I'm taking a class on video production in a local community college. We are using Sony VX 2100s. The instructor has advised each of us to purchase our own mini-dv tapes.he did not specify brand or type. from what I understand if you go from a wet based lubricants to a dry one, it can cause the heads to clog? How big a deal is this and should I point this out?

I would think the correct way to go about this is to ask the instructor if the school has a brand preference of the tapes going into their cameras. You don't have to tell them why you are asking.

-gb-

Kris this was indeed a problem (and a big one) 10 years or so ago, but things have settled down a lot. Of course I was caught in the early days and had to have tape path cleans, but these days I'm far less worried.

Even so, hand on heart I only run Sony tapes through my Sony camcorders. My DSR-11 on the other hand gets fed everything and anything - JVC, Maxell, TDK, Panasonic, Sony etc - and has been perfectly happy these last 3 years.

In your shoes (as I often am) I'd tell to students to choose a brand and stick to it.

tom.

I ran the technical end of the Cinema classes and the television studio at the local community college. My rule on tapes was:

1- No rental tapes in any deck in the studio or Post rooms.
2- Nothing but Sony tapes in the digital equipment.
3- Sony VHS/S-VHS tapes only in the studio decks.

Violation of a rule would automatically remove their use priviledges.

Sounds draconian but I didn't waste much time cleaning tape equipment and we never had a tape-related problem with the digital equipment. Almost all of the equipment was available at all time for instruction. Some of the VX-1000's were from the really early days of DV and a few are still going strong.

Would I enforce those rules today? Yes. A conservative aproach with delicate equipment, especially in these days of low to no equipment budget schools, it still makes sense.