Just bought a used DVX100A -- Got a couple questions

T

Taren

New member
I recently bought a used DVX100A off eBay for $720 shipped. It seems to be in pristine condition, only being used in an office. My only real concern is that it has 550 hours racked up on it. ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item19c529dfe2&item=110682038242&nma=true&pt=Camcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras&rt=nc&si=Uv3AYypwZZuOTl5o%252BAd1Rmu1Lk8%253D )

When this puppy arrives, what kind of maintenance should I do on it? Cleaning the heads, I'm assuming, will be a top priority.

I'm in the market for a budget tripod that will be half-way decent. A Manfrotto is simply out of my budget at the moment. A browsed Amazon for a bit and found a 72" tripod for 25 dollars (free shipping) that actually looks somewhat stable. ( http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Strong-Tripod-Carrying-Camcorders/dp/B002MTU5C0/ref=lh_ni_t ) For $25, think it's worth it? Or is there a higher regarded budget tripod?

I'm also looking at different cases, and am pretty sure I'm going with a Pelican. Any specific models that you guys recommend? I'm looking to spend between $50-$150. I don't have much now, but I want to give myself room for expansion.

Finally do you think I got a decent deal, $720 for a 100A with 550 hours? It's a gamble, but if everything works fine, I'm hoping I got a steal.

Any comments or questions would be appreciated. This was a big purchase for me and I'm very excited to finally be able to start shooting.

Thanks!
 
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If the camera's in good condition, it's a good price. 550hrs isn't terribly high, but it isn't terribly low, so it should still have plenty of life left in it.

Head cleaning is a good idea, but do not use a cleaning cassette. This is especially important if you don't know what brand of tape was used previously. There are two types of miniDV tape: dry lube and wet lube. Sony is the only wet-type, but you don't want to use a dry-type cleaning cassette if wet-type tapes were used (and vice versa). There's a tutorial sticky for cleaning heads HERE.

As for the tripod, don't waste your time (or money) on that $25 model. Not only is it cheap, it's a photo tripod. Video tripods are completely different. Manfrotto makes some of the best low-budget tripod kits around. There are folks around here as well who like Libec and Davis & Sanford for low-budget options. You're looking at no less than $150 for a workable tripod, but you do get what you pay for. $250-500 for a decent Manfrotto kit is more realistic.

And for cases, Pelicans are great. I keep a lot of my gear in Pelican cases. Just measure your camera and check it against the interior dimensions of the case, including space for accessories. Unless you're going to be flying/distance traveling quite a bit, though, hard cases aren't necessary (and even flying, I never, ever check my camera; it's always a carry-on). There are some great, affordable soft cases from Porta Brace, Petrol, and Kata. Some folks even use the Ty Ogio backpack for their DVX kits.
 
550 hours isnt terrible. My last dvx was well past 1500 hours before I had to have the heads replaced on it. I believe they are rated for around 2000 hours if my memory is correct
 
Get the heads cleaned professionally since you don't know the history. The PElican 15 20 is a good case and sold for around 100 on b&H. You can "pick and pluck" the foam to custom fit the cam and have space for accessories like chargers and batts. Pelicans are one of the best investment you can get for your cam.

As for tripods, you need a fluid head. You can spend more on a pod then you do for the cam, but there are some budget pods available. I shot on this pod for 125 bucks for a while (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ROVISTA12_ProVista12_Video_Tripod_System.html) Its heavy but has a halfway decent head. Much cheaper and you will be kicking yourself. Eventually you do want to upgrade to a manfreto since they simply are better. Another consideration is a uv filter. If the cam doesn't already have one buy one. Its basically a clear lens cap that screws on your camera. They are about 10 bucks. If you scratch that, its a heck of a lot cheaper to replace then if you scratch your lens. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R..._nkw=72mm+uv+filter&_sacat=See-All-Categories Clear is fine, you dont need to go nuts with the colors. I mainly use it as a lens cap i can leave on rather then an actual uv filter.
 
550 isn't bad at all. I remember being worrid about the head hours the first couple month but trust me, you'll snap out of it. I use my dvx every week and add about 4 hours every month but that's only 48 hours a year. so yeah, even if I had your dvx I'll still have about 20~25 years left. (If it dies at 1500~2000 hours)

If it's your first tripod yeah just go with anything, I still use my cheap tripods as a light/reflector stand. so it's not a total waste of money.
for bags just look on ebay, you'll find some sweet deals!

yes, you got a good deal!
 
$700 for a camera that yields the quality that the dvx does is an absolute steal. You'll make that back the first time you use it.
 
Richter Video Equipment said:
Get the heads cleaned professionally since you don't know the history. The PElican 15 20 is a good case and sold for around 100 on b&H. You can "pick and pluck" the foam to custom fit the cam and have space for accessories like chargers and batts. Pelicans are one of the best investment you can get for your cam.

As for tripods, you need a fluid head. You can spend more on a pod then you do for the cam, but there are some budget pods available. I shot on this pod for 125 bucks for a while (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ROVISTA12_ProVista12_Video_Tripod_System.html) Its heavy but has a halfway decent head. Much cheaper and you will be kicking yourself. Eventually you do want to upgrade to a manfreto since they simply are better. Another consideration is a uv filter. If the cam doesn't already have one buy one. Its basically a clear lens cap that screws on your camera. They are about 10 bucks. If you scratch that, its a heck of a lot cheaper to replace then if you scratch your lens. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R..._nkw=72mm+uv+filter&_sacat=See-All-Categories Clear is fine, you dont need to go nuts with the colors. I mainly use it as a lens cap i can leave on rather then an actual uv filter.
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I went with the budget tripod you suggested. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
the DVX is also built like a tank. I took mine across the world, from deserts to -30 degree peaks over 13,000 foot elevations. Most reliable cam I ever owned
 
awbacon said:
the DVX is also built like a tank. I took mine across the world, from deserts to -30 degree peaks over 13,000 foot elevations. Most reliable cam I ever owned
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I'll second that...my school (when I was in college) abused them and they never failed. Some of the students dropped them in the snow, shot with them in the rain, left them outside on an over night shoot so they got dued. Froze them then an then took them to a 70 degree room. Dropped them onto concrete from tripod height (happened 5 times to to a bad pod and only once did anything break) They aslo cracked the uv filter several times, luckily it was there or the lens would have been damaged.

Mine that I take care of has been backpacked through Europe several times and in an open cockpit airplane with no trouble. (not sure how high)

Be careful with your tapes though, they are not built like a tank and are easily damaged.
 
awbacon said:
550 hours isnt terrible. My last dvx was well past 1500 hours before I had to have the heads replaced on it. I believe they are rated for around 2000 hours if my memory is correct
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This is the first time I've read of someone needing to replace the heads.
 
I'll also vouch for the tank-like build of the camera. I was shooting a football camp when I got slammed by not one, but two gigantic players and everything hit turf. All I had to do was turn it off and back on again. Can't say the same for my shoulder (ouch).
 
Mister Stocks said:
I'll also vouch for the tank-like build of the camera. I was shooting a football camp when I got slammed by not one, but two gigantic players and everything hit turf. All I had to do was turn it off and back on again. Can't say the same for my shoulder (ouch).
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Ouch lol....a few years back at the Superbowl a player was heading right for a camera man...the guy held the shot right until he was knocked over and for a split second live on tv was half a screen of mud as the camera hit the muddy ground..still rolling.

When i taped football i stayed on the wide shot in the taping deck lol
 
Okay, I am in a similar situation. I just bought one as well. The problem we are having is we got a firewire setup and everything but the camera seems to be looking for a particular driver. I did a search on Panasonic.com and Google and could not come up with where to download the driver for it. Any ideas where to grab this from?
 
SLMedia said:
Okay, I am in a similar situation. I just bought one as well. The problem we are having is we got a firewire setup and everything but the camera seems to be looking for a particular driver. I did a search on Panasonic.com and Google and could not come up with where to download the driver for it. Any ideas where to grab this from?
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Are you on MAC or PC. What editing system are you trying to use? What operating system? It should be recognized by windows xp and above with no driver.
 
Richter Video Equipment said:
Are you on MAC or PC. What editing system are you trying to use? What operating system? It should be recognized by windows xp and above with no driver.
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Well so far we've tried it on two different computers. One with Windows 7 and one with XP and for some reason it isn't registering. We haven't even gotten to the editing part yet, as our first use will be for a live stream broadcast on Ustream.
 
SLMedia said:
Well so far we've tried it on two different computers. One with Windows 7 and one with XP and for some reason it isn't registering. We haven't even gotten to the editing part yet, as our first use will be for a live stream broadcast on Ustream.
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Does the comp not recognize it at all or does it recognize and give you a error? If not at all you probably have a blow n FW port. If it gives you a driver error, then go to device manager, remove it, then restart the comp. in Xp it should come up in my computer and allow you to preview it.
 
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