Help Needed: GL2 Tape Problems at DVinfo.net

Jolie Skidmore · December 11th, 2003, 01:00 PM

Hi everyone. I'm new here, and I was wondering if anyone here could give me a hand.

I was wondering, which mini DV tapes record best with a Canon GL2? I bought a large supply of Sony Premiums (red/black packaging), but they seem to glitch a lot. When I say "glitch," I'm talking about the digital wave that covers the shot for a couple of seconds. They seem to occur 2 to 5 times on every given tape.

This has been frustrating, as you can imagine, because sometimes the tape glitches are in vital places in a shoot. (For example, we shot one scene in a film 17 times because we couldn't get it right, only to find out later that the one perfect take had been covered by a tape glitch.)

Does Canon recommend a certain tape brand? Does anyone know of tapes that glitch less?

Thanks so much for reading this. I really appreciate your help and look forward to posting with you all in the future. Thanks again!

Jolie

J. Clayton Stansberry · December 11th, 2003, 01:10 PM

Search for MiniDV tapes and you find many results, suggestions, and opinions. As for the glitching, how old is your camera? Do you also use it as a Deck? The heads may just be dirty and need a cleaning. As for tapes, Panasonic DVM63PQ or DVM83PQ. Also, I know that prosumer heads are very particular to the types of tapes used - make sure you are being consistent with the tapes you use.

Clay

Jean-Philippe Archibald · December 11th, 2003, 01:11 PM

I'm not an expert, but this problem not seem to be related to the tape used (by the way, Sony premiums are usually great and reliable tapes). Is thoses tapes are brand new?

If yes, I'd suspect an head problem. Perhaps you sould try to clean your heads with a cleaning cassette?

Ken Tanaka · December 11th, 2003, 01:34 PM

Welcome Jolie!
If my imagination coincides with the "wave" that you mention, my money is on a tape alignment / head alignment issue. Running a cleaning cassette will certainly not hurt but I doubt that it will help, either. You could also try switching to different brand, or higher grade, of tape right after the cleaning. (I am assuming that you are not re-using tapes.)

If none of those tricks solve the problem, I'm afraid it's off to Canon Service.

Graham Bernard · December 11th, 2003, 02:39 PM

Here we go again . . . . A new user, a tape problem . . when is the penny going to drop with all of us? . . Tape & head aligment on a new cammie? . . . To quote my favourite Wilde play, "To loose one parent is unfortunate . . . . "

How many people have we heard having this happen?

Okay Ken, you can send the boys round ! - Still love my XM2 . . Especially as it has just returned from the "Canon Garage" . . .

Grazie

Matt Elias · December 11th, 2003, 08:14 PM

I believe the red and black packaging are old stock. I use the sony premiums, which are packaged in blue wrapping. Not sure if old tapes would effect your footage.

Bob Harotunian · December 11th, 2003, 08:43 PM

I switched to Sony Excellence tapes and have been experiencing fewer dropouts. Worst dropouts always seemed to be during the last minute or so of tape even when cameras were new. I know I shoudn't be recording there but sometimes you have no choice.

Jolie Skidmore · December 12th, 2003, 01:26 AM

Thanks everyone, for your ideas. I really appreciate the replies.

About the cleaning tape, I've tried running that through. It hasn't seemed to help, unfortunately.

I received the camara last January, so it's almost a year old. To tell you the truth, I'm a little frustrated with Canon. The camera broke a few months after purchasing it (it wouldn't rewind or fastforward, etc.), so I had to send it to the shop. They fixed it for free and sent it back, but they forgot to connect the sound recording device back up, so it didn't record any sound. Back to the shop it went!

This all put me behind shooting schedule, and I dread sending it back to them. (In addition, I'm a college student and all that postage gets a little pricey.)

Maybe I'll try a different tape brand. You say it's good to be consistent with a tape? Hmmm . . . that's good to know.

Thanks again, everyone. I guess I'll buy a different type of tape and see if the problem persists.

J. Clayton Stansberry · December 12th, 2003, 09:36 AM

Jolie,
We are just speculating, so it would be good to know what you come up with, if the different tape helps, or if the heads are out of alignment. Good luck, and I hope for your sake it is a simple problem.

Clay

December 11th, 2003, 01:00 PM	#1
Jolie Skidmore New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Layton, Utah Posts: 9	Help Needed: GL2 Tape Problems Hi everyone. I'm new here, and I was wondering if anyone here could give me a hand. I was wondering, which mini DV tapes record best with a Canon GL2? I bought a large supply of Sony Premiums (red/black packaging), but they seem to glitch a lot. When I say "glitch," I'm talking about the digital wave that covers the shot for a couple of seconds. They seem to occur 2 to 5 times on every given tape. This has been frustrating, as you can imagine, because sometimes the tape glitches are in vital places in a shoot. (For example, we shot one scene in a film 17 times because we couldn't get it right, only to find out later that the one perfect take had been covered by a tape glitch.) Does Canon recommend a certain tape brand? Does anyone know of tapes that glitch less? Thanks so much for reading this. I really appreciate your help and look forward to posting with you all in the future. Thanks again! Jolie __________________ "What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today!" - Bill Murray, Groundhog Day

December 11th, 2003, 01:10 PM	#2
J. Clayton Stansberry Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 316	Search for MiniDV tapes and you find many results, suggestions, and opinions. As for the glitching, how old is your camera? Do you also use it as a Deck? The heads may just be dirty and need a cleaning. As for tapes, Panasonic DVM63PQ or DVM83PQ. Also, I know that prosumer heads are very particular to the types of tapes used - make sure you are being consistent with the tapes you use. Clay __________________ I understand everything about nothing.

December 11th, 2003, 01:11 PM	#3
Jean-Philippe Archibald Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saguenay, Québec, Canada Posts: 1,051	I'm not an expert, but this problem not seem to be related to the tape used (by the way, Sony premiums are usually great and reliable tapes). Is thoses tapes are brand new? If yes, I'd suspect an head problem. Perhaps you sould try to clean your heads with a cleaning cassette? __________________ Jean-Philippe Archibald http://www.jparchibald.com - http://www.vimeo.com/jparchib

December 11th, 2003, 01:34 PM	#4
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Welcome Jolie! If my imagination coincides with the "wave" that you mention, my money is on a tape alignment / head alignment issue. Running a cleaning cassette will certainly not hurt but I doubt that it will help, either. You could also try switching to different brand, or higher grade, of tape right after the cleaning. (I am assuming that you are not re-using tapes.) If none of those tricks solve the problem, I'm afraid it's off to Canon Service. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 11th, 2003, 02:39 PM	#5
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	. . ah huh . . . Here we go again . . . . A new user, a tape problem . . when is the penny going to drop with all of us? . . Tape & head aligment on a new cammie? . . . To quote my favourite Wilde play, "To loose one parent is unfortunate . . . . " How many people have we heard having this happen? Okay Ken, you can send the boys round ! - Still love my XM2 . . Especially as it has just returned from the "Canon Garage" . . . Grazie

December 11th, 2003, 08:14 PM	#6
Matt Elias Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: California Posts: 149	I believe the red and black packaging are old stock. I use the sony premiums, which are packaged in blue wrapping. Not sure if old tapes would effect your footage.

December 11th, 2003, 08:43 PM	#7
Bob Harotunian Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 360	I switched to Sony Excellence tapes and have been experiencing fewer dropouts. Worst dropouts always seemed to be during the last minute or so of tape even when cameras were new. I know I shoudn't be recording there but sometimes you have no choice.

December 12th, 2003, 01:26 AM	#8
Jolie Skidmore New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Layton, Utah Posts: 9	Thanks everyone, for your ideas. I really appreciate the replies. About the cleaning tape, I've tried running that through. It hasn't seemed to help, unfortunately. I received the camara last January, so it's almost a year old. To tell you the truth, I'm a little frustrated with Canon. The camera broke a few months after purchasing it (it wouldn't rewind or fastforward, etc.), so I had to send it to the shop. They fixed it for free and sent it back, but they forgot to connect the sound recording device back up, so it didn't record any sound. Back to the shop it went! This all put me behind shooting schedule, and I dread sending it back to them. (In addition, I'm a college student and all that postage gets a little pricey.) Maybe I'll try a different tape brand. You say it's good to be consistent with a tape? Hmmm . . . that's good to know. Thanks again, everyone. I guess I'll buy a different type of tape and see if the problem persists. __________________ "What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today!" - Bill Murray, Groundhog Day

December 12th, 2003, 09:36 AM	#9
J. Clayton Stansberry Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 316	Jolie, We are just speculating, so it would be good to know what you come up with, if the different tape helps, or if the heads are out of alignment. Good luck, and I hope for your sake it is a simple problem. Clay __________________ I understand everything about nothing.