That is the question!

I seem to recall ther being a thread a couple of months ago about who is using what brands of tapes. There was something about Sony tapes being "wet lubed" or something.
(Being it was more than 5 minutes ago, I can't remember)

Let me know what you guys are using and any problems you have encountered.

I use JVC currently and have had a couple of digital glitches, not bad since I've gone through about 50 tapes this year already.

Chow for now- Nori

Hi
The main concern is not to mix brands. I have used Sony Excellence since day one and have been very happy.

Sony uses a wet lube others use dry, mix them = mud on your heads.

If they are real cheap tapes, you'll get what you pay for and less than desireable results.

If you look hard enough and can buy in qty, you can save a lot of money on great tapes.

Bruce

Thanks for the reply Bruce.

<If they are real cheap tapes, you'll get what you pay for and less than desireable results.>

When I first Got my XL1 a couple of years I tried many different brands and models of tapes and did not notice a difference, perhaps I did not know what to look for. What would be the less than desireable results?

-Nori

Don't mix tapes!

Yes, I know not to mix tapes.

My question is; Is there a picture or audio quality difference between tape brands?

-Nori

MiniDV records digital data. As long as the data can be read from the tape, it will be identical no matter what kind of tape is used.

Personally, we use the Panasonic Master series tapes in our cameras. And we DO NOT mix tapes. If we had started with some other type of tape, the image would look the same.

That is what I thought.

I wonder why such the huge price difference in brands then?

Roughly:

Higher quality = fewer dropouts = higher price

I have been pleased with the Panasonic MQ but also didn't have any real problems with the next step down - the PQ series. I use the MQ's to help reduce the chance of dropouts.