why not buy a cheap ass jvc minidv cam and use that? Surely it will be cheaper than a deck and you get the same quality. I just dont see why people spend a grand on a deck when they can get a dvcam for $300 that does the same thing.

Patrick,
convenience and reliablility. I've recently bought a DSR-11, takes both size tapes and I'm now using a lot of large format DV tapes, plus the thing will record and playback both PAL and NTSC.
So far over 100 tapes have gone through it and most of those had 3 hours of video on them. Not a hickup, more than I can say for some of the tapes though.
It rewinds way faster than a camera without stressing the tape, this is an important factor when you do a lot of work. Sure if you're doing 1 or 2 tapes a week anything will do.
Also be aware not all decks are the same, a DSR 2000 will track tapes that nothing else can cope with, it'd damn well want to for the price but it does demonstrate the point that there is a difference between the transports in a camera and good VCRs.
And before anyone else says it: The DSR-11 is a great deck but the door breaks off WAY too easily!
Bob.

If you can get your hands on the "consumer" Panasonic NV-DV 10000 DVcam/minDV deck AND for the right price AND you can vouch for its usage don't think twice. I bought mine 2nd Hand from a retiring Wedding videographer. It is simple superb. It just sits there and just loves tapes and sending to Vegas.

I have it as my Misson Control system for all things AV<>DV<>AV - I have it looped into my ANA Vcr and streams out and over to my Ext Mon and so on and so on. It just . .well .. works very well and very fast. Used inconjunction with my Contour Shuttle Pro when Previewing and Capturing is an abolute doddle. I use BIG tapes to lay off semi finished work that I want OFF the HDs and can bring 'em back when I want to. What am I saying? A deck really is a robust and the most dependable way of dealing with those "precious" items . namely "unrepeatable footage" . .. I was lucky in getting the Pannie Deck . . would I use a budget cammie instead? I might have IF I hadn't had the experience of this deck. But then I would not have got on so FAR and FAST as I have done. I mean this!

Sometimes I/we need to have good kit JUST to make things GO easy . .I aint speaking to HD .. I just mean nice transport kit .. . I'd now place a good deck above a lot of stuff I have bought in the past and just sits whimpering in the back of the cupboard.

A DV deck? Don't leave home without one. If budget doesn't stretch to new, try and get an excellent 2nd hand one with a "know" pedigree AND with a service included. I guess Bob would sell you one! Well Bob? No? .. well ok .. .

Grazie

Thanks for your suggestions.

I think I'll just rent a good deck for a week.

If you can find a DSR 30 / DHR 1000 second hand they're damn fine decks, full edit / shuttle control, sometimes just for going thru tapes it's faster than capturing the stuff.
Bob.