Spend My Money!

A

Akatastasia

Member
Well help me spend my money. I just came into about 3000 dollars and am wondering what our expereinced users would buy out there if they had 3000 dollars today! I have worked with the DVX100A a fair bit and have been pretty happy, so I am thinking about the DVX100B.

It has also been my experience that sound is the number one way to tell a pro from an amatuer, so I am looking for some simple and obviously cheap microphones and techniques to make sure I am getting decent sound quality.

This camera will be largely used to shoot docu footage in Lebanon.

I edit with FCP 5.1 (I have all the studio programs) on a Intel core 2 duo Power book 2.3ghz and a 300gb Lacie Firewire 800. Just to give you a basic overview of my setup.

All suggestions and help appreciated!!
 
Okay - I'll be the boring practical one here (since that seems to be my role in life).

The first thing I would consider is what you need to get done - what is the doc you're talking about shooting. What do you actually NEED to complete it? Do you need anything at all, or are you just itching to buy something because you came into money?

If you actually need something to get your projects done then think about the option of renting versus buying. It might make more sense to rent sound gear than to buy it - as sound gear is relatively cheap to rent compared to buying comparable gear.
So while you might end up wanting to use this money to invest in your project, you don't necessarily have to use it to buy gear.

If you do use it to buy gear - I would consider it an investment, and look into gear that is going to last you and make its money back. I generally look at rental costs for anything before I consdier buying it - then I estimate how often I would rent the gear over a given period and compare that to the cost of buying. If it's going to take you significantly longer to pay off the cost of buying it than the thing will actually be useful to you - then its probably not worth buying.

Things I've always found worth investing are lighting, grip and sound gear.
This is stuff that is camera and format independent that I will continue to be able to use for years to come.

Just make sure you're comparing apples to apples when figuring out what is worth buying versus renting. Meaning, don't compare the price on renting a Lectro lav system with buying a cheap $100 lav mic. You get the point.

Lastly - and most importantly, if you find that you don't really NEED to be $3,000 worth of gear then I would urge you not to spend it. Save it. Put it in the bank in an interest bearing account and that way it will be there when you really do NEED to buy something.

If you just want to buy something to get it out of your system, then give yourself a budget. Spend one thousand, for example, and save the other two.


Just a thought.
 
I'm with Luis - figure out what you actually need. If you just have to spend it and saving it would just kill you then invest in some training. Whatever area you feel weak in. Or do you have any debt at all? Paying it off may be out of style but it sure is nice to be debt free. At least that's what I've heard :) And its never too early to think 401k... damn I feel old now... gonna go sit in my rocking chair for a while...
 
Yea investing would be a good idea, but less fun :). I have no production gear whatsoever (only post). I don't think I would buy any audio gear beside maybe some camera mounted mics. Although I see your point about it being the best investment in terms of it not going out of style any time soon. I need to be fast, light and discreet. I going into areas that are proabably not friendly and I would prefer to not be weighed down.

Most of what I am doing will be posted online and eventually to DVD. I wouldn't mind leaving the door open for me to blow something up to 35 if in that 1 in a billion gazillion chance I find something unique and interesting.

Here is where I am at.

1. Don't have the money for an HVX or the Hardrive space for any non-tape solution.

2. Not familiar with HDV and the whole way it codes confuses and worries me (this may not be rational, but it is the way I feel).

3. I like the native 16:9 of the XL2 and hear the lens is superior to the DVX. I am not sure if the XL2 will get wide enough if I am shooting in cramped locations (I am pretty sure the DVX gets wider).

4. I am not sure if the mic that is dispalayed in all the XL2 pictures comes with the camera and how it compares to the stock DVX sound. Will I have to buy a better camera mounted mic?

5. Most of what I am doing will be handheld so the shoulder pad for the XL2 is another plus.

That is where I am at. Any help would be much appreciated!

OH and does anyone want to quote me a price for renting this for 6 months? I think it might be worth the buy, but honestly if someone knows better edumacate plzzz.
 
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I didn't realize you didn't own a camera.
If you're shooting for 6 months then buying a camera will pay for itself, no question.
Even if you rented on 3 day weeks - you'd pay for it in less than 2 months.

The DVX definitely goes wider - while you're right that the XL2 may be more comfortable to shoot with on the shoulder (without some sort of camera rig the DVX is impossible to shoot with on the shoulder)...though the XL2 does weigh a bit more and is a larger camera (which could be a concern given the cramped locations).

The DVX is also a bit less intimidating I think (in its look), which could be a plus depending on who you are shooting.

Personally, I would look at both the DVX and XL2 and see what the differences are in price. Don't forget you'll have accessory costs as well (batteries being a very important one), as well as possibly some sound gear. if the difference in price winds up meaning you can get 2 more batteries, or a better mic...then I'd go with the less expensive one. Something to keep in mind is that the difference between those two cameras (in terms of quality) is not going to make or break your project...but the difference between good sound and bad sound will (just like running out of battery power will :) )


You may want to consider buying used in order to stretch your money a bit further - the XL2 can probably be found for a decent price used, and the DVX100a is still a great camera which you can get for pretty cheap these days.
 
Thanks luis that is great advice and much appreciated. Do you have any opinion on a good camera mounted mic that might supplement the DVX100 built in mic?

I have thought about buying a used camera, but with so many scams out there it drives me crazy (can't sleep at night). Also I really want a warranty. I don't think I have ever owned a piece of electronics that I haven't at least once used the warranty.
 
Right now you can pick up the DVX100B from NewEgg.com for about $2400. I might even buy another one at that price...

For the mic, give the Rode NTG-2 a try. It's a little bit long, but you can sling it back in the mic holder and it can also be phantom powered (saves you from having to tote AA batteries around, just be sure you get an extra power supply for the DVX).
 
Akatastasia said:
Thanks luis that is great advice and much appreciated. Do you have any opinion on a good camera mounted mic that might supplement the DVX100 built in mic?
Click to expand...

I would highly suggest spending some time reading the stickies at the top of the audio forum, there is some great information in there - and I'm by no means an audio guy.

Any advice I would give you on that would be from what I've learned in those threads.
 
I have an XL2 and I love it, but, if I were making a documentary where I might sometimes need to be discreet, I'd shy away from the XL2--it is a real attention-getter. I think the DVX100 would be a better choice in that circumstance.
 
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