Have a Panasonic AG-DV1000 deck. Works great! Saves wear and tear on the GL2. Works great for capturing, printing to tape and used during the editing process to a television monitor. (I use it with Vegas 4.0 and it's capture software)

Ted

have panasonic ag dv 2000 deck ... handles mini and full size dv tapes.. it can also playback DVCAM tapes.

I also have a Panasonic AG-DV1000 deck. I purchased it because it costs less than many of the decks available and I really wanted a deck instead of a second camcorder. This was before the JVC one with dual MiniDV and VHS, otherwise it would have been between those two. The AG-DV1000 works fine so far through Avid Xpress DV 3.5.

Paul,

I;ve got a JVC SR-VS20 mini-dv and SVHS deck...its the best thing i've ever gotten to date, well atleast for my purposes.

only slight problem with it is premiere doesn't like to print to video to the deck sometimes, but once its on DV, copying to VHS for distribution is easy, or capturing from VHS is great, and it's much less expensive then the XL1s (1/4 price) so i don't mind wearing out the heads on it

just my 2 cents
~Mike

There currently is also another thread on this here!

The don't mix brands caution applies to any tape inserted in the camcorder for any reason - whether recording, playing back for viewing, or for firewire capture. It is all the same as far as the mechanical system is concerned.

So Don,

Are you saying don't mix brands of high quailty tapes in the canon XL-1?

You could also consider just buying a ZR40, since it has real-time analog pass through and it can be had for about $390 off the web,,, that is what I use for a deck in the field - it's a lot easier to pack than a deck. I have yet to experience any problems using a ZR40 in this way.

- don

I agree with Don. I have an elura 40mc that i use as my deck. Its better than wearing out my xl1s and suits my needs perfectly. Even has a little LCD screen on the side (not that i really need that but its fun to have haha)

The issue is that tapes with different characteristics (mechanical and chemical) will leave different deposits in any camcorder. If after a long standing diet of one tape youchange to another with different properties, it may cause deposits to shift, float aroudn, clog heads, etc. Some brands are just remarking of another well known brand, but who knows which is what? (E.g., Canon branded may be Panasonic in side. Panasonic and JVC tape might be from the same factory given that they have the same parent company.) Even within a brand there may be different formulations that could cause a somewhat similar effect. Thus, a generally safe practice is to stick with one brand/type of tape, and to plan on a head cleaning if you have to change brands/types.

You know that with the JVC SR-VS20 deck you can record directly to the S-VHS side from the computer? And capture to the computer via firewire from the S-VHS side too?

"a generally safe practice is to stick with one brand/type of tape, and to plan on a head cleaning if you have to change brands/types."

That mean one or two passes of a head cleaning tape or factory cleaning of the heads???

I use a Panasonic AG-DV1000 Mini DV deck as my source deck. I shoot using a XL-1 and a GL2. I use Panasonic tapes after having a poor experience several times with brand new JVC tapes. Having the source deck definately saves wear 7 tear on my cameras.

As a backup source deck, I recently purchased a Sony TRV 17 Mini Dv camera but the bottom loading feature is a pain in the neck once the camera is connected to my computer (the wires get in the way of loading & ejecting).

JVC MiniDV/SVHS Deck and Premiere
 

I saw that you stated the JVC Combo deck had problems "printing to video in Premiere". Is this when trying to preview with a monitor attached to the deck? I'm buying a deck in the next month and am having a hard time choosing and finding information on these decks. I hear the Panasonic DV1000 is a good deck, but also heard this guys heads ran out after 100hrs. Any info would be appreciated.

Michael

I also use a ZR40 as a deck. Cheap, small, portable, and hey, it's a video camera too! :)

Hi folks,

One question: Doesn´t it matter what kind of deck/camcorder you use. If it is a DV unit, the import with Firewire/iLink will stay in the same quality as imported directly from the XL1s, for example?

Ivan

It's not the deck or cam you're playing the dv off of, it's the capture board you're recording (capturing) into.
The deck or cam should be sending straight digital info with no compression.

I use a Sony dsr-40. Love the various input and output connex- aka S video out, and flawless (knock on wood) machine control via Premiere and my DV500 (onboard capture card.) (the dv500 does change the input 'quality' into it's own codec. Tho they'll tell you it's lossless compression.)

ZR-40 as a deck?
 

Curious if anyone has used a ZR40 as a deck to save on the heads of their GL2. onecall.com has factory refurbished units for 350 bucks and they are a canon authorized dealer. I know they aren't a board sponsor but I don't think board sponsors are offering these units refurbished so hopefully I'm not breaking the rules. Just looking at options...

Max

Max,
I'm not a big fan of using small cams as decks for a variety of reasons, the most prominent of which are as follows.

1. Small, consumer cameras' transports are just not designed for heavy deck use, especially if it involves alot of cueing starts/stops.

2. If you ultimately end up buying a deck, you will have basically paid the price of the deck plus the price of one (or more) inexpensive camcorders for that deck.

On average, how many hours of footage do you capture in a week?

Some people have used the small cameras as decks with success. While tape handling is not very robust as would be the case with a real deck they are low cost, work for occasional editing, and give a limited backup camera capability as a bonus.

Is there a recommended robust deck that be can used to play back our little mini tapes? I ask this in follow up to the general discussion of whether you can get by with using a cheaper mini camera to serve as your deck.

Hello Barrie,
I really like the Panasonic AG-DV1000 deck for miniDV-only. I've used one for over 2 years and had no troubles. Firewire-equipped, great for captures, very robust, small and lightweight, under $1,000.

I've been using a Sony DHR-1000 for about 4 years now. Works well, and it does full size tape too, allowing projects up to 3 hours to be dumped to a single tape tape. It supports both FIREWIRE and LANC control.

cheapest deck ?
 

I've used my camera as a deck in the past but now that I'm getting a GL2 I'd prefer to find an inexpensive deck. I'm not a pro; at least I'm not currently making any money from this so I can only afford an inexpensive deck. Anyone done any research recently on inexpensive decks? I only need the most rudimentary functions. If there are no decks under $500 I'll probably get a refurb camera to use as a deck.

I've been looking for an affordable solution too. Cheap (less than $800.00 or so) VTR's do not exist. Probably because there is a fairly small market for such a soecialized piece of gear.
The average consumer/pro-sumer of a miniDV cam generally is not in the market for one, and the pro level user wants one that will work for pro level jobs (i.e. lots of hours of play time + with the features demanded by the industry).
So i'm just going to bite the bullet and get a JVC VS30U. It's about $820 from Pro-Tape or Zotz and it gives tha added bonus of being able to dub to S-VHS.

The other options are use the GL2 (if less than a couple hours of tape per week) or buy a basic consumer cam like the ZR40 (about $400)

Hope this helps,
c

I was thinking of buying a vs30U until I read some of the threads here and on dv.com. The vs30u has a bad rep for its firewire implementation. BUT, I don't own one and have never seen one. Your mileage may vary. You may want to do a bit more research before getting one.

Bud, the only miniDV deck you are going to get under $500 is a Canon ZR40 or similar camcorder. It's actually fairly ergonomic as a video deck. Sitting normally, you flip the LCD screen to sit flat against the camera, facing out, and have all the VCR buttons sitting right in front of you. The tape loads from the bottom which is so-so, but for the price, most people can live with it.

Plus it's a camcorder! Who couldn't use a second camera?

I use my ZR45 as a deck to save my GL2. But I essentially only import video from tape then edit and then usually export the finished product out to another tape (for archival). I don't use the cam for frequent or rapid tape repositioning, simplyt import a tape then export. IT work great for that and becomes a second bum around cam to use where I woudl not bring the GL2.

buydig.com has ZR40s for $409, ZR60s for $425.

I have a GL2 and am looking very hard at the ZR60 as a deck. Part of this is superstition, my thinking that my tapes will be safer if they are used only on Canon transports. And I do like the notion of having a backup cam.

But see the comments in the "ZR40 as Deck" thread in this forum.

Take a look at Panasonic Palmcorders- they're inexpensive and produce fairly nice video themselves. I use one and have had zero problems with it. And since many here use/recommend Panasonic Mini-DV tapes- we know their wont be issues with tape types......good luck.

That's interesting. I like the compact PalmCorders a lot and I do use Panasonic tapes. I realize the compact models are more expensive. One of the great benefits of the PalmCorders is that the tapes eject from the side or top, not the bottom.

I'll take another look at the regular PalmCorders. Thanks.

I use the ZR40 as a deck, and as a "fun" camera. (who wants to lug out an XL1 for birthday parties?)
It works great as a deck. I've used the Sony clamshell style (can't remember the model) portable deck, and don't think it was that much better (except for the LCD).
Plus you can't beat the price.

I opted for a JVC dual deck SR-VS30U. Not cheap, but does a great job. Also allows 1-touch dubbing between MiniDV tapes & VHS or S-VHS tapes -- either direction!! Additionally, I mounted a 19 in. Panasonic from WalMart's on top as monitor for both my editing-in-process work (using Pinnacle Edition) and for reviewing the tapes and cataloging them, which is a pain using a camera deck.

Effects of using an old camera as a deck?
 

Greetings,

As some of you know, I am a student and cannot afford a real mini DV deck to go along with my GL2 although I have my eyes on the Panasonic AG-DV1000 or the AG-DV1DC. I want to use my Optura Pi as a deck. The Optura Pi has gone through much stress and wear. I mixed many many tapes with Sony, TDK, and Panasonic tapes. With some of those tapes reused like 10 times or more. It was my first camcorder as I was introduced to digital video and NLE. The question is, after years of stress on the video heads of the Optura Pi, wouldn't it effect quality of the footage shot in my GL2 when playing back or importing into my NLE computer? I come to ask because to me, it sounds like debris (i.e. from lubricants of the tapes) on the heads from all that mixing can possibly makes its way onto the tape shot with my GL2. This also leaves a fear if I want to playback or record over the tape with my GL2. My Optura Pi has gone through much abuse, the dents in the body proves it.

???camera as a deck
 

Good Day, Phong.

Chances are, that the heads on your old unit need to be re-aligned, after long use.

Over all, I would guess that the GL2 has far superior electronics, to any prosumer equipment more than 3 years old.

Frankly, I would opinion, that you are the only one in position to determine the quality of any transfers between units.

The rest of us would be just guessing.

Good Luck.

I dunno I tried using my GL-1 as a deck for my DVX100 and for some reason I was getting a crackling noise in my audio. At first I thought it was distortion from the original recording but I tried capturing the tape right through the DVX100 and the audio crackle went away. Apparently that proves that some DV cameras aren't apt for capturing DV shot on another camera- why, I don't know.
So using and old worn out deck might not end up being your bottleneck. Just a heads up.
As far as the quality being any less I doubt it. It's digital it's either on or off....in other words if it's going to be glitched in some way it'll be in such a way it's easily noticeable.

Using an old camera as a deck
 

Glen,

Off hand I would suggest that your auto gain control of the audio on the receiving instrument, may have been engaged. It would therefore bring up an awful lot of crap.

If it can be switched off, give it a try.

I would also reiterate, any electronics over 3 years old, unless it is commercial, just can't handle the new equipment. Improvements have been that quick; and, that good.

Record deck choice
 

I've been using my XL1s as my record deck from the computer. I was recently told it might be better if I got another, cheaper deck for this task (so as not to grind the gears and whatnot). The person suggested a Canon ZR-60. Does anyone else have an opinion on this or any other possible (cheaper) deck solutions?

Thanks
Annie Cheatham

You could even use an older ZR45 (or ZR50, ZR55), which you may still be able to find available in certain stores with a warranty and which should cost noticeably less than a ZR60.

- don

You can buy a Canon ZR40 for around 350.00 dollars. I have one I use to mount to helicopter skids for exterior shots and other remote uses, and as recording deck for remote external lipstick-cams.

The picture quality is good, but noticeably inferior to the XL-1 in a side by side comparison. Then again what "isn't" inferior to the XL-1?

I used to use my XL-1 as a deck. That will eventually cost you $280.00 in tune-up costs at the Canon factory - which, by the way, I highly recommend.

My suggestion would be to save up for a real deck. I bought a brand new JVC HR-DVS2 on eBay for 800.00. Before you choke on the price - this is a dual deck system that consists of a DV deck and a Super VHS deck. Not only can I import clips from the DV deck and VHS deck, but I can also copy dv--->VHS, and dv<---VHS. And it saves my XL-1 wear and tear.

My philosophy is, if you can't afford it now, wait and save until you can. The short term, quick fix solution will always cost more in the long run, than it would have to buy the quality product.

Get the right product the first time.
(and trust me, I am not a rich person, but I have learned the joys of selling my no-longer-used toys on eBay to fund new equipment.)