What tapes for HC1?
 

I've taken my giant leap and just ordered the Sony HC1 camcorder. Now for the "incidentals". I thought I read somewhere in this forum about recommended mini-dv tapes to use for HD recording but now can't find it. So, I know Sony makes a Mini-DV HD tape; are there other brands out there? Is one better than the other or do I really need to buy the HD tapes? Since I have laid out the money for an HD camcorder I want the best possible picture so I'm not quibbling about the cost of tapes - just want an idea of what to get.

Thanks
Carl White

This is a very tough topic and has been discussed on several forums without any real good answer. My personal strategy is to make sure to only use one brand and model of tape. I am using a Fuji-tape that costs about 4 USD in my local shop. I also only record once and don't use a tape over and over.

To be honest, it really doesn't matter. I still believe that the SONY 63MIN "HDV" tapes are a gimmick and wayyy overpriced and will NEVER buy one. I have been using the SONY Premium tapes and the Maxwell TDK tapes from Costco with my A1 and haven't had one dropout yet. And I've been taping under extreme heat (Florida) and cold (Boston) for the entire semester. Just go for whatever is cheapest; any MiniDV will do. I find the Maxwell TDK's from Costco to be the cheapest; forgot how much I paid though.

I agree. Just choose a good brand name and stick with it. I use Maxell DVM60SE. 8 for $24 at Sam's Club.

In my "Digital8" days I used Maxell (a media brand i've used since old reel-to-reel days and have always been happy with them. So, I think that pretty much answers my question.

Thanks
Carl White

> "I want the best possible picture"

Just to clarify, as far as I am aware the issue comes down to potential dropouts during record and/or (repeated?) playback. There is no "picture quality" issue equivalent to the way in which higher-quality audio tape has better frequency response. It's all 1s and 0s - so provided each frame actually plays the tape brand will have further no effect on picture quality.

Thanks for the reminder - I thought I'd read that the "concern" was for dropouts not for fidelity. I rarely experienced them on my Maxell Digital8 tapes so am sticking with Maxell for my MiniDV.

Carl White