Loud motor & Jumpy image on camera

V

Valibus

New member
My Dvx-100a has all of a sudden developed these symptoms.
1. The image on the viewfinder and recorded onto tape is jumpy even when the camera is still. If auto-focus is turned on it can't settle on a number.
2. A loud motor whirr is coming form the camera when in record mode. It goes off on VCR mode.
3. A fellow DVX owner had the same problem after his camera was dropped. My camera was never dropped but this started up as well. I saw on the forum about OIS issues but nothing definitive on this.
Is there anything I can try before just sending it off for service?
 
Try to turn off OIS, the problem might go away. However it IS an OIS issue. The OIS stops when in VCR mode, that's why the whirring stops.
 
I'm in a similar boat Valibus. My new DVX100b also has a whir, but i think it's the zoom motor. The tone of the whir changes with zooming. Maybe this whir is normal?. It does completely stop in VCR mode and the OIS setting doesn't affect it at all on mine.
 
My DVX100A developed this EXACT same problem a couple of weeks ago Valibus. The noise is coming from the lens assembly, and from what I've been told by an authorized Panasonic service rep is that it is generally a problem with the OIS. Unfortunately the image stabilizer is part of the lens assembly so they have to replace the entire lens assembly, which is about $1,000. :( I haven't got mine fixed as I don't have the money. Although I am considering opening the case of the DVX and just disconnecting the OIS. I'd rather lose OIS and be able to record an image that stays still than have one that jumps even when the camera is locked down. Let me know if you get anywhere with yours. Mine wasn't dropped either, it just started happening one day when I turned on the camera.
 
Well, I turned my DVX on last night before attempting to open the case. Just wanted to see if it was still doing it. To my surprise it wasn't! The noise is still coming from the lens assembly, but last night the noise was substantially reduced and the image was no longer jumping. OIS is off, and I left it off, lest it start doing it again. Not wanting to press my luck I turned it off and put it back in the Pelican case. I turned it on again this morning and it's making noise but the image isn't jumping. I'm sure it will fail completely at some point. I'm just hoping to get through next week with it (got an event shoot in Wyoming, not paid). We'll see how it goes.

One thing I realized though as I contemplated disconnecting the OIS is that I'll probably get the PSD NG error flashing on screen if I disconnect it. This error has shown up on other cams that have been lucky enough to just have a disconnected OIS mechanism. I'll have to bite the bullet and get this repaired at some point. That or just get a 100B. Just gotta come up with the cash for either option. What would any of you do? Put $1,000 (or more) into a DVX100A with about 190 hours on the heads, or just put that $1,000 towards the $2,600 needed for a 100B? Seems to make more sense to get the 100B.
 
Hey there, I think I figured out the problem with DVX whir and believe it or not it has to do with the 3 radio towers one block from my apartment. The RF from the towers is so strong in this place that you can practically hear the local NPR station in my blender. Any amp that in my apartment that is on picks up this RF with volume down. People have trouble on my block with their remote door unlockers because of the towers too. Anyway, I have noticed when I am away from home the camera doesn't whir. Call me crazy but I believe the towers cause the whir. I don't know how the RF could affect a motor, but I can think of nothing else to explain this. If you are near a radio tower consider it as a problem for your DVX.
 
Oh I wish that were the problem in my case. I've experienced this problem in two separate locations, which are about 10 miles from each other. It would be really awesome if it was just that. I turned on my DVX again this morning to see what today would yield. Today is not a good day. The image was shaking again. :( Sad times.
 
I filmed something on Saturday for about 45 minutes straight. No shaking. Noise from the lens assembly, but no shaking. Makes me mad. I've also just found out from someone very familiar with the interior of a DVX that I can't just disconnect the OIS mechanism inside the DVX. So, I'm not going to open my DVX as that would just be a waste of time. Looks like I'll just have to save up for a new camera. :(
 
This is crazy, but I took my camera to Wyoming last week and now it works. No noise, image stabilizer works perfectly. Not sure why, but it does. I fully expect it to fail at some point, but somehow the camera is working now.
 
I think I'll keep my camera as a capture only cam and get a new one. It's scary though as this seems to be a common ailment for the otherwise perfect DVX models.
 
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