Switching Tape Grades
 

I'm purchasing an XH A1 today. From the research I've done, I've decided to use the Sony PHDVM-63DM DVCAM Master Digital Cassette as the tape I will use for professional jobs. I've read and heard many things about not switching brands or type of tape. Although I'm not totally convinced that doing this is really that bad (I wonder how much of this is misnomer out of something that was a problem years ago and doesn't matter with today's tech) I will follow this guideline. However, am I asking for trouble if I were to use a lesser grade of tape but the same brand (Sony DVM-63HD 63 Minute Mini DV HD Video Cassette or Sony DVM-60EX 60 Minutes Excellence Mini DV Video Cassette or Sony DVM-60PR 60 Minutes Premium Mini DV Video Cassette) in the camera for things like niece and nephew birthdays?

Thanks.

I was wondering the same thing, I have a couple Sony DVCAM tapes and I was wondering if I should clean my heads before i'm going to use them, since I usually use sony premium grade mini DV tapes.

Good afternoon,

There has been miles of discussion on this!! There are perhaps better people to answer, but here goes.

It appears that if there is a problem it is changing brands because they use different lubricants. If you were to change brands then cleaning the heads would probably be a wise decision.

I had this same question a couple years back. I don't run hdv yet, but I have used the 60 minute premimum sony tapes from the beggining and have had no trouble to date with about 100 hours on one camera.
Either way, I have learned to buy in bulk so I never run out and need to buy a different brand.