which mini dv's to buy?

[Big fish63]

thank you very much, this will save me a fortune!

 

[ronscuba]

I got duped and started with the hdv tapes. Now i am afraid to switch. I did have problems with my old cam when i switched brands.

 

[sharksdelight]

Ron,
If you were using Sony HDV tape you can switch to Sony Excellence or Premier without worries. If using Pana HDV tape just go to their standard mini dv tape and you should be okay. Remember to clean your heads every now and then and have your transport alignment checked every year.
Steve

 

[Big fish63]

im looking at buying these.

Sony MiniDV 60min Non-Chip 100pk: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

just wanted to check they are the tapes you are talking about, before i buy them. not to sure what 'non chip' means?

i wanted to use the site you gave a link to in a previous post but they dont ship internationally unfortunately.

 

[diversteve]

The chip can be used to record content relevant to the tape. But it doesn't work with your camcorder. (it's an FX7 right?)
(borrowed from Wikipedia)

DV cassettes can come with a memory-in-cassette (MIC) low capacity EEPROM memory chip. Using the I²C protocol, cameras and recording decks can record any data desired onto this chip like contents list, times and dates of recordings, camera settings or video thumbnails, taken each time the record button on the camcorder is pressed. MIC functionality is optional and is not widely used in consumer equipment. Most tapes available to consumers do not include the MIC chip. Almost every recorder and camcorder includes the hardware to read and write to the MIC, but the firmware does not always have the code to actually perform the task.

 

[Big fish63]

yeah it is. thanks

 

[drbill]

I have always been told to stay with the same manufacturer due to differences in tape lubricants and the possibility of two different ones gumming up the works. I shoot nothing but the blue Sony tapes and have been quite happy with them (if not always with what I recorded on them!). When I was in Fiji I couldn't find Sony and had to buy a few Panasonics.

 

[sharksdelight]

Big fish, the tapes you show are just fine. Dr Bill is correct regarding the different tape lubricants so just stick with either the Premium or Excellence Sony tapes, which you can use one and then the other if you have, and you will be fine.
Steve