Time for tape cleaning? - Page 2 at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > Canon EOS / MXF / AVCHD / HDV / DV Camera Systems > Canon HDV and DV Camera Systems > Canon XL and GL Series DV Camcorders > Canon GL Series DV Camcorders

Canon GL Series DV Camcorders
Canon GL2, GL1 and PAL versions XM2, XM1.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old June 8th, 2004, 08:37 PM   #16
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 47
On this same topic - my GL2 which has been used for approximately 7-8 hours of tape displayed a "HEADS DIRTY - NEED CLEANING" message briefly. However, it hasn't showed up again in about an hour of use, and there haven't been any dropped frames or glitches. Do I really need a cleaning so early in the camera's life, or was it just a false error?
Evan Kubota is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 8th, 2004, 09:13 PM   #17
Retired DV Info Net Almunus
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,943
It was probably a false alarm. We've seen previous reports of this phenomenon. There are various theories on it ranging from an aberrant sensor to residual manufacturing debris. Keep an eye on your footage (duh). If you're planning to do something important it wouldn't hurt to run a cleaner as a hedge.
__________________
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
Ken Tanaka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 10th, 2004, 11:08 AM   #18
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 46
<<<-- Originally posted by Jason Casey : Overuse of cleaning tapes can actually cause more harm than good so be careful of that. -->>>

I have a GL2 and have just finished shooting a 8-part short drama over the past 8 weekends. I ran my tape cleaner before each one of those shoots - are you saying that cleaning the heads before each shoot was too much and may cause damage? How frequent is too much?
__________________
Aaron Nanto | Photo+Cinema
www.aaronnanto.com
Aaron Nanto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 10th, 2004, 11:21 AM   #19
Retired DV Info Net Almunus
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,943
"are you saying that cleaning the heads before each shoot was too much and may cause damage? How frequent is too much?"

Yes, it was probably too much although it probably didn't do any measurable harm. Generally, you only want to use a cleaner "every so often", or when you begin to notice evidence of contamination. There's no hard rule.

If you read enough tape threads here, and elsewhere, you're at risk of becoming obsessive and forming an irrational mental image that tape is a greasy, filthy thing. It's not. Just shoot.
__________________
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
Ken Tanaka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 10th, 2004, 05:50 PM   #20
Major Player
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Somerville, MA
Posts: 360
Ken,
Few topics have been discussed more than using tape cleaners for camcorders. The GL2 manual is to brief but states that for best results, a tape cleaner should be used after every 20 hours of use. Also, it says to never use a wet-type cleaning cassette since it could cause damage. I've been using Sony's Premium or Excellence tapes and Mini DV head cleaner and I hope they're all compatible with the GL2.
Bob
Bob Harotunian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 10th, 2004, 06:37 PM   #21
Retired DV Info Net Almunus
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,943
Thanks for that excerpt, Bob. Twenty hours sounds a bit frequent but if that's what Canon says..

I heard an interesting remark from an authoritative source last year, who told me that relatively few owners of "higher-end consumer cameras" ever record more than 50 hours of material with them. The less-expensive daddy-cams apparently tend to get much more use.
__________________
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
Ken Tanaka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old June 11th, 2004, 09:04 AM   #22
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Rolla, Mo
Posts: 116
I had a person give me some tapes that he used one time only in his line of work. Everyone of the tapes that I have used will tell me heads are dirty in the frist couple mins of using them. ,
So I'am 5 for 5 on once used tapes. Funny how it knows the tapes maybe have been used once before. Or just my run of the mill luck. I have 5 tapes left to try yet, taking bets on them!

Steve
Steve Olds is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > Canon EOS / MXF / AVCHD / HDV / DV Camera Systems > Canon HDV and DV Camera Systems > Canon XL and GL Series DV Camcorders > Canon GL Series DV Camcorders

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:59 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network