Laurence Spiegel
April 30th, 2007, 10:49 PM
I'm trying to determine whether there is any real difference among these. This topic has been done before, but I couldn't find the specific info I want.
Q:
Does the tape grade actually make a difference in wear on or reliability of the cam, or make 80min tapes less likely to break? Panny claims MQ, AMQ and XJ reduce wear (compared to what?). They are also said to hold up to more rewinding and age.
Considerations: A dropped frame or 2 per tape is not a big deal, but a broken or jammed tape is more than two dollar's worth of annoyance. I keep most tapes as backup (good thing, as the external HD I've been using for backup just died). They don't always get the best storage conditions (they may be in a self storage unit, or a non-air conditioned space). I will use some 80 min tapes (6.3mil vs 7) and don't want to deal with broken tape. Finally I wonder if the top grades can be replayed/recorded more. I've seen comments to the effect that dv tape can be used only a handful of times.
The mfrs know that the data recorded is far more costly than the tape, so they will automatically have sales of a premium tape based on 'feel-good', even if it's the same tape in a fancier box. To confound further, the price is nearly the same (B&H) for 'consumer' vs 'pro' grades. 80m PQ + MQ are both 6.25, with 63min PQ at 3.65. 'Consumer' 80min costs a few cents more than 'pro' 80 AY-DVM60EJ= 6.79.
Q:
Does the tape grade actually make a difference in wear on or reliability of the cam, or make 80min tapes less likely to break? Panny claims MQ, AMQ and XJ reduce wear (compared to what?). They are also said to hold up to more rewinding and age.
Considerations: A dropped frame or 2 per tape is not a big deal, but a broken or jammed tape is more than two dollar's worth of annoyance. I keep most tapes as backup (good thing, as the external HD I've been using for backup just died). They don't always get the best storage conditions (they may be in a self storage unit, or a non-air conditioned space). I will use some 80 min tapes (6.3mil vs 7) and don't want to deal with broken tape. Finally I wonder if the top grades can be replayed/recorded more. I've seen comments to the effect that dv tape can be used only a handful of times.
The mfrs know that the data recorded is far more costly than the tape, so they will automatically have sales of a premium tape based on 'feel-good', even if it's the same tape in a fancier box. To confound further, the price is nearly the same (B&H) for 'consumer' vs 'pro' grades. 80m PQ + MQ are both 6.25, with 63min PQ at 3.65. 'Consumer' 80min costs a few cents more than 'pro' 80 AY-DVM60EJ= 6.79.