DV tapes

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RedWhiteBlue

New member
I've been using Maxell Mini DV tapes in my DVX100A, but I ran out and had to buy FUJIFILM DVC (mini DV) tapes since I couldn't find any Maxell's. Does anyone know if I can use the new tapes without cleaning beforehand, or atleast how to tell if they are compatible?

Thanks.
 
If there's one thing I've learnt on this forum, it's to choose one kind of tape, preferably the Panasonic MQS tapes, and stick with those. That doesn't buy you anything, cause you already used different tapes, however, if you are planning on cleaning the heads, you might as well just switch to the MQS tapes right away and be done with any future trouble.
Good luck,

Fredric
 
swithing between different Panasonic tapes???

swithing between different Panasonic tapes???

Will it be harmful to the DVX heads in any way if I switch between Panasonic MQs and cheaper store bought Panasonic tapes, or premium quality or whatever one step down from MQs is?

I want to shoot all my important stuff on MQ tapes, but for some things that aren't as important (it wouldnt be a huge deal if there were dropouts) I'd rather not have to spend the extra money on the nicer tape. So my question is, does the MQ vs. lower quality Panasonic affect the camera, or just the chance of dropouts or damage on the tape?

Thanks for any insight on this.
 
The issue with tapes is whether they use "wet" or "dry" lubrication. Mixing the two is where you get into trouble. Most people recommend that you use the Panasonic tapes because they're dry, and thus have less potential for problems (although I'm certain there are people who have used nothing but wet tapes for years and had no troubles). Using MQ's for your important stuff and PQ's for the rest shouldn't cause you any problems.
 
for the record, i'm planning to switch to panasonic MQs after going about 300 hours on my DVX using Sony Premiums. I've had multiple problems with dropouts. Ive never been sure if it was the tape, the DVX heads, the heads on the minidv camera used to capture, or what. I'm guessing the Sony tapes at least didnt help the matter if i had dirty or misaligned camera heads.
 
Unfortunately Panasonic is discontinuing the master quality tapes (according to my local tape house owner). A great loss to the business.
 
thats unfortunate... are there any ofther brands that use dry lube like panasonic that would be recommended but not quite as expensive. i guess what im asking is, are there any other options for people wanting a high quality, dependable tape at that level, or does the Panasonic AMQ have a total corner on the market?
 
There's a chart out there somewhere that tells who makes what brands and the type. There's wet, dry, and memorex uses something else. The rule of thumb is don't mix types or you'll make mud. The difference in quality i.e. between MQ and PQ is the reliability and wear resistance. Digitial is digital.. 1's and 0's, but getting the 1's and 0's in the right order is the kicker. A cheap panasonic tape will work fine in a pinch and you won't see a difference, but do you want a "so so" comfort zone when shooting someone's wedding? It's not like you can shoot it again if you get a dropout. If you're shooting "dog tricks" who cares, although honestly if you buy in bulk from B&H et al you can get the price down pretty low on MQ's. If you can afford a $3k camera what's a few extra bones anyway.
 
No more MQ's on the market....B&H dont have them already and even if they are in stock now in some stores, soon they ll not...!
I guess there re two options for previous MQ's users like me: PQ's or AMQ's....
And the questions are: Are PQ's reliable enough for important shootings? And if they are, can somebody switch from MQ's to PQ's without problems?
Thank you all...
 
From what I've been told from my Panny dealer, the AMQs are the same lubricant as the MQs. I wish Jan Crittenden Livingston could help explain what happened to the MQs and to give us the official "it's OK to now use AMQs if you've been using MQs" statement.

Justin
www.beyondtimemedia.com
 
So, PQ's are out of the question? I hope not...because AMQ's are almost double price...If Im not wrong. However, If with the PQ's you re risking your job...then ok, of course I d go for the AMQ's no matter their price...!
But it d be great If somebody d say officialy as jchenier said.
 
If you have been using MQ's you CAN switch to PQ's with no problems. From what I have read and experienced, PQ's work great in the DVX but I would not recommend using them more that once or twice. With the MQ's and AMQ's you can use them over maybe 4 or 5 times without any problems. Most people I know never re-use their tapes, so for those people, using PQ's won't be any different than using MQ's. The only difference from PQ's to MQ's or AMQ's is durability.
 
if this is the case (that the only benefit to using AMQs over PQs is that you can RE-USE them), then i would definitely go with the PQs because i never reuse tapes.

anyone else out there who can second this?
 
I'd recommend PQ's for personal, and AMQ's for paying gigs. Fortunately I bought a truckload of MQ's last month from B&H and hopefully by the time I use em up I'll be shooting on something that hasn't even been invented yet. :)
 
I agree with Ming, if you are worried about drop outs (especially for shoots that you only get one chance at...like weddings) I'd use the AMQ's. If you are shooting just for fun or shooting something that can be re-shot, go for the PQ's.

However, I have never had any issues with PQ's and I have shot several paying gigs with them and never had a problem so even if you use PQ's for paying gigs, I doubt you will have any issues.
 
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