tapes

C

cjl467

Member
listen, i've looked everywhere on this site, and i can't find too much info on issues with tape brands, or at least enough to answer all of the questions that i have. but this seems to be a common problem, maybe someone could put up a sticky guide on this?

here are my many questions, any help is appreciated:

1. can mixing tape types in a camera cause any PERMANENT damage to the heads? is a cleaning all you need to do to correct this?

2. how do i know which tapes are wet and which are dry?

3. whats the difference between a panny mq tape and a panny pq tape?

4. what should i do if i've got a deck/camera that's recieving all different types and brands?

5. are cleaning tapes really THAT harmful to a camera? what if i use one on a camera besides my dvx, perhaps on a deck that's recieving all different types and brands? again, will it leave behind any PERMANENT damage?

6. can a tape that's run through a deck/camera that's been using other various brands of tapes actually transfer anything into my dvx? is a tape basically ruined after running it through a dirty deck/camera? can you clean a tape?

7. how much mixing of tape types does it actually take to make a noticeable difference in quality?

8. if i were to only run my tapes through the same dvx, would it still be risky to tape over old footage?

9. can i use the same cleaning procedures from the tutorial on other cameras/decks?

thats all i can think of at the moment. thanks for the help. you people are what make dvxuser such an excellent resource
 
Re: tapes

From what I learned from this site, regarding the DVX100 Camcorder, you need to choose and stick with one of the two Panasonic brands of tape: MQ or PQ. They are both dry and very recommended!!!
If you use your camcorder professionaly and run a lot of hours a day, then you need to follow the "Guide to cleaning the heads" by "Barry_S" in this section (my opinion).

Cheers!
 
Re: tapes

1. Since quality recording is the goal and excellent tape is very inexpensive, why take the chance? Mixing tape types may do no permanent damage, but constantly cleaning up the little mess can be risky to the heads too.
2. All I know is that panny PQ and MQ are dry.
3. Quality. I've read here that the particles may be more uniform and maybe attached a bit better on MQs. Could be they also resist stretching a little better, but that's a wild guess on my part.
4. Depends. If it were mine I'd only use it with tape would not be put back in my cam.
5. I don't know, but as miniaturized as the DVX parts are and as close as the tolerances must be, I would do as so many here have suggested, '...use only in an emergengy and very sparingly' I will add that if youare shooting in very adverse conditions (dusty/sandy) you need to take special care to avoid getting that stuff anywhere in the cam.
6. See #4. I used to clean reel to reel audio tapes, but I doubt these tapes would like that too much and I've never heard of miniDV tapes going through the washing machine with any success.
7. If you try it you may be the first to know. Then you can tell us.
8. Depends on what you are risking. Would go on a shoot where it would be difficult, impossible or very expensive to repeat the shots with used tape? If you have a DVX you probably paid big bucks because you wanted to create something special. I wouldn't scrimp on tape.
9. dunno.
Hope this helps.
Welcome to the forum!
 
Re: tapes

thanks a lot for all the help

my big problem is that i often collaborate two other filmmakers. both own vx2100's. one of them uses whatever tape he can find, the other only uses the sony me's. lately, ive been putting together a dvd of all of our work and i ran into a problem with the camcorder i've been capturing with since its been running so many tapes through it.

so what should i do from now on? i;d like to just restrict my panny tapes to my dvx, but i dont wanna put hours on to the heads by capturing with it. but if i capture with this other camera, it'll "infect" my tapes, and i wont be able to use them again.

one more thing --- i;ve only used PQ's on my dvx, would i be able to switch to MQ's without a problem?
 
Re: tapes

I use only MQs when recording to tape and I believe they are interchangable with PQs (both dry lube). Since you've already had trouble with contamination it might be time to look a different solution? You could look at 'DV Rack' from seriousmagic.com to see if it could fit into your workflow.
Just last week I got DV Rack and have been learning it. I am recording directly to my laptop HDD and then editing on the desktop through my wireless network (sometimes a bit slowly). The big advantage is, as advertised, DV Rack allows me to calibrate the camera before shooting and calibrate the laptop screen to something close to a true editing monitor. While shooting, the software is monitoring the video and audio for problems. I don't even have a tape in the cam while doing this, but I will when doing a shoot as a backup. So far I haven't done any 'real' footage. When I do I'll probably post it and a similar shot with a normal setup.
I know DV Rack will accept input from more than one cam, but I think each one has to be on a separate firewire card.
 
Re: tapes

Since we are on DVRack subject, one thing comes on my mind which I don't understand.
If you use DVRack to capture directly from DVX100 (or any other camcorder) to HDD, are you using Firewire connection? If so, I know that Firewire is limited to about 4.5m in maximum length. So how do you solve the problem on location? For majority of shots taken you need camera movement. I don't suppose you are moving it together with your laptop?! ???
Probably there is some kind of wireless data transfer involved here or you just use DVRack for calibrating and setup and then just use the tape as normal. If this is the case, isn't it better to just buy a proper proffesional monitor? ???

Cheers
 
Re: tapes

Good points, darmanb.
If I need to move further than about twice the wire length, I think you are correct. Not too many shots I would do go more than 15 -20 feet. But if need be, after calibration I could just yank the firewire and be on my way. If on a pro dolly or in a car though the whole system rides along.
A pro monitor would cost me as much as my (used) laptop and DV Rack together, and it would be one more thing to tote and worry about. The laptop goes with me regardless.
Like I said, I just got DV Rack. I bought it because it should fit well with what I plan on doing over the next couple of years. I am not suggesting it's the perfect solution. It's only another tool I may be able to put to good use in my work and thought cjl467 should at least know about it.
 
Re: tapes

Thanks Soliton for the input. Don't get me wrong - I was just reading the reviews and stuff on DVRack and noone raised this question. Anyway, I wish you have a good use of it.

Cheers
 
Re: tapes

I'm definitely going to look into dv rack, that's the type program i've been looking for for a very long time, thanks so much for the tip.
 
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