Second Hand DVX100

R

Ryan McCarvill

Well-known member
Hi I have been offered a second hand DVX100.

It's an ex rental and has aprox 900 hours on the heads and the manual iris ring does not work.

The Camera however is aprox US$600 and I figure it will cost an extra $500 to replace the heads, this is obvioiusly very cheap.

I have never used a DVX100 (I am upgrading from a DVC30), so my questions are:

Is this a good deal?
What else should I be looking for with this camera?
Is it possible to control the IRIS through the menus. If I leave it in automatic mode can I still get good control over the image by telling the camera the Fstop and shutter speed that I want?

Thanks
 
id say go for it. if thats all that wrong with it why not. put the iris in auto and let the cam do its thing. unless you know someone who can fix it. i dont think 900 hrs is really a reason to replace them i think they can handle more than that.
 
Thanks Bilgami.

I have heard that you should replace the heads at 1500 hours but I dont want drop outs whilst shooting.

Is $500 a good figure for head replacement. The guy who is selling it to me seems to think thats what it will cost (he may get a bulk discount.) However a cursory look around the net puts the number higher than that. I am in New Zealand so costs may be different - I will ring panasonic tomorrow.

If I want to shoot low light is that possible with the camera largely set to auto? I really hate gain.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

Thanks
 
i dont know the pricing on replacing the heads i work for a tv station i could ask the engineer for a rough est. but 500 sounds good if you have the money but i dont think 900 is to much rite now. it should still do fine in low lite you should check out http://www.spec-comm.com/SCPAN-6000.php they do repairs.
 
Hi Drpaluga.

Maybe I wasnt specific enough, its the manual iris control which isnt working properly, it goes from open to closed with the slightest touch of the ring. It could be a simple fix otherwise their are external focus/iris tools which are available.

My Main concern is that if the camera is in auto mode will I get enough control? Can I control the Iris via the menu or is it ring only?

Is there anything else that can go wrong with a DVX100 that I should be looking out for.

Thanks

- Ryan
 
Check out this thread:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=75873

I'd say, no, it would not be worth it. Especially because you say it was a rental...

You can find a great condition original dvx100 for under $1500 easy, and you wouldn't have to worry about what's going to break down next.

P.S. you won't have near enough control without the iris working. Pass on the deal, my friend.
 
Ouch, no manual iris? I wouldn't touch it personally. Being able to set the iris is so important. I never use auto iris. I would say if this was for a second camera that you are just going to use for crane shots or shots with no human monitoring, go for it, but if this is your main camera? No, it's not a good deal.
 
Thanks RC, I had already checked out the thread.

Ok Some updates.

The Manual Iris does work, its just too finicky to ride as the camera is moving. I wouldnt rule out repairing it, Panasonic does free quotes.

The replacement of the heads and drums is $600 so we are looking $1200 all up.

I can see the benifit out of waiting for a better deal however the market here is pretty small and people tend to hold on to things like DVX100's I seldom see them for sale. If I could find a DVX for $1500 I would take it however I wouldnt like to import second hand products. I would rather buy one thats slightly warn from a reputable dealer locally than from overseas.

I will get a one month warrantee that nothing other than the Manual Iris and Heads will break and I aim to push the camera hard in that time.

Anything else I should look for?
 
if using as deck, check the firewire port. make sure it works. check for lense scratch. check tapeplayback.

if using as deck, check the firewire port. make sure it works. check for lense scratch. check tapeplayback.

above.
 
Thanks DRPALUGA I will be using it as my primary camera for the next few months and then it will probably be retired to the B camera and deck. I probably wouldnt have checked firewire straight away.
 
ok I am gonna put the camera through a crash course tommorow and hopefully pick it up.

I will look at firewire in/out, tape system, scratches on lens, see just how bad the iris is, anything else I need to look at?
 
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