mailing dv tapes at DVinfo.net

Julian Kehaya · October 21st, 2005, 10:18 PM

I'm going on a three month trip to Costa Rica, Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I plan on bringing all the tapes i need with me. However i'm nervous about bringing them along with me to every destination. My question is: Will it be ok to mail them home to someone while i am away or will there be some issues with possable loss of footage? The way i see it there is risk either way with possable erasure from airport security staff who refuse to hand check, or it could get lost or stolen when i try to ship it. What does everyone else do?

Thanks

-Julian

Glenn Chan · October 21st, 2005, 10:57 PM

miniDV is hard to erase/degauss. I have a tape eraser... I know. X-Rays and magnetic fields should not be a problem at all.

It might get lost in the mail though, so you should probably get insurance.

Or mail dubs back... if you have a second camera, you can make flawless dubs over a firewire cable and mail the dubs back.

Julian Kehaya · October 24th, 2005, 04:22 PM

well, i'm going on this trip to surf. I already have quite a bit of gear and another camera would just take up too much space. I am way more worried about it getting lost in the mail than the machines i guess so i think i will cart them with me wherever i go but put the ones i have used inside ziplocks in a safe place so i do not lose them.

Thanks for the advice!

-Julian

Peter Ferling · October 29th, 2005, 06:55 AM

I've found that hauling an XL1 and gear through the airport is not a very convenient thing. I'm always having to break the gear out for inspection, and it's a hassle. So I bought a lockable pelican case, made some custom foam inserts, and FEDEX the gear to the location.

However, I hand carry my tapes with me, not because I wish them to avoid the stronger MRI scans that my luggage goes through, but to ensure they are secure, clean and dry. A dozen tapes fit easily into my laptop case.

I've had tapes mailed to me from other sources, and a few had cracked outer cases. The cassettes themselves were fine, but it leaves one to wonder what shock or blow was delivered to the package while enroute.

Daniel J. Wojcik · October 29th, 2005, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian Kehaya

well, i'm going on this trip to surf. I already have quite a bit of gear and another camera would just take up too much space.

It doesn't have to be a big camera. I use a little Panasonic (DV203) not much bigger than my fist for capturing and such, but it could easily work as a dub "deck". A little Sony would work just as well, if you want to keep brand integrity. :) (And possibly battery compatibility...no idea about Sony..but my big Panny and my little one can share batteries.)

Just an idea.

Dan

October 21st, 2005, 10:18 PM	#1
Julian Kehaya Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 28	mailing dv tapes I'm going on a three month trip to Costa Rica, Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. I plan on bringing all the tapes i need with me. However i'm nervous about bringing them along with me to every destination. My question is: Will it be ok to mail them home to someone while i am away or will there be some issues with possable loss of footage? The way i see it there is risk either way with possable erasure from airport security staff who refuse to hand check, or it could get lost or stolen when i try to ship it. What does everyone else do? Thanks -Julian

October 21st, 2005, 10:57 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	miniDV is hard to erase/degauss. I have a tape eraser... I know. X-Rays and magnetic fields should not be a problem at all. It might get lost in the mail though, so you should probably get insurance. Or mail dubs back... if you have a second camera, you can make flawless dubs over a firewire cable and mail the dubs back.

October 24th, 2005, 04:22 PM	#3
Julian Kehaya Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 28	well, i'm going on this trip to surf. I already have quite a bit of gear and another camera would just take up too much space. I am way more worried about it getting lost in the mail than the machines i guess so i think i will cart them with me wherever i go but put the ones i have used inside ziplocks in a safe place so i do not lose them. Thanks for the advice! -Julian

October 29th, 2005, 06:55 AM	#4
Peter Ferling Trustee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wyomissing, PA Posts: 1,141 Images: 57	I've found that hauling an XL1 and gear through the airport is not a very convenient thing. I'm always having to break the gear out for inspection, and it's a hassle. So I bought a lockable pelican case, made some custom foam inserts, and FEDEX the gear to the location. However, I hand carry my tapes with me, not because I wish them to avoid the stronger MRI scans that my luggage goes through, but to ensure they are secure, clean and dry. A dozen tapes fit easily into my laptop case. I've had tapes mailed to me from other sources, and a few had cracked outer cases. The cassettes themselves were fine, but it leaves one to wonder what shock or blow was delivered to the package while enroute.