Questions for my first major project

[Dan Benenson]

Hey everybody, long time reader first time poster here. I have some questions about the HV20 and mini dv tapes, and since I've found this forum very helpful in the past I figured this would be the best place to ask them.

In May I'm going to be documenting a medical missionary trip to Honduras. I haven't done anything like this before, so there's a lot of planning involved. A few things have occurred to me that might be issues:

1. It's going to be quite hot and humid in Honduras. How much of a problem is this going to be for my HV20? Will it damage it, cause it to malfunction, what? Is there anything I can really do about this (presumably not)? Obviously this could be a major obstacle, as the heat and humidity there are unavoidable.

2. I guess it goes without saying that I'll be flying down there, so I need to know if I can take everything with me on the flight. Can I transport tapes in my luggage? Airport security X-rays can damage or erase regular film, right? I'm not sure if it's the same with mini dv tapes. So do I need to find some other way of getting them there and back? The same question goes for the camera itself I don't think it would be damaged by this but I wanted to make sure.

3. I'll be there for about a week and I want to shoot as much as possible. Where can I get mini dv tapes in bulk for a decent price? I've seen some on ebay and there are a ton of stores come up when I search on google, but some of them seem dubious so I wanted to see if you guys knew of some good, reliable resources.

So there you go. Maybe some of these questions are silly, I don't know, but I've only had this camera for a few months and this is the first real project I'm using it for and I want to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible and I get the best results I can. Thanks very much in advance for your input.

 

[Fourth Line]

Not much you can do about the humidity, except don't drop it in the water
You shouldn't have any problem with tapes, although I wouldn't put them in checked luggage just because there is a higher possibility of loss / theft. I always keep shot tapes in the most secure place possible - which is usually with me.
I buy tapes from The Tape Company - they match any price you can find online and they are close to me so the tapes get here quickly for cheap shipping. I use Sony DVM63 - a little pricey, but solid.

Have fun in Honduras - what's the angle of the documentary? Is it for fundraising purposes?

 

[Dan Benenson]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it'll probably be used for fundraising/increasing awareness of the organization that organizes the trip. They also bring back kids who need surgery and other more extensive medical treatment that can only be provided adequately here in the states, and I'll be working that aspect of it into the documentary as well. Of course personally speaking it's just building my portfolio, in fact it may already be leading to more work opportunities. And if I'm really pleased with how it turns out I may enter it in some local festivals and such.