Hi. I'm not sure if I should be posting this in this forum or the Long Black Line (with DV Tapes) -- but I thought I'd start here.

I've had my Panasonic GS400 for over a year, but have used it rarely. Now I'm working on several short films and a documentary. Some of the first footage I've shot has had some nasty one-frame drop-outs -- where the sound is a sudden sharp burst of static and the picture is covered with what looks like rectangle, multi-colored blocks that covers a lot of the frame.

Is this just a hazard of video shooting? (I don't remember this many drop-outs on my 1-chip Canon ZR20.) Or could it be a tape problem? Or do I need to clean the heads? (I'm reluctant to just start cleaning the heads, because I hear it can wear down your heads the more you use a head cleaner. And since I haven't shot more than 5 hours on the thing, I feel a little worried about having to use a cleaner so early.)

Thanks for any help.

It is not normal. Change the tape. If that doesn't fix it, then clean the heads with a dry tape cleaner. Also, check the Firewire cable. It could be defective.

I have had similar dropouts too. Seems camera problem to me but haven't bothered to sent it for repair.

It is good idea to ff and rw the tape before use and never rely on the first and especially last 10-30 seconds.

But I also have bad feeling as this never happend on old Sony cam.

It is good idea to ff and rw the tape before use and never rely on the first and especially last 10-30 seconds.That's interesting -- since I only have those problems in the first part of the tape. Or so I've noticed. I'm gonna try Guy's methods first -- hopefully that will fix it.

I would have the occasional 1-5 frame dropout with the rainbow checkers an old little JVC and my Sony VX2000. I think my problem was that I used these cameras for action footage, and the battery (freshly charged) would shake around. I'll be using my GS250 in a week under the same situation. The only thing these cameras will have in common is the tape (TDK miniDV from CostCo), as even the operator will vary.

I have the same problem since I switched from Panasonic tapes to TDK tapes.
I guess that Panasonic camcorders don't like TDK tapes.

Ah, good old TDK, back to rear it's ugly head. I used to do a lot of DAT audio taping (tapes very similar to miniDV), and most tapers/traders would not allow a TDK blank to be inserted into their equipment. Haven't had much success with TDK blank CD-Rs, either. All around, horrible media.

>most tapers/traders would not allow a TDK blank to be inserted into their >equipment.

Is that due to the wet/dry tape lubricant mismatches between say Sony and TDK ?

Overall, I have had no significant problems with TDK miniDV tapes, though I only stick that single type of tape in my camcorders. We all know about mixing tapes, and I've had trouble just playing back a single Sony tape.
I'll report on TDK miniDV tapes with my new GS250 when I test it over the weekend.

As for TDK disks, I have had the least trouble with TDK DVD-Rs (8x, printable from CostCo). They're a good deal and print, with zero coasters. I used to swear by Ritek media until I've had playback trouble with quite a few. The Riteks burn & verify, but they don't read consistently on my home NEC DVD-RW drive or Sony DVD-ROM drive. TDK CD-Rs (52x, non-printable) also work well for me.

>I have the same problem since I switched from Panasonic tapes to TDK >tapes.
>I guess that Panasonic camcorders don't like TDK tapes.

This is an old article, and unfortunately, I didn't save the source .
I am NOT the author
-------------------

There are only 2 Tape OEMs: Sony & Panasonic
TDK are TDK.

MiniDV tapes are made by either by Sony, Panasonic and TDK.
Sony uses liquid lubricant
Panasonic uses dry lubricant

Panasonic makes tapes for: Fuji, Maxell, JVC, Canon

Sony makes for the rest.

TDK are on their own since they have their own ME (Metal Evaporate)
Facilities.

In other words, mixing these 3 brands will clog the heads. Why the
manufacturers hide this, I really don't know.

Here is another link with greater detail :

http://www.philpang.com/tips/minidv_lubricants.html

http://www.adamwilt.com/pix-defects.html

My dropouts are usually a rainbow-colored blip pattern, which isn't illustrated on this page. I seriously think my problem has something to do with moving the camera around.

Panasonic makes tapes for: Fuji, Maxell, JVC, Canon

Sony makes for the rest.



Wish I had known this earlier !

I switched from Panasonic to TDK because Panasonic tapes are very difficult to find where I live. But Fuji tapes are well spread.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

And for those who have a GS400, don't buy TDK tapes. They will clog your heads if you don't clean them well first AND you will have dropouts even if you cleaned the heads.

>And for those who have a GS400, don't buy TDK tapes. They will clog your >heads if you don't clean them well first AND you will have dropouts even if >you cleaned the heads.

Can you offer more information about this ? I'm not sure I understand why
a new Panasonic camcorder will have this problem as long as the various types of tapes are not mixed.

FWIW, I use TDK tapes in my GS400 because they're cheap from Costco. The only dropout problems I had (and I got a "clean heads" warning at the same time) was when I used a Fuji tape after several TDK tapes, then went back to TDK. The first TDK tape following the Fuji tape led to the dropouts. I cleaned the heads and no dropouts since.

Gints: That's really interesting. I notice JVC and Fuji tapes look exactly the same except for the silk screening.

>And for those who have a GS400, don't buy TDK tapes. They will clog your >heads if you don't clean them well first AND you will have dropouts even if >you cleaned the heads.

Can you offer more information about this ? I'm not sure I understand why
a new Panasonic camcorder will have this problem as long as the various types of tapes are not mixed.

When I bought my GS400, they offered 5 Panasonic tapes free of charge. Of course I used them. But then I was not able to find a store selling the same tapes. So I switched to TDK. Before switching, I cleaned the heads and everything seemed right. But after 40 minutes of use, I had the message "clean the heads". So I cleaned them once more. But now I have occasional dropouts.
Maybe I should clean the heads again but I am sure of one thing : I will not buy TDK tapes next time.
And yes, maybe a new camcorder can use TDK tapes without having dropouts. But I'm past this point.

Hey Benjamin, that's good to know. Though, I have used TDK tapes exclusively, largely because they are a consistent and economical buy at CostCo. So, I have a large collection of TDK tapes over the last seven or so years. I bought the GS250 largely as a capture device to save my higher end camcorder's heads. I'll report on clogged heads.

Though, my impression of Sony tapes is bad due to similar observations.
I have two Sony tapes, and whenever I used them, I would get the "clean heads" message on my JVC camcorder within 15 minutes.

I'm not trying to get you to use TDK tapes. I'm just stuck with a huge collection of TDKs and a brand new GS250.

Gints

Funny enough I also started the use of my GS100 with TDK tapes. I'm fan of TDK brand but after having at least one drop out or sound glitch per tape I switched to Panasonic.
The good thing in my case is exactly when I made the turn Panasonic tapes started being available at discount prices - I mean even better than TDK offer so I'm better of now.
Everyone should have in mind though that it seems there are no general rules on that stuff. For example my GS100 is very sensitive to humidity while other GS100 are not so.
Same goes for the uncompability with the TDK brand for Benjamin probably. Each cam has it's own slightly different character if you wish.

And to finish please don't make general rules on the brands and especially optical media. That you bought TDK doesn't mean it is made by TDK. I like TDK made by Tayo Yuden for example - check the code of the media with your burning software first. Beware that there are fake TDKs too!

Pricewise, it's hard to beat eight TDK miniDV60 tapes at CostCo for $20.

I've been faced with a situation in which I had to mix Sony DVM60 and TDK DV60 ME tapes. I was dreading the tape head situation, but overall, I've had very few problems. Largely, some dropouts occured when playing the Sony tapes, but I can't confirm if the dropouts are on the original just yet. I have not seen any messages that indicate that the heads should be cleaned.

That's interesting. Over here I pay £1.35 for Panasonic DVM60 (although it can be A LOT more) from www.kvjfairdeal.com. Sounds like for once we can get things cheaper than you in the US!

I had the same problem with Fuji tapes (which I bought because they were cheap) in my GS120. I switched to sony tapes, and everything has been great since then. I have 6 tapes over 2 weddings with no issues. With Fuji it was every tape...

Bill
www.grantphotovideo.com