How can I check hours of usage?
 

Is there a way to get the vx2k to tell me what the head hours Are without sending it in to service?

Second question.....
I have read about the wide angle lenses... Has anyone used the bayonet mount Kenco? Do you like it?

thanks,
glenn

Beale's Corner has info about the head hours issue, from what I recall. My buddy has the Kenko Pro wide and tele for the VX2000, but the screw-in type. They are very good adaptors, which come with filter threads on the front; many adaptors do not.

I never heard of Beale' corner. Where is it?

thanks,
glenn

What?? This must be the Holy Grail for all Mini DV film-makers. Go immediately (if not sooner) to:


http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/index.html

And bookmark it. You'll never need to ask a question here again - just use the excellent search engine.

I have a Kenko (with two ks) and like it very much, but it's not a zoom through.

tom.

I just looked there, and the discussion centers on the TRV-900, not the vx-2000. Perhaps this is applicable however:

"The camera stores the running time (hours of drum rotation time) up to 9999 hours 59 minutes in internal, nonvolatile memory. Also stored is the date (year/month/day) of initial user power on, and the date of the most recent condensation event ("dew" indicator). Memory is maintained by an internal +3V lithium battery, not user accessible. Reset may possibly clear this memory (?). You can only read out this data if you have the RM-95 service remote though."

There's info about the RM-95 here: http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/rm95.html

Sounds like more than I would want to get into personally...

HRS Meter PD150
 

Can someone give me a definitive explanation as to what those darn numbers mean on my camera? What's 10H, etc.?

Those are the number of hours the camera has been in use for different operations EXCEPT for "Threading"---that's time 10 the number not hours. IOW, "DRUM...4" means the tape drum has run 40 hours you times the number by 10; for threading you also times by 10 but it's not hours it operations, IE; "Threading...12" meand the cam has performed 120 threading operations.
It's real early for me, I did a very late wedding and have only had 2 cups of coffee so I'm a little foggy yet but that's the jist of it. For more info read the manual or go to urbanfox, they have a good explaination about stuff like that.
Don

VX 2000 hour Meter
 

Hi All,
Been lurking here getting info on what camera to get,
and today I got it. VX 2000 -but I purchased it from E-Bay.
All seems fine with it but I want to check if it is new or
used. How can I access the head hour meter info from
the menu?
I rear the book and can't find how to do it.
Also, anything special to check to make sure it is a USA model?
Thanks-- Jim

Unfortunately the VX-2000 does not have the hour meter menu function like the PD-150 and PDX-10.

At bealcorner there's an article about the trv900 however which says it stores the info internally and it can be read using a device called an "RM-95 Service Remote". There is also a software emulator for the remote. Perhaps the same technique would work with the VX-2000?

http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/service.html

PD-150 Hour Meter
 

Hello everyone,
This my first post so please excuse me if this has been covered.

I'm looking at a used PD-150 Can someone explain what these hour meter numbers mean???

Operation
19x10H
Drum Run
11x10H
Tape Run
5x10H
Threading
39x10

Thanks Dave

The camera has been powered up for 190 hours, the drum has turned for 110 of those hours, the tape has run for 50 hours and the camera has been threaded 390 times.

It is explained in the manual. If you don't have a manual, you can download one from Sony at this URL

http://www.sony.ca/dvcam/manuals/DSR-PD150.pdf

Thank you Mike, I'll check Sony's site.

It seems to me to be a lot of usage. What kind of camera life can one expect?

Camera life is a matter of economics and parts availability.

Somewhere between 500 and 1000 hours the heads will require replacement. I think Sony expects 1200 hours or so.

It sounds like a camera that has been in commercial use for a year? What is the serial number?

Mike Rehmus said:

Somewhere between 500 and 1000 hours the heads will require replacement. I think Sony expects 1200 hours or so.

Mike,
Is this the OPERATION, or DRUM number to which you are referring?



Right now my PD150 is at
OPERATION
75 X 10

DRUM
28 X 10H

TAPE RUN
16 X 10H

THREADING
84 X 10

Consequently, does this mean that the camera will basically fail soon, and if so what are the costs to fix it?
Thanks in Advance.
Justin

Justin,

I don't think you understood the numbers. Unless something breaks, the first thing you should worry about is head wear. You are at 280 head hours Which is about 1/4 of the expected head life according to Sony. I've got 800 head hours on my DSR-20 and over 600 hours on my DSR-300. They both work OK.

Figure a $800 dollar bill to rebuild your tansport and replace the heads when it comes time. That's assuming that you need service within the 7 year after build date flat rate system Sony has.

I have a VX1000 that has a sticky zoom, uses a bit too much battery and probably needs the viewfinder flex circuit replaced before it fails. Armato's quoted $1600 for the repairs. Too much for such an old camera since a new 2000 is only about $600 more. The VX1000 is over 8 years old now.

Thanks Mike.
That was what I had hoped was the case. At the rate I use it, I am looking several good years left.

I have been wondering this for awhile, that is what the difference is in terms like heads, drum, transport, etc. I have an intuitive sense about what they mean, however it is nice to have it cleared up.

Regards
Justin

Okay now the follow up question, what is threading?

Loading a tape

Good News from Sony
 

I called Sony out of paranoia that one day I would have change parts and rebuild transports and all that. It all seem silly to me that after only 1200 hours on something that costs over $3000 Sony would expect another $3000. 1200 MTBF ( Mean Time between Failures) I mean my flash for my DSC-707 or my 35mm Canon has a better MTBF. Anyway I called Sony, using the link that Mike has provided in another thread and found out that Sony would refurbish the camera for a flat rate of $550.00. The CSR explained that the camera will all meet or exceed Sony's specs after this process has been done and $550.00 will include return shipping. All you would need to do is call them as well and ask for a repair order. That's cool.

Garret,

You misunderstand the terminology. Sony expects the HEADS to last 1200 hours. Real world experience suggests somewhere under 1,000 hours is more realistic.

Heads wear out and this is an expected maintenance item of any camera. Just like tires need replacement on a $30,000 automobile.

The $550 flat-rate offer from Sony will not be on the table when the camera is more than 7 years old. Then they charge time and materials.

Where did you get the $3000 figure?

Mike, I understood it quite well, actually which feeds my paranoia more. To put this into my perspective, a $3000 camera has the same MTBF as a flash bulb for for digital camera? My HVL-1000's bulb has a rating of 1000 hours. So, with the DSR-PD150 having a mean time between failure of 500 to 1000 hours because its heads will probably require to be replaced, they would have the same MTBF. I guess what I'm getting at is that our $3000 camera needs a major overhaul when the meter shows a drum time of 100 X10H. Using your analogy, tires are about $400+ for a $30,000 car, is not a big expense and is easier to fathom than a $800 service on a $3000 camera which is roughly 25% of the total cost of the unit. It would be more like a complete drivetrain overhaul $8000+ on a $30,000 car to put it in the same perspective.

I hope this makes you understand where I'm coming from. I guess my whole point revolves around the idea, of what happened to the days when one can purchase a TV (RCA, Curthis Mathis, etc. ) as a newlywed, that your grandchildren would be able to enjoy. Also, we save and work hard to get $3000 to buy the camera with the clock ticking rather quickly (1000 hours, which is the same life as a flashbulb.)

Or a better analogy would be buying a Hasselblad or Mamiya or Leica camera back when my father was a young man (50's-60's) that I can actually still use and quite possibly my daughter when she reaches the age of majority. (tongue in cheek)

And yes, I know I figured that by the end of the 7 years after the last market date of the DSR-PD150, when Sony will no longer have the parts to support or rebuild the camera, that the refurbish cost will definitely be much more, if even possible.

Mike, I guess maybe I don't have a good realistic sense of the relative time of 1000 hours will/can be. I'm basing this on comparing the specs you have shared along with what is published about a flashbulb I was expecting the camera to outlast the flashbulb by a factor of 10 at least.

What I know is that with the very short time I've owned my camera my operation time is at 3 x 10H, the drum is at 1 X 10H basically just playing around with it and shooting my wife's baby shower in which I let the camera on most of the day and the knowledge that when the meter reaches 100 X10H I will be expecting to be rebuilding the transport.

I know it is not your specs, but I guess I thought they built these things much better than that. I guess it is true that they don't make 'em like they used to.

Garret, it's that way whether you paid $500 or $50,000 for your camera. The heads are rotating against an abrasive medium and they wear out. The head life delta across all cameras/VTRs regardless of format is only about 2:1. The best of them give out after 2000-3000 hours of rotation against tape. But the sub-sub-miniature marvels that allow DV recording are the smallest of the lot.

That's why lubrication is so important to head life and why I run only Sony tapes. They should know which lubricant leads to better head life.

Consider how small a video head is . . . with a micron gap. The head doesn't wear all that much, it's just that the gap opens up and stops the recording process. The same thing that happens to audio tape recorders.

I'd guess the problem will go away when we all have cameras that write to disk or memory.

I add $10 per recorded hour to my expenses to cover camera and VTR head repairs since not only do I run my camera, I also run the VTR about 2X that on every job.

This is not an inexpensive business as you know. Heads are consumables just like tape.

Beginning to learn that rather quickly. I guess it is all part of the game: heads, tapes, batteries...Mike you don't use a separate VTR or perhaps a cheap MINIDV cam?

BTW, I wandered into your street this weekend, you live by Hogan High School, huh?

I use a DSR-20 deck, not a camcorder since I have to use the 3 hour cassettes for some of my work. And my DSR-300 does not have firewire.

I live one block up from Hogan. The yellow house at 737.

I didn't want to knock and disturb yeah, but yeah I think I passed by your house...I got lost looking for Cunningham Pool, turned out to be on the opposite side. Must be quite a pain when school season is in with all those darn cars parked on your street.
No ilink on the 300? What NLe do you use?

pd150 question regarding hrs. meter...pls help
 

I am looking to purchase a pd150 with "low hours." Unfortunately that statement seems to be quite subjective. Kinda like used car ad's "showroom quality" claim.
Can anyone suggest a range that I should be looking at (especially for people asking 2700 or so $. I know that with the prices of used ones so close to the prices of new ones maybe 0 hrs might be best, but as a true American I am trying to get the best deal (save some $). Thanks.
Greg

At $2700, I'd expect 10 or fewer hours. No scratches or dings, very clean, all accessories including the original carton and manual. Sales receipt to them would be good too. Any extended warranty docs.

Serial number somewhat close to what is in the stores now (you don't want a 4 year old hanger queen).

Check with Sony to see if you can find a repair history on the camera (I don't know if they track serial numbers in the repair shop but they can tell you when the camera was built).

Frankly, at $2700, I'd go buy a new one for 20% more unless I knew the history of the used camera and the owner. Personally.

Thanks Mike. That is kinda of the number i was thinking. Is there one number (total hours, threading, heads, etc) that should concern me if it is high (ie:used as deck for FCP).

Head hours is the one critical point if you ignore the others.

OTOH, I'd not want a camera that had a thousand hours of power-on time with everything else low.

In decending order of importance to me:

Head hours, - Head wear indicator

Threaded hours - Length of time the transport springs are stretched out and tape is wrapped around everything.

Load cycles - Number of times the loading mechanism has been cycled which is a stressful time for the camera

Power-on - 2000 hours equals a normal working year (ROT)

So if it has 10 head hours, 2000 threaded hours, 1 load cycle and 2000 power-on hours, you know it sat around loaded but not used much. Security? Web cam? Who knows.

Head Hours
 

eBay has a PD150 for $2700, no original charger/AC Adaptor, Portabrace, Century Optics .65x, head hours are 550 and a FP960, I emailed the seller for more meter reading to get a better concept on how this thing was used. Can you guys tell me if this is a good deal or is this highway robbery...Since I can get a new one with no nours for a little less. Thanks.

Update
 

He emailed me these numbers:

103 x 10 operation
53 x 10 drum run
31 x 10 tape run
112 x 10 threading

I bought a brand new PD150 last week at a local camera store for $2785. I guess it's a fair deal you're getting there.
Lucas

Re: Head Hours
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Garret Ambrosio : eBay has a PD150 for $2700, no original charger/AC Adaptor, Portabrace, Century Optics .65x, head hours are 550 and a FP960, I emailed the seller for more meter reading to get a better concept on how this thing was used. Can you guys tell me if this is a good deal or is this highway robbery...Since I can get a new one with no nours for a little less. Thanks. -->>>

Hi Garret,
For what it's worth, based on my purchase of a used PD150, that price seems rather high. Mine, from eBay with shipping was $2050 and about the same hours. Included was 2x wide angle, original charger/AC adaptor, 960 battery, etc.

If you can get a new one for less, why not go for it?

<<<-- Originally posted by Lucas Hall : I bought a brand new PD150 last week at a local camera store for $2785. I guess it's a fair deal you're getting there.
Lucas -->>>

Lucas, what a great deal you got! Where exactly did you buy the pd150 from?

head hours on a VX2000?
 

I know that menu access allows you to see various head hour accumulations with the PD150, but does anybody know if there's a way to access that same info on the VX2000?

tom.

I would never buy used so close to new price, remember you can get a 960 battery for about $45 new on eBay and a WA for $200 on B&H. You can get the PD150 here

http://centraldigital.com/cen.cfm?fuseaction=cen.proPage&product_id=965

You need to hook it up with one of those machines, Tanjin? Something like that.

A wired RM-95 which is now, I think I've heard, hard to get and somewhat expensive. Then it gives you the numbers in Hexadecimal.

build your very own widget - get the parts from Maplin

http://lea.hamradio.si/~s51kq/DV-IN.HTM

also you can get the PDAs from Beales site

Interesting, John. Have you used this?