Possible eBay Lemon (DVX100)

N

nicksnow

Well-known member
Hey guys, I'm a 'n00b' here. I just received a camera that I bought through ebay, and instantly some alarms are going off. I was hoping I could get some sage advice from some veteran users before I attempt to return the camera.

First off, in the listing he said that he had only logged 20 hours on the camera. When the camera arrived, I immediately checked the timer and it said 382 hours. When I contacted him about this, here's the excuse he gave:
Basically, the hours meter on the DVX records the number of times the head spins per minute whenever it is in use, recording or not, and includes playback. This is the key to our problem. Though I've only ever used it in the field for 20 hours worth of tapes, I've used it more so as a playback device, which is why it has so many hours logged. You should know though that playback, though logged just the same as recording hours, does not affect the head as does recording. In my work, I've been provided with cameras for most of my gigs, hence the low recording hours. Anytime the camera has been used, either as a recording or playback device, it's only used Masters-Series tapes and has been cleaned regularly every 6 hours of use. (This same video engineer had check out the camera before I put it on eBay and couldn't believe I'd had it for 4 year, until I explained how little it had been used.)

​
Alarm #2

After shooting some test footage, I noticed a problem with the picture. I was capturing directly into FCP via Firewire.

On the left side of the frame, that red line stays throughout shooting. Same with the black sliver on the left with the touch of blue.
screencapture4.png


This has gotten me really worried that something might be wrong with the chip. But I'm a novice, so who knows.

I'm hoping to get back to the seller soon to let him know what's going on.
 
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Basically, the hours meter on the DVX records the number of times the head spins per minute whenever it is in use, recording or not, and includes playback. This is the key to our problem. Though I've only ever used it in the field for 20 hours worth of tapes, I've used it more so as a playback device, which is why it has so many hours logged.
Click to expand...

Cough Bullshi* Cough

He said it had 20 hours, it doesnt, a flat out lie.

You should know though that playback, though logged just the same as recording hours, does not affect the head as does recording.
Click to expand...

Again another line of bullshi*. Its like selling a car and saying it has 20,000 miles and when you get it, it has 120,000 miles and when you ask he says, oh but those extra miles were all only driven onder 30mph - horse shi*.

After shooting some test footage, I noticed a problem with the picture. I was capturing directly into FCP via Firewire.

On the left side of the frame, that red line stays throughout shooting. Same with the black sliver on the left with the touch of blue.
Click to expand...

Could be any number of things - Ill let someone who's seen this before respond to that one.
 
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thanks Noel, after using it for a while more, I've also realized that the zoom servo makes a loud squeek, that is picked up by the mic that's right above it. it's KILLING me. any tips on unsqueeking a servo?
 
nicksnow said:
thanks Noel, after using it for a while more, I've also realized that the zoom servo makes a loud squeek, that is picked up by the mic that's right above it. it's KILLING me. any tips on unsqueeking a servo?
Click to expand...

First, I'd call/email the seller again and let him know that hours are hours, no matter how he used them, and that it puts just as much time on the heads. So that's false advertising. Using the aforementioned car mileage metaphor, you can't sell a car with 120,000 miles on it as only having 20,000. That'd be illegal.

I'd also let him know that the servo is in less-than-desirable condition in that it makes lots of noise. A servo in good condition on a DVX is still going to make some noise, but not enough to squeak, and most of it will be in vibrations in the camera chassis.

If you're stuck with the camera, I'd suggest using manual zoom. Honestly, I rarely use my servo zoom. I'd say that 90% of the time, I'm using manual. I try not to zoom through usable footage.

Don't know about the red and black/blue lines. They're on the very edge of the underscan, and honestly shouldn't show up for end-user viewing. But still something that should have been disclosed in the sale.
 
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I've uploaded a video from the camera. the red line still appears on the right side of the screen, but its much more faint. is this something I should be worried about?

Im considering just demanding a full refund and just finding another used DVX. day 2 is not a good day to have so many questions and doubts.

Here is a link to the video from the camera: http://www.vimeo.com/5554772

please let me know if the red line is something I should be worried about. I should mention that most of my shooting is going to be intended for the internet, so title-safe and stuff doesn't mean much to me.
 
It says that the video is in line for conversion. But without seeing it, sounds like you got the short end of this sale. I'd go for the refund.
 
Yeah, that's annoying. Cute dog, though. I'd say that it looks like the chips are suffering from an offset (since it's red on one side and blue on the other), except that it doesn't affect the middle of the image. Still, that shouldn't be happening.
 
Point to note - always ask for a pic of the hour meter. If you wish to return the camera for refund, my advice is start polite. Explain your reasons clearly, but in a manner that doesnt suggest he out and out ripped you off, save that for later when you dispute with ebay if it goes that far, but thats likely to not yield a favorable result to you. Another thing you could try: Get a quote to get the camera fixed regarding the chip offset, and kindly advise him the camera wasnt in perfect working order, show him the screen grabs / clips, and ask him to refund the amount needed to fix it.

How much did you pay for this out of curiosity? If you got it dead cheap, could be worth keeping?
 
alright, so i worked out a fair deal with this guy, so i'm satisfied. he refunded a 200 us dollars (that will be the currency throughout) to bring the total price of the camera down into the range that dvx's with around 400 hours get.

just for the sake of the story, here's what i got for the $1400 (now $1200)

DVX100
LowePro Nature Trekker camera bag
Panasonic charger + Power adapter
3 batteries
2 boxes of panasonic master series dv tapes
firewire cable

i have to admit, the camera, aside from the squeaky servo, is in pretty great condition for being 5 years old.
 
the footage looked nice btw....(and cute dog too:)) so I'm not sure about the red line you are talking about.
but make sure you give the guy an honest feedback.
the guy needs to learn a lesson. He's one of those tricky sellers
 
Hey, glad to hear it worked out for you. I personally (as I am sure many here as well) had a heck of a hard time getting the $$$ together for my camera. Although it is just some plastic and glass put together, once you put so much into getting one it becomes so much more than that.

Nice video of the dog as well.




-Michael
 
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