MatthewRyan
Well-known member
Are there any differences in cleaning the heads of the HD100 vs a regular DV cam? I got a head cleaning warming this morning and was wondering if cleaning the heads required a different more delicate head cleaner.
Head Cleaning
- Thread starter MatthewRyan
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vision quest
Active member
So Jonathan not to go off topic, and out of curiosity what kind of tape do you record on for the shoots you do?
jlames said:
I'm not sure if I would agree with that advice. Logic says to me you should use a head cleaner designed for the camera, not the tape you typically use. If Sony stock clogs your heads, then use a JVC head cleaner to unclog them, then never Sony stock again.
I had a Sony tape accidentally put in my HD100 yesterday and I got the head clog warning. I ran the JVC head cleaner for 10 seconds and everything is now fine.
The JVC head cleaner I used is the M-DV12CL
jlames
Well-known member
Actually, JVC and Sony are 2 different tape formats using different lubes being different company formats. One wet and one dry. One is the parent company of the other , JVC or Panny, and I forget which is which. I'd have to check with Mike Pellagatti, my DP and lead cameraman. That's one of the perks of being the producer/ Ecec. Producer; I can surround myself with the best people who really know their stuff
Second, we use Sony HD...the white and brown stuff for their construstion and finish properties. It allows for much fewer dropped frames which arguably is much more important in live events where re-shoots are not an option. On the set, you can re-shoot a scene after the director and DP who are on the monitor see a glitch. They can re-shoot except that that re-shoot takes money and time and takes it's due toll on the unit, especislly when the talent is involved in an exceptionaly emotonal scene that he or she needs to get into character for. A blown scene here has an adverse affect on the talent which transfers to the crew and untimately the day's prodution. So Sony HD is the choice of most professionals simply because it's far less expensive to shoot high-dollar tape than to re-set the shot because of fram drop-outs. Ours are about $10 each but they can run as high as $17. A word to the wise, though. If you're going to buy in bulk, 1) buy from a volume dealer who runs through stock regularly guaranteeing his stock is fresh and 2) keep it in a temperature and light controlled environment. It's not as sensitive as still stock footage but light and heat still adversely affect unused and used stock.
Sorry for the misspellings but I can't seem to get spell check to work.
If you'd like to know the physiology of tape construction, I'd be glad to expound but if my word is enough, I save fingertip epithelials not typing so much and boring people like you to death.
Update: Panny/JVC dry and Sony is wet.
Second, we use Sony HD...the white and brown stuff for their construstion and finish properties. It allows for much fewer dropped frames which arguably is much more important in live events where re-shoots are not an option. On the set, you can re-shoot a scene after the director and DP who are on the monitor see a glitch. They can re-shoot except that that re-shoot takes money and time and takes it's due toll on the unit, especislly when the talent is involved in an exceptionaly emotonal scene that he or she needs to get into character for. A blown scene here has an adverse affect on the talent which transfers to the crew and untimately the day's prodution. So Sony HD is the choice of most professionals simply because it's far less expensive to shoot high-dollar tape than to re-set the shot because of fram drop-outs. Ours are about $10 each but they can run as high as $17. A word to the wise, though. If you're going to buy in bulk, 1) buy from a volume dealer who runs through stock regularly guaranteeing his stock is fresh and 2) keep it in a temperature and light controlled environment. It's not as sensitive as still stock footage but light and heat still adversely affect unused and used stock.
Sorry for the misspellings but I can't seem to get spell check to work.
If you'd like to know the physiology of tape construction, I'd be glad to expound but if my word is enough, I save fingertip epithelials not typing so much and boring people like you to death.
Update: Panny/JVC dry and Sony is wet.
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vision quest
Active member
So apparently clogged heads from the use of Sony tapes hasn't been a problem for your HD-100's I prefer Sony myself but my previous camera was a Sony so now that I jumped ship and became a JVC owner I just want to make sure that if I continue to use sony it's not going to mess with my camera.
jlames
Well-known member
We use Sony HD exclusively on all six of our cameras and have never had a problem however that doesn't mean that JVC is anything to sneeze at. JVC has their JVC PROHD and I've heard great reviews of it but it's a different lubricant so changing now is, at best, ill-advised for us. Also, I don't know the composition of the JVC but I can tell you the main reason we use the SonyHD is because of the dual magnetic layers that holds the recording media in place on the tape. This is what accounts for the fewer drop outs, contrary to popular opinion that says there's more of the medium on the tape. In reality, there's double the "sticky stuff" that doubles the chance that the bits and bytes that are transferred to the tape at the recording stage stay stuck. Now, if the JVC tape has the same or similar technology or has developed another fail-safe system equal to or better than Sony's, I'm all for it. Again, two things are of paramount importance; sticky stuff and don't mix tapes with different lubes. Now there's alot of argument on the validity of this but it's what I think and what I've been told by some very learned people AND I write the checks for my company so it's what I've elected to go with. Other learned people like Tim Dashwood who, like a couple of others here, has probably forgotten more than I'll ever know being a camera professional has a very valid position. In the end, my advice is look all you can, listen all you can, read all you can, evaluate and make the call.
Matsushiita is the parent company of both JVC and Panasonic. Sony is wholly owned by Sony.jlames said:
The key to avoiding head clog issues is consistency of tape brand and type. If you start with Sony from day 1 and stick with it, you may be alright. However, we have discussed this very topic many times here and on dvinfo. I've been keeping track, and although there are some success stories with Sony stock and the HD100, there are definitely many more occurances reported of dropout from Sony tapes (even the reds) than JVC or Panasonic tapes.
It has been common knowledge for years that both companies use a proprietary lubricant designed for their own systems. Yes... Sony's lubricant can be called "wet" and Panasonic/JVC "dry." Bad problems occur when these lubricants are mixed.
As for cheap "consumer" tape vs. expensive "pro" tape: there is a difference and you do get what you pay for. There is a danger in using cheap tape, and it won't be apparent until it rears its ugly head and bites you in the arse. The expensive "pro" or "master" quality tapes have extra layers of coating to prevent "flaking." This means they are more robust.
Your cheap tapes may be fine on day 1 when you review your footage, but by the time you rewind and play back to digitize, you may lose some information the 2nd time round.
There is alot to consider, and I still recommend using JVC's tape from day 1. If you have already started using Sony, and you haven't experienced any problems, then by all means stick with it and I wish you good luck.
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jlames
Well-known member
Absolutely right on the Matsushita call. Do you know the construct of the JVC ProHD brand of tape realtive to the adhesion factor that makes the Sony HD so successful in drop out avoidance?
OK why is that coming out Matsupoo when I'm typing Matsushita?
OK, someone's having fun here. It did it again. Let's try this again. "Matsushita"
OK, I give up, you know what I mean. I'm e-mailing Jared on this. What ever is happening isn't funny. It's libel.
OK why is that coming out Matsupoo when I'm typing Matsushita?
OK, someone's having fun here. It did it again. Let's try this again. "Matsushita"
OK, I give up, you know what I mean. I'm e-mailing Jared on this. What ever is happening isn't funny. It's libel.
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Yeah, I had to spell it with two i's to trick the system.
jlames
Well-known member
This isn't funny and puts me in a very bad light. For anyone who's reading, this is the e-mai I just sent to Jared. As stated before, I receive innumerable compliments on the professionality of this forum which is followed by more than a couple of major corporations with which I do business daily. This is not right.
In a posting, every time I write Matsushiita in the JVC forum, your system changes it to Matsupoo pooa. This is not funny and subjects me to the false impression that I'm denigrating a great company. It's not funny. In fact, it's libelous should the company decide to file a complaint. Please look into this. My reputation is exceedingly important to me and I can not continue to support this forum if this continues. I give of my time freely in the sincere hopes that what I can contribute can help your readers. Please let me know what's going on.
Thanks for the tip, Tim. I owe you one or six toddys at NAB.
In a posting, every time I write Matsushiita in the JVC forum, your system changes it to Matsupoo pooa. This is not funny and subjects me to the false impression that I'm denigrating a great company. It's not funny. In fact, it's libelous should the company decide to file a complaint. Please look into this. My reputation is exceedingly important to me and I can not continue to support this forum if this continues. I give of my time freely in the sincere hopes that what I can contribute can help your readers. Please let me know what's going on.
Thanks for the tip, Tim. I owe you one or six toddys at NAB.
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jlames
Well-known member
pre-Party
pre-Party
Also we're doing a pre-DVXuser party party at my wife's and my new motorcoach at the KOA Circus Circus casino. After, we have a limo taking us over to the DVX party. If you'd like to join us, I'll send you the invitation w/ directions and time. It's not big deal; just a small gathering for a few of the good people I've met on the JVC site.
Jonathan
pre-Party
Also we're doing a pre-DVXuser party party at my wife's and my new motorcoach at the KOA Circus Circus casino. After, we have a limo taking us over to the DVX party. If you'd like to join us, I'll send you the invitation w/ directions and time. It's not big deal; just a small gathering for a few of the good people I've met on the JVC site.
Jonathan
athouguia
Well-known member
I read a post from a JVC technician saying that Sony tapes shouldn't be used with the HD100. JVC, Panny and Fuji are the indicated ones. I use the cheapper JVC tapes, they seem to be working fine so far. Stephen L. Noe has been using them for years with great results.