Although the subject is not the VX 2000, I wanted to place this under the same thread, since it may be somewhat related. Basically, I am trying to decide which camera to rent for a one-day shoot I am doing next week and would welcome any feedback.

How does the VX 1000 (which is one of the possible cameras) compare to the Canon XL1 (which I am told is a PAL system). While PAL camera get better image quality (right?), how does the VX 1000 perform, in terms of image quality? Also, what about shutter speed and image quality in low-light conditions? Is this a no-contest situation, with the Canon coming out on top?

Any advice is welcomed.

If your final output medium is US television, I'd avoid the PAL camera as conversion to NTSC can sometimes turn out to be costly, otherwise I'd go for the XL1.

The VX1000 and the XL1 were what I compared when shopping for my camera a few years ago and I went with the XL1. Better optics, even though Canon make the Sony's lens/OIS, better low light performance, interchangeable lenses, better zoom.

Adrian,

Thanks for the brief opinion. I never thought about the conversion issue cost. For what my project entails, it's not worth the cost.

I will consider the Canon.

The Canon is PAL isn't it. If it is, use the VX1000.

Oh, right. Thanks.

I am going to buy a camera and have heard that the Canon XLs1 is "better" than the Sony VX2000, but if you are saying that all XL1 are PAL (conversion issue) does that include the XL1s and if so, how can it be "better?" I hope I misunderstood the previous question and/or answer.

I borrowed a VX1000 to start my project but now want to buy a new camera to finish. I have been shooting cooking demonstrations in an indoor kitchen setting.

Please help. I am dangerously new to all of this stuff.

The XL1 was the original release 3CCD Digital Video Camera back in 1998. It was available in both NTSC and PAL. The XL1s is V2.0, and upgraded model and was releases last year, it to is available in NTSC and PAL.

The reason some people in the US us PAL(25fps)is that it has a closer frame rate to film(24fps) and it has higher resolution than NTSC (625vs525).

If you live in a PAL country (UK, Europe, Aus, NZ, etc) then PAL is really the only way to go, but for US crew you have a choice.

Basically, and this is just my opnion, I'm sure people will disagree, If you live in the States, go with NTSC. There really isn't any noticable difference between the 2 and conversion from PAL to NTSC for local viewing can work out to be costly.

Hope the clears it up for you.

i really recommend a book by Scott Billups "Digital Moviemaking"... if you don't have this book before you buy a camera i would get it... he explains the difference between cameras, formats, and he even explains compression pretty well... he is a little biased, but i think overall it is a good book... basically... he says... TRY em ALL BEFORE YOU BUY ONE...

for all it's worth... i have a vx-2000 and really like it... it has some audio issues, but i think the picture is better than the gl-1...

the more you research miniDV... the more you'll find out... every camera has it's own special issues... what you do... is you pick the camera that has it's own strong points where you want them...

good luck,

william

Thank you both sooooo much. You guys are great!!!!

About how much would it cost to fix the viewfinder on a vx1000 because the picture has gone bad. It seems that it happens alot so would anyone know?


thanks!

I believe this is due to a bad ribbon cable connection. Perhaps someone here knows how much is involved for the repair. As far as I know it is an ailment which is not uncommon to this camcorder.

It is fairly expensive but if you are at all skilled with small tools, you can repair it yourself. The Price for the flex circuit is under $100 and you can find repair instructions on the Internet.

One of the techs at our local college just fixed 2 in this manner.

See:http://videouniversity.com/wwwboard/vx1000/messages/175.html

The repair company I used to own charged just under $200 and we put a six month warranty on all parts and labor.

how much do you think it would be to send to sony? over 200? are there any other places where i might be able to send it?

hi ,

im lookin at getting a new camcorder ,and im wondering which camera has the best quality....the gl1 or vx1000. i know the vx1000 is very old..but from what i hear it still has great quality. please keep in mind i will be doing weddings and concerts where there may be low light. And since the vx1000 does have larger ccd
im wondering if that should sway my decision. thank you all for your help.

The VX1000 and GL1 have the same playback resolution, although the colors are warmer with the GL1. Which is better quality? Don't know. They're both good quality.

Couple reasons why the 1000 may not be a good choice (nor the Canon).

1. They really have poor low-light capability compared to the newer cameras (2000)

2. Sony repair has probably dropped them off the fixed-price repair list (they normally drop any product from the list after 7 years) and the cost to get one repaired can equal the cost of a good used VX-2000. I recently had a repair estimate of $1600 + for a VX-1000. Remember these were very expensive when they were new. More expensive then than a PD150 now IIRC.

3. They go through batteries at the rate of one battery per hour. Only one size of battery will work in the 1000 AFAIK.

The newer cameras can be outfitted with batteries that will run the camera 4+ hours.

I'll second what Mike said. The VX1000 was a great camera in its day, but compared to modern cameras it has lousy low-light performance and I used to get only about 40 minutes per battery.

If I had to choose between those two, I might lean towards the GL1, but if there's any way at all you can swing it, a used VX2000 would be a far superior choice to either of those.

Just have to add here, VX1000 has better low light abilities than GL2. More grainy is the 1000, but sharper. Saturation is about equal. If you can find a way to get a 2000, it's worth the trouble.
VX2000 blows the GL2 away. Big time.

More grainy is the 1000, but sharperThe more grain, the less sharp.VX2000 blows the GL2 away. Big time.I have to disagree with that.

Frank, you've always been cool. And helpful. And I know we've been in on some of the same threads before ... but. Listen, I'm a Canon guy. I have a 35mm Canon still cam with three lenses.
The fact is, as far as image quality, the VX mops the floor with the GL2. I wish it weren't true. Anyone who'd see comparo pics would agree. The VX kicks the GL in sharpness, grain, low light reach, and contrast -- by a good margin. The VX is in another league.

I didn't notice VX2000 sharper than GL2 footage, but I found the GL2's footage warmer. (Played back on a Sony deck.) I assume the VX2000's video is sharper in lower light though.

Ya, even the old 1CCD TRV7 and the VX1000 give a brighter picture in low light than the GL2. Not better overall, just brighter.

Hi
I do wedding and event videography. I am using two Sony VX2000s and am looking to buy a third camera. I want two use this camera only as a stationary camera in the back and to run an audio line to it from the sound board.
Have any of you tried the vx1000. I know the lux is rated at 4 instead of 2 like the 2000. Will the 1000 perform well enough in a poorly lit church or not?
Do you have any other suggestions for a third camera on a limited budget?

Thanks
Rick

I think you will find that the 1000 is less capable in poor light than the numbers between the 1000 and 2000 indicate.

That said, I use a PC110 as an alter camera in reasonably well-lit environments and it works well with a 6-7 lux rating.

The 1000 is very noisy compared to modern cameras. Remember it was designed about 10 years ago.

I'd go looking for a good used 2000. There should be plenty of them on the market from people that have to have the greatest and latest when the 2100 is available.

Mike, I'm thinking of going with a 1CCD as an altar cam. Would you have any recommendations for me as far as exposure settings and camera placement? Would a wide angle lens be required? Can the cam handle church lighting okay?

The PC-110 is a 1-chip camera. It is one of Sony's (large) pocket cams. I use it with a Century Optics WA most of the time. I"ve not used it in a dim situation as I know how bad it can get. However, sometimes bad footage is better than none at all to a Bride. I do leave the camera on auto except for focus.

I flip the LCD screen forward and tell the bride that if she can maneuver herself, the groom and the officiant into position, she will get some unique footage.

Never fails. The Bride makes certain they are centered.

I have this urge to put the camera on a remote control pan and tilt head and put a light on the camera that will slowly come up as the light goes down. My thinking being that the officiant won't notice. Just enough to chase the shadows away. Probably a really diffused 10 watt halogen would be enough.

I assume you place the cam off to the left of the officiant? How many feet is it usually placed from the couple? Regarding cutting
that footage with a 3CCD cam, I suppose the B&G really don't notice any difference?
Were you serious about the remote pan and tilt? I'm not familiar with these devices. What are some good names is that area?
Regarding a light, maybe even a 3 watt would work.

I shoot over the officiant's left shoulder. It cuts quite well with the PD150/DSR-300 as long as there is OK light.

I have two remote pan and tilt system. Both inexpensive and reasonable for light cameras. Neither are speed demons but they work OK.

One is a Sunpac. It is a batter-powered (std Sony Nicad camera batteries) and has a credit-card-sized IR controller that pans and tilts plus controls Sony on/off & zoom.

The other is a Bescor which is a slightly heavier duty unit but much slower. No wireless controls here, only a wired controller with a 50 foot extension cable. Not bad if one is going to run a monitor cabe from the remote camera anyway.

I mean to try one of those cheap 2.4 gig video transmitters one of these days. I only want to be able to frame the image so I think they might be OK.

I keep telling myself I'll try out my lipstick camera for back-of-the-altar shots one of these days. Looks like a small microphone at 3/4 by 4"

Mike, you're giving me ideas here. Who makes those 2.4 gig
video transmitters?

I have a set that came from X-10, the folks who make the wireless power controllers. Can't say that they are great but they would be able to transmit a framing image from the camera. I haven't looked at how to power them but because they came with Wall Warts, I'm guessing a small battery pack would work OK.

Does that Sunpac make much noise or is it pretty quiet?

Quiet I think. IIRC, dead quiet.

Hello,
I borrowed a VX1000 for a shoot and I can find out how to switch to LP recording mode anywhere. Can any kind sould help me out please.

Thanks,
Drew

Just in case you can't read my thoughts and know that I mean the oposite of what i typed here is the corected version.

I recently borrowed a VX1000 for a shoot and CAN'T find how to switch to LP recording mode. would some good soul please help me out.

Thanks,
Drew

Hi Drew,

I've got access to a VX1000E (PAL version of the 1000) and it does not mention long play anywhere in the manual so I'm pretty sure it can't do LP unlike the later VX2000 which can.

Long play was probably still on the drawing boards when the VX1000 was released(1995ish).

Sorry, VX1000 has no LP mode.
Don

I'm not sure how many people here still use the vx1000, but in my world (skateboard videography) that camera still reigns supreme and a lot of people have problems with the viewfinder ribbon breaking so we just put up a extended tutorial on my site with some pretty hi-res shots.

Or just bookmark it as a reference, if you have anything to include let me know.

Thanks
Steve

http://www.skateperception.com/instructional/instructional.php?id=ribbon

Very thorough and informative, but probably not something that the ham-handed among us would want to try.

I'm wondering how you'd manage to whack the camera hard enough to break that ribbon connector without mangling the whole works??

Steve McDonald

Actually that ribbon cable breaking is a major problem among us skateboard videographers I know that much. Pretty much its happened to ever owner I know, just part of the territory I guess.

I'm assuming because most of the time when we shoot we are always low with the viewfinder up 90 degrees and what happens you eventually lose the image slowly at the higher angles and you have to keep lowering it then eventually it turns off. But I know 14 year old kids that do this because paying $150 is out of question for most of them so they just pay $46 for the ribbon and they are on their way.

Steve, apparently putting the viewfinder all the way up, puts some linear stress on the wires in the ribbon and eventually begins to separate them. By lowering the viewfinder, the separated wires are pushed back together and make contact again. But eventually, they separate permanently, beyond being able to make contact across the gap, with repeated stretching.

This could be a warning to all those who shoot with the viewfinder angled all the way up. I wonder if this problem might exist in any other camcorder models?

Steve McDonald

Hi,

I had to switch around with someone else's VX1000 and my VX2000. What's the filter thread size ? 52mm? I needed to put my Canon WD58 wide angle adapter with 58mm threads on the VX1000, and it wouldn't fit. So, I'll need a step up ring.

Thanks,

It says 52 on the VX-1000 I've got siitting under my desk.

I have a client who needs a video shot of a focus group.

He needs VHS copies right after the shoot.

Theory tells me I can run RCAs from my VX1000 to my TV/VCR combo deck and record directly to VHS.

The problem is ... the focus group meeting willl last just about two hours.

To my understanding there needs to be a tape recording in the VX1000 or it will go into standby mode.

Using a standard 60-minute mini DV tape in LP mode won't affect the picture quality of the VHS, which will be recording in SP?

As I'm typing this and really thinking about it, there's no way it could. SP/LP is only a tape speed thing.

Any tips for this kind of a job?

Thank you.

Leave the tape out and it should not go into standby. Might have to leave the tape door open on the 1000. Best to check.

Should work with no problems. Just be careful to not let anything drop into the tape slot while it is open.

Thanks.

I'lll give it a try.

i might also want to try this with my PD170. for the sake of quality; i would also like to record on miniDV.

I would experiment, but any advise here would be helpful - there should be no problem recording to VHS off the RCA connections throughout the time when the minDV is rolling, stopped, ejecting, reloading, and then rolling again, right? I am worried about tape changes.

The VHS-as-backup with its long tape load sounds like a good idea to me, except for the poor recording quality.

regards,
michael

The 150/170 will deliver video right on through tape changes. Remember that many people feed a production monitor directly from their cameras so as to confirm color and exposure settings.

VHS directly from a camera is quite good. Not DV but quite good.

Hot damn, I was just trying this very thing last night. I'm wanting to get into video deposition at some point, have a PD170, would rather not interrupt every hour with minidv tape changes (or have to buy a vhs cam), and thought maybe it would be permissable to NOT record in-camera, but rather send the signal to a couple of VHS VCRs, with time/date and all, and thus get at least two hour recording times. Deposition is another matter; perhaps I'll have to ask about this in my own thread? In any case, I can say YES, rca connections out to a vcr will give you a bypass that allows for direct vhs masters (with time/date too, should you desire this).