This has probably been asked before, but can a DV tape be used twice without damaging or putting dirt on the heads?
Thanks

Yes, though the more times you use it the more coating the tape will shed. Personally I normally record once, capture the whole tape to hard disk and then stick the tape in a safe place in case I ever need it again; they're so cheap these days there's little reason to re-use them.

I, on the other hand, view tapes in a different light completely. Like you I suspect I'd never ever set out on a shoot with untested kit - be it tripod, microphone, wide-angle converter ... or tape.

Just think - you're buying a tape that's a complex assembly of 28 parts, and you pay about a couple of dollars for each one, yet you expect that they'll all be 100% perfect? There is simply no way that this can happen. Even if 99.9% of those that get past end of line inspection (what's that worth at $2 per tape?) are indeed perfect - then that means that there's quite literally hundreds of tapes out there waiting to be bought that are faulty in some way.

Me? When I know a tape is good, runs perfectly and is dropout-free I can breathe again, safe in the knowledge that it's part of my tested kit. I've reused MiniDV tapes again and again, and I'm pretty sure the second and subsequent passes (when the microscopic impurities have been burnished down) give even greater reliability.

tom.

I hear what Tom is saying, but I sometimes re-used tapes where I was 100% confident I would never need the material recorded on it again. Then of course unseen circumstances occurred and I needed something I'd taped over. Big mistake and I will never do that again, so I'm like Mark - tape once then put them away for safe-keeping.

Even if you've backed up the contents on DVD or hard disk then I would still keep the tape as I'm wary of the archival quality of DVD or hard disk. Tape is cheap and so far (touch wood) I haven't had a faulty one (I've had cameras chew tapes a couple of times, but that's probably more likely to be a camera fault).

Just think - you're buying a tape that's a complex assembly of 28 parts, and you pay about a couple of dollars for each one, yet you expect that they'll all be 100% perfect? There is simply no way that this can happen. Even if 99.9% of those that get past end of line inspection (what's that worth at $2 per tape?) are indeed perfect - then that means that there's quite literally hundreds of tapes out there waiting to be bought that are faulty in some way.
tom.

Interesting point Tom. I never really thought of it that way. I have always used tapes once and then file them. Good argument to reuse though.

I buy tapes in packs of 5 or more. When I get them I number them. Forget names. Too much trouble. Numbers are easy and I just keep a chart of what I put on each numbered tape.

I would no more risk using a tape twice than I would go out on site with only one battery.

Paranoid? Me? No. Just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you!

Before I go out to shoot, I fast forward and rewind all of the tapes I am taking with me. I use an inexpensive DV camera to do that. Retensioning has always served me well.

Before I go out to shoot, I fast forward and rewind all of the tapes I am taking with me. I use an inexpensive DV camera to do that. Retensioning has always served me well.

That's a good tip.

Before I go out to shoot, I fast forward and rewind all of the tapes I am taking with me. I use an inexpensive DV camera to do that. Retensioning has always served me well.

Indeed this is a very good practice!!!