Is buying a a 100 worth it compared to 100b?

A

accentphotography

Active member
I am always looking for a used 100b but I see some deals on ones listed as 100 and 100a. Is there a major reason to stay away from either of these models? Someone wrote that there is a color difference between the 100 and 100b. One camera I am looking at has about 150 hours for $850.00. What do you think? Thanks for any opinion.
 
The original DVX100 does not have squeeze mode (only standard and letterbox), and has some other idiosyncracies with 24p shooting. For example, you cannot record color bars in 24p mode. It also has color that's drastically different from the 100a or 100b (recently did a 2-cam shoot with a 100 and 100a and could not match them in the field), and if you are used to the 100a or 100b, you'll also notice some of the image control menu options aren't there.

The 100a is a fine camera. It does have squeeze mode, and some of the weirdness in 24p shooting from the 100 is resolved. You'll get lots of good stuff with a 100a.

The 100b has a little less noise in lower light, but sacrificed interval recording (time lapse) due to redesign of the cassette transport and chassis, which enabled the 100b to have an LCD that flips out beyond 90 degrees.
 
$850 is a really good deal.
I would jump on that.

as far as 100, 100a and 100b. I would stay away from the 100 because of the squeez mode. I use that all the time. other little things don't really matter. it's just small things. I thought there was a sticky for this or an artical. let me go get it.

btw, you already own a DVX100b but you didn't know all this hu?


list of things you have "DVX100b - Century Fisheye - Century 0.7x Wide Angle - Glidecam 2000 - Audio Technica AT-835 - MacBook Pro 2.33gHz - PowerMac G5 2x 1.8 gHz - FCP HD 4.5 - LaCie Blue III Monitors"
 
Good advice. I let the camera go by and it sold. It just seemed like I was moving backwards with the non a/b version. If the price is really good, I will pick up an "a" or better yet, a "b".

Thanks ... you guys are great!
 
If theres no squeeze, then it just sucks... I use it 80% of the time and 4:3 the rest... I love all the options for color in the field and all the updates of the B... I got mine for $1000 so anything lower is really hard to resist!
 
Squeeze was added with the 100A (as were a number of other functions, like the ability to use autofocus and gain in the progressive-scan modes). The original 100 didn't have that.

The original 100 had a 2-frame audio delay with any 24p footage; any 24p stuff you shoot will have the audio out of sync by two frames. That was fixed in the 100A. But, at a cost -- monitoring audio in the headphones has a distinct echo effect on the 100A. THAT was fixed in the 100B.
 
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