High Definition DV

Ferdi Willemse

Ferdi Willemse

Well-known member
Hi guys,

This is probably one of those questions you can only laugh about, but if that's the thing, then at least I gave you a reason to laugh.

Anyway, I was trying to get the Canon High-Definition tapes like the one that came with the XH-A1, but there are no shops around that sell them. So an alternative is probably the Sony High-Definition DV-tape. But it's almost twice as cheap. So is there a major difference between the two?

Thanks!
 
If you ask me, you could just buy regular mini-dv tape, as long as you always use the same. And if you do have to switch from one type of tape to the other, run a cleaning tape in between. We always use TDK-tape, that's widely available in holland, which is nice if you're in a different place and run out of tape...
 
The Sony HDV tape actually doesn't guarantee no dropout. I just used a brand new Sony tape and ended up losing a bunch of footage due to drop out. Use any tape, but stick to the same brand.
 
panasonic MQ tapes work well, but, like people are saying you can use any tape. Just know there may be room for dropouts.
 
Okay, thanks for the feedback, guys. What causes the camera to act different when you use different tapes, though?
 
Ferdi Willemse said:
Okay, thanks for the feedback, guys. What causes the camera to act different when you use different tapes, though?
Click to expand...

Different chemicals on the tapes. We had to throw away a few hours of shooting once because we used jvc tape instead of the panasonic tape we normally used, because the store only sold those. So find a cheap and widely available kind of tape, and stick to it...
 
Different tape brands use different type of lubricants. Mixing tapes will mix those diff. lubes on your tape heads and gunk them up.

Jason
 
I've been using regular Sony and TDK MiniDV tapes. No dropouts so far. I think in many cases dropouts occur because of environment. Dust particles pose more risk than tape imperfections, as long as you use brand tapes from trusted sources.
 
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