this is symptomatic of a worn out head. exactly how many hours have you run tape, including playback hours? take it in for a professional head cleaning and perhaps this will help. this is a semi-pro camera, it might have an hour meter somewhere that a tech can read.

I am not familiar with those cameras but suggest that they will not be suitable. Mikes attached to a camera limits your camera use. How will you record sound if you are not shooting the speaker at the time? For example if you are shooting a reaction. Will you be able to shoot long shots or be limited to close ups?
Ideally you should mike each of the actors with a radio mike but that will be too expensive, so a boom mike would be the best option. I would use the sound recorder on the camcorder to avoid problems with synchronisation. However, this will mean an additional person on your crew.

If you look at the front of the camcorder, as you face it, on the lower left side there are 2 switches labelled Input 1 and Input 2. Depending on which one you are using, switch it to "MIC". Also, go to your "Recording Setup" menu and make sure that Input 1 or Input 2 doesn't have it's volume turned down.

Get the A1. Period. The A1 is the same as the DVX except newer, HD, and made by Canon.

I have owned both and have shot both professionally. The DVX100B is older and is SD, whereas the A1 does 1080i HD. No, the DVX does NOT do native widescreen. It has a fake "squeeze mode" to mimic it, but it is not native, as the A1 is, and has much less quality.

The cameras are pretty comparable otherwise. There is no doubt that you should go with the A1 at this point unless there's some reason you need SD. HD is 6x the quality of SD. Yes -- SIX TIMES -- so you'd be throwing an awful lot of quality out the window if you were to get the DVX instead. Get the A1.

Again, I've owned both, and also have samples of videos I've shot with each of them, so let me know if you want to know more.

EDIT: After looking at the other answers, I had to respond because I cannot believe this. HD is not "overrated." It is not a small tiny increase. It is a SIXFOLD increase in quality. I do agree with the last commenter that your lighting is much more important than your camera, but the camera still matters, and the price difference between the DVX and the A1 is so miniscule in comparison to the quality difference that you're just wasting cash if you spend almost as much money for far less quality.

Totally agree with Little Dog, both cameras are great!! Typically, the DVX100B is more popular among filmmakers while the PD170 is more popular among event videographers and news broadcasting.

Sound: Both have equal potential as both have dual balanced XLR terminals for professional external microphones.

Low Light: The PD170 has a slight edge over the DVX...it's famous for being a low light wonder, which from my experience, is absolutely true...the DVX100B also is very proficient in low light. Typically, if low light performance is very important to you, you may want to avoid HD cameras (or at least don't use them in HD mode), as they are generally a lot worse in low light (but that's totally understandable, considering how much more information is being captured in HD).

Decent Battery Life: No camera in the entire world has excellent batteries right out of the box...you have to buy the larger batteries. In this case, the PD170 has better batteries. The NP-F970 battery for the PD170 is one of the best things ever created. It has a 9 hour capacity (or something insane like that), and never gets lazy, because there is no memory effect (so theoretically, you can charge it a million times, without losing its capability to hold a full charge).Actually, you may not even need the NP-970...I haven't upgraded from the included NP-F570 on my VX2100 (very similar to the PD170), and I have had no problem with it...it holds a good 2 hours or so...But again, the DVX100B batteries are also very very good, they just don't have quite the reputation of the PD170.

Automatic/ Manual Zoom: Don't know what you mean by "automatic zoom" cuz I've never heard of a camera that zooms for you...Perhaps you mean "Servo Zoom" in which the speed is controlled, giving you flawless zooms. Well then yes, both cameras are switchable between full manual, and servo zooms. The PD170 actually zooms in 3 places (there is a zoom ring, a zoom rocker, and a mini-zoom rocker for servo zooms)

And yes, both are miniDV and allow for external microphones...

I know how it seems that I am raving about the PD170, but in the long run, the DVX100B has many many advantages...The most noteable is the DVX's ability to record in true 24p (24 Progressive Scan) for the "film look", which is a must for a filmmaker seeking an artistic edge, but not too too important for a videographer/ news broadcaster...But if you want to do anything "theatrical" in any sense, 24p may be something to look for. The PD170 does not have 24p, nor does it have any real Progressive capabilities. It does offer a "Progressive Scan mode" but it's pretty crappy, very grainy, horrible in motion, so pretty much unuseable.

END OF IMPORTANT PART______________________
And just in case, here are some HD alternatives within your price range:
1) RED SCARLET: (aka the best camera in the world) for $3,000 (not available until 2009). This is truly a revolution in digital cinema. HD is an understatement here. It's actually about 3 times the resolution of HD (I believe I did that math right...); we're talking Ultra High Definition...it's called 3K RAW. Scarlet will be the obvious choice for filmmakers, but not all that necessary for the average videographer who is just looking for a nice HD, or even SD master...anyways, 3K may be overkill, unless you plan on a theatrical release....Still, it's price and capabilities are pretty amazing!!!

2) Canon XH-A1: a favorite among event videographers. $3,300...It's a nice, solid 1080i HD camera, that is pretty easy to use. It's an HDV camera, so there shouldn't be any post-production problems, though HDV isn't the best HD format (it is a bit compressed). However, HDV is an excellent starting point, and is the best choice in a consumer camera/ beginning prosumer camera. On a side note, the XH-A1 has NO 24p and NO Progressive scan whatsoever.

The sonyhandy camcorder is the best for you as you indicated, although there are many variant out there in the market. Visit http://digitalcameras.fateback.com/Camco…and
http://digitalcameras.fateback.com/Camco… you will see many different types of camcorder.

You staying in Argentina is not a problem, after buying your camcorder online, it will be shipped to your supplied address.

You can still request for return if you are not satisfy at last.

Not sure I understand the question. The dvx100 will record & play back mini dv tapes.

I own and use an FX1 and have used a DVX100B a few times...

On the FX1's lack of XLR connectors for audio in - this is easily remedied with a XLR adapter (from juicedLink or BeachTek).

The Panny's 24p/30p is a differentiator if you need that "look". Also, on the DVX100B, it's 16:9 seems anamorphic - like it is not true 16:9, but it fits in a 4:3 window (with black bars top and bottom - letterboxed) when I import to my video editors. It could just be my set-up and lack of an appropriate codec. The FX1's 16:9 is really 16:9 (whether DV or HDV) and the letterboxing symptom reported with the DVX100B is not present.

I don't have both of them but I found this reviews from user "The DVX100b is cheaper than the XL2 but you get more features. Aside from the compact and built in XLR ports, you get an optional flip out view finder which the XL2 doesn't offer. If you are looking for a non HD camera i would suggest going with a camera that has an optional 24p because you'll be getting your money's worth and it is a awesome feature to have..."
you can find more reviews

We don't know what they are sending to you so we don't know if you will have a Mic or Line feed.

We also don't know what event you will be recording... I try to NEVER do a board mix. Of all the audio folks I know, only one can send a properly mixed discrete AUX send that sounds acceptable (for live music).

The Sony DCR-VX1000 is a standard definition prosumer cam. The major difference between it and a pro-grade is the VX1000 uses 1/8" (3.5mm) audio in. To use pro-grade XLR connecting mics, you need an XLR adapter like those from juicedLink or BeachTek. The VX1000 has not been made for a few years.

The Panasonic AG-DVX100b is a standard definition pro-grade camcorder. It uses XLR connectors for audio in. The DVX100b can be purchased new, from Panasonic.

In both cases, the lenses are big, the imaging chips are big and the must-have controls are readialy available on the outside of the camcorder - not buried in a menu like consumer grade camcorders.

That's an excellent question...and it's a hard decision to make, so I will explain the pros and cons of each. Of course, one of the biggest factors in any decision is price, and consumer HD camcorders would be much much cheaper. At the same time, consumer HD camcorders will have more pixels, meaning a higher resolution than a prosumer SD camcorder. The HV30, in particular will give you an extremely clear picture in a higher resolution than the DVX100B.

However, HD or not, prosumer camcorders offer many features that a consumer camcorder will not. First of all, as you have mentioned, prosumer cameras have 3 image sensors (the DVX100B has 3 CCDs) as opposed to single chip consumer camcorders. 3 chip camcorders offer you increased sensitivity, meaning better color reproduction. Another feature in a prosumer camcorder is manual controls. Many people overlook the importance of good manual controls, but they distinguish filmmakers from simple family vacation videomakers. Manual controls allow you to fully manipulate your image, and personally, I hate the manual controls on the HV20 (similar to the HV30). I tend to leave it in automatic, as it's such a pain to manually adjust it. Normally, this would be a key deciding factor, but it's hard to say, as the HV20 and HV30 are excellent in automatic mode. It has the fastest and most accurate autofocus I have ever seen. Still, for artistic reasons, I'd prefer manual controls.
Also, the DVX100B offers dual XLR audio inputs, while the HV30 only has a simple minijack. The XLR inputs allow for much better microphones to be connected for crisp audio. It may not seem that important, but audio quality is almost more important than picture quality. However, you can upgrade your minijack to XLR with an XLR adapter, like those made by Beachtek. Some minijack microphones are decent though. I really like my RODE VideoMic.

In a short recap, here are the pros and cons of each:
________________
Consumer HD:
PROS: cheaper, more pixels= higher resolution, easy to use, small and compact
CONS: poor manual controls, lower quality audio connections (if any), HD=takes up more space on computer, and harder to edit, 1 image sensor

________________
Prosumer SD
PROS: 3 image sensors= better color reproduction, manual controls, pro audio connections,
CONS: lower resolution, big and bulky, more expensive, more complicated

I know it's a hard decision to make, but whatever your decision, I'm sure you'll be satisfied....they're both excellent cameras.

well, I hope that helped a bit, and best of luck

The significance is determining how many hours have been put on the tape deck, which is one of the most susceptible things to age and use. It's good if the owner used the same brand of tape every time and used a tape cleaner every once in awhile.

It's also important to ask the owner if they used the tape deck for playing back footage, which will wear it down. If the owner used a separate tape deck for playback and capturing footage, this is a huge plus. Asking questions like these is good for getting a feel for how well the owner treated their camera, the general condition of the camera and that of the tape deck.

The Panasonic AG-DVX100 standard definition camcorders are workhorse, pro-grade camcorders. It is a pretty complex camcorder - though it can be a "point and shoot", too.

As a pro-grade camcorder, it has easily accessible manual controls: focus, zoom, white balance, aperture, audio control and lots more. There are a ton of additional controls withing the menu. As well, pro-grade camers use XLR mic connections which allows use of good - real - mics. They also have much larger lenses and imaging chips than consumer grade camcorders (which is what allows the pro-grade camcorders to behave so much better in low light.

For what is is worth, this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OceiMha21…
and the other videos from the same band that day were shot on three DVX100s and I know that because I was on one of the cameras.

So, it is a combination of things that make it a good camcorder. Just so you know, the DVX100 has been manufactured by Panasonic for several years. If you are buying a $1,000 DVX100, it is a used camcorder. A new one is more like $3,000.

The PAL version records 25 fps but so far I've never heard of a problem connecting with a computer in the States.

Two questions! No, yes.

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/W…

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM11-CN-SM11…

The others from AudioTechnica and Sennheiser (among other manufacturers) connect to XLR-M (mini) meant to connect to a bodypack which may be wireless (so you need the wireless base-station to connect to your camera's full-sized XLR jack or a wired body pack that connects to your camera's full-sized XLR jack...

Either would work fine - the HV20 has an amazing picture and costs about $2000 less than the Panasonic. If all you're going to be doing is making YouTube vids, I'd go with the Canon and save some $$$. End result will be no different.


Both cameras are excellent, and you would be satisfied with either one. Most likely, you'll probably want to lean towards the HV20 because it is cheaper and has better resolution being an HD camcorder. However, if you are thinking about posting your footage on the web, you will need to compress it a lot, so it won't be HD by the time its on Youtube. Still, I really like the HD capability on the HV20, and the color saturation is excellent!!! One thing that is not so great about the HV20 is that its manual controls are poorly laid out, and hard to use. Aperture, White Balance and Shutter speed must be adjusted through the menu and the manual focus is manipulated by an annoying litte dial on the side of the camcorder; I'd prefer a focus ring. With that said, the DVX100B is one of my personal favorite cameras, despite being Standard Def. and has excellent manual controls. The DVX, being a pro camcorder has another advantage in its 3CCDs as opposed to the single CMOS sensor in the HV20. I really like 3CCDs for their accurate color reproduction. The DVX100 also has dual XLR mic inputs, while the HV20 has a single mini-stereo input. The XLR input will allow you to use pro mics on the camera, as opposed to the mini-stereo input, which limits you to the consumer quality mini-stereo mics. This shouldn't be a huge factor in your decision, because the audion must be compressed as well going on the web, and you will do fine with mini-stereo mics (the RODE VideoMic shotgun is excellent). The DVX also has a cool little feature called 24p. 24p is a mode that simulates the pleasing artsy look of celluloid film on digital camcorders. The DVX is the top of its class when it comes to 24p, and was a long time favorite of indie filmmakers for that reason. The HV20 supposedly has a 24p mode, but I do not like it as much; it seems as though it just degrades the picture, making it grainy.

All in all, if Youtube videos is your only purpose for the camera, the HV20 is probably the better choice as it is a mere $800 in contrast to the $2500 DVX100. I have used the HV20 several times, and the only major setback is its lack of good manual controls like any other consumer camcorder nowadays; its best left in auto mode as I have messed up shots in the past while playing with its manual controls.

My personal preference is with the Panasonic DVX100b, that thing is like the AK47 of video camcorders.

Yes, don't worry.
The DVX100B is a miniDV camcorder, so you have limitless options. MiniDV is, for the moment, the most universally accepted format that will is recognized on everything from Windows Movie Maker to Avid Media Composer. FCS included.
If you're worrying about 24p, that's not a problem either. I believe FCS was one of the first programs to support the Panasonic DV-24p codec when it came out a while back.
...my school uses FCS and we edit everything on it; miniDV, DVCAM, HDV, Panasonic DVCPro. Before we made the switch to HD, our main cams were the Panasonic DVC200 and DVX100A, which we edited in FCS.

It depends, but in my opinion the Panasonic DVX100B has a relatively small learning curve. If you have some background in filmmaking, you should have no problem. As long as you know the basic manual controls such as manual focus, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc. you should be great! When I first used a prosumer camcorder, I began with the Sony VX2100, and later the DVX100, and I was virtually able to use them right out of the box. Of course, it is important to know basic things like camcorder care (lens, heads, etc) tape loading, and how to work the firewire transfer, so you don't screw up the camcorder. However, I don't think you could have chosen a more user-friendly prosumer camcorder. The Sony VX2100 and PD170 are a bit more straight forward and simple, but the DVX will be more rewarding years from now!
The thing I really like about the DVX100B is that it gives pros what they need, and nothing more, unlike the Canon XL series camcorders, that have too many features, so it is easy to screw up.

...good luck!

The Rode NTG-1 is a good mic. You can get a kit that includes the mic, a mount, and cable for about $250.

You will need a firewire cord with 6-pin to 4-pin connections

Once you have connected your camcorder to your MacBook, you can use final Cut Pro to Log and Capture all the video on your miniDV tape. Watch this video:http://motionpicturecentral.com/content/…

Panasonic Pro AG-DVX100B - (W x H x D): 5-1/2 x 6-5/16 x 14-3/8 inches
Weight: 3.75 pounds, 4.19 pounds with battery and cassette

sony fx7
Height: 6.25 inches x Depth: 13.75 inches x Width: 5.75 inches
Weight: 3.6 pounds

Do you have the gain switched on? Are you focusing right?

Shooting with auto-focus in progressive mode, I've found that the automatic focus takes a little longer to focus in 24p, 24pA, or 30p than in 60i. Manual focus would then be something to try when you're shooting progressive.

As for gain, make sure your gain is set to "L" whenever possible, and make sure that in the menus, you've set low gain to be 0 db. Have that gain off whenever possible - that causes grainy images. It should be a last resort, ONLY used when you have low light, can't light the scene any other way, have your shutter speed at its minimum, and have your iris opened all the way.

720 resolution? You are talking about the DVX100b, correct? This is a standard-definition camcorder and shoots 480i. 720 would be the horizontal resolution (720x480, referred to as "480i"). Just making sure we're on the same page.
Source(s):
Owner of Panasonic AG-DVX100B

A good mic through a field mic mixer and then into the input on the camera should be adequate. Do a test to make certain your levels are properly adjusted. Lots of people do it that way.

If you are laying down an image on tape and shooting synchronous dialog, it would probably be easier to monitor your sound levels recording to the same tape. I don't know what kind of sound recording software you have, but if you have some sort of professional sound recording suite with your mac you may already know which is best. Obviously if you are shooting on location and not next to your computer you should go into the camera. Some professional shoots utilizing the dvx100b will record dual system sound either to a DAT set up or a hard drive specially set up for sound recording and synched with SPMTE time code which would be recorded on one of the two audio channels available on the camera. Obviously digital sound is going to be cleaner, but if you are primarily concerned with distribution on Youtube, the presentations are so compressed for bandwidth (they are all converted to adobe flash or something similar) that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'm giving you what I know about sound but my experience comes mostly from observation as I am a cameraman for a living.

Um... what kind of mic is it?
This should work...
http://store.homeavcables.com/44-186.htm…
Get at least two...

The Panasonic DVX100B uses XLR connections for mic input.

The AudioTechnica AT-897 is a short condenser shortgun mic. It needs a AA battery - or it can use phantom power from the DVX100B. This mic connects to the camera with an XLR mic cable.

You will probably also need a mic-boom pole, a shock mount and a zeppelin (also known as a "dead cat") to eliminate wind noise.

You can find a nice one at the Fumfie.com

The DVX camera has been a great one for the past 5+ years and is still a really good DV camera. Unfortunately, if you're looking to put together a film for distribution, then you should hold off and pick up an HD or HDV camera. If you're just starting out, then I'd check out some of the consumer level stuff from Canon -- the HV40 (or its predecessors the HV20/HV30), which runs for around $800 and puts out some fantastic 24 fps footage (the HV20/HV30 can both be found for quite a bit less these days and are quality cameras). There have been a lot of fantastic shorts and music videos shot on the HV40 line of cameras and even a few features. Plus, there are a ton of accessories which allow you to take your camera to the next level.

I would say the former and not the latter.

I'm about to go film at windells, mt. hood!!!!

anyway, I really like both cameras for different reasons.

The fx-7 has a stronger optical zoom 20x, which is very important in framing your jump shots. the 100b is limited to 10x. advantage, sony although, fully zoomed out, the dvx is 29.5 wide vs the 37.4 on the sony. for filming skating with/without a fisheye, the dvx would be wider therefore better.

The dvx uses 3 1/3 inch ccd's whereas the fx 7 has 3 1/4 inch cmos sensors. the sony has a minimum illumination rating of 4 lux vs the dvx's 3 lux. that means the dvx is going to be better in low light than the fx 7, but the fx 7 is using cmos sensors positioned in a way to get 1080i (hdv) and also uses less power than the dxv's ccds. (also whem shooting into the sun there is less smear with the fx7)

they're both 4:3 inputting but the sony stretches and outputs 16:9 therefore advantage sony. all snowboarding films are 16:9. the lcds are the same size on both but the sony's has more pixels 250,000 vs the dvx's 200,000.

they both have film emulating settings and frame rates but sony does have a slow motion frame burst that will actually be useful for action sports.

the prices vary so much on the internet with scams and whatnot so I went with B&H because they're legit. you can find some cheaper but you never know. the dvx is $2500 and the fx 7 is $2000. big advantage to sony.

quality might have to go to the dvx but durability might favor the fx 7. I've held and researched both cams and my personal taste would lean towards the more up to date and cheaper fx 7

panasonic DVX100 is an excellent even it is non HD.The image quality is excellent and in many cases looks about as good as broadcast TV video (nonHD), and the camera allows a tremendous amount of image control--manual focus ring, aperture (iris), gain adjustment, shutter speed, zebra control for overexposure, white AND black balance adjusting, daylight filters.The lens by Leica is also impressive

The Canon XL1 is much better suited for long range shots.
It is a bit old, but the XL1 still has quality image sensors.
If you are going to do more close ups and indoor shootings, I would recommend the DVX100B.

Any professional shop has what you need. Try Fumfie.com for example: Fumfie.com