Sony MiniDV Tapes

[LULA]

Hi

I usually use the sony mini DV tapes PREMIUM , are there any diferences to the sony EXCELLENCE line besides the price ?

Another thing i've read somewere that I should record in "black" in a new tape and then record on top the new footage , is this true?

Thank you.

 

[marshallkarp]

I use the Maxell DV Tapes $20 for a pack of 8 at Sams Club. Never had a problem with them, so I do not know the advantage of stepping up.

Here is a thread on striping a dv tape

Should a new MiniDV tape be "striped"? [Archive] - The Digital Video Information Network

 

[drbill]

I've never seen a reason to "upgrade" from the Sony Premium to the Excellence mini-DV tapes. I've recorded in mini-DV for years and now HD without a problem.

One thing I have noticed is that there was a higher than expected frequency of "short" tapes (under 60 min) than any previous batch I've received (all from the same vendor).

 

[Empty V]

The only thing that I do is record about 5 seconds of black at the beginning of a tape to make sure the tension is correct and i pass any potential flaws at the head. Just make sure you stick with one brand of tape, if you switch clean the camera heads. You can get pretty good deals from Edgewise Media they're a local company for me that i've been buying from for about 8 years. I've bought everything from mini dv racks, dv tapes and even ultra high end HD(1920x1080) D5 tapes.

Billy

 

[BeckyKagan]

Ive used a range from less expensive tapes to expensive. I think it depends on you and your shoot. I use the Sony PHDVM-63DM Digital Master Mini DV HD DVCAM Tape at Discount Prices . They are more expensive but its worth it to me to come home with the shots i want, and not have any drop outs or tape essues. I also use tapes only once, but I also work in news and we use tapes 30+ times with no problems. Just sucks when you do eventually have that problem and loose video you cant replace. So my opinion it depends on you and your situation.

happy shooting
=) Becky

 

[Annie Crawley]

I agree with Becky about the higher end and only recording once. I do believe you will get a lot out of reading the thread on the JVC tapes. I am copying and pasting my answer here. Once you choose a company, stick to it because the lubricants....here is what I posted in the other thread. But I wanted to share this information with you in case you were not aware.

I think it is important for everyone to realize the issue with the different manufacturers. Once you start with one, stick to them. If you ever use another in emergency, use head cleaner between different tape stocks. In addition to this, the only time I had problems with tape stock dropping frames and sticking was when I bought a budget group of tapes online from a source I was not familiar with. There are a lot of online tape supply houses out there. I do believe you want to pay attention to this.

 

[LULA]

Hi

Thank you all for the answers they were most helpful.I just have another one , to clean the cameras head I should use a cleaning tape right ?

thank you