Just starting out with the camera that was given to me.

Any suggestions on where I can go online to learn all the ins and outs of this specific camera?

I looked on B&H for HDV Tapes and noticed that there are no JVC HDV tapes!
Is there a 3rd party vendor for JVC HDV Tapes?

Is there any other alternative (Disk or Media Card) solutions to film on?

I plan to use this camera for Weddings and the All New Final Cut Pro X software.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

John

You might find pretty much everything you need right here in the HD100/110/200/250 forum. Tim Dashwood has a lot of info posted.
As for tapes, do they have to be JVC? I ask because I know people (myself included) that have used Panasonic and Sony. Tape is tape. It's all 1s and 0s BUT if you want JVC try taperesources dot com. I think they have them.
Have fun with your new toy. While it "old" technology compared to whats out todat the HD100 was revolutionary when it came out and is still today a solid camera. Watch for dead pixels in the VF, a lot of the JVC HD cams had them, otherwise a solid cam.

Thank you for your response.
Its not that I have to use JVC brand tapes - I just assumed you MUST use JVC tapes.
I will just use and brand of HDV Tapes then if that is the case.

Thank you for your time.

If you search on this forum, there is a thread or two from Tim Dashwood with very specific advices as to tape.

I think that Panasonic tapes might be closer to the old JVC tapes. From vague memory I think that Sony tapes used a different type of lubricant (or something?) from the others. But the main thing is just to stick to the one brand of tape (whichever one you select) and not mix and match between two brands. Or, if you have to mix, run the head cleaner before using a different brand.

I hope that your capturing goes well with the new FCP X. If not, you can always capture using DVHSCap (you can do a search on where to download it) and then convert it to a QuickTime movie with ClipWrap (there is a ClipWrap sub-forum on DV Info). Good luck with it all!

Thanks for the tips! I most certainly hope I have no issues with Final Cut Pro X!
Work arounds scare me because I always feel you loose quality when you have to "convert" something...

If your budget allows, just forget tape all together and purchase a hard drive or flash card recorder. The FS-H200 for example is around $6-700 used, and it records directly to QuickTime for smooth Mac editing.

Just starting out with the camera that was given to me.

Is there a 3rd party vendor for JVC HDV Tapes?

John

Try Sony. You can use any brand of mini DV tape, just try to use professional quality tapes for best results, and don't mix tapes if possible. Stick to one brand.

You can use the camera to ingest footage to your system and then edit.

I will not recommend buying a hard drive recorder for this camera for you, it's not worth the expense. Just use tapes, and you can re-use them at least three times before they begin to lose quality. When it's no longer possible to find tapes, buy another camera.

I shoot with a JVC HD100. I used exclusively Sony tapes (back when I used tapes, now I shoot into a DR100 hard drive recorder.) You do not need to buy HDV tapes, that is a marketing gimmick. Just buy plain old MiniDV tapes.

If you can spare $50, buy Tim Dashwood's excellent DVD guide to the HD100 series of cameras.

BTW, you were really "given" an HD100? For free? Nice.

My favorite work-horse camera of 2005- its still a beast of a camera and you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the footage. The real joy is in the ergonomics of the camera- it will spoil you instantly.

-Alán

I think Final Cut Pro never got good at capturing HDV from JVC. THat may have changed, but it used to be true at any rate, and with a Focus Enhancements HDD or their new SSD drive it's a no brainer. I recomend 24p and 1/48th for HDV 720p shooting. Get a decent ND filter to keep the aperture around f4 durring daylight hours. The 2 built in ND settings are not strong enough. And yes, the camera still rocks. I shot 4 commercials this week with mine for instance. It's still a pretty solid platform, and I'm not selling mine anytime soon. Congrats on your free one!

I actually sold it on eBay and got the Sony AX2000

Well that didn't last long Johnny did it? May I continue where you left off?

I have recently acquired the same camera a JVC GY HD100 for a decent price. I realise it has been around for a while but it seems it is still a highly regarded camera.
I have recently embarked on a journey to pursue my life-long ambition to make documentaries and I want to know how I can best utilise to the full this camera. Specifically, could anyone give me some advice on which adapters for cine lenses or still lenses might be worth looking at.

Much appreciated in advance

Martin

Martin - look into the letus adapters that have the direct relay into the HD100. Will allow you to mount different photographic or cine lenses. Enjoy the HD100 - I still miss mine!