Best DV deck for capture?

[Ron Stoecklein]

I know there are numerous threads on the subject--most of which don't answer the question.

I have used a cheaper Canon DV cam for capture--works okay until the last time when a tape got eaten by the cam--maybe it was the tapes fault--maybe not.

Regardless I am looking for a reliable playback deck for capture. Seems like several people have had problems with some of the Sony units.

Just wondering if there are any recommendations?

Thanks

Ron

[Michael Nistler]

Hi Ron,

If you're feeling flush with money, by all means buy something like the Sony DSR-11 Mini-DV Deck (I'd rather buy more gear - lights, sound, software/hardware, royalty free music, 1x7 DVD duplicators, multipe DVD printers, camera stabilization, lens, portable monitors, etc, etc)

The Sony certainly os a standard used by many videographers. But if you'd rather save yor dough for other toys, you can certainly get by using an expensive Mini DV camera as a deck. I haven't had any problems with my Canon ZR800 for the last year and probably download 2-4 tapes per week (also recording about 1 tape per week on trips as my "play camera"). On my last trip in Russia, I dropped the sucker out of my jacket pocket and was shocked to watch it bounce down marble steps until a well-meaning tourist stopped it by stepping on it (ugg, "thanks, I think...) Fortunately, the baby is light and continues to work flawless for a year now - my high-end cameras would be toast falling down even one step. If/when the ZR800 goes, no problemo - I'll buy some more.

But if I was doing heavy-duty tape capture/archive work, I'd certainly buy a deck. On that note, I am careful not to needlessly move the camera's tape back and forth during capture. Rather than mark a ton of in-out points, I capture big chucks of tape data and cut it up once it's on the hard disk. That way I'm not constantly banging the camera's transport head back and forth. If I had a Sony deck, I wouldn't think twice about capturing small chunks of video. Hope that helps.

Warm Regards, Michael

[Ron Stoecklein]

Thanks for the reply Michael--like you thats' what I have done in the past use a canon ZR for capture---until this last time I was capturing footage from a tape shot with my GL2--I rewound the tape in the Canon ZR--and at the end of the rewind was the Eject tape! message--when I did the tape was messed up--I believe it was the cassette holding the tape that was at fault--not the Canon ZR--of course now I'm "gun shy" about using the ZR-

I think I'll take a new tape fast forward it and rewind it and see what happens and then shoot some footage with the GL2--and try and captrue again--if al Is well I guess I can assume it was in fact the cassette--

like I said before i use Panasonic's Master series tape so as to always stay with the same brand--although the tape in question is the 83 min. tape--wondering if the tape is perhaps a bit thinner or packed on tighter that may have helped to cause the problem--

I also have a hard drive unit that hooks up to the XL2, GL2 which makes all things with regard to tape irrelevant-and makes capturing a 30 second breeze---but I shoot tape as a master at the same time.

Thanks
Ron