How to Buy Used Prosumer Video Equipment
Prosumer video equipment is amateur gear good enough to produce a professional image. It straddles the line between what you'd use for home movies and what is broadcast over the air.
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Instructions
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Understand its history. Prosumer gear dates to the birth of three chip cameras with the mini-DV format. The first of these cameras, the Sony DCR-VX 1000 was introduced in 1995. It was conceived as a way for high income amateurs like dentists to shoot home video Professionals soon learned that it was surprisingly good with twice the horizontal resolution of VHS and three times the color. It also recorded stereo audio. Plus unlike Betacam, mini-DV is an all digital format, so it isn't subject to generation loss with editing, so by the third generation, the image, especially the luminance component, looked comparable. Pros turned to the VX-1000 and others of its ilk when light weight and low cost were worth more than the better picture quality from professional broadcast video equipment. War correspondents could now abandon a cheap camera instead of worrying about losing an investment worth a year's salary.
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Know the limits to prosumer gear. Mini DV is very good. I shoot with it myself, but still do my professional work in Betacam, DV-50 or increasingly in HD. Most mini DV does not have locked audio. DVCam and DVC Pro do. You'll notice this deficiency most in editing. Sometimes you can't slice words as precisely as you'd like. Most prosumer gear is not shoulder mounted, which can be tiring for extended shooting. It's rare to find mini-DV with the three pin XLR audio inputs, so if you're using professional mics, you'll need an adaptor. Finally, any DV format including DVCAM, DVC Pro and HDV, do not have the color sampling of DV-50 or Digital Betacam so chroma keys and moving color are problematic.
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If you're buying used prosumer gear, as much as possible try to see it in person and take it for a test drive first, even if the owner is hovering at arm's length. Professionals earn their living from their cameras. They are more apt to maintain them properly than amateurs. Local listings like Craig's List are a good source for used prosumer equipment.
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Beware of buying stolen video gear. Before arranging to see a piece of equipment ask for its model and serial number. A lot of stolen equipment is listed as hot online. A simple search with equipment model and serial number could show a match. Some websites like powermax.com and broadcastvideo.com display lists of gear reported stolen.
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Turn to a used professional video dealer. In response to demand, many of them have started taking prosumer gear in trade for those who want to upgrade. Choose a dealer with an in house service department that's been in business for a long time. Know exactly what your return and repair rights are under your warranty. You'll pay a bit more but most importantly the video equipment will work. I've had very good luck over time with The Broadcast Store, based in both Los Angeles and New York. The sales staff is knowledgeable and is eager to offer advice. A first rate data base is on line, and BCS guarantees its equipment. The company also sells new gear. Most importantly, BCS has been around for more than twenty years. You can find the company at www.BroadcastStore.com
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