Dinosaur?

[Mark Moore]

This may not be the appropriate place to ask this question, but this board has the most knowledgeable members of any other similar board!

My brother gave me (I think to get it out of his house!) the following camera and accessories (all Panasonic):

AG640 power pack
AG2400 VHS portable deck
AG7400 SVHS portable deck
WV-V3 Three TUBE (that's right, tube) S-VHS camera
Several battery packs, hard case, shotgun mic, etc.

I took it because, "what the heck, why not?", but now it's sitting in my apartment! I thought I might try to sell it, but don't have a clue as to what it is worth, if anything. In reading through posts (via a search on this board), it seems that SVHS is a quickly dying breed, and a three tube camera is akin to a Kodak Brownie!

But on the off-chance that someone out there knows this system, perhaps they would be so kind as to tell me what I should expect for it (if I were to offer it or put it on eBay or something). My guess is that shipping would 'double the price'!

I only assume it's in good shape (looks very impressive!). He bought it from his company's A/V department when they upgraded several years ago, but he never used it (bought a HI-8 camera instead). He's now retired.

Thanks for your two cents.

[Mark Moore]

It's that bad, huh?

My brother and I talked today and if I did happen to find someone who, for whatever reason, wanted a TUBE camera, the shipping would come close to doubling the selling price!

I was told the lens was probably worth more than the camera, so I may sell the lens and shotgun mic . . . or just keep the set up and use it as a really great prop - when needed! (Maybe to impress novices!)

Thanks anyway.

[Jeff Donald]

The camera is useless. Not worth the time or effort to even ship. Try selling on ebay if you must. The S-VHS deck (AG 7400) was state of the art in the late '80's and was about $3,000 for the package. I see them selling on ebay now and then and if in working order will make very good VHS copies. The 6400 is just OK as a deck goes. The 640 is a DC power supply and battery charger. It may be the most vaulable piece you have.

[Mark Moore]

Thanks Jeff. I don't have to sell it, I just don't know what to do with it! But that's what my brother and I figured out also - (we both attended an ADOBE editing seminar/sales pitch today!) - that the camera and kit is too big and heavy to ship using eBay, so I should either use what I can, or sell it for parts and throw the rest away.

If the lens (I haven't looked at it closely yet) is a standard bayonet mount lens, it may be something worth selling. I want to try out the shotgun mic and see if it is any better than the one on the GL1. I may also try to use the SVHS deck to make copies from the GL1, if I can figure it out!

As for the power supply, I figured that was the most useless piece! It comes with a charger and three huge battery packs, but I assumed that it was made strictly for the camera, therefore not worth any more than the camera itself!

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I need a bigger apartment!