i need help deciding.. at DVinfo.net

Ben Nolan · May 16th, 2004, 03:06 PM

hi, i asked questions in the gl1/gl2 forum and dv953 forum about what i should get but im still lost.. i narrowed it down to either the dv953, gl1,or vx-1000. what im going to be doing is shooting short films, low-budget music videos, etc. I am a 17 year old on a very tight budget and cant spend alot. audio is not that big a deal because i will most likely end up recording audio in a different way other then on camera. i first was looking at the 953 because i saw it online for around 960 dollars. it looked like a pretty good deal with nice widescreen and resolution but the lowlight capability scares me, and the consumer look and feel of it doesnt impress me that much,, i would rather have a bigger heavier prosumer-like camera, but its not necessary. then i started looking at the gl1 and saw some framegrabs online and it looks nice and i heard many people compare it to the image of the xl-1, which must mean it is pretty good. the build of it and size is more of what im looking for too. and then i came across the vx-1000 camera..i knew it was old and i never really looked at it, but then i saw it has 1/3 inch cdds and was wondering if it was a good camera with good quality footage?...the build and weight of this camera is exactly what i would like, its big and nice and i could get more respect from actors and all when filming, rather then having a small consumer home movie cam that doesnt look serious. and i know the vx-1000 doesnt have a lcd..it doesnt bother me that much..is there a lcd monitor i could attack to it or anyhting like that?.....ok, so can you guys tell me what you think? thank you very much

also..this is not my first camera..ive used a 400 dollar hi 8 consumer camera and a trv19 camera..i couldnt stand the quality of these cameras and decided i must go 3ccd..i want to notice a difference between the old cameras and the one i get..will the difference be substantial with these 3 cameras? thanks

Bill Pryor · May 17th, 2004, 10:36 AM

Unless you can find a very low mileage GL1 or VX1000 in great condition and trust the person you're buying it from, I think I would be inclined to go with a new 953. In fact, the VX1000 may not be a good idea for you because it will not interface with some NLE systems. If you're looking at used cameras, there's also the TRV900, which is a 1/4" chip camcorder comparable to the GL1.

The GL2 has been out long enough now that you may be able to find a good used one...but again, be very careful when going after used cameras.

Ben Nolan · May 17th, 2004, 11:08 AM

what do you mean it wont interface with some NLE systems? can u explain that a bit more?...and isnt the trv 900 basically the same as the vx1000 except for the lux and 1/4 inch cdds instead of vx1000s 1/3?....i have found a good deal for a vx1000,wide angel lense, and xlr for the same price iw ould pay for the 953 and gl1.. how can you find out how many hours a vx1000 has gone through?...ive checked the manual online and cant figure it out and the seller doesnt know how to either..thanks

Bill Pryor · May 17th, 2004, 12:09 PM

The VX1000 is fairly old, and there is one Windows version it won't work with. I don't know what that version is, but numerous people have reported difficulties. The VX1000 is also the only Sony DV camera that won't play tapes recorded in DVCAM, but that's probably irrelevant to you.
If you search through the threads on here you can probably find out more about the issue of the camera and Windows. I don't know whether it's a problem with Macs or not.
I also think it's not possible to just go into the menu and find out the hours. There is a way to do it, but I don't know what it is. There used to be a site that talked about hacks for that camera. I remember somebody once posted how you could get into it and make it display bars, even there's no way to do that with the normal menu. So I know there is a way to find out the hours, but if you're not a Sony tech, it's going to be difficult.
I think the VX1000 was a great camera, though a bit dated today. Still, if you can find a really good condition one, it would be an excellent camera for the money, assuming you can make it work within whatever system you've got. The age and head hours, however, would concern me. You can probably do a series of searches here and on 2-pop and find out more about the camera. You might also check Adam Wilt's site.

Ben Nolan · May 17th, 2004, 12:17 PM

thanks for the info...i have a windows xp machine..hopefully it works with it..the seller just told me he used (not filled) 160 tapes in his vx1000...but he said he has kept it in great condition and all..and he is from the 2 pop forums...and i could get it for around 950 dollars plus the wide angle and xlr...do you think thats a good deal or should i just keep looking for less used vx1000s?

Mike Rehmus · May 17th, 2004, 05:41 PM

Worst case that's 160 head hours which is low head use.

The VX-1000 isn't great in low level but in other aspects, it is a good camera.

That is a reasonble price too.

Ben Nolan · May 17th, 2004, 05:55 PM

i know its bad in low light, but is it as bad as the dv953 in low light? i dont see how it can seeing how the vx1000 has 1/3 inch ccds and the 953 has 1/6 inchers

Bill Pryor · May 17th, 2004, 06:38 PM

It its head hours are that low, it's a great deal. It would be better in low light than the smaller chip cameras. I used a VX1000 several years ago in a multi-camera shoot, and it was a lot better in low light than my old BVW300. Of course, that camera was like shooting ASA25 film. We had an XL1 along with the VX1000, and they were both shooting at the same aperture under fairly low available light; so I'd say it's probably about the same as the XL1. Low light is subjective (ie., what I consider low light and what you consider low light is probably different), and the differences are not too much between all the 1/3" chip cameras, although the newer Sony models are definitely better. It sounds like that camera has really low mileage, assuming all that you know about it is true.

May 16th, 2004, 03:06 PM	#1
Ben Nolan New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 18	i need help deciding.. hi, i asked questions in the gl1/gl2 forum and dv953 forum about what i should get but im still lost.. i narrowed it down to either the dv953, gl1,or vx-1000. what im going to be doing is shooting short films, low-budget music videos, etc. I am a 17 year old on a very tight budget and cant spend alot. audio is not that big a deal because i will most likely end up recording audio in a different way other then on camera. i first was looking at the 953 because i saw it online for around 960 dollars. it looked like a pretty good deal with nice widescreen and resolution but the lowlight capability scares me, and the consumer look and feel of it doesnt impress me that much,, i would rather have a bigger heavier prosumer-like camera, but its not necessary. then i started looking at the gl1 and saw some framegrabs online and it looks nice and i heard many people compare it to the image of the xl-1, which must mean it is pretty good. the build of it and size is more of what im looking for too. and then i came across the vx-1000 camera..i knew it was old and i never really looked at it, but then i saw it has 1/3 inch cdds and was wondering if it was a good camera with good quality footage?...the build and weight of this camera is exactly what i would like, its big and nice and i could get more respect from actors and all when filming, rather then having a small consumer home movie cam that doesnt look serious. and i know the vx-1000 doesnt have a lcd..it doesnt bother me that much..is there a lcd monitor i could attack to it or anyhting like that?.....ok, so can you guys tell me what you think? thank you very much also..this is not my first camera..ive used a 400 dollar hi 8 consumer camera and a trv19 camera..i couldnt stand the quality of these cameras and decided i must go 3ccd..i want to notice a difference between the old cameras and the one i get..will the difference be substantial with these 3 cameras? thanks

May 17th, 2004, 05:41 PM	#6
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Worst case that's 160 head hours which is low head use. The VX-1000 isn't great in low level but in other aspects, it is a good camera. That is a reasonble price too. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

May 17th, 2004, 10:36 AM	#2
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Unless you can find a very low mileage GL1 or VX1000 in great condition and trust the person you're buying it from, I think I would be inclined to go with a new 953. In fact, the VX1000 may not be a good idea for you because it will not interface with some NLE systems. If you're looking at used cameras, there's also the TRV900, which is a 1/4" chip camcorder comparable to the GL1. The GL2 has been out long enough now that you may be able to find a good used one...but again, be very careful when going after used cameras.

May 17th, 2004, 11:08 AM	#3
Ben Nolan New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 18	what do you mean it wont interface with some NLE systems? can u explain that a bit more?...and isnt the trv 900 basically the same as the vx1000 except for the lux and 1/4 inch cdds instead of vx1000s 1/3?....i have found a good deal for a vx1000,wide angel lense, and xlr for the same price iw ould pay for the 953 and gl1.. how can you find out how many hours a vx1000 has gone through?...ive checked the manual online and cant figure it out and the seller doesnt know how to either..thanks

May 17th, 2004, 12:09 PM	#4
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	The VX1000 is fairly old, and there is one Windows version it won't work with. I don't know what that version is, but numerous people have reported difficulties. The VX1000 is also the only Sony DV camera that won't play tapes recorded in DVCAM, but that's probably irrelevant to you. If you search through the threads on here you can probably find out more about the issue of the camera and Windows. I don't know whether it's a problem with Macs or not. I also think it's not possible to just go into the menu and find out the hours. There is a way to do it, but I don't know what it is. There used to be a site that talked about hacks for that camera. I remember somebody once posted how you could get into it and make it display bars, even there's no way to do that with the normal menu. So I know there is a way to find out the hours, but if you're not a Sony tech, it's going to be difficult. I think the VX1000 was a great camera, though a bit dated today. Still, if you can find a really good condition one, it would be an excellent camera for the money, assuming you can make it work within whatever system you've got. The age and head hours, however, would concern me. You can probably do a series of searches here and on 2-pop and find out more about the camera. You might also check Adam Wilt's site.

May 17th, 2004, 12:17 PM	#5
Ben Nolan New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 18	thanks for the info...i have a windows xp machine..hopefully it works with it..the seller just told me he used (not filled) 160 tapes in his vx1000...but he said he has kept it in great condition and all..and he is from the 2 pop forums...and i could get it for around 950 dollars plus the wide angle and xlr...do you think thats a good deal or should i just keep looking for less used vx1000s?

May 17th, 2004, 05:55 PM	#7
Ben Nolan New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 18	i know its bad in low light, but is it as bad as the dv953 in low light? i dont see how it can seeing how the vx1000 has 1/3 inch ccds and the 953 has 1/6 inchers

May 17th, 2004, 06:38 PM	#8
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	It its head hours are that low, it's a great deal. It would be better in low light than the smaller chip cameras. I used a VX1000 several years ago in a multi-camera shoot, and it was a lot better in low light than my old BVW300. Of course, that camera was like shooting ASA25 film. We had an XL1 along with the VX1000, and they were both shooting at the same aperture under fairly low available light; so I'd say it's probably about the same as the XL1. Low light is subjective (ie., what I consider low light and what you consider low light is probably different), and the differences are not too much between all the 1/3" chip cameras, although the newer Sony models are definitely better. It sounds like that camera has really low mileage, assuming all that you know about it is true.