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Firewire issue…
We recently sent our dvx100 to have a repair done to the lens assembly and the service informed us our VTR board was fried. He indicated this was most likely caused from the firewire connection…connecting the camera to our editing computer while the camera was powered up caused a short which caused the problem. According to him, this is a recurring problem in the 100. Has anyone else had or heard about this issue and can direct me to some sort of write up on it?
Thanks!
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6 Replies
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Which tech said this? This is a recurring issue in general of people using camcorders as editing decks but it’s not specific to DVX100s. It’s best to use a proper editing deck like a DSR-11 and above all avoid hot swapping when you can.
Noah
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I don’t understand? It is not a good idea to use your 100a to transfer video to your computer via firewire?
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the DVX is a camera and the VTR section is not really designed for a lot of playback. It is not as rugged as having a dedicated VTR. I have a Panasonic 2600 connected to my computer instead of using the Camera VTR section whcih was not really designed for heavy use and lots of playback and scrolling.
I use the camera as the digitizer in emergencies only.
David
Peace and Love 🙂
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I’ve seen reports from FX1/Z1 owners, HD100 owners, DVX owners, all complaining about the same thing — blown firewire ports.
Firewire was designed to be hot-swappable, but in reality it doesn’t appear to be a good idea. Most of the reports seem to be centered on the Mac; I don’t know if it’s because Mac laptops usually feature six-pin firewire ports whereas my PC laptops all have 4-pin… maybe hot-plugging 4-pin is safer, but using a six-to-4 can apparently cause the issue.
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I have the same problem my cam won’t work with Firewire, I live in the UK where could I send/take the camera to get a new board, and how much is it going to cost me roughly?
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This has happened to me 3 times. After the second repair, I was very careful not to plugin the camera with it or the computer turned on, but it happened again. The DVX100 1394 port is poorly made.
Anyway, Mack Camera informed me that they would not honor the warranty on the third repair and that it would cost me $525 for the part. They won’t charge labor, but the I would imagine that it would be around $200 for labor if they did, so you’re looking at around $700-$800 in repairs plus shipping.
I decided not to repair it and just buy a cheap Panasonic GS300 for my transfer needs. The bonus is that I can also use it as a backup b-roll cam, plus my wife can use it to tape the kids.
Moral of the story: follow everyone’s advice and don’t use your DVX100 for transfer. Buy an inexpensive panasonic mini-dv for that. Also, make sure you never hot swap. It’s not worth the risk.
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