Best tape for use in the VX2100?
 

I've been using these Sony tapes...

http://www.taperesources-store.com/s...2DS20&dept=205

What does everyone else use/recommend?

VX2000 User
 

I ve used Panosonic tapes most of the time, and have had no problems. The consensus seems to be not to change up, and if you do, run a head cleaner before switching to new tape.

Chris Barcellos

That's the answer. Choose a tape, any tape, and stick to it.

What if?
 

I was wondering if my problem might be related to switching brand. I got this camera used and I didn't even ask him what he was using. Camera drops audio and the frames in the left side are going all funky. I just dropped it off to a repair shop and got to thinking about it. Soooo I guess my question is---------> Do things realllly go strange if you switch film? Pre-thanks, John
PS: Chris Barcellos has been a very big help on this so far and I want to thank him once again :) :) :)

The only time I've had to have a tape path clean (as against the much less complex head clean) is when I've unintentionally and inadvertently switched tape brands in my cameras. The gunk and goo left behind on the capstan (about one millimetre up from the main bearing) is the giveaway that your tape path also needs a through cleaning.

tom.

John- Let us know how things go.
 

John Scott:

You're welcome. With the problems you are talking about I was concerned about dirty heads, and that is why I suggested using a head cleaner.

It seams different brands of tape use different types of lubricants-- some a dry lubricant, some a wet (Sony in particular). When the two get mixed together, problems arise.

Keep me posted.

Chris Barcellos

I have three cams and have mixed tapes willy-nilly for several years without consequence. I could say a lot more (and I have in other posts) but that's the bottom line for me.

Ya know! I am sooooo bummmmed out about this camera. I really think the fella is telling me the truth but I just can't figure it out. I had it cleaned and even bought a cleaning tape just to pre-clean it before I used it and the first footage I captured to harddrive was clear as the video goes but after 5 seconds the audio dropped off spuraticly. I captured it once again and the audio dropped off at different times!!!!!!!!! I gave the tape to a friend that has a Mac with NLE and he is going to capture the same footage and get back to me this Friday. It's almost like a playback problem cause you would think that if the footage is captured it would be the same no mater how many time you capture it. I guess what I am digging for is: Has anyone out there had this kind of problem???????

How many hours on the camera? And what camera? The audio fades when played back in-camera or on a different transport?

Sorry Mike, It's a VX2000 so I really don't know. I bought it used from a fella that said he had about 20 hours on it. The audio drops off at different times when in play back also. That is why i gave the tape to my friend to replay on his equipment. I will know something in a few days about the tape. Any idea how much a drum is if that is the problem. I took it to a local repair shop and was charged $225 for I guess just cleaning and adjustment so I figured if there was any thing major wrong he would have let me know. Thanks, John

Unless you know the competence of the shop, you really don't know what they did or if they know how to do what they did. If they didn't tell you what they did and the camera doesn't perform any better, I'd ask for a refund.

A new drum assembly costs around $400 IIRC plus labor. But if the camera truly has only 20 hours on it, the heads should be OK.

Now that you have it back, does the camera work OK?

My friend just called and said the audio was messed up :( The video is great but.... I could have almost paid for a drum for what they charged me for just cleaning!!!!!!!! I will get it back to the place that worked on it and see what they say and then I will get back with the fella I bought it from. Thanks all for the help :)
PS Any suggestions on a real repair shop I can trust if the deal goes sour on getting my money back from the seller?????

The tape you use is the least expensive part of your video production system.
It's also the part that can cancel the benefits of all the expenditures you made on everything else, if it goes bad. So, from the beginning of my use of a VX2100, I've shot and archived with nothing else but Sony Excellence cassettes, at about $7.50 each. I plan on keeping these tapes for decades, regardless of what other media I might use to store other copies, so I regard the higher cost to be a good investment. So far, I've never seen a visible glitch in anything I've shot or re-recorded. Some of my tapes have been used as temporary caches, while I edited footage from other formats or transfered it to an HDD for DVD authoring. Then, I've re-used them as many as a dozen times and still have had no tape failures. I doubt that I will ever wish I'd saved a few measly bucks by going with the economy tapes.

On the other hand, I've shot about 150 tapes that cost under $3.00 each without problems. I doubt that I'll ever wish I had spent $675 more for those tapes 8>}. To each his own.

Fred, 10 years or more from now, will be the time to review our choices of tapes.