If you use mini-DV tapes try to stay with only one brand.
Different manufacturers all use their own kind of lubricant.
Mixing of these different kinds of lubricants
can have a very bad effect on tape transport mechanisms.
YMMV
I don't use Mini DV myself but a lot of people associated with my filmwork do... I'll let them know thank you.
Can you suggest a nice quality brand to stick with?
That's a Chevy vs Ford thing.
I have gotten the most consistent results from Maxell so I just stay with them.
My cameras really like Maxell.
Others will say Maxell sucks.
Again it's a chevy/ford thing.
The main thing is to just stay with one brand because of the lubes used.
YMMV
I've had great luck with Sony, Maxell and TDK. Another thing to note is to use the shortest length of tape that is practically possible. The reason for this is because the longer the running time of the tape, the thinner the actual tape is. Shorter time is using thicker, higher quality tape.
At least, I know this is the case when recording with audio. I would assume the same holds true with video as it's the same principle.
thanks! thats great info and hopefully will save my camera a few years.
Some manufacturers use "wet" lubricants, other's use "dry" lubricants. Mixing the two together is a good way to get a head clog. I always use Sony tapes, but that's because I have a Sony PD-150 and a Sony DSR-11 deck. If I had a Panasonic camera and deck, I'd use Panasonic tapes.
I know a lot of people that will just use whatever is on sale....if you aren't doing anything other than shooting your kids birthday party or the like, you can probably get away with that. But if someone is paying you say $2500-$5000 to make them a video and you have to tell them "uh....well...the tape had a big head clog so I couldn't get it to work" well, lets just say your reputation will take a big hit. Pick a brand and stick too it...good advice for sure
Strictly speaking you should be using a good head cleaner every couple of shoots which sorts this right out. Then you can use diffrent brands to your heart's content.
I've heard about this before. I personally use Sony tapes as I'm shooting on a HVR-Z1. Friends I know who are using the Panasonic DVX-102 tell me that they have tried using Sony tapes but the results are far from satisfactory. They have been sticking to Panasonic tapes ever since.
I don't know much about Maxell tapes, but I suppose it is a Ford/Chevy thing too.
I do know that when it comes to Digital Beta tapes, other brands other than Sony are less reliable. Why, I don't really know.
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www.digitalvideolessons.com
Resource centre for digital video productions Well, I would not recommend just using a head cleaner and changing tapes whenever you want. The reason for this is that head cleaners are abrasive....that's how they clean. By the mere act of using a mini DV head cleaning tape, you are wearing away your heads faster than they would otherwise. On my DSR-11 Sony recommends using a head cleaner every 500 hours of use if I remember right. Using it more often than that is NOT recommended. Look at the manual for your mini-DV deck.....I wouldn't use a head cleaner more often than they recommend unless you really have to. As a matter of fact, some video guys who really know what they are doing will not use head cleaning tapes but instead use some type of cleaning solution (I can't remember what they use) but they actually open up the decks and get inside so they won't wear down the heads. Just use tapes that are made by the manufacturer of your deck....that's probably the safest bet you can get. It's not like it's hard to find mini DV tapes of a particular brand or anything and you don't save that much by using the cheapies.
| Alaskacameradude wrote: |
| Well, I would not recommend just using a head cleaner and changing tapes whenever you want. The reason for this is that head cleaners are abrasive....that's how they clean. By the mere act of using a mini DV head cleaning tape, you are wearing away your heads faster than they would otherwise. On my DSR-11 Sony recommends using a head cleaner every 500 hours of use if I remember right. Using it more often than that is NOT recommended. Look at the manual for your mini-DV deck.....I wouldn't use a head cleaner more often than they recommend unless you really have to. As a matter of fact, some video guys who really know what they are doing will not use head cleaning tapes but instead use some type of cleaning solution (I can't remember what they use) but they actually open up the decks and get inside so they won't wear down the heads. Just use tapes that are made by the manufacturer of your deck....that's probably the safest bet you can get. It's not like it's hard to find mini DV tapes of a particular brand or anything and you don't save that much by using the cheapies. |
Alaskacameradude - not meaning to pick on you but not all of that is accurate. I porbably should have been more specific in my own post.
If you use good high end professional head cleaners you will find that yes, they are abrasive but only as abrasive as the DV tapes you run through your Deck. The material used in them is almost silk like but they rely on the solution provided with them (usually an alcohol based solution at the start ) to do the cleaning. I cant remember the ones we use but I'll find out and post it here later. We were given a couple but one of the broadcast hire companies we use.
Cheap head cleaners, that you can buy everywhere are not good. These are very abrasive and I would not recommend anyone using them. After several uses they just tend to become useless and in most cases they make the condition of the heads they are being passed over worse!!!
The best way is to open up the deck take out the heads and clean them with a cleaning solution. There are a couple of issues with this though.
1) I would not recommend anyone doing this if they dont know what they are doing - You wont be able to put the deck back together
2) If you do do it its difficult to make sure you clean them properly. Like with cheap head cleaners its very easy to leave a residue of the cleaning solution which is bad news to your tapes.
3) Getting a professional company to do this is very costly! I'm sure you can shop around to get it done but it will cost hundreds of pounds as it is a time consuming process that should be done in a static free enviorment.
One thing people have not mentioned is this: Dont Re-Use the same tapes. For each and every project you should use new tapes. DV tapes are now more than affordable and do not cost the earth so buy more. Also this means that you will build up an archive of tapes which is always a good idea. Eventually you will be able to find a use for old material. I know we find out archive very very useful these days.
As you can see its a debate with many solutions and opinions. I give mine based on my experience as a video editor and producer working in the industry for the past 7 years. (www.mediachill.com)
If you are a professional then you probably hire decks and cameras for jobs or you send your decks out for cleaning. If not then using highend tapecleaners is one solution.
The main point I was making is that it is not necessary to stick to one brand of tapes. While there is some truth in the lubricant and stuff sticking to the heads for most this wont affect the life span of the camera. You are more likely to have upgraded your camera due to general wear and tear by the time this takes effect.
Last edited by irishmark on Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:15 pm; edited 1 time in total | Quote: |
| While there is some truth in the glues and stuff sticking to the heads for most this wont affect the life span of the camera. You are more likely to have upgraded your camera due to general wear and tear by the time this takes effect. |
I disagree totally.
No one said anything about glue.
It is the mixing of lubricants that creates the problem.
I have known several people that have had their transport mechanisms
replaced because of this, that were no where near worn out.
Your Mileage May Vary | jwellsy wrote: |
| No one said anything about glue. |
sorry - i meant lubricants not glues!I still stand by what I said and as I look at your post it doesn't even look like you disagree too much. You say that by the time the head cleaner does any damage it will probably be time to upgrade your gear anyways....that may or may not be true. For hobbyists it probably is but for a professional who owns gear and uses it daily I don't agree...I think with heavy use, using head cleaners that often will wear down your heads. And as for the not mixing tapes, I still stand by my statement that you shouldn't mix them. And I too have worked as a videographer/editor for 10+ years and have even managed to win some awards for my work, so I too am a practicing professional in the field (www.gforcevideo.com)....I guess it goes to show that even two people that both work in the field can disagree on some points.
I think its down to experiences. As we have both had diffrent results it goes to show that there is no clear cut solution. I'm am more than happy to accept your opinions as they are obviously founded through years of experience. My own obviously font have the longevity as yours therefore i gracefully submit that yours hold more weight.
What did u get the awarsd for? well done!
Hey, I'm not trying to be a know it all or anything, I just wanted to say that I'm not just a hobbyist, I actually do work in the field. As you said different experiences can influence our opinions which is true. And it's not like I am hugely disagreeing with you either, I would bet for a lot of people that are "making home movies" and such, they aren't going to ever use their gear enough to wear it out, in fact it will probably work fine long after it is obsolute. I have the unfortunate tendancy to relate everything to my own type of work which is much harder on gear, no matter how much I try and baby my stuff, merely because it gets used a lot.....it's how I make my living. So I'm not saying your opinion is invalid, just that I don't think mine is invalid either. I think we probably mostly agree so I apologize if I came over as a know it all type.
Anyways, I won some awards for best videography and editing on a breaking news story back when I worked for an NBC affiliate. And some commercial stuff as well, really not much of a big deal, there are tons of people out there better than me, I just got lucky. A lot of the awards now are kind of a joke, if you pay to send in your submission enough times you will generally win something eventually. I only do it because you kind of have to do it if you want to sell yourself to clients....they see "award winning" so many times they expect it.
hehe - no apologies needed but the thought is appreciated! At the end of the day - i think we are pretty much on the same page and dont worry i never thought you were a "know it all" that made me giggle!
heh... awards are crap for the most part. Sounds a lot like the awards for website design. Anybody can get one, but it sure does look great on a resume, huh?
By the way, it's nice to see that people can be mature enough to agree to disagree... and then agree some more! I always enjoy seeing people's views and the reasoning behind them.
Great advice about sticking with one brand of tape. The other tips here should also be followed as well and they will really extend the life of your camcorder. Trust me, when it breaks down, repair costs can be almost as much as buying a new one! Mine broke down first time while still under warranty.
Second time I wasn't as lucky. It works only periodically now. I had filmed an entire soccer season during the wet winter season last year, and though I kept it dry, the high humidity must have affected it as some of the buttons don't work. I suspect they got corroded and are not making good contact. I hate to guess what the repair estimate will be when I bring it in.
Another tip would be not to leave a tape in the machine for long periods of time.
That's the general rule with any magnetic recording device - about not leaving the tapes in, I mean. Don't do it with floppies, cassette tapes, DV tapes, etc.
