Is the B really worth it????

cliff6948

cliff6948

Active member
alright so the time is about here for me to go ahead and make the leap and pick up my dvx. The problem i seem to be having is do i go with the A and possibly save a couple hundred bucks or do i fork out the extra money for the newer model. Now ive read the article here and i understand all the upgrades between the A and the B but what im asking is are these upgrades really WORTH it. Im a college student and money is kinda thin so i need to save as much as i can, plus im gonna need to pick up some extras like another battery, a fisheye, and possibly a mic. Would i be best off looking for a USED B (even though generally for 200 dollars more, i could pick up a new one)??? And another problem i have is if i do buy new and the prices drop when the hmc150 comes out this fall, im gonna be kicking myself in the butt for not waiting. It kind of scares me buying used b/c I plan on using my dvx pretty hard (i know its a pretty tough cam but still) and i dont want to have to pay for head replacements etc. Basically i dont know what to do, so any helpful words of advise from you guys would really make my day......

-Nick
 
I think so. Less noise, anamorphic viewing (so squeeze mode looks right on the LCD/EVF)... theres other stuff i dont remember, but it is definetly worth it IMO.
 
just get the B.
it looks like you already know what you want but your just asking....

kinda like before you make the move you want other people to tell you to get it so you can feel better right?
 
Get the "B". People who own the "A" are having a real hard time replacing boards when they have problems. There are threads on this site to that effect.

Last year I paid $3,350 for a new "B" and 6 months later it dropped to $2,700, thats just the way it goes. If you wait, you may get a better deal. Buy used, maybe even a better deal, or get screwed.

Buy new, you get warranty, big plus in my books and if the price goes down another $350.00 between the time you buy it and the hmc150 comes out, consider it the price it cost you to learn the camera functions properly so you know exactly what you are doing when filming a paying gig.

I'm an always buy new kind of person when it comes to expensive gear (warranty reasons).

Steve
 
ryvac said:
just get the B.
it looks like you already know what you want but your just asking....

kinda like before you make the move you want other people to tell you to get it so you can feel better right?
Click to expand...

haha pretty much...i think i want the B but i just needed to hear from people that it was the better route.
 
...im asking peoples opinions as to the matter.
Click to expand...

I owned the B and borrowed an A as "b-camera" on a shoot. While the A is still a great camera, it was somewhat frustrating not having all the features of the B. While those features may mean nothing to others, it made for a frustrating shoot for me.

I would easily buy a B again in a heartbeat, but would not buy an A unless it was a good $1000 cheaper. I would easily spend a $500 premium for the B.

(And it's been so long since I shot that day that I cant even remember the features that were causing the frustration, I just remember the frustration itself.)

.....but I very much appreciate you loaning it to me, Tommy. I would have been lost without it. (Just in case the owner reads this thread.)
 
With the "A" no longer being supported, how long will the "B" continue to have replacement parts and such?
 
I'll chime in... I still use my A and I'm perfectly happy with it. I think the most important thing is to get the camera that is in the best condition. Make sure if you decided to buy used you get to see the camera or some type of guarantee that it is in good working condition. Remember that 50 hours of hard conditions (beach, dirt, hard owner, rental camera) is more wear and tear than 150 hours of use by an owner operator who babies their camera. Be weary of buying from a rental house - unless you get some sort of warranty. Rental cameras are not typically treated as nicely as the camera you personally own. Go with your gut and either A or B should be a great camera choice.
 
I think the B is worth it especially if you want to use the remote capabilities and the settings of more than one DVX being used at an event. When using a fig rig your hands are on the Fig - not on the camera. THe 100b has remote so you can run focus and iris with your thumbs with the varizoom.

http://services.manfrotto.com/figrig/
 
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thinking about it, only because i need to buy a car on top of getting my dvx now...it all depends on what i could get for it.
 
I could take some...i dunno about selling it yet, b/c we do a year end movie (me and my "crew") and i still gotta shoot some intro's and interviews and stuff. But closer to the end of the summer i might be looking to unload it to help pay for my dvx (or hmc150, dunno yet). Right now im thinking about getting rid of it and shooting the hv20 i have and the dvx, using the hv20 for longlense artsy, broll stuff and the dvx as my work horse, but we'll see.
 
I have used both extensively and I prefer the 100B. A major reason is being able to view squeeze mode without the anamorphic squish. I also think the image is less noisy on the B than the A.
 
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