JVC and Panasonic both make sub-$400 DV camcorders.

Go to your local Best Buy or Circuit City, they usually have a case of used and/or open box cameras. Last summer I bought a JVC camera for 250, but there are ones for lower.

I got my Panasonic DV52 for $350 new at B&H. You can get the "newer" DV53 for the same price. It's a nice little camera, all I can afford atleast. Mine is perfect in the recording/heads department, but the LCD went out a while ago, which bummed me out. Panasonic is the route to go, more reliable low end stuff then JVC, thats for sure.

You know what, that'd be a great product. A stand alone minidv deck.

There are mini DV decks, as well as Dv decks. However, they are more than the cheap cameras.

A while ago I saw a sony mini dv deck that fit in a 5.25" bay on your computer. It wasn't that expensive if I recall correctly. I WAS going to buy one, but they discontinued them.....bastards....anyone remember the product number, or know where i can get one?

I almost hate to say it but have you checked eBay for a used one?

buying new camera...vx-2000 or wait for vx-2100??
 

Hello.

i was just about to order a vx-2000 and then i saw all the various references on the web to the vx-2100, is it real? is it a nasty rumor?

i talked to my favorite video camera shop and they didn't know about it but they did say that the vx-2000's had been harder to get lately...

i had a project i was planning on doing in mid october, so i either need to rent a vx-2000 for this or go ahead and buy a vx-2000 now.

i'd hate to buy a vx-2000 and have a vx-2100 come out before the end of the year.

advice? feedback?

matthew

I doubt the new VX will be here in a few weeks. Personally, I would wait and just rent when I needed the use of a cam.

its just that when i do a project it is for a week at a time and it wouldn't take very many rentals to equal the cost of a vx-2000

matthew

Is there a "lesser" camera that might also strike your fancy and be what you need for the meantime (3 months or so)?
trv950
gs100k
Optura Xi
dv953

Now is probably a pretty good time to buy a VX2000, since the prices are good. I saw the Sony announcement about the new model, but I think it's being released in Europe first, unless I'm mistaken. The differences are not major, only slight improvements to an already solid camera--nothing that would make the original obsolete. I'm sure the link to the announcement is posted somewhere around here.

hmm...

now i have to think about it.

getting a 950 seems like a waste to spend almost as much for a lesser camera...

i used to have unlimited usage of a vx-1000 but i don't have that anymore and i really don't want to do this project with a 1 chip camera.

my plan until i saw the vx-2100 announcement was to get a vx-2000 with a beach tek dual xlr box and a samson airline micro.

the thing that threw me about the vx-2000 was wondering if it might have different audio i.e. xlr inputs? probably too much to hope for.

i had a hard enough time deciding to get a vx-2000 vs. a pd-150

matthew

I'm quite certain the new model won't have XLRs. Sony reserves those for what it considers its professional or "prosumer" cameras...otherwise people might not pay more.

Didn't the upgrade to the PD-150 come already? If that upgrade is anything like the VX2100 then you wouldn't be missing out on much.