I wanna try a vx2100 but.... at DVinfo.net

Rusty Smith · January 22nd, 2004, 05:36 PM

Hey what’s up guys,

I got a quick question. Before I put down 2k on a camera (which is a lot for a poor college student) I would like to get my hands on it and make sure I like the way it feels, looks, performs, etc.

This is a problem because I am going to school in the booming metropolis of DAYTON, OHIO (whoo hoo!)

I have looked around but can find no one who caries 3CCD cams. Does anyone by ANY CHANCE know of a store in or around the Dayton/Cleveland area would I would be able to even hold a vx2100?

Thanks
-Rusty

Matt Stahley · January 22nd, 2004, 08:44 PM

Buy it you will love it trust me! ;) I was in the same boat when I bought my 2k and I have never regretted the purchase of the cam except I probably should have just got the 150. I was finally able to hold a GL2 and I'm sure its an excellent cam but I didnt care for the mostly plastic body.

Dustin Waits · January 22nd, 2004, 10:12 PM

I am in the same situation as you Rusty. I have a trv950 and I think its time to step it up to a vx2100. But my only problem is I am a poor 18 year old stuck between high school and college. When I bought my trv950 I lived on nothing but pop tarts for 3 months just so I could have the money to pay for it. (literally). And so far I have only made about $260 with it. (a 40 minute bmx video I made). I can't decide if its worth scrounging and scraping my pockets for the money to upgrade to the vx2100. I know the camera is much better than my trv950 and even its look alone will help me gain respect when it comes to filming as it looks a bit more professional than a trv950 does. If I don't ever upgrade I will probably just add nifty gadgets to my 950 to make it better such as an xlr adapter, lights, bigger batteries, lens adapters, etc. Soon I want to start doing wedding and event videos so that I can make more money. This is where I think the vx2100 will be most handy as its really important to look as professional as possible (while creating a professional looking video of course).

Can anybody clear this up for me? Is it worth going through the poverty to buy the camera?

Boyd Ostroff · January 23rd, 2004, 07:28 AM

Dustin, this may be wandering a bit off topic, but I suggest you think this through. I have a VX-2000 and also a PDX-10 (which is the "pro" version of your TRV-950). Now I don't know what you hope to gain by "upgrading" to a VX-2100... in my mind the main improvement would be the ability to film in very low light conditions. Is that really important to you? The TRV-950 should already produce better 16:9 footage than the VX-2100. All I know is that if I could only keep one of my two cameras, I get rid of the VX-2000 in a heartbeat.

The TRV-950 should be able to produce very high quality video; you've already got a better camera than most 18 year olds! You aren't going to get respect just because you use a VX-2100. Concentrate on producing good work and show the world what you're really capable of. The camera is only a tool. You need to earn respect for who and what you are, not for your camera.

There are of course cameras that would represent a signficant upgrade to the TRV-950, but I don't think the VX-2100 is much of a step up. The accessories you mention for the TRV-950 are all good. Why not buy these one at a time as you find a specific need? Do you have a good tripod already? That should be near the top of your list if you don't.

Just my personal opinion... and free advice is often worth exactly what you pay for it :-)

Dustin Waits · January 23rd, 2004, 07:53 AM

Thanks Boyd. I have been thinking it through really hard and realized that it is really not too much more of an upgrade. I have always known that the trv950 was a great camera, and I never would have gotten rid of it even if I did upgrade. That was another biggy pushing me to upgrade....so I could have two cameras rolling at all times. After I thought about it I realized if I just work a little harder/faster/better there is really no need in rolling two cameras yet. Untill I get my business set up. And when that happens I will have much more money anyways so it won't be so much of a hassle to buy a new camera. The 16:9 is better on the trv950 than the vx2100? I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for letting me know! I think I will go for the second route and use the money to buy better accessories for the camera I have now.

Money is really tight right now as I'm trying my best to save up enough money to move out. Half of my pay check every two weeks goes into a savings account that I don't touch. The other half is used for gas/insurance/food/bmx parts/video equipment.

I'll just slowly buy the most important things that I need to improve my setup. That way it should'nt affect my funds too much.

Boyd Ostroff · January 23rd, 2004, 08:14 AM

Sounds like you're on the right track Dustin! A lot has been written about the 16:9 capabilities of both the TRV-950 and PDX-10, browse through the forum. The PDX-10 clearly has an advantage in widescreen mode because it uses an expanded area of its megapixel chips to produce real 16:9. Unlike the VX-2100 which merely crops the image and uses only 360 vertical lines, the PDX-10 uses all 480 lines.

Now the chips are the same on the TRV-950, but for some reason (marketing no doubt) Sony deliberately crippled it. The widescreen mode is not the same; when you switch to 16:9 on the PDX-10 your field of view actually gets wider. On the TRV-950 it does not. This is apparently a firmware issue since the optics and CCD's are the same.

However, the results of tests that some users have run would imply that the TRV-950 still uses enough pixels to provide the full 480 vertical lines in 16:9 mode. So the bottom line seems to be that it produces better 16:9 images than a VX-2100 or PD-170, but not as good as a PDX-10. Now of course the PD-170 and VX-2100 have their own strengths, and have 1/3" CCD's vs 1/5" on the TRV-950 and PDX-10.

Mark Goodsell · January 23rd, 2004, 06:42 PM

I agree with Boyd. The TRV950 is a great cam. There are guys doing a lot with lesser cams. Concentrage on your content. I saw a documentry shot in the mid-east the other day that was shot on the TRV900. They got lots of covert footage and the image looked great. It was really well done and interesting. So, good things can come from a cam like yours. Keep an eye on Ebay and get a used Sony 10W/20W light that uses the same batteries as your cam. That will help improve your low light colors. Before I bought our VX2000, I was torn beteen the GL2 and 950. Outdoor tests revealed an image that I thought looked almost identical to the VX2000. Indoors it also looked good undre good lighting. When lighting was reduced more, colors and image noise increased on the 950. But it's a small cam and you can do a lot with it.

January 22nd, 2004, 05:36 PM	#1
Rusty Smith New Boot Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 10	I wanna try a vx2100 but.... Hey what’s up guys, I got a quick question. Before I put down 2k on a camera (which is a lot for a poor college student) I would like to get my hands on it and make sure I like the way it feels, looks, performs, etc. This is a problem because I am going to school in the booming metropolis of DAYTON, OHIO (whoo hoo!) I have looked around but can find no one who caries 3CCD cams. Does anyone by ANY CHANCE know of a store in or around the Dayton/Cleveland area would I would be able to even hold a vx2100? Thanks -Rusty

January 23rd, 2004, 06:42 PM	#7
Mark Goodsell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WI Posts: 367	I agree with Boyd. The TRV950 is a great cam. There are guys doing a lot with lesser cams. Concentrage on your content. I saw a documentry shot in the mid-east the other day that was shot on the TRV900. They got lots of covert footage and the image looked great. It was really well done and interesting. So, good things can come from a cam like yours. Keep an eye on Ebay and get a used Sony 10W/20W light that uses the same batteries as your cam. That will help improve your low light colors. Before I bought our VX2000, I was torn beteen the GL2 and 950. Outdoor tests revealed an image that I thought looked almost identical to the VX2000. Indoors it also looked good undre good lighting. When lighting was reduced more, colors and image noise increased on the 950. But it's a small cam and you can do a lot with it. __________________ Mark Goodsell

January 22nd, 2004, 08:44 PM	#2
Matt Stahley Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Waynesboro, PA Posts: 648	Buy it you will love it trust me! ;) I was in the same boat when I bought my 2k and I have never regretted the purchase of the cam except I probably should have just got the 150. I was finally able to hold a GL2 and I'm sure its an excellent cam but I didnt care for the mostly plastic body.

January 22nd, 2004, 10:12 PM	#3
Dustin Waits Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ft. Myers Beach, Fl Posts: 243	I am in the same situation as you Rusty. I have a trv950 and I think its time to step it up to a vx2100. But my only problem is I am a poor 18 year old stuck between high school and college. When I bought my trv950 I lived on nothing but pop tarts for 3 months just so I could have the money to pay for it. (literally). And so far I have only made about $260 with it. (a 40 minute bmx video I made). I can't decide if its worth scrounging and scraping my pockets for the money to upgrade to the vx2100. I know the camera is much better than my trv950 and even its look alone will help me gain respect when it comes to filming as it looks a bit more professional than a trv950 does. If I don't ever upgrade I will probably just add nifty gadgets to my 950 to make it better such as an xlr adapter, lights, bigger batteries, lens adapters, etc. Soon I want to start doing wedding and event videos so that I can make more money. This is where I think the vx2100 will be most handy as its really important to look as professional as possible (while creating a professional looking video of course). Can anybody clear this up for me? Is it worth going through the poverty to buy the camera?

January 23rd, 2004, 07:28 AM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Dustin, this may be wandering a bit off topic, but I suggest you think this through. I have a VX-2000 and also a PDX-10 (which is the "pro" version of your TRV-950). Now I don't know what you hope to gain by "upgrading" to a VX-2100... in my mind the main improvement would be the ability to film in very low light conditions. Is that really important to you? The TRV-950 should already produce better 16:9 footage than the VX-2100. All I know is that if I could only keep one of my two cameras, I get rid of the VX-2000 in a heartbeat. The TRV-950 should be able to produce very high quality video; you've already got a better camera than most 18 year olds! You aren't going to get respect just because you use a VX-2100. Concentrate on producing good work and show the world what you're really capable of. The camera is only a tool. You need to earn respect for who and what you are, not for your camera. There are of course cameras that would represent a signficant upgrade to the TRV-950, but I don't think the VX-2100 is much of a step up. The accessories you mention for the TRV-950 are all good. Why not buy these one at a time as you find a specific need? Do you have a good tripod already? That should be near the top of your list if you don't. Just my personal opinion... and free advice is often worth exactly what you pay for it :-)

January 23rd, 2004, 07:53 AM	#5
Dustin Waits Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ft. Myers Beach, Fl Posts: 243	Thanks Boyd. I have been thinking it through really hard and realized that it is really not too much more of an upgrade. I have always known that the trv950 was a great camera, and I never would have gotten rid of it even if I did upgrade. That was another biggy pushing me to upgrade....so I could have two cameras rolling at all times. After I thought about it I realized if I just work a little harder/faster/better there is really no need in rolling two cameras yet. Untill I get my business set up. And when that happens I will have much more money anyways so it won't be so much of a hassle to buy a new camera. The 16:9 is better on the trv950 than the vx2100? I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for letting me know! I think I will go for the second route and use the money to buy better accessories for the camera I have now. Money is really tight right now as I'm trying my best to save up enough money to move out. Half of my pay check every two weeks goes into a savings account that I don't touch. The other half is used for gas/insurance/food/bmx parts/video equipment. I'll just slowly buy the most important things that I need to improve my setup. That way it should'nt affect my funds too much.

January 23rd, 2004, 08:14 AM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Sounds like you're on the right track Dustin! A lot has been written about the 16:9 capabilities of both the TRV-950 and PDX-10, browse through the forum. The PDX-10 clearly has an advantage in widescreen mode because it uses an expanded area of its megapixel chips to produce real 16:9. Unlike the VX-2100 which merely crops the image and uses only 360 vertical lines, the PDX-10 uses all 480 lines. Now the chips are the same on the TRV-950, but for some reason (marketing no doubt) Sony deliberately crippled it. The widescreen mode is not the same; when you switch to 16:9 on the PDX-10 your field of view actually gets wider. On the TRV-950 it does not. This is apparently a firmware issue since the optics and CCD's are the same. However, the results of tests that some users have run would imply that the TRV-950 still uses enough pixels to provide the full 480 vertical lines in 16:9 mode. So the bottom line seems to be that it produces better 16:9 images than a VX-2100 or PD-170, but not as good as a PDX-10. Now of course the PD-170 and VX-2100 have their own strengths, and have 1/3" CCD's vs 1/5" on the TRV-950 and PDX-10.