Tapes to Use

J

jameltzerca

New member
Is it true that one can only use Panasonic Master series DV tapes with the DVX? I put in a call to Panasonic and was sheepishly told that as long as one stuck with one high quality brand of tape there would be no problems. This conflicts with my previous understanding that the master series tapes were designed specifically for the DVX100a.

Has anyone tried mixing tape brands? I'm wondering whether this is just a scare tactic or whether one really should stick to one brand of DV tape. This has become an issue for me because I am out of tapes and in a foreign country with no access to Panasonic master series tapes (after having used only those tapes in my camera I am now considering switching to another high quality dv tape).

Anyone care to share experiences with this or opinions?
 
Re: Tapes to Use

Thanks. Does someone have a list of tapes that are dry lube versus a list that are wet? Or is it just that the Sony tapes use awet lube and all others are dry?
 
Re: Tapes to Use

I don't believe there's any definitive answer to this. I've followed the wet/dry issue for years, and I've seen people declaring conclusive proof of so many different claims that I've given up trying to figure it out. Some swear that Fuji and Panasonic tape is identical. Some say all tapes are wet except MQ's, which are dry. Some say that MQ's and PQ's are the same tape, and thus both dry, but all others are wet. Some say that all tapes are dry and only the Sony's are wet.

Even Jan at Panasonic has said that MQ's are dry and PQ's are wet, and then later said that a visit to the factory confirmed that both MQ's and PQ's are dry. Or maybe I got that backwards.

In any case, I don't think anyone actually really knows. All we really know is that the best tape on the market is Panasonic MQ and Sony DVCAM.
 
Re: Tapes to Use

ok thankss, wthat brings me back to simply sticking with Panasonic MQ just for peace of mind, even though it is a relative pain in the ass when you run out and other brand names are more readily available. especially in foreign countries where these MQs are non-existent.
 
Re: Tapes to Use

For what it's worth Iv'e used fuji tape and sony since day one on my 100 and cleaned the heads for ten seconds three times in a little over a year without any problems, I'm starting to think a lot of this wet dry stuff is not as gospel as it sounds. just a laymans observation!
 
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