VX1000 General Discussion (gear/set-ups, filming/editing, tips/advice, etc.)

[CHONGO]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Any tips on keeping your VX warm when filming in colder weather? Whenever I'm filming in 40 degree or less temperatures, my manual focus stops working and auto focus takes over despite manual focus still being selected.

[close]

Its pretty hard to do so. When I was living in Washington in the winter time the vx was sometimes not even useable because it got so cold. Pretty sure I seen someone put a bunch of hand warmers on the outside of it. Was most likely a joke but it might work a little haha.

I know a group of dudes that make snowboarding videos with the vx and as far as I know they don't have a problem.

[close]

I film in SLC, UT. I take the VX out regularly in 0-30 degree temperatures and haven't had many, if any problems. Batteries don't last as long, but that's about it for me. Maybe I'm lucky.

Shit the second I would take mine out. It would start glitching so bad. Batteries would die so fast.

[mattchew]

My old US VX didn’t fare well if it was below 35, Japanese one was good though. 

[kanyewesticles]

For those of you with off brand VX batteries that don't "pop" out of the battery compartment when you take them out, do you have any tips? I was thinking of putting some velcro on the end of the battery facing out, and keeping the other side of the velcro in my camera bag so i can help pull the battery out of the compartment.

[CHONGO]

For those of you with off brand VX batteries that don't "pop" out of the battery compartment when you take them out, do you have any tips? I was thinking of putting some velcro on the end of the battery facing out, and keeping the other side of the velcro in my camera bag so i can help pull the battery out of the compartment.

I just take a pocket knife. Velcro would work, but would you still be able to shut the door?

[doyle]

I use a little piece of tape like a pull-tab.

[kanyewesticles]

I use a little piece of tape like a pull-tab.

Smart and simple, thanks!

[pedro_mayn]

Damn why didn't I think of that bahaha.

[WadeDes]

Has anyone any experience with these tapes?

I can get a sweet deal on a bunch however I'm not sure if they are any good quality and if it would be a good deal.

[CHONGO]

Has anyone any experience with these tapes?

I can get a sweet deal on a bunch however I'm not sure if they are any good quality and if it would be a good deal.

I mean if its worth it. I have never used anything besides sony tapes before. Too much of a hassle to switch and hope the footage doesn't glitch

[Jordan Wiens]

basically anything other than the sony tapes are "dry" tapes. the sonys have a lubricant on them to help the age of the tape heads but other brands do not. it won't affect quality, or at least i haven't seen any quality drop, but it will affect longevity or at the very least the time between professional head cleanings. i used maxwell tapes when i first started but have used sony's for the last 10 years.

[pedro_mayn]

Has anyone any experience with these tapes?

I can get a sweet deal on a bunch however I'm not sure if they are any good quality and if it would be a good deal.

(Someone correct me if I'm wrong with this following statement)

My understanding with other brands of tapes are that they should be fine image wise but if you can find that brand's head cleaning tape, use that first of all and they should be good to go. I don't really know much about 'swapping' brands as I've always gone with Sony tapes, however I don't think you'll experience anything with a drop in quality that will be noticeable.

basically anything other than the sony tapes are "dry" tapes. the sonys have a lubricant on them to help the age of the tape heads but other brands do not

That's the important fact - just don't go constantly inbetween brands and if you have to, make sure to use head cleaning tapes or you'll give your camera what my mate calls it 'tape aids'.

[globe fusion]

so if im not mistaken, sony tapes are basically impossible to find, correct?

[Thomas]

so if im not mistaken, sony tapes are basically impossible to find, correct?

You can find some on eBay, craiglist, old stock of camera stores or things like that.
But yes, it's becoming kind of hard...

[jwdharris]

I sold all of my VX1000 gear to @vx_doc towards the end of last year.

Keep an eye out for it. 2 mint VX1000s, 7 batteries, around 30 sealed Sony tapes, etc.

[Olympus Mons]

Expand Quote

Found batteries for 22 bucks... Free shipping too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/351216194651

[close]

Good looking out. Just ordered 2. Will report back on how they are.

These batteries are insanely good. One battery will last a whole day of filming. I've never had a vx1 battery last so long, jussayin.

[globe fusion]

would any issues arise if i switch brands of tape?

has anyone ever tried fujifilm tapes?

[pedro_mayn]

would any issues arise if i switch brands of tape?

has anyone ever tried fujifilm tapes?

If you look up above there's a conversation about swapping tapes.

Use a head cleaner tape if you're swapping over.

[BJM]

Any Canadian's here? Been trying to find some new batteries for my vx1 but haven't had much luck lately finding any one that ships to Canada (Ontario).

Anyone know of anyone that ships vx batteries to Canada ?

[pedro_mayn]

I had a savage lens hit on the weekend (noseslide on a sticky ledge + axle to the lens = equivalent to a gory crime scene).

Now I'm looking for a mk1 front element or a lens its self, but people want absolute mental money for it now. PM me if you do have one and want to sell like.

But I wanna know, any experience here of sending it in for repair? Time frame? And if you're in the Europe let me know if you have sent it, too.

I'm in the UK, so it'll be that bit more of a ballache. I've sorted a spare lens to tie me over if I go down that route and it's gone for months anyways.

[Thomas]

I had a savage lens hit on the weekend (noseslide on a sticky ledge + axle to the lens = equivalent to a gory crime scene).

Now I'm looking for a mk1 front element or a lens its self, but people want absolute mental money for it now. PM me if you do have one and want to sell like.

But I wanna know, any experience here of sending it in for repair? Time frame? And if you're in the Europe let me know if you have sent it, too.

I'm in the UK, so it'll be that bit more of a ballache. I've sorted a spare lens to tie me over if I go down that route and it's gone for months anyways.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I actually sent my lens to Century for repair, it was during this Christmas break so it took approx 6 weeks to get my fisheye back (I'm in France).
The front element is 400$ and the labour cost is 150$/hr (in my case 225$).

I had to add 200€ of import taxes, so in the end I paid 700€...

[pedro_mayn]

Expand Quote

I had a savage lens hit on the weekend (noseslide on a sticky ledge + axle to the lens = equivalent to a gory crime scene).

Now I'm looking for a mk1 front element or a lens its self, but people want absolute mental money for it now. PM me if you do have one and want to sell like.

But I wanna know, any experience here of sending it in for repair? Time frame? And if you're in the Europe let me know if you have sent it, too.

I'm in the UK, so it'll be that bit more of a ballache. I've sorted a spare lens to tie me over if I go down that route and it's gone for months anyways.

[close]

I'm sorry to hear that.

I actually sent my lens to Century for repair, it was during this Christmas break so it took approx 6 weeks to get my fisheye back (I'm in France).
The front element is 400$ and the labour cost is 150$/hr (in my case 225$).

I had to add 200€ of import taxes, so in the end I paid 700€...

Thanks for the info, glad to hear it didn't take too long as I thought it would, especially during COVID.

I'll be more than happy to wait for that time frame especially with not actually being able to go to any filming with the British weather and stricter COVID restrictions.

Just out of curiosity; is the email address [email protected]?

[Thomas]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I had a savage lens hit on the weekend (noseslide on a sticky ledge + axle to the lens = equivalent to a gory crime scene).

Now I'm looking for a mk1 front element or a lens its self, but people want absolute mental money for it now. PM me if you do have one and want to sell like.

But I wanna know, any experience here of sending it in for repair? Time frame? And if you're in the Europe let me know if you have sent it, too.

I'm in the UK, so it'll be that bit more of a ballache. I've sorted a spare lens to tie me over if I go down that route and it's gone for months anyways.

[close]

I'm sorry to hear that.

I actually sent my lens to Century for repair, it was during this Christmas break so it took approx 6 weeks to get my fisheye back (I'm in France).
The front element is 400$ and the labour cost is 150$/hr (in my case 225$).

I had to add 200€ of import taxes, so in the end I paid 700€...

[close]

Thanks for the info, glad to hear it didn't take too long as I thought it would, especially during COVID.

I'll be more than happy to wait for that time frame especially with not actually being able to go to any filming with the British weather and stricter COVID restrictions.

Just out of curiosity; is the email address [email protected]?

Yep, I saw that it is a rough time for you guys in the UK. I think we are going to get to quarantine again in the following weeks in France too...

You can hit [email protected] , she handled my request.

[pedro_mayn]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I had a savage lens hit on the weekend (noseslide on a sticky ledge + axle to the lens = equivalent to a gory crime scene).

Now I'm looking for a mk1 front element or a lens its self, but people want absolute mental money for it now. PM me if you do have one and want to sell like.

But I wanna know, any experience here of sending it in for repair? Time frame? And if you're in the Europe let me know if you have sent it, too.

I'm in the UK, so it'll be that bit more of a ballache. I've sorted a spare lens to tie me over if I go down that route and it's gone for months anyways.

[close]

I'm sorry to hear that.

I actually sent my lens to Century for repair, it was during this Christmas break so it took approx 6 weeks to get my fisheye back (I'm in France).
The front element is 400$ and the labour cost is 150$/hr (in my case 225$).

I had to add 200€ of import taxes, so in the end I paid 700€...

[close]

Thanks for the info, glad to hear it didn't take too long as I thought it would, especially during COVID.

I'll be more than happy to wait for that time frame especially with not actually being able to go to any filming with the British weather and stricter COVID restrictions.

Just out of curiosity; is the email address [email protected]?

[close]

Yep, I saw that it is a rough time for you guys in the UK. I think we are going to get to quarantine again in the following weeks in France too...

You can hit [email protected] , she handled my request.

Hopefully this year we'll see change for the better, hopefully.

Cheers mate I'll send an email over to that person now, see if I can speed up the request a bit.

[minerals]

Any tips on keeping your VX warm when filming in colder weather? Whenever I'm filming in 40 degree or less temperatures, my manual focus stops working and auto focus takes over despite manual focus still being selected.

Hair dryer & vx in a zipped duffel bag if you can find some power close to the spot.

[matureoftheocean]

Anybody knows whats up with my vx?

I started getting glitches couple months ago every now and then, it wasn't really a problem at first.
Then when I filmed, sometimes rec was on and everything was fine but when I tried to watch or capture the clip it was all black. Sometimes it was like 3 minutes just black and then back to normal again.

I cleaned the heads, they were kinda dirty but not that much. I changed the ribbon cable at the same time and the first session after that everything was fine but now it glitches ALL the time, cant even see the flips In the clips.
It doesnt glitch when its stable like filming from a ground with no zooming or moving it so that kinda indicates that something might be lose o side?

I've tried cleaning cassette but wont help and even cleaned the heads again and checked if maybe the cable was lose or something but nothing.. :'(

[Thomas]

Anybody knows whats up with my vx?

I started getting glitches couple months ago every now and then, it wasn't really a problem at first.
Then when I filmed, sometimes rec was on and everything was fine but when I tried to watch or capture the clip it was all black. Sometimes it was like 3 minutes just black and then back to normal again.

I cleaned the heads, they were kinda dirty but not that much. I changed the ribbon cable at the same time and the first session after that everything was fine but now it glitches ALL the time, cant even see the flips In the clips.
It doesnt glitch when its stable like filming from a ground with no zooming or moving it so that kinda indicates that something might be lose o side?

I've tried cleaning cassette but wont help and even cleaned the heads again and checked if maybe the cable was lose or something but nothing.. :'(

I get this pretty often...
Sometimes switching to a brand new tape works, sometimes it is caused by the low temperature too...

[radcunt]

Any of you guys doing the external recorder trick to bypass tapes? Seen a dude using a drone recording unit from the video out

[pedro_mayn]

Any of you guys doing the external recorder trick to bypass tapes? Seen a dude using a drone recording unit from the video out

Yep - been a god send imho. No glitches, no sitting there waiting to capture tapes or anything.

It isn't perfect, but it's a good way to increase the longevity of the VX.

[bataaard]

Expand Quote

Anybody knows whats up with my vx?

I started getting glitches couple months ago every now and then, it wasn't really a problem at first.
Then when I filmed, sometimes rec was on and everything was fine but when I tried to watch or capture the clip it was all black. Sometimes it was like 3 minutes just black and then back to normal again.

I cleaned the heads, they were kinda dirty but not that much. I changed the ribbon cable at the same time and the first session after that everything was fine but now it glitches ALL the time, cant even see the flips In the clips.
It doesnt glitch when its stable like filming from a ground with no zooming or moving it so that kinda indicates that something might be lose o side?

I've tried cleaning cassette but wont help and even cleaned the heads again and checked if maybe the cable was lose or something but nothing.. :'(

[close]

I get this pretty often...
Sometimes switching to a brand new tape works, sometimes it is caused by the low temperature too...

I've seen this problem quite often aswell.
It came out of nowhere on different vxs. And did not seem to be a tape deck problem (swapping it for a clean one didn't do anything).
I got them to work again by tearing them down cleaning the boards and contacts, and putting it back together.
But later the problem would come back.

It is still an enigma to this day for me.

[matureoftheocean]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Anybody knows whats up with my vx?

I started getting glitches couple months ago every now and then, it wasn't really a problem at first.
Then when I filmed, sometimes rec was on and everything was fine but when I tried to watch or capture the clip it was all black. Sometimes it was like 3 minutes just black and then back to normal again.

I cleaned the heads, they were kinda dirty but not that much. I changed the ribbon cable at the same time and the first session after that everything was fine but now it glitches ALL the time, cant even see the flips In the clips.
It doesnt glitch when its stable like filming from a ground with no zooming or moving it so that kinda indicates that something might be lose o side?

I've tried cleaning cassette but wont help and even cleaned the heads again and checked if maybe the cable was lose or something but nothing.. :'(

[close]

I get this pretty often...
Sometimes switching to a brand new tape works, sometimes it is caused by the low temperature too...

[close]

I've seen this problem quite often aswell.
It came out of nowhere on different vxs. And did not seem to be a tape deck problem (swapping it for a clean one didn't do anything).
I got them to work again by tearing them down cleaning the boards and contacts, and putting it back together.
But later the problem would come back.

It is still an enigma to this day for me.

Shiiiii. Lets hope warmer days and spring to arrive soon.
Maybe I try to open it up again and check everything...