shooting without a cassette

K

Konst

Member
Hi all

I am a newbie around and I have a question for you guys: can I shoot with a dvx100a without using its cassette recording system? Like directly to a laptop or anything similar.

I recently bought a dvx100a from a user of this forum but unfortunately the camera came with a defect in the heads (error 'auto off cylinder lock).

Can I stil use the camera or should I fix it (how much?) or sell it

Thanks in advance for your help
 
@Konst: to be honest with you, I have had nothing but good experiences in buying gear from users on this forum. It is truly a shame that the heads seem to be defective because if you are talking about having to bring a laptop to every shoot, I think that would impede the portability of your rig. A Firestore is a great alternative. However, I really think that you should contact the DVXUser (over the phone) and explain the problem and ask for a refund. Start again with another DVX100 as they are awesome cameras, but this time, spend just a little bit more and get yourself a DVX100B with low hours (you can easily find one for around $800 USD or less). That's my 2 cents, hope it helps!
 
Konst said:
Hi all

I am a newbie around and I have a question for you guys: can I shoot with a dvx100a without using its cassette recording system? Like directly to a laptop or anything similar.

I recently bought a dvx100a from a user of this forum but unfortunately the camera came with a defect in the heads (error 'auto off cylinder lock).

Can I stil use the camera or should I fix it (how much?) or sell it

Thanks in advance for your help
Click to expand...

Yes you can totally use your DVX100A without using tapes and putting any wear on the heads. I've got two 100As and have recorded to laptop for years via very long firewire cables from Laird. One is thirty feet and the other is 70 feet. (Can't go longer than 72 feet without using a repeater) You can use software like Adobe's OnLocation which used to be called DV Rack. It has both waveform monitor and vector scope included as well as step recording for doing stop motion animation and time lapse. Works great. I've got less than 100 hours on the heads of both 100As combined. I bought both of them new when the 100A model came on the market and kept them even when I bought my first Red One over three and a half years ago.

However, having a camera with defective heads is still an issue as there will always be times when going to tape is the only solution, such as using it with a stabilizer. I have a Glidecam 4000 with the smooth shooter vest and when I use that I must record to tape.
 
Thank you guys for your very informative replies

I will get a firewire to USB cable and try to connect it to the laptop.

@Dangerpays: I actually talked to the dvx user about the problem which apparently was caused during the transportation. He started contacting the shipping company to claim the insurance money back but in the meanwhile I didn't know that he was doing so and I upgraded my paypal report to a claim cause I thought he disappeared. He got pissed off by that and since then I haven't heard neither from him nor from PayPal. Voila..
 
one more question for you guys: can I use any camcorder to connect to my camera and record there or should it be only a camcorder capturing on tape?

Thanks a lot again
 
@Konst: trust me there is still much more you can do to get your claim processed and refunded for it. I just went through a situation where a seller promised me a copy of Final Cut Pro Studio with all orginal discs and a proper license/serial number. I paid the seller $500 + shipping for this item. Suffice it to say I was very upset when 5 burned discs showed up at my door with no license and no serial number. I loaded everything onto my Imac and grab a serial number elsewhere and then promptly mailed back the discs and got a full refund through ebay/paypal (trust me, this was a process!). Essentially you have to wait for the user to respond to an email (they say 7 days for this). After that, you can make a claim through paypal and they will investigate (this can take up to a couple of weeks). After they rule in your favour (hopefully they do in your case), they will send an email to the seller stating that they must refund your money on receipt of the goods (obviously you have to actually send the item back to the seller).

I really feel for you on this one. While it is true that there are ways around the lack of a tape deck, it will always be a constant reminder to you that you didn't quite get what you paid for. I find it kind of difficult to beleive that the damage was due to shipping, though it is possible. My advice is to invest in an inexpensive Firestore which is much more compact than a laptop and you can actually attach it right to your rig.
 
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Thanks dangerpays I appreciate your concern. I made a claim on PayPal but there is now one week that they closed my case without saying anything and without investigating anything. I sent a mail to ask but they don't reply. They give a 0800.. number to call but I cannot call this number from anywhere (mobile, skype etc). I am now going for a trip to US and I'd like to have the camera to shoot.

As for the forum member that sold the camera to me, I don't think he wanted this to happen. He was polite and tried to help to get the insurance money afterwords but he got mad when I upgrade my PayPal report to a claim. He thought he would loose much time with that.

In the mail I got from paypal after my claim was that there are only specific cases they investigate and if I don't hear from them within 4 days to concider my case closed
 
@Konst: that's too bad my friend, but don't sweat it! It sounds to me that you absolutely did the right thing. I'd chalk this one up to poor service from the paypal side of things. I'm not doubting the DVXUser here. I think that he had the best intentions of getting you your money through the insurance claim (any possibility of that still happening?). I am an avid DVX100b user and I am actually inspired by your post to get a Firestore myself! Who wouldn't want to go tapeless right? Keep your eye out for one on the Marketplace section and then snap it up when the price is right for you. Are you from Europe or elsewhere? If so, I can see how difficult it would be to make the paypal claims, etc. from overseas...

Keep shooting!
 
@dangerpays: I am from Europe.

I just tried to connect my camera to the laptop and after I put the DV control to EXT I get 'external DV disconnect'

Any help?

Thanks!
 
@Dangerpays: I am from Europe

I just tried to connect my camera to a macbooka nd after I set the DV control to EXt I get the message 'external DV disconnect'

Any help?

Thanks!
 
Hmmm... okay my friend you may have to get some help from another user who is more familar with going tapeless. I always shoot to tape and it never crossed my mind to go to a laptop through a firewire. I think you can forget about hooking it with a DV to USB cable though. I would get a usb to firewire convertor and go that way (if such a thing exists).
 
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