Does it make a difference on the life of the tape drives/heads if you were to just keep the camera on and recording during an event until end of tape. High school games, weddings, these types of things.

I understand it makes editing more work as the software won't auto detect the starts/stops, etc. But I was just wondering if it made much of a difference in the long run on equipment life. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

You ain't never gonna wear out those heads. That's one of the worst myths in this business.

Press record and let it roll.

Hit the red button, put hands in pockets. Stay until event is over, hit red button, go home!

You ain't never gonna wear out those heads. That's one of the worst myths in this business.

Press record and let it roll.

I agree entirely.

I also think that too many people are scared to use the camcorder for downloading tapes via firewire for fear of wearing out the heads. The heads can take far more wear & tear than we realise.

My personal preference at an event is to let the camera roll.


1. Tapes are cheaper than a lost money shot.

2. Even if you miss the start of a sudden unexpected event, if you are already rolling, you may have a sound cue which you can use under other vision until your camera came on subject. You hear the car crash or the face slap and you home in on it like gull on a crust. It is there on the soundtrack and editing does the rest.

3. As remote as the chance is these days with the good build quality of modern cameras and consumables, I prefer not to risk head clogs from long "pauses".

4. Without a buffer memory, you risk missing an unexpected magic moment while the camera has a think before it rolls again after you button on.

5. Both "for and agin".

For - The fewer times you button on and off, the lesser risk of double buttoning the shot and getting those wonderful dutch shots of pavement and walking feet in place of the missing footage.

Agin - There is the attendant risk you will be in "the zone", frame everything that moves and get that most fantastic coverage, then discover in that wristslashing moment of revelation that you were buttoned off for the entire time.

The keyword "incompetence" begins to find a legitimate home in this discussion if this has happened, especially if you started to think, "time flies when you are having fun" or "these tapes are good value because they last a long time". - I declare I am joking here in case something gets lost in the translation from strine to merrican English.