Using camera as playback deck

A

Adam Tomlinson

New member
I know they're been postings on this. I just read them. But I would appreciate some current feedback. I've got about 30 tapes to capture to FCP - HDV 30f. Buying a backup camera, like the HV20, is not a viable option for me where budget is concerned. Will there really be much wear and tear on the heads if I use my XH A1 and just capture the tapes in their entirety? Or, should I fork out the dough and rent a camera for the weekend (about $500)?

Secondly, where heads are concerned, what would it cost to replace them? Anyone know?

Thanks,

Adam
 
Hello Adam,
At this point I would use my XHA1 to capture the tapes and take the money that you would rent the other camera with and put it towards the firestore. That way you are shooting to a hard drive and using your heads on your camera. I don't know what it would cost to replace the heads on your camera.
 
Adam, save your money! Drum heads last up to 2000 hours of normal use. A head replacement costs around $700 on most cams. I used to replace them myself back in the days of VHS camcorders (from memory the price of a new SVHS drum head in 1995 was about $80).

With the falling price of cameras & exponential speed at which recording formats becomes obsolete, the life of a camera used professionally would only last for 3 to 4 years.
 
If you can afford to rent a camera for $500. Why not pony up another $200 and get the HV20. It's a great second/backup camera also.
The XHA1 is your moneymaker. I would only use that to record.

Just my 2 cents
 
The main factor for deciding to buy a capture deck is that the main cam is needed to shoot more footage, and cannot be tied up for capturing. If that is not the case, the A1 can be used for capture. My main concern would be for the tape drive mechanism rather than the heads, so I do not use batch capture mode where the tape is having to shuttle back and forth. I tend to just capture a continuous segment of tape and throw away the unwanted footage from the hard disk.

Having said all that, I think the HV30 is a wonderful little cam, and if you need something like this for travelling say, or for unobtrusive shooting, it is hard to beat. The fact that it can be used as a capture deck is a bonus.
 
Adam Tomlinson said:
I know they're been postings on this. I just read them. But I would appreciate some current feedback. I've got about 30 tapes to capture to FCP - HDV 30f. Buying a backup camera, like the HV20, is not a viable option for me where budget is concerned. Will there really be much wear and tear on the heads if I use my XH A1 and just capture the tapes in their entirety? Or, should I fork out the dough and rent a camera for the weekend (about $500)?

Secondly, where heads are concerned, what would it cost to replace them? Anyone know?

Thanks,

Adam
Click to expand...

Send the tapes here. I'll capture them for you for a mere $500 (and throw in a 500GB hard drive, to hold the captured files, free). :-Laugh(DBG):
 
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