minidvcam tapes
 

Hey just got this project logging tapes for a documentry. It was shot on agx100 using minidvcam (40 minutes) these tapes played fine in my elura 20mc so Im' wondering if there is any advantage to using these tapes over standard mini dv tapes.

Hello Nick,
See this thread for opinions and more info on tape in general and DVCAM tape in particular.

Thanks! it would seem like there is no difference in recording quality, short of dropout rates. Pretending that I'm not the person who is going to be editing the stuff I do and LOVE tormenting my editor with dropout's is tere any other avantage. I'm also using a PAL XL1 set-up do you think that would make a difference?

No, I don't think that PAL -vs- NTSC has any real bearing on what tape you use, or vice-versa. DV is digital... 1's and 0's, unlike analog. Sony makes good tape, and DVCAM tape is designed for the format's slightly higher tape speed. Theoretically, it's a bit less abrasive. But just using a higher quality miniDV tape will be fine.

thanks again!

My experience with DVCAM...

The unit I shoot for accidently bought DVCAM tapes for their portable miniDV recorder instead of miniDV tapes. They were stored away in a file cabinet for quite some time.

One very busy day, I ran out of tape. Someone gave me the DVCAM tape and explained the "bought-in-error" story. I had never seen a DVCAM tape before - it looked just like a miniDV tape - except it had what looked like small, embedded, rectangular metal contacts. I put it in my XL-1 and did some test shots and playback; seemed to work fine.

When I got home, I put the DVCAM tape into my editing deck - a JVC HR-DVS2. (I never use the XL-1 as a playback deck... er... anymore). The deck wouldn't accept the tape. Every time I pushed it in, it spit it back out again.

Bottom line... I saw no quality difference between the the DVCAM tape and the Sony DVM60. The DVCAM tape is much more expensive, and records for a shorter period of time.
I shoot in a very dynamic, unscripted environment and can't say "Just a minute, I have to load a new tape." The DVCAM tape is not compatible with my editing deck.

DVCAM / MINIDV
 

as said before, the DVCAM tapes are made to fit another dv-system, the DVCAM-system. (There is also a large-format of these tapes). If you record on the DVCAM tape on a DVCAM camera, maybe your MINIDV camera or recorder can't accept it, or play it normal, because of another recording speed. But if you shooting with a DVCAM-tape on your MINIDV camera, you shouldn't have any problems other than it's shorter recording time. The difference between DVCAM and MINIDV is pretty much like the difference between S-VHS and VHS systems.

If you use a MiniDVCAM tape and record in DV mode you get 60 minutes from it. The 40 minute length is displayed becuase thats all you get in DVCAM mode. If you used a 60 minute mini-DV tape in DVCAM mode it would record 40 minutes. The tapes are the almost the same it's the speed of the recording format that dictates how long you get from it.

Just wanted to clear that up :)

John.