Tapes for HD100
 

Hi. I would like to know if I use normal miniDV tapes (those used on evrey minidv camera) on the HD100 would I be damaging the heads? Obviously this is only when shooting in DV mode. Thanks

I use the $3 Sony Premium tapes for DV & HD.

I use Pansonics which I am very happy with because I use a Canon camera to capture SD24PA footage with and work well in both cameras, but they are pricy: AY-DVM63MQ.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont....x=0&image.y=0

$5.19 is pricey? In a bigger scheme of things this price or even quite a bit more is not pricey. If you shot with HDCAM you'd be paying anywhere between $80 - $100 per a 40-minute tape. For a good quality tape the price is worth every penny. Don't cheap out on tapes...

I found this thread helpful:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=62199

From what I gathered it's best to use one particular brand consistently. But if not, Panasonic and JVC tapes are similar in their lubricant where Sony uses a more wet and/or abrasive lubricant. I've decided to stick with mainly JVC and possibly use Panasonic on occasion for their 80 minute tapes. It's a tough choice though considering my other camera is a Sony FX1... Guess I'll just hope for the best...

ProHD Tapes
 

The JVC MVD63PROHD tapes are made specifically to get the best performance out of the JVC ProHD cameras. As some have already said, it's not wise to scrimp on tape quality. The JVC MDV63PROHD tapes sell for $10 to $15 per tape.

I get the JVC PRO HD tapes from B & H. they're reasonably priced and they always have them.

I want to get these, but I heard that they do not work in Canon cameras which I use to capture the 24PA-SD footage. I may just test one out for myself.

If shooting in HDV 720P, as Carl Hicks pointed out, it is Highly recommended to use MDV63PROHD tape. I have had a client who was shooting HDV on Panasonic 63EJ series (consumer tape) and he had multiple problems with dropout both on the recording and when capturing. He switched over to MDV63PROHD tape and this eliminated his problems.

TapeWorks Texas Inc has plenty of stock on the DVM63PROHD tape at a cost of $9.95 each.

Best Regards,
Scott Cantrell
TapeWorks Texas Inc - HDVinfo.net Sponser
866.827.3489
scott@tapeworkstexas.com
www.tapeworkstexas.com

Let's set the record straight here: Sony tapes DO NOT USE more ABRASIVE lubricant. It is simply a DIFFERENT chemical formulation and going back and forth between what is referred to as 'wet' (SONY) and 'dry' (JVC, Panasonic and others) causes the creation of dirt or 'gack' on the camera heads, which in turn can cause dropouts and other problems. The Sony tapes are excellent, very reliable and they have by far the best and most durable cases. I have used them for years without a single dropout.

Hey, all. I just got my camera the other day -- very sweet. First off, did the sse test, couldn't see the split, even with 18db. Let's hope that JVC did a little self-calibrating setup in the firmware.

As far as tape stock is concerned. I've use sony tapes for years and have never heard of "abrasive lubricate" - kind of an oxymoron if you ask me. In my 100a, I've used the panasonic masters since I got it with no problems. When it goes out on rentals, I warn about switching stocks, some listen, some don't. I just clean the heads when I get the camera back. My thought is to use the more expensive tapes now to avoid more costly repairs later.

I've been going back and forth about what tape stock to use for the JVC. Panasonic Masters for reg DV and JVC HD tape for HDV or the Sony excellence and HD tapes. Sony tends to have national and international acceptance, so I’m starting to lean in that direction. Any thoughts from people using either combination?

tapes for HD100
 

I have been using Sony DVCAM tapes in my HD100 because I have been using sony DVCAM tape for years in my Sony DSR-570 Cameras. My company has been thru about 10,000 tapes in the last 3 years, and NO drop outs yet!

Am I making an assumption that this tapestock is OK for the JVC?

Robert,
I had the same great experience with SONY tapes in my DSR-500 and wanted to use them in the HD100 as well. I ran one SONY HDV tape through the camera and had the 'changing mode' problem. Before it was determined that it's a firmware issue some suggested that it could be the tape type. As a result I cleaned the heads and switched quickly to the Panasonic master tapes. Since then I had some 5-6 dropouts (in less than 10 tapes). Far more than in three years of using SONY. I wish I hadn't switched and stayed with SONY... I might still go back (after thorough head cleaning).

I use the cheapest JVC tapes for most of my footage. Never cleaned heads, never had problems and drop outs are rare... not a single one on the last 20 tapes. From what I've read by a JVC technician in this forum, these tapes are as good as expensive tapes for the heads. The difference is on the footage durability and risk of drop outs. From what he said, JVC, Panasonic or Fuji are the tapes that should be used with the HD100.

Tape Brands
 

Apparently, from all the various reports, there is no consensus on what brand and type of tapes to use. There seem to be reports of problems with all brands while there are also people who swear that their particular tape choice produces flawless results. I think that there is also another factor, that also plays role in other issues, such as the SSE, etc. What some percieve as an issue (a small dropout) because it is in the middle of a shot that is needed for a broadcast/corporate product, others might overlook either because some users are less experienced and might simply miss it or the location of said dropout is in the middle of some unimportant footage. Hence the subjectivity of the reports; a glass half full - half empty. I believe the same goes for calibration issues with SSE and CA. A lot of this is in the eye of the beholder (experience of the user) and monitoring equipment.

Getting back to the tape brands, I would like to hear from people who have used SONY HDV tapes extensively in the HD100. As I mentioned earlier, we used those tapes and other Sony professional models extensively before with excellent results. I only switched to Panasonic as a result of problems with 'mode changing', which were at the time wrongly contributed to the Sony tape lubrication. We selected the highest brand of Panasonic tapes yet, they allow dropouts to happen. And yes, we 'unpack' them prior to shooting (which is something we never needed to do with Sony tapes). In my work would be only too happy to pay $15-25 per tape knowing that I can rely on their quality. In documentary field there are too many shots, which cannot be replicated.

Jiri, I am experienced enough to see where a drop out is. Most of my footage is for brodcasting and I analyze thoroughly my tapes to see what I did wrong and if there are any technical problems before giving them for editing. I use my camera about 7 days a month, most of my work is with RTP's (a Portuguese broadcaster) cameras. I used it enough to know how reliable it is, I would never use it if I was afraid of drop outs or SSE damaging my footage. All I wanted to say is that cheap JVC tapes work fine and from what I read there is no problem on using them. When what I'm shooting is important for archiving I use more expensive JVC or Panasonic Master tapes.

Never used a Sony tape on my HD100, but I've been using them for years on my cameras. I still use them on my DSR390 and no problems so far. I rent the DSR390 a lot and its heads have tasted all kinds of lubricants. Never thought it could be a problem before starting reading about it in here.

Diogo, don't take my comments personally - they were not meant that way.

Because there are all kinds of people contributing here, I believe that the comments range from overly positive (missing some problems with the footage) to very concerned focusing on the smallest details and as a result, it's sometimes difficult to get an overal picture. The tape brand is one such topic. I'd still like to hear from people using SONY tapes in their HD100 camera.

Sem problema! :)

Thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum, I travel and shoot for a living, don't have much time to compare products.
BTW: just to be clear, I'm using Sony DVCAM tape not HDV, I believe that the formulation of the dvcam tape is far superior to mini dv. Have not used HDV tape yet. However; my company just ordered 5 Sony XDcamHD cameras, so tapestock will soon be an issue. As for me and my personal JVC, I'm going to continue using Sony dvcam tape until it fails me.

This just occurred to me, I use only brand new tape in my camera for 1 pass only. Are you guys getting dropout on brand new stock or is it when tapes are used 3-4 times?

Brand new stock Sony HDV 63 but in my case I think its the camera or my HD-100 thats the problem. I know several people who have had great results with this tape. I dont know anyone who has ever used DVCAM except you I didnt know you could use the DVCAM in this camera.

Robert,

I'm interested in your use of dvcam tapes, never thought about using the smaller shells. How many have you use through your camera? I have to assume you are using them for both dv and hdv. What length of tape do you use? We all know that a pd150, with a 60 minidv will yield 40 minutes in dvcam mode, any difference in run time in the jvc? Thanks!
-- Gil

HDV mode runs the same speed as miniDV - so a 64 minute miniDV tape will run 64 minutes in HDV mode, while approx. 40-45 minutes in DVCAM mode.

Thanks Jiri,

You might have misunderstood my question. (or I didn't state it clearly) A small shell dvcam tape is 40 minutes in listed length. -- would that be 60 minutes when recorded in hdv? Since it's recording at the slower dv/hdv tape speed.

Yes Gil, those dvcam tapes on the HD100 or any DV camera will run for 60 minutes. That's the only difference between DVCAM and DV, according to Sony DVCAM runs faster to avoid drop outs.

TapeStock
 

Hi
They told me to use tapes from JVC. I used to use Sony DVCAM tapes as well, with Sony cameras of course, never had any drop out. So do you use Sony DVCAM tapes with your JVC GY-HD100? And you are sucessfully using it, without drop outs? I'm confused - what to use after head cleaning: Sony? JVC/Panasonic? What about playing back older Sony/DVCAM tapes and recording with new JVC tapes?

Edwin, the key is not to mix SONY tapes with the others. So, playing back older Sony tapes in the camera while using JVC or Panasonic for recording wouldn't be a good idea. Try to pick one brand and stick to it.

exactly! Stay with the same brand

Thank you. So i should buy another (Sony-)device to play back my "old" DVCAM tapes, when needed to refresh my archive... - Hope that my HD-101 will ship back from JVC-Switzerland soon, updated (firmware) and repaired, with no drop-out-errors anymore...

Sony tapes
 

I wish that I would have read this post sooner. When we first got our camera, we were using cheap little Maxell tapes because they were so readily available. They worked great and never had a bit of drop out. Since then, we decided to used a better quality tape and found a local dealer that sells the Sony tapes. Now we have tons of drop out. Even after severals tries with the cleaning tape, the drop out is still there.

My camera is at JVC for the upgrade right now. If it's still dropping out when it comes back, I guess that I'm going to have to open it up for a proper cleaning.

Wow I am really amased that you still have drop out after cleaning the heads, I would recomend sending it in to get cleaned by JVC Then what ever tape you use after that stay with it.

It's on its way back from getting the upgrade from JVC right now. Carl Hicks told us to put a note in the box about the drop out. Hopefully they cleaned it while they were upgrading it.

Mine is also at JVC they recieved it today. The version I have is already an A so I was surpriced to see that I was having problems, so we will see in what condition our cameras come back to us. Keep this thread updated as to the condition of your camera and so will I. My problems our drop out, picture degradation, slight lag in audio which might be normal for the HD and recently I expericed a break in my time code all I could see was blue screen where there should have been pictue. JVC seems to be very customer oriented and Im ok with problems, I mean its new technology just as long as they get it fixed. again I will also keep this forum updated as to the condition of my camera when I get it back. Good luck with yours.

DVcam tape
 

Been on the road in LA(Im from Nashville) and quick trip down to Lima,Peru. I shot 6-40 min
Sony DVCAM tapes in the DV mode and 2-40 min Sony DVcam tapes (exact same stock type)in the
HDV mode. just got in, but preliminary spot testing showed no drop out in any case.... Am I playing with fire? or just lucky?

No,Thats probably the best tape you can use at this time if your camera is functioning propely. I use it to. If you buy your tape on line and I say online because the tapes that I have experianced problems with were usually purchase on line, sometimes you can get defective tape and you will experiance drop out. Usually the drop out is due to the tape not the camera. But their can be cases otherwise, I am just speaking from my own experiances.

We had dropout with more than a few of the Panasonic MQ tapes, and that's all I have run in the camera from the day it arrived. We buy the Panasonic tapes by the 25 packs, in pairs. However, I found that repacking the tapes (not by hand but with a forward/rev) before using them has yielded excellent results.

I was wondering who else has tried this as a fix after experiencing dropouts and a tape brand?

Is this sort of spamming allowed on these forums?

Try Buying your tape from a different supplier or a local store in your area the drop out your having is probably due to deffective tape it seems to be more apparent in the HDV format.

TDK Tapes
 

You guys know if the tdk tapes use dry lubricant? I have a mini-dv cam I'm planning on using with the hd100 as VTR for DV footage... and I've been using tdk on this mini-dv cam. Would it be a problem if I started using JVC tapes on it?

If you use JVC make sure you clean the heads on your camera first then change tapes.

Just got camera back JVC service was great so far camera works fine.