I wanted to poll the group to see what most of you may be using to capture your MiniDv footage. I wonder if you should avoid the wear and tear on your cameras transport? I have been considering the purchase of a MiniDv deck but I need some advice. I have looked at the JVC SR-VS30U. This deck seems to have promise in that it is a dual SVHS and MiniDV. Could be useful for dubbing to SVHS, in the case where your end product needs to also be delivered on VHS.

The reviews of the JVC are not stellar. I hesitate spending 800.00 dollars on something that only recieves mediocre reviews.

What are some of the rest of you doing? Do you know of another deck that may suit what I am looking for that may be a little less expensive. I don't really need the dual deck feature.

Thanks in advance for any light you can shine on this subject.

Chris

I use panasonic dvx100a for shooting. I use a cheap panisonc camcorder for capture. Uses the same charger and batteries are interchangeable. I paid $100 on ebay and is was almost new.

mike

im like Mike..

2x DVX100's here...
an MX500 (acts as 3rd cam if needed) and a lowly DS88 camcorder which is a loan unit and family throwaround..

I use both camcorders to capture on 2 different PCs at the same time

saves alot of wear and tear... and the cams themselves can be used as a backup when ur out shooting..

i used to use SOny GDV1000' but to be honest, theyre overpriced and do nothing that an MX500 cant do.. except maybe clean DVCam.. thing though is that with a 3ccd cam, u can always use it for other things apart from capturing...

Picked it up in great shape on Ebay about 5 months ago and it works great for me. Paid around 800. I like the speed of the search,ffwd and rwd, and I've used the SVHS side of it a bit, too, mainly to incorporate footage that clients already have. Original reason for buying it was, like you, to save wear on my cameras. It also works well for output to tv as a preview monitor in Vegas. Cost is the only reason I would have for not getting a deck.

I'm the same as Peter and Mike. I also use a DVX100A, and don't use it for capture or playback at all. I have a cheap Sony TRV19 (or something like that) that I use as a capture deck. The only reason I can see for buying a deck would be if you need the SVHS features. Otherwise it is a waste of money. Just get a cheap miniDV cam, clean the heads, and you're all set. Save wear and tear on your primary camera(s).

We have a couple of Panasonic AG-DV2000 decks. Been very happy with them. Once you've used a deck, you'll HATE going back to a camera. The fastforward/rewind/shuttle speeds are so much faster on the deck.

Ed, we had a lowly DSR11 and it made a hell of a difference, but again, it lal comes down to price..

i rebuilt the studio and kept the bare essentials and IMO, a seperate Deck IS an essential, however longevity of the unit and its value pretty much meant i should sell it before it loses any more value...

to date, i cant say ive had an issue using cameras as decks.., however i WOULD recommend them above a camera..

I use to use a backup camcorder for capture and editing but last year decided to get the Sony DSR-11. Since switching, I haven't had a single drop-out or any capture problems at all. The DSR-11 was well worth the extra bucks.
Bob

I wish those decks weren't so darned expensive - I'd get me one. I use my Panny GS120 for capturing, and it's held up really well. I can't say enough good things about this little gem of a camera.

My DSR-11 has served me very well - so far it has been well worth the 1600 I paid for it 4 years ago!

Ryan

Thanks so much for all the replies......

A point of technical clarity..... I assume since the footage orginally captured by my GL2's is all digital, that if you were to use a "cheap" camera as a capture device, that the original picture quality would be unaffected, save perhaps the way the footage may be displayed on the cameras lcd screen. I am assuming that all the 1's and 0's are just transferred, and not "run through" what may be inferior play heads as they relate to the original recording....

Also, since I don't think I can afford the Sony or Panasonic decks, what does the collective group think about the JVC I mentioned in the original post? Has anyone has any first hand experience? I have about 18 hours (3 weddings) of raw footage to capture, and I was hoping to view the tapes, and record in/out points and then do batch capture to conserve hard disk space. I don't know if I really want to do that on a camera, but alas, money does not grow on trees...

Thanks again, this forum is the greatest!

Chris

A point of technical clarity..... I assume since the footage orginally captured by my GL2's is all digital, that if you were to use a "cheap" camera as a capture device, that the original picture quality would be unaffected, save perhaps the way the footage may be displayed on the cameras lcd screen. I am assuming that all the 1's and 0's are just transferred, and not "run through" what may be inferior play heads as they relate to the original recording....

Also, since I don't think I can afford the Sony or Panasonic decks, what does the collective group think about the JVC I mentioned in the original post? Has anyone has any first hand experience? I have about 18 hours (3 weddings) of raw footage to capture, and I was hoping to view the tapes, and record in/out points and then do batch capture to conserve hard disk space. I don't know if I really want to do that on a camera, but alas, money does not grow on trees...

There will be ZERO quality difference as the information is all digital. The cheapest cam will allow capturing the same image as the most expensive deck.

I've seen many reported problems with JVC units but have no specific information to back that up.

I use a cheap Sharp DV camera as my deck. I forget to even turn it off most of the time, and it I have been using it for three years. Paid $300.00 back then, and never a problem with capture.

Alas, with the FX1, I can only use the FX1. Though about A-1 or something else, but seems a bit steep at this point.

There will be ZERO quality difference as the information is all digital. The cheapest cam will allow capturing the same image as the most expensive deck.

I've seen many reported problems with JVC units but have no specific information to back that up.
Ed is absolutely correct on this. It's all 1's and 0's on the tape. This is why I can shoot in 24P on my DVX100A and then capture with my Sony TRV19. The Sony cam CANNOT shoot 24P, but it doesn't matter. It's all captured in the same DV data stream, so it's fine.

Canon ZR80.

Works great.

Only the occasional drop-out.

Still, considerably cheaper than a deck, which I would get if the price weren't so dear.

sincerely,

ian

Like many have already said, I use an old canon single chipper. It's got some pixel burnout and is otherwise pretty much useless.

I actually can't recall the last time I ever used the playback functions of my VX. It records and nothing else.

I use the JVC deck every week and love it. It has plenty on Inputs and outputs and will function a long time for you. I am producing my 67th 30 minute talk show on it and do countless weddings and have had zero problems.

Dan

I use the JVC deck every week and love it. It has plenty on Inputs and outputs and will function a long time for you. I am producing my 67th 30 minute talk show on it and do countless weddings and have had zero problems.

Dan

Is this the model of JVC Deck that I had in my original post?

There will be ZERO quality difference as the information is all digital. The cheapest cam will allow capturing the same image as the most expensive deck.


Is this an overstatement? I had some capture problems when shooting with a 3-chip camera a while back and capturing with a cheap sony deck. Capture problems persisted even when trying to capture with a vx2100 or pd170. From what I'm reading here, a minidv deck is more robust against these capture errors, which would have therefore been a higher quality import as the one I have has many breaks and errors. I realize this isn't exactly what was asked, but I have been curious about this myself as I have never used a deck to import.

Generally speaking, when you get capture errors when capturing from a different camera from which the tape was recorded, it's due to head alignment differences. Decks are slightly more resistent to that but the same situation can occur.