VX2000 -- various topics

Mike Rehmus · July 11th, 2003, 07:22 PM

A three is fairly strong.

Don't leave the UV filter on if you are going to use the Soft F/X.

Too many glass surfaces. Only use one filter except in special cases.

Jan O. Norrman · July 12th, 2003, 01:19 PM

Thanks Mike for your help.

Jed Williamson · August 4th, 2003, 01:12 PM

I've saved my pennies and now have a budget of $2,500 for a camcorder. I was planning to buy a vx2000 for $2,349 But noticed that B&H has the new panasonic dvc80 for $2,399.

Is there any reason to buy a VX2000 over a DVC80?

Frank Granovski · August 4th, 2003, 01:39 PM

If this has you stumped, take a few weeks to decide. You don't want own one model, while wishing you had bought the other. Perhaps try and take both for a test drive before deciding. The VX2000 is a little better in low light I am told, but ther DVX80 has higher resolution and nicer color saturation. The DVC80 is also easier to hold and it has better controls. It may also have XLRs, not sure. The bottom line is that they are both great cams.

Darrell Sullivan · August 6th, 2003, 08:16 AM

Can anyone provide some input on how you handle accesories with the vx2000?

There is one accesory shoe on VX2000, but I find that I need to attach a shotgun mic to the setup as well as needing a light of some sort in dimly lit reception halls. The wedding I shot a couple of weekends ago I was forced to walk around holding a 20 watt lamp up by hand during the reception. That gets old after a couple of hours. I was wondering how others handle this.

Also, what do you use as a camera support? I tried a monopod, but found that this was not stable enough for my tastes (I have heard some people talk about a monopod with a foot. I haven't seen one so far so maybe that would work). Are the shoulder mounts of any value for the vx2000? If you do use a shoulder mount do they have any kinds of accesory shoes or other means that camera accessories can be safely attached? I am thinking of adding an external firewire drive gizmo and having another item hanging over my shoulder (I already have a 6 amp hour batter hanging there for the light) with a cable running to the camera does not excite me. I keep seeing these image of my tie intertwined with a bunch of cable around my neck.

Don Bloom · August 6th, 2003, 09:57 AM

Darrell,
I don't use the 2000 but I do use the PD150 so it's pretty much the same. Where to start? OK, in no particular order;
here's what I "wear" on my camera for a wedding reception (ceremony is slightly different)-PD150 with a WA lens-ALWAYS-(I love my WA) ME66 shotgun in a Sony CAC12 mic mount-a Bescor 50W light with a homemade softbox/diffuser to bring it down to 15-20W; HEADPHONES, ALWAYS; battery belt for light. (many time a wireless receiver with the mic for interviews) Thats the basic rig-now as to how I support it- that will depend on a number of things; I might use a tripod on a dolly for intros and speeches, or like last week, I used a monpod (Bogen 628B;with feet) or I might use a shoulder brace from Studio1store that I made a bracket for my wireless receiver and pop riveted on the shoulder of the brace-helps balance it out-remember the 2000/150 are front heavy to begin with. I don't use the handle on the shoulder brace but with my right hand in the strap of the cam and my left hand on the focus ring (I almost always manual focus) it's fairly comfy. BTW, if I don't use the brace with the wireless, I velcro it to the battery (I use a Lenmar15 hour battery that sticks out about an inch from the camera and no I've not had any issues with the Lenmars-I own 3 of them) I turn the receiver so the antennas are facing to the right so I can use the VF and yes it's heavy but ocne you figure out the balance point, it's very easy to hold and use.
Now for the real kicker, more often than not I just handhold the rig. I use the VF not the LCD and then I become the tripod-of course if you're moving around then it's better with the LCD so you can cradle the camera but if you're not moving I find the VF works out better for me.
OK, thats what I do, I'm sure other have their own ways too. You're probably going to have to play around a little to find out which works best for you.
Don B

P.S.
Accessory shoe; there are brackets that connect that have 2 shoes so you can solve that problem. I don't know who makes them perhaps someone can let you know.
Don

Brian Wood · August 6th, 2003, 10:18 AM

There are many accessory shoe brackets at B&H like this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh3.sph/...ID=F710314ED00 or this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh3.sph/...ID=F710314ED00 there are others aswell. I dont use either of these so I cant tell you how good they work, bur I assume they do fine.

Brian

Tom Hardwick · August 7th, 2003, 02:13 PM

I've sent you an email Darrell showing the VX2k I use, decked out for wedding work. It's a bit heavy but I see no way round that, and the hefty L bracket is an absolute boon for stabilising those long shots.

tom.

Mark Goodsell · August 9th, 2003, 01:06 PM

Hmmm... seems to be a no-brainer to me. I own the VX2000. It's a great cam. It has great low light + wonderful picture ... love it a lot. I wanted to buy the DVX100 when I bought our cam, but it had just come out and was more than I could see spending. The 80 hadn't come out yet. If I were buying a new cam today I'd go with the DVC80 or DVX100. The 80 has got XLR audio ( plus, built in mic for quick shots), built-in WA lens, Larger LCD/viewfinder, better zoom controls, better audio - SMPTE time-code , better focus, greater zebra-stripe selection.

You may or may not need all those features, and the 80 is going to be heavier. If you go with the VX2000, you will have a nice cam. Another cam I'd look at would be the JVC GY-DV300. But compared to the 80, they just don't have the features in my mind. Good luck

Mark G

Marcello Mongardi · August 13th, 2003, 11:44 PM

I have shot some footage and when I play back the audio and video seem simultaneously to drop out at times, as if someone had edited out a frame or two. This is during playback on the camera. If i rewind and play back the tape again, the problem persists, but to a lesser or greater degree, with the drop outs coming at different points from before. Thus, I deduce that the footage is all there. Why the drop out? Is it a form of dropped frames?
I bought the camera used and was one Panasonic tape into it when i changed to Sony. This is my first Sony tape. Could that be it?

I am worried.

Marcello

Mike Rehmus · August 14th, 2003, 02:14 AM

Yes it could be the change in tape brand.

Try cleaning the heads several times with a cleaning tape.

5 seconds per cycle only. 1 minute between cleaning cycles to let the heads cool down.

Maybe do this 3 times, then record and test the playback on a new tape.

Hopefully that will fix the problem. Otherwise a manual cleaning of the heads will be the next step. The third step is to send it in for factory service.

Jakub Koter · August 17th, 2003, 12:25 AM

My vx2000 is skipping when i play back the tape.. its skipping the audio .. never had a prob with the video .. I tried cleaning with tape shape cleaner.. and didnt notice much differance.. i even tried playing a tape recorded on another camera..

any help?
thanks

Jeff Donald · August 19th, 2003, 06:35 AM

If the cleaning tape doesn't work, it's time to send it to Sony or a local repair company you trust.

Marcello Mongardi · August 19th, 2003, 07:34 AM

Jakub,

I am having the same problem. I just bought a cleaner tape, but now i read that it made little difference for you. Please let me know what you find out, and i will do the same. See my post " VX200 playback scaring me."

Marcello

Marcello Mongardi · August 19th, 2003, 10:43 AM

Mike and everyone else,

I am losing audio in the playback of my tapes. If I rewind and play back again it will play bits that prviously were missed, but will cut out other parts. It is definitely a playback and noit a recording problem. It does remain, however, a problem.
Mike advised a cleaning tape. I followed instructions with my sony cleaning tape. No luck. How should I clean manually (his advised next step)? Could someone walk me through it fairly (painstakingly)? I would hate to clean the wrong thing with the wrong cleaner etc.

Thank you all again.

Marcello

July 11th, 2003, 07:22 PM	#331
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	A three is fairly strong. Don't leave the UV filter on if you are going to use the Soft F/X. Too many glass surfaces. Only use one filter except in special cases. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

July 12th, 2003, 01:19 PM	#332
Jan O. Norrman New Boot Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 13	Thanks Mike for your help. __________________ jon

August 4th, 2003, 01:12 PM	#333
Jed Williamson Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 175	vx2000 over dvc80 (any reason why?) I've saved my pennies and now have a budget of $2,500 for a camcorder. I was planning to buy a vx2000 for $2,349 But noticed that B&H has the new panasonic dvc80 for $2,399. Is there any reason to buy a VX2000 over a DVC80?

August 6th, 2003, 08:16 AM	#335
Darrell Sullivan Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 42	Accessorizing the VX2000 Can anyone provide some input on how you handle accesories with the vx2000? There is one accesory shoe on VX2000, but I find that I need to attach a shotgun mic to the setup as well as needing a light of some sort in dimly lit reception halls. The wedding I shot a couple of weekends ago I was forced to walk around holding a 20 watt lamp up by hand during the reception. That gets old after a couple of hours. I was wondering how others handle this. Also, what do you use as a camera support? I tried a monopod, but found that this was not stable enough for my tastes (I have heard some people talk about a monopod with a foot. I haven't seen one so far so maybe that would work). Are the shoulder mounts of any value for the vx2000? If you do use a shoulder mount do they have any kinds of accesory shoes or other means that camera accessories can be safely attached? I am thinking of adding an external firewire drive gizmo and having another item hanging over my shoulder (I already have a 6 amp hour batter hanging there for the light) with a cable running to the camera does not excite me. I keep seeing these image of my tie intertwined with a bunch of cable around my neck.

August 9th, 2003, 01:06 PM	#339
Mark Goodsell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WI Posts: 367	Hmmm... seems to be a no-brainer to me. I own the VX2000. It's a great cam. It has great low light + wonderful picture ... love it a lot. I wanted to buy the DVX100 when I bought our cam, but it had just come out and was more than I could see spending. The 80 hadn't come out yet. If I were buying a new cam today I'd go with the DVC80 or DVX100. The 80 has got XLR audio ( plus, built in mic for quick shots), built-in WA lens, Larger LCD/viewfinder, better zoom controls, better audio - SMPTE time-code , better focus, greater zebra-stripe selection. You may or may not need all those features, and the 80 is going to be heavier. If you go with the VX2000, you will have a nice cam. Another cam I'd look at would be the JVC GY-DV300. But compared to the 80, they just don't have the features in my mind. Good luck Mark G __________________ Mark Goodsell

August 4th, 2003, 01:39 PM	#334
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	If this has you stumped, take a few weeks to decide. You don't want own one model, while wishing you had bought the other. Perhaps try and take both for a test drive before deciding. The VX2000 is a little better in low light I am told, but ther DVX80 has higher resolution and nicer color saturation. The DVC80 is also easier to hold and it has better controls. It may also have XLRs, not sure. The bottom line is that they are both great cams.

August 6th, 2003, 09:57 AM	#336
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Darrell, I don't use the 2000 but I do use the PD150 so it's pretty much the same. Where to start? OK, in no particular order; here's what I "wear" on my camera for a wedding reception (ceremony is slightly different)-PD150 with a WA lens-ALWAYS-(I love my WA) ME66 shotgun in a Sony CAC12 mic mount-a Bescor 50W light with a homemade softbox/diffuser to bring it down to 15-20W; HEADPHONES, ALWAYS; battery belt for light. (many time a wireless receiver with the mic for interviews) Thats the basic rig-now as to how I support it- that will depend on a number of things; I might use a tripod on a dolly for intros and speeches, or like last week, I used a monpod (Bogen 628B;with feet) or I might use a shoulder brace from Studio1store that I made a bracket for my wireless receiver and pop riveted on the shoulder of the brace-helps balance it out-remember the 2000/150 are front heavy to begin with. I don't use the handle on the shoulder brace but with my right hand in the strap of the cam and my left hand on the focus ring (I almost always manual focus) it's fairly comfy. BTW, if I don't use the brace with the wireless, I velcro it to the battery (I use a Lenmar15 hour battery that sticks out about an inch from the camera and no I've not had any issues with the Lenmars-I own 3 of them) I turn the receiver so the antennas are facing to the right so I can use the VF and yes it's heavy but ocne you figure out the balance point, it's very easy to hold and use. Now for the real kicker, more often than not I just handhold the rig. I use the VF not the LCD and then I become the tripod-of course if you're moving around then it's better with the LCD so you can cradle the camera but if you're not moving I find the VF works out better for me. OK, thats what I do, I'm sure other have their own ways too. You're probably going to have to play around a little to find out which works best for you. Don B P.S. Accessory shoe; there are brackets that connect that have 2 shoes so you can solve that problem. I don't know who makes them perhaps someone can let you know. Don

August 6th, 2003, 10:18 AM	#337
Brian Wood Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: East Lansing, Michigan Posts: 77	There are many accessory shoe brackets at B&H like this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh3.sph/...ID=F710314ED00 or this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh3.sph/...ID=F710314ED00 there are others aswell. I dont use either of these so I cant tell you how good they work, bur I assume they do fine. Brian

August 7th, 2003, 02:13 PM	#338
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I've sent you an email Darrell showing the VX2k I use, decked out for wedding work. It's a bit heavy but I see no way round that, and the hefty L bracket is an absolute boon for stabilising those long shots. tom.

August 13th, 2003, 11:44 PM	#340
Marcello Mongardi New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Location: New York, New York Posts: 24	VX2000 playback is scaring me I have shot some footage and when I play back the audio and video seem simultaneously to drop out at times, as if someone had edited out a frame or two. This is during playback on the camera. If i rewind and play back the tape again, the problem persists, but to a lesser or greater degree, with the drop outs coming at different points from before. Thus, I deduce that the footage is all there. Why the drop out? Is it a form of dropped frames? I bought the camera used and was one Panasonic tape into it when i changed to Sony. This is my first Sony tape. Could that be it? I am worried. Marcello __________________ Red means run, son.

August 14th, 2003, 02:14 AM	#341
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Yes it could be the change in tape brand. Try cleaning the heads several times with a cleaning tape. 5 seconds per cycle only. 1 minute between cleaning cycles to let the heads cool down. Maybe do this 3 times, then record and test the playback on a new tape. Hopefully that will fix the problem. Otherwise a manual cleaning of the heads will be the next step. The third step is to send it in for factory service. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

August 17th, 2003, 12:25 AM	#342
Jakub Koter Tourist Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1	vx2000 sound skipping surring playback My vx2000 is skipping when i play back the tape.. its skipping the audio .. never had a prob with the video .. I tried cleaning with tape shape cleaner.. and didnt notice much differance.. i even tried playing a tape recorded on another camera.. any help? thanks

August 19th, 2003, 06:35 AM	#343
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	If the cleaning tape doesn't work, it's time to send it to Sony or a local repair company you trust. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

August 19th, 2003, 07:34 AM	#344
Marcello Mongardi New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Location: New York, New York Posts: 24	Jakub, I am having the same problem. I just bought a cleaner tape, but now i read that it made little difference for you. Please let me know what you find out, and i will do the same. See my post " VX200 playback scaring me." Marcello __________________ Red means run, son.

August 19th, 2003, 10:43 AM	#345
Marcello Mongardi New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Location: New York, New York Posts: 24	VX200 playback problems Mike and everyone else, I am losing audio in the playback of my tapes. If I rewind and play back again it will play bits that prviously were missed, but will cut out other parts. It is definitely a playback and noit a recording problem. It does remain, however, a problem. Mike advised a cleaning tape. I followed instructions with my sony cleaning tape. No luck. How should I clean manually (his advised next step)? Could someone walk me through it fairly (painstakingly)? I would hate to clean the wrong thing with the wrong cleaner etc. Thank you all again. Marcello __________________ Red means run, son.