Safe to use Sony Tapes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

The cost of tape stock is a non-issue...couple o'bucks.
Many of us have "legacy" setups with a DVCAM deck and/or DVCAM camcorders. I've been using Sony DV PR's and DVCAM large cassettes (along with the occasional Fuji) in my DSR30 for 6 years now without a single problem (CU: Ken knocking on wood).
I know that technically, Panasonic MQ tapes give better head life than Sony's (according to Jan C) but in real world situations, I think that sticking to one brand of tape is a workable compromise.
Ken
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Andrew, I was in a similar situation as you, had the same options, and made the same choice. One thing that helped was a post by Jan Critteneden over on 2-pop on this same topic - she recommended the user stick exclusively with Sony tapes. For me, she was the definitive word.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

I found out the other day from Maxell Tech Support that they use the same dry lubricant that Panasonic uses.

I only use MQ, but in that freak situation that I'm not prepared and need to buy tapes at WalMart and you don't want to mix different lubricated brands, its nice to know which ones are dry. So add another one to Fuji which I heard was dry too.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

I've used Sony Premium tapes for years and continue to use them in my DVX100a with no problems at all. Just use one brand and stay with it.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

A rental facility nearby uses only the Sony Premium tapes; I had been following Panasonic's recommendations and using their line of dry-lube tapes, but we were in a crunch, and the Pana tapes we had ordered didn't arrive in time - so we popped in the Sony tapes-what was to happen, happened, and it was damned ugly: one of the camera ooperators was handed not a Sony Premium tape, but the lesser-quality version (dunno the exact name offhand); we were taping a very recalcitrant and famous elderly person, a once-in-a-liftime event. Upon viewing the footage the next day, the sound would be fine for 5 seconds, then it would drop out for about 5 seconds. It did this throughout the tape-needless to say, the director went beserk, as I did, the second camera-person too! A freeking disaster, so I called the rental facility, who had never experienced this problem, and who have been renting the DVX's since their availablity - they very kindly were able to solve the problem, or at least about 99% of it, by playing back the Sony miniDV tape in a higher-end Sony DVCAM deck, producing a DV dub with pretty much all the audio recovered! Apparently the angle of the playback heads in the DVCAM deck were such that the sound could be 'culled', and our biscuits were pretty much saved! So I guess if there's a lesson in this near-disater, it's to:
-use only one type of tape, probably the Panasonic. Since the Panasonics are tough to come by without special ordering, then I'd recommend using the higher-quality Sony Premium tapes when no Pana is available.
-in any case, ALWAYS run a head-cleaner when switching between Panasonic and Sony; we've since been in similar situations, and the sound-drop hasn't happened since.
-same for TDK; on a different project, all tapes were used up, the director sprung a TDK tape on me: though I have a superstitious wariness of TDK tape, I ran the head-cleaner, and recording went fine.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Two other ways to safeguard once-in-a-lifetime shoots: first, be sure to spot-check frequently, to make sure what you're recording actually gets stuck on the tape, and second, make a firewire dub onto a second camera/deck/hard drive as you're recording. When the recording is crucial, a little redundancy never hurts.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Yep,

but i would never use the abrasive head cleaner tape.

Better take 5 more minutes and clean the heads manually.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

I got a tape with my DVX, the AY-DVM63MQ.

Is this the "cleaning" tape or a tape for filming?
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Dis-regard that post... About 3 seconds after posting it, I saw in the manual it isnt the "cleaning tape"

:-[
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Having said all this...

The first tape I used in my DVX was a Panasonic "linear plus" tape. I now am onto my second SONY tape..

If I was to swap back to Panasonic tapes, would it be a big deal?

I want to stick with one tape brand/model from now on.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

I was told by someone at a video shop that Fuji tapes were exactly the same as Panasonic tapes because they were made at the same plant and just had different printing on the plastic case. This guy really had no reason to mislead me as he sold both types of tape and the Fuji's were actually cheaper. Anyone have any hard intel on this matter? ???
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Because I shoot hours of footage every week and it wouldn't be the end of the world if I lost some of it, I have always used the cheapest Panasonics. The one's you can get bulk at B&H for $3 each. I can't afford an extra couple of dollars per tape. Now, if I was to shoot something important and got some PQ's or MQ's, would that be an issue? In other words, is it OK to use different kinds of Panasonic tapes for different things?
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

I used Fuji for a job 3 yrs ago in a Sony VX2000 and the dropouts were a disaster. Since then in the Sony 150 I have used only TDK tapes with no problem and in my Pany 100 only Panasonic MQ (Just looked at my latest bill - $176 for 20 tapes) I think for peace of mind I prefer to pay the extra for the MQ I have no doubt dropouts will occurr but at least I will know I did all I could to prevent them
I now have 900 hrs on the 100 without dropouts and I make sure that I always have 20 on hand Seriously thinking of a portable HD system and maybe tape over existing footage. Brian
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

[quote author=brian hobbs link=board=nws;num=1085643533;start=30#32 date=06/21/04 at 21:09:46]Panasonic MQ (Just looked at my latest bill  - $176 for 20 tapes) [/quote]

Brian, where are you buying them from? $176 for 20 tapes... that's way high. You could get 'em from EVS, 20 tapes would cost $113... You shouldn't be paying more than $5.65 for MQ's!
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Barry,

could it be harmfull for the heads if both tape are used in the same player deck ?
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

As a longtime Sony user and production company owner I have found this tape discussion very interesting and worthwhile. We have legacy Sony equipment, both Betacam, SVHS, and DVCam. When we decided to buy a DVX this discussion came up at our meetings.

I did some research and have these findings to report. First, Sony tech support is hands down the best in the industry. We pay a costly $2500 per year for the privledge of being able to reach an excellent engineer 24 X 7. They always make the effort to answer our questions or find someone who knows; not a rep. but an engineer. I have even been contacted by staff in Japan when needed.

So we have all Sony gear, Sony decks and we decide to buy this Panasonic DVX. It would be very tough to use only Panasonic tapes in this camera, not to mention the issues with our Sony edit decks. So I reached out to Sony tech support with all of your issues. We discussed in depth the "wet vs. dry" issue.

The consensus from Sony is there is no wet vs. dry. The two types of tape both have lubricant, but they are coated using a different "process" than the Panasonic. The issue of a wet dry dichotomy is moot.

In response to the "accelerated head wear" many people (including the experts) tout, the Sony engineer found it difficult to imagine faster head wear from a lubricant. As he stated: "it's a lubricant, how could it wear the heads?".

In our shop, however, we do see many different brands of tape come through and we definately see problems when we introduce different brands of tape to our edit system.

One last comment: We shoot for a large national sports franchise for network broadcast. The reason we considered and eventually bought the 100 is because they switched from Betacam to a combination of HD and Pansonic DVX's. At first we used PD 150s and 170s , then I hired a freelancer with a DVX. After a while, this became expensive (when I have a full time shooter on my staff being paid a salary, why hire a freelance?). Anyway, these guys have a pretty sizeable well trained engineering staff. They always provide tape when we shoot for them.

The tape they provide? Sony DVCam.

That is my 2 cents worth. We're sticking with Sony for simplicity.

In my 18 years in the business I know Panasonic is never beyond reproach for marketing tactics such as this. In my opinion that is all this is: marketing.

Jeff Wertz
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

..jeff
that engineer is wack.
different silicons and graphites and such have been around for years and are considered a "dry" lubricant.. why? becuase it feels dry to the touch and does not run like a liquid. so that is where the "wet vs dry" comes from. from personal experience, i would not mix a "dry" graphite lubricant with some WD-40 or other "wet" lubricant.. why.. becuase they dont like eachother. --just as i wouldnt try to mix butter with water... they can both be used as lubricants, but they dont go together well. so im not sure why an engineer would say there is no "wet vs dry" issue

also.. the issue of the lubricant wearing the heads.. well uh .. its not the lubricant that wears the heads.. its the tape itself. thats why the lubricant is there to begin with... to lessen the friction. -- and can one lubricant lubricate better than another and therefore reduce friction and bring about less headwear than if using a differnt lubricant? ...yes.
:ala "put some kwick-e-mart brand engine oil ..or better yet, just use butter in a formula 1 race car, and see how long the engine lasts..."
-- perhaps then the engineer would have a visual on how one lubricant could bring about less mechanical wear vs. another lubricant.

i mean i dont get where this engineer is coming from on these issues. its generally not good to mix any different kids of lubricants.. wet dry or whatever.. so sticking to one tape brand is always best. the sony tapes work fine, so do the wet panasonic tapes-- but the lubricant in them has now become older technology as there are now "dry" type tape lubricants available which offer improvements over the older "wet" lubricant.. and you just dont want to mix the two. its not some sort of urban legend..its just technological advance. the tape in the new panasonic cassets is improoved as well using newer advancements in tape material and design.
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

Jeff,

No disrespect.  But I can very much tell you from first hand experience, mixing MQ tapes with Sony DVCAM and/or Premium tapes = disasterous results.  It did in my DVC200 1/2" cam and my decks...Drop outs and pixalation everywhere.  Cleaned heads and moved back to Sony tape exclusively (DVX100a, 2 VX2000's, DVC200, and DV2000 deck).. No more problems. That was close to 2 years ago and on a brand new DVC200. I also experienced similar results on my old GL1. I have since sold it. BTW:  This was with several variations of MQ tape too (full size, mini and different lengths).

My first hand experience supports what's commonly discussed on this topic.  Nothing scientific, just results.

Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
 
Re: Safe to use Sony Tapes?

As I read Jeff's post, he said they are sticking with Sony tapes exclusively. Also, it seems kind of ironic reading someone named "IAMLOSER" calling a Sony engineer 'wacked'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top