Mini dvd tapes
 

I was shopping for some Mini DVD tapes and have noticed that some tapes are of different quality. Using a CANON XL-1 is there any noticable advantage in picture quality using a pro grade tape over like a sony premium or JVC tape? I'm currently using sony brand (premium). I have used Panasonic but it doesn't seem to be as reliable as the Sony.

There is no difference whatsoever in "picture quality" between different brands of Mini DV tapes. The difference lies in how robust they are... the likelihood of experiencing a dropout or glitch increases with cheaper brands. At any rate, we have an entire forum with hundreds of discussions about DV tape, it's called The Long Black Line and it's located at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=64 -- please use that forum for any follow-ups.