dvx100a availability?

[Matthew de Jongh]

Hello.

i am about a week or so away from finally picking a camera and making the purchase.

i have it narrowed down to the pd-170 or the dvx-100

i have a project i want to do in mid-january and i want to get the camera now to get used to it before the project.

any clue when the dvx-100a is coming out? i called b&h and they didn't know what the dvx-100a was and asked me why the hell i wanted a dvx-100 if i wasn't absolutely going to film.

is the dvx-100a that much better that i'm going to kick myself for getting a dvx-100?

i'm still trying to weight the benefits of the dvx-100 vs. the pd-170

matthew

[Glenn Gipson]

>>any clue when the dvx-100a is coming out? i called b&h and they didn't know what the dvx-100a was and asked me why the hell i wanted a dvx-100 if i wasn't absolutely going to film.<<

Don’t ever take advice from a salesman. The DVX100 is not just good for going to film, that's nonsense.

>>is the dvx-100a that much better that i'm going to kick myself for getting a dvx-100?<<

I don’t know the answer to this one.

>>i'm still trying to weight the benefits of the dvx-100 vs. the pd-170<<

I say go for the DVX100 over the PD170, hands down. The PD170 is only a minor upgrade over the old PD150, and it’s basically selling itself off of the Sony brand name. In fact, the PD170 should not be compared to the DVX100, it should be compared to the DVC80.

[Jeff Donald]

It's at least 30 days on the DVX100a. I've talked to several dealers that expect them the end of January. I'm not sure Panasonic has an official US date yet.

[Matthew de Jongh]

so i have the project in mid january that i want to do and i have one in late february that i have got to do and i am tired of waiting to get a really good camera...

i used to have unlimited usage of a trv-900 and a vx-1000 but now i really need to get a 3 chip of my own.

if i keep waiting there will always be another new camera on the horizon.

if you were me and this assumes you know the dvx-100 and hopefully own one, would you just suck it up and get a dvx100 and not hold your breath waiting for the 100a to come out?

i don't want to rent anything and waste money on that, plus i want to get really used to the camera before the projects are to be done. renting just doesn't seem like a viable option. i can't imagine renting unless i already had one and needed an additional one for a specific time-frame/project.

matthew

[Barry Green]

Why would a salesman try to steer your towards a PD170? Hmmm... Salesmen (especially high-pressure salesmen) will typically try to steer you towards whatever's in THEIR best interest, not yours.

In any case, definitely get a DVX100 or DVX100A. The question "is the DVX100A worth waiting for" should be answered tomorrow -- when we know what the price will be (assuming Panasonic makes an announcement about it at DV Expo).

I have a DVX100, I love it to death and think you'd be very happy with it, but if the price difference is $500 or less, I'd say definitely go for the "A". If the price difference is $1000 or so, well, that becomes a more difficult choice, but at a difference of $500 the DVX100A over DVX100 is a no-brainer.

If I were you, with the upcoming projects as you have, here's what I'd do:

1) wait a day or two to hear what the official announcement of the DVX100A price & availability will be.

2) consider that even if the DVX100A is released in time, there may be backorders -- you may not be able to get one!

3) consider buying a used one off ebay, using it for your projects, then either just keep it, or re-sell it on ebay to recover your investment and then buy the DVX100A when they're easily available.

I wouldn't sell my DVX100 cheap just to upgrade to a DVX100A, but if I was in the market for a new camera I would definitely prefer the DVX100A, assuming the price difference is reasonable.

[Ken Tanaka]

Are these upcoming projects contract (paying) assignments or personal projects?

The DVX100A promises some notable changes to the camera. Renting a DVX100 for a non-postponable short-term commercial requirement makes perfect sense when compared to potentially missing this upgrade.

Renting may also make good sense if these are just personal hobby projects that cannot be postponed. After all, we're talking about a few hundred dollars of short-term rental expense -vs- several thousand dollars in committed capital.

I'd just advise you not to let emotional gear lust get in the way of practical financial decisions. Most of us tend to fabricate excuses for our own irrational behaviors which we later lament. (Spoken as a former victim of same.)

Think of sitting there at your computer one year from today. Your not-so-new DVX100 is on the desk next to you as you read threads titled like, "Hey Dudes, The DVX100A Rocks! It Makes the DVX100 Look Like Doggy Poo Poo"

How does that vision square with your current needs?

[Matthew de Jongh]

good advice.

all of my stuff is just hobbyist stuff.

my hang-up with renting is that the first project is at least 5-7 days and i haven't used a dvx-100 before, so i don't want to be in a panic to get it a few days earlier and rush to learn it, or worse, not quite learn it and the footage is crap!

where is the best place to rent a dvx-100?

i'm going to be buying the audio gear once i audition the few finalists i have it narrowed down to, so it will just be a matter of the camera.

also, is there a really extended run battery that folks have had good luck with? are there off camera setups that are recommended? i.e. belt packs? i've only use sony stuff and it was always np-950 batteries which would last quite a while on a vx-1000.

matthew

[Barry Green]

Hmmm... rental rates are hovering around $150 to $175 for a DVX100, so renting for seven days... that's $1000... that starts to not make sense. I'd definitely consider buying used, using it, then re-selling it, I'm sure you'll take much less of a hit than $1000!

For long-life batteries, the CGR-D54 is the ticket. It'll run for nearly six hours.

[J. Clayton Stansberry]

If and when someone finds out from DVexpo West the availabilty and price of DVX100a, please post!!!

Ouch, yeah, renting could be a problem. You are stuck in a hard place. You're going to have to bite the bullet one way or the other....buy the DVX100 and miss the 100a or pay $1000ish to wait for the 100a, or do as Barry said, buy the 100, use it and sell it used to upgrade to 100a, losing about $500ish (depending on use). The latter sounds good to me...but, then again, you're not me....good luck...

Or, buy the PD170 and miss 24fps?????

[Ken Tanaka]

Well, the rates that Barry notes (whew!) would wobble the decision scale a bit. I'm just not an optimist when it comes to the reliability of the resale market for consumer electronics, particularly if you're trying to sell after the 'A' is on the market.

Well, if nothing else you at least have some of the pro's and con's presented here, Matthew!

[Glenn Gipson]

>>Hmmm... rental rates are hovering around $150 to $175 for a DVX100, so renting for seven days... that's $1000...<<

Actually, there are 3 days in a rental week, so it would come to $450 a week (for 150.00 a day.)

[Charles Papert]

Matthew:

Try Boston Camera at 617-277-2200, a jaunt down the Pike. They rent the DVX-100 for $150 a day, and as Glenn indicated they would probably do a 3-day week.

Alternately, you might try tapping into the nascent Northampton/Easthampton filmmaking scene that I hear whispers about. It's possibly some cash-strapped filmmaker may be interested in making a few hundred renting out their camera for a week.

Agreed that it would be a tough time to buy a DVX100 right now, especially new. You could also keep an eye on ebay and various DV forums for people selling off their cameras in anticipation of the new model.

[Stuart Kupinsky]

Is anyone at DVExpo and have they asked the Panny folks when the 100A will be available in the states?

[Matthew de Jongh]

it's interesting, it was at the northampton film festival that i first saw the dvx-100 at the boston camera booth!

its a tough decision, i have two projects between now and late february and neither one can be put off, both are one time shots and both are multi day shoots.

one is 3 days in miami and then a road trip from miami to upstate new york with 2 more days in upstate new york.

the other is a convention that is 3 days long in late february.

both are just for fun and both have decent potential for film festival type submissions.

matthew

[Chris Hurd]

I'm at DV Expo West and will ask Pana tomorrow about their shipping date.