I was wondering if someone knows how many hours should you be able to get on a Sony VX2100 during the life of the cam? I might be able to get a used one, but it has round 120 hours on it. Is that a lot? I do know that all of those hours were indoors video taping a weekly sermon.

Gary

My vx2100 als has approx 100hours on it and beside some small scratches on it it looks and runs ok. What is the manufacturingyear of the camera you are planning to buy? I would look specifically at how it looks, is it heavily scratched, is there much grey paint missing and so on. This might tell you how its present owner has been taken care of it.
Does the camera make a lot of noise when running? Mine makes a high sharp sound, this you only hear when you are in a completely silent room and the sound is not picked up by the internal mic.
I would ask to make a test recording, bring your own tape and film under different situation. Make a recording in a very silent room so you can hear if it's picking up the camera tapemechanisme sound (It shouldn't) Try to zoom in and out completely and listen if it then picks up camera sound (It shouldn't either)
Take a recording in a very dark room with maybe a bit light coming in to see how it handles that.
Try the autofocus by zooming in completely and focussing on different objects nearby and far away, the autofocus should react fast and correct. Look closely at the lens to see if it looks clean and clear.

If the owner doesn't want you to test, just shop elsewhere, it means he/she has someting to hide. Good luck with it.

Thanks Noa, The cam is like new. It's been taken care of well. It has only shot indoors. Everything works great, it looks brand new. My question is how long should they last with taking good care of them. Do you think I could get say 200 hours on that cam?

Gary

Thanks Noa, The cam is like new. It's been taken care of well. It has only shot indoors. Everything works great, it looks brand new. My question is how long should they last with taking good care of them. Do you think I could get say 200 hours on that cam?

Gary

I also have here an old sony vx700, don't know exactly how many years that one is but I'm still able to record on it and I'm sure it has more then 200 hours on it. Therefore I think 200hours should be no problem, and even if it is, you can allways have it fixed.

The heads of a VX2000/2100 or PD150/170 or DSR 250 which are all basically the same should be good for about 1000 to 1200 hours. After that they would need to be replaces in most cases.
I have a PD150 that has 1430 hours on it and "runs like a top" but is due for some heads very very soon. Like now.
I use my cameras a lot but try to take good care of them but the heads will only last so long and then they go.
The nature of the beast.
120 hours is still a very low hour camera but like a used car it depends also on how it was taken care of.
Don

Thanks Don, Your infor was helpful

Gary

Don, I know the amount of hours on my vx based on the number of assignments I have done so far and the average tape I use. One thing I never checked before is if the camera is able to display that in its settings? Is there a way to check in the camera how many hours it exactly has?

Nope. The PD and DSR series of cameras has it in a menu item but the VX series does not. Technically you need a special hookup to be able to get into the hours menu however there was a post here sometime ago - don't remember who or the title but IIRC it explained a way to make a reader as it were to see the hours on the VX cameras.
Remember the hours are more than the hours of tape. IT is OPERATION hours, TAPE hours, DRUM RUN hours and THREADING OPERATIONS.
When I say 1000 to 1200 hours I'm talking about TAPE and DRUM RUN, whichever comes first. Trust me, it has taken my PD close to 5 years to get there and I use the camera hard and heavy and while it is not my primary camera it gets lots of use. If you have 200 hours or less on your camera relax, enjoy it, by the time you need any serious work you probably won't be using it anymore. You'll have made the switch to the pocket sized HDCAM with a 200X telephoto lens and a super wide mouth wide angle with completly tapeless operation up to sending the footage back to your computer at home directly from the camera without wires or nets. Completly automatic and ready to edit which will be done simply by thinking about what you want to do and the software will do it for you. All of this for mere pennies compared to todays prices :-) Ah I keep dreaming!
For real though just take good care of the camera and it'll last for a long time to come.

Don

Completly automatic and ready to edit which will be done simply by thinking about what you want to do and the software will do it for you.

Premiere will probably be at version CS103 before it can do that :D
Thanks a lot for your clear explanation.

Hey I just bought a USED vx2000 a week ago and I'm more than happy with it! I purchased it loacally from a small business owner that switched over to HD and he said he put a lot into it (over 3 years) I dont know how many hours though... but its great and ready to serve more!

Once again thanks guys for all the help. Looks like my 120 hours on the vx2100 is really not that much.

Gary

I have a pd100 i got back in 1998, and thank god its still functioning

My pd170 had a head clog at 500 hrs and has never been the same since. For me 500 hrs is a lot.