecode compatibility?
 
very good thread to keep alive! I will be looking into this very soon as well...

i think we need to get some of these hanging issues figured out like is there really a timecode issue with the Panasonic GS9?
 
I used to use a Panasonic PV-DV203 for capture (paid about $280 at BuyDig.com), until it "unexpectedly" croaked. Digging around in some forums, I discovered that an inordinately high number of Panasonic MiniDV cams (mostly consumer palmcorders like mine) were failing. Some of the mysterious symptoms:

1. Dew Detected - Inexplicable stoppage of camera due to non-existent moisture detection. Go ahead! Leave it out all night over a heating vent to dry things out - but moisture isn't the problem - the SENSOR is.
2. Blinking Power Light - (My camera's affliction) Cam powers up, but will only play or record for 1-2 secs before shutting down with a (rather cryptic) blinking power light as the only indication of a problem.

There have been reports of other problems, too. It's a real shame, because it worked like a champ - for exactly six (6) dv tape captures, and then promptly died 1 month out of warranty. Apparently the cost to fix it is more than the cost of the camera (now about $250.00 to fix.)

I like the extra batteries, and charger, and that's why I got this cam in the first place - to be compatible with my DVX. But that's an awfully poor track record - six tapes and dead. And it was only used as a deck. Maybe it died of boredom?
 
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