So, I've looked around a lot for a quality miniDV player that would compliment my Canon Xl2 and my soon to be Mac Pro. Everything I have found seems to be overly expensive and crappy sony and JVC products. Is there a quality deck out there without a screen that i could plug into my computer via firewire?
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MiniDV Player
- Thread starter Jopling
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Whatever you do, AVOID the JVC SR-VS30 (it may have a different product number) dual-deck, consumer-ish model. HORRIBLE. Drops frames on EVERY SINGLE imported clip. Footage captured with this deck is 100% unusable. Grrrrrr.Jopling said:
Jopling said:
I have an Optura 200 that I use as a vacation camera/deck in conjunction with an XL2 to save wear on the XL2's transport. Works just fine for me. I was a bit unclear as to whether it would work shooting 24p on the XL2, but Canon assured me that it's only data going over your firewire. I have not once had any problem.
You might want to consider a miniDV camera off of eBay.
What features are you looking for in a deck? You're pretty much going to be spending $1k to $1.5k for a deck so if you are just looking for a way to save wear on your XL2's heads you might just want to buy a cheap camera off ebay.
Lethal
There was a bad run of these decks that came out of the factory. I got mine before those hit the shelves and have been using it problem free for over 4 years.pdpfilms said:
Lethal
If you are working with an XL2 I would recommend a prosumer like deck.
The Sony GVD-1000 I have. I like becuase I can take stuff to go, use it as a little monitor in the field and record to it via firewire. Err, iLink... whatever... mini firewire. I think its still a $1,000 though... its nice.
The Sony GVD-1000 I have. I like becuase I can take stuff to go, use it as a little monitor in the field and record to it via firewire. Err, iLink... whatever... mini firewire. I think its still a $1,000 though... its nice.
Thats alright that its around 1k. It just kind of ruffles my feathers how so much film equipment, especially tripods and dollies are so expensive when really they are so cheap to manufacture. Really, how much could a basic dv deck cost if every single DV camera has the capability? I thought I would more than likely have to turn to using a DV Cam. Any suggestions for a cheap reliable DV camera?
Niche products for a niche market. Economy of scale is a big part of it. They are gonna sell way more cameras than decks so they can charge less per camera. Also decks typically have higher grade tape transports than the cameras, more in's and out's, and a ton more features when you start getting into the $5k range of DV decks.Jopling said:
Anyway, the DV stuff is relatively cheap. A Sony JH3 ("low-end" HDCAM playback only deck) costs around $20k. An HD, CRT Sony monitor plus add-on cards so the thing can actually accept an HD signal is around $15k.
Pretty much any camera will do. Just don't spend too much money and plan to replace it in a few years if you use it a lot.
Lethal