clean heads frequently at DVinfo.net

Christopher Glaeser · May 12th, 2006, 12:14 AM

The manual suggests cleaning the heads frequently. What is frequently?

Best,
Christopher

Ken Diewert · May 12th, 2006, 12:29 AM

Christopher,

I bought my H1 this week and the dealer (in the biz 20+ years) told me only to use the cleaning tape only in an emergency. He advised me to take it in once a year for a pro cleaning. He also said to use only one brand of tape.

I would be interested in others opinions.

Ken

Chris Hurd · May 12th, 2006, 12:54 AM

I second Ken's advice. Send the H1 in to Canon Service at least once per year (preferably twice per year if used heavily) for a thorough, professional cleaning. Definitely stick with one brand of tape. Stay away from cheap tape. Buy the best tape you can afford. Use a head cleaning cassette sparingly.

Alister Chapman · May 12th, 2006, 09:31 AM

My H1 experience, even sticking with one brand of tape and only using the tapes once is that if you don't clean the heads regularly you will get drop outs.
Sony professional recommend the use of head cleaning tapes as if used correctly they will prolong the life of the heads by returning the head tips to the correct profile. Modern cleaning cassettes are no where near as abrasive as the old vhs head cleaning tapes used to be. My recommendation would be to run a cleaning tape for 10 seconds once every 10 to 15 hours.

You should also have the tape transport wet cleaned every 200 hours.

New cameras tend to get head clogs as it takes a dozen tapes for the heads to adjust the tip profiles to match the tapes being used.

Ron Pfister · May 12th, 2006, 03:06 PM

I stated this elsewhere here, but it might be worth repeating: I used to have drop-out problems quite frequently w/ my XL-1s, but ever since I regularly use a cleaning tape (5-10 s of application every 2-5 hrs of head-to-tape contact), I haven't had a single drop-out.

HTH,

Ron

Alex Thames · May 12th, 2006, 04:12 PM

I've always been reading only clean head when you get dropouts or the camera says to clean it to save on wear. But now it seems people here are saying clean them very frequently. What's up with this?

So clean often or not?

Luis de la Cerda · May 12th, 2006, 04:35 PM

I would. Most of the shoots I do with the camera are much more expensive (salaries, support equipment, location fees, models, etc...) than a tape head replacement. I'd rather have a shorter lifespan than an expensive scene ruined by a dropout. But that's just me. :)

Alex Thames · May 12th, 2006, 05:07 PM

However, not everyone is in your same sort of situation. I am in a situation where there are no salaries, etc. involved. There is no such thing as an expensive shoot because it's free for me. So the equipment is worth much more than anything else and as such I would like to perserve it as much as possible. To clean often or only when necessary?

Harry Bromley-Davenport · May 12th, 2006, 08:50 PM

I just shot 20 x 1 hour Sony "Digital Master" tapes and did not experience any dropouts. If you also count the time spent digitising using the camera as tape deck (including re-do's) that's about 50 hours of tape that's gone through the camera without any dropouts that I can tell.

In any case, I'm sure the heads need cleaning now.

Can anyone please advise on the very best head cleaning tape in existence?

Thanks,

Harry

Nathan Brendan Masters · May 12th, 2006, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Bromley-Davenport

I just shot 20 x 1 hour Sony "Digital Master" tapes and did not experience any dropouts. If you also count the time spent digitising using the camera as tape deck (including re-do's) that's about 50 hours of tape that's gone through the camera without any dropouts that I can tell.

In any case, I'm sure the heads need cleaning now.

Can anyone please advise on the very best head cleaning tape in existence?

Thanks,

Harry

You use your camera as a deck? I almost went ballistic on someone for using my DVX for a deck. I usually clean my heads between tape brands. I've lifted the ban on Sony tapes (somewhat) but I still prefer Panasonic/Fuji. I'm using Maxell now so I clean the heads between brands. I consider Panasonic and Fuji the same brand though.

-Nate

Christopher Glaeser · May 12th, 2006, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan Brendan Masters

You use your camera as a deck?

Until a deck is available, what other option do we have?

Best,
Christopher

Harry Bromley-Davenport · May 13th, 2006, 02:00 AM

Thank you, Christopher.

And now can someone please suggest a good brand of head cleaning tape?

Thanks.

Harry.

Steve Rosen · May 13th, 2006, 07:23 AM

I use the Sony cleaning tape that came with the Sony deck. I figure if I should stick with one brand of tape, I'll extrapolate that out to using the same brand of head cleaner. I use it for 10 seconds whenever I open a new box of Digital Master tapes.. That may be more often than needed, but I shoot things that can't be repeated and I'd rather be safe than sorry..

By the way, when I first got the H1 there were comments on this site and others about the horrors of drop outs and how we (HDV users) were all going to be condemned to GOP hell... The part that worried me the most was losing AUDIO.. I can cut around picture, but it's more difficult with sound (dialog).

As a result I got a Tascam HD P2 as soon as they came out. I have my soundman send me a wireless signal to the camera while he records simultaneously on the Tascam flashcard. It's basically the same for him because he used to do this with a Shure mixer... It gives me peace of mind, but....

I haven't had a single drop out on the H1 and I'm well into my seventh box of ten tapes... Steve Rosen

Nathan Brendan Masters · May 13th, 2006, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher Glaeser

Until a deck is available, what other option do we have?

Best,
Christopher

You would think someone would've come up with a deck or something by now. I think maybe they expect you to use a direct to disk system or something because using your cam as a deck is murder on the heads.

-Nate

Steve Rosen · May 13th, 2006, 04:40 PM

What is more amazing is that Canon won't even comment on the lack of a deck, it really is pretty poor customer response... So far tapeless solutions haven't solved the problem either (at least I've only read problems, not sollutions)...

I shoot and edit hours of tape for projects and can't work without a deck and I can't go through all the machinizations that I've read to currently work with 24f, so I shoot 1080i - and as I said in another post, am happy enough with the image to live with it.

But it's the principle of the thing - why offer 24f and 30f if you can't make films with it?

May 12th, 2006, 12:14 AM	#1
Christopher Glaeser Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Pleasanton, CA Posts: 258	clean heads frequently The manual suggests cleaning the heads frequently. What is frequently? Best, Christopher

May 12th, 2006, 12:54 AM	#3
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	I second Ken's advice. Send the H1 in to Canon Service at least once per year (preferably twice per year if used heavily) for a thorough, professional cleaning. Definitely stick with one brand of tape. Stay away from cheap tape. Buy the best tape you can afford. Use a head cleaning cassette sparingly. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

May 12th, 2006, 09:31 AM	#4
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	My H1 experience, even sticking with one brand of tape and only using the tapes once is that if you don't clean the heads regularly you will get drop outs. Sony professional recommend the use of head cleaning tapes as if used correctly they will prolong the life of the heads by returning the head tips to the correct profile. Modern cleaning cassettes are no where near as abrasive as the old vhs head cleaning tapes used to be. My recommendation would be to run a cleaning tape for 10 seconds once every 10 to 15 hours. You should also have the tape transport wet cleaned every 200 hours. New cameras tend to get head clogs as it takes a dozen tapes for the heads to adjust the tip profiles to match the tapes being used. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

May 12th, 2006, 03:06 PM	#5
Ron Pfister Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Basel area, Switzerland Posts: 285	I stated this elsewhere here, but it might be worth repeating: I used to have drop-out problems quite frequently w/ my XL-1s, but ever since I regularly use a cleaning tape (5-10 s of application every 2-5 hrs of head-to-tape contact), I haven't had a single drop-out. HTH, Ron __________________ Ronald P. Pfister halimedia - digital solutions and services www.halimedia.com

May 12th, 2006, 12:29 AM	#2
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	Christopher, I bought my H1 this week and the dealer (in the biz 20+ years) told me only to use the cleaning tape only in an emergency. He advised me to take it in once a year for a pro cleaning. He also said to use only one brand of tape. I would be interested in others opinions. Ken

May 12th, 2006, 04:12 PM	#6
Alex Thames Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New York Posts: 508	I've always been reading only clean head when you get dropouts or the camera says to clean it to save on wear. But now it seems people here are saying clean them very frequently. What's up with this? So clean often or not?

May 12th, 2006, 04:35 PM	#7
Luis de la Cerda Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mexico City Posts: 181	I would. Most of the shoots I do with the camera are much more expensive (salaries, support equipment, location fees, models, etc...) than a tape head replacement. I'd rather have a shorter lifespan than an expensive scene ruined by a dropout. But that's just me. :)

May 12th, 2006, 05:07 PM	#8
Alex Thames Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New York Posts: 508	However, not everyone is in your same sort of situation. I am in a situation where there are no salaries, etc. involved. There is no such thing as an expensive shoot because it's free for me. So the equipment is worth much more than anything else and as such I would like to perserve it as much as possible. To clean often or only when necessary?

May 12th, 2006, 08:50 PM	#9
Harry Bromley-Davenport Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: LA CA Posts: 317	I just shot 20 x 1 hour Sony "Digital Master" tapes and did not experience any dropouts. If you also count the time spent digitising using the camera as tape deck (including re-do's) that's about 50 hours of tape that's gone through the camera without any dropouts that I can tell. In any case, I'm sure the heads need cleaning now. Can anyone please advise on the very best head cleaning tape in existence? Thanks, Harry

May 13th, 2006, 02:00 AM	#12
Harry Bromley-Davenport Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: LA CA Posts: 317	Thank you, Christopher. And now can someone please suggest a good brand of head cleaning tape? Thanks. Harry.

May 13th, 2006, 07:23 AM	#13
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	I use the Sony cleaning tape that came with the Sony deck. I figure if I should stick with one brand of tape, I'll extrapolate that out to using the same brand of head cleaner. I use it for 10 seconds whenever I open a new box of Digital Master tapes.. That may be more often than needed, but I shoot things that can't be repeated and I'd rather be safe than sorry.. By the way, when I first got the H1 there were comments on this site and others about the horrors of drop outs and how we (HDV users) were all going to be condemned to GOP hell... The part that worried me the most was losing AUDIO.. I can cut around picture, but it's more difficult with sound (dialog). As a result I got a Tascam HD P2 as soon as they came out. I have my soundman send me a wireless signal to the camera while he records simultaneously on the Tascam flashcard. It's basically the same for him because he used to do this with a Shure mixer... It gives me peace of mind, but.... I haven't had a single drop out on the H1 and I'm well into my seventh box of ten tapes... Steve Rosen

May 13th, 2006, 04:40 PM	#15
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	What is more amazing is that Canon won't even comment on the lack of a deck, it really is pretty poor customer response... So far tapeless solutions haven't solved the problem either (at least I've only read problems, not sollutions)... I shoot and edit hours of tape for projects and can't work without a deck and I can't go through all the machinizations that I've read to currently work with 24f, so I shoot 1080i - and as I said in another post, am happy enough with the image to live with it. But it's the principle of the thing - why offer 24f and 30f if you can't make films with it?