40 minute tape??
 

Hey anyone know why when i put a 60 minute Mini DV tape into my sony HD FX1 im only getting 40 minutes out of it. i have it set to DV CAM PAL 50i. anyone? cheers.

"...DV CAM..."

That's why. Set it to DV if you want 60 minutes, or record in HDV and down-convert to DV on-the-fly.

Oh no. its a new cam, how do i set it to mini DV? will my footage be ok since i recorded it on DVCAM??

Relax, everything is fine :-) DVCAM tapes will play on any sony deck or camcorder and possibly some other brands. To change go to the IN/OUT REC menu (icon with arrows) and choose REC FORMAT > DV (should already be there in your example). Then choose REC MODE > DV SP and you're all set. It's funny... all of Sony's cameras default to DVCAM out of the box. DVCAM uses 50% more tape. Sony makes tapes... ;-)

cheers Boyd, lifesaver! i jusr played it on a panasonic camera and its a bit jittery, i persume if i digitize into the system from my sony cam it will be ok. is the qulaity anny different between mini dv & dvcam?

Boyd also ive just noticed that the "component" setting is set to 1080i/576i? is this ok for shooting mini dv?? i thought that was a HD setting? sorry about the dumb questions, pretty new at all this. cheers.

Sounds like the Panasonic isn't DVCAM compatible. But there should be no problem capturing directly from your camera. The component setting sounds correct to me. But realize it has no effect on what you record or what you capture via firewire (i.Link). It only affects the analog output using the component video cable which came with the camera (it has red, green and blue RCA plugs). 576i would be correct for sending component video to a PAL standard definition monitor. 1080i would be correct for sending to an HD monitor. The "1080i/576i" setting means that it will automatically select one or the other depending on whether you're shooting standard or high definition.

fx1 isn`t DVCAM
 

The fx1 is minidv the z1u is dvcam or minidv. Are you sure you don`t have the z1u. I would think if I could afford the Z1U I would not confuse it with the fx1.

thanks lads!

Good point! I just assumed he was using a Z1, but now that I look at the original post he did say FX1.

HOWEVER... there is this odd thread about DVCAM on the FX1e...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=67114

He must have a z1, as in his original post he clearly said he had it set in DV CAM pal 50i. Still, im not sure how you could confuse the fx1 to the z1.

Unlike mini-dv, DVCPro and DVCPro HD aren't compatible with DVCam and HDCam.

heath