DV Tape for XL1 or XL1S

Henry Cho · May 17th, 2005, 01:15 PM

let me add it is not advisable to re-use tapes, if i catch your drift. the mini-dv media is delicate, to put it mildly. even the best, most well-cared for tapes will start experiencing dropouts on re-use, and nothing's worse than finding out your footage has dropouts in it when you're transferring the footage to your NLE. hope that helps.

Rob Ketting · May 17th, 2005, 02:09 PM

thanks Henry, and yes that what i meant to format the tape and reuse.

Mark Ryan · January 13th, 2006, 03:05 PM

tried doing a search, couldnt find anything. Just wondering which are the best for my XL1s I just purchased. thanks.

Don Palomaki · January 13th, 2006, 04:01 PM

What brand came in the box? That usually is the brand used to set the internal settings and should geive best results. At one time Canon based their alignment instructions on using Panasonic MiniDV tape. Not sure what is is now.

If the XL1s was used, do you know what the previous ower use?

Most brand name tapes will work OK, and paying a premium for exotic tapes is not necessary for most people and purposes. Conventional wisdom is to pick a brand and type and stick with it.

I use mainly Panasonic AY-DVM60EJ with satisfactory results.

Tony Davies-Patrick · January 14th, 2006, 05:15 AM

There is no great difference between brands...and not even between the cheap DV tapes and the expensive pro tapes from the same company. I use JVC Dv tapes and they work fine. The main thing, as Don said, is to pick a brand and stick to it, because some people experience problems when they use different brands of Dv tapes in the same unit.

Dean Orewiler · February 3rd, 2006, 10:27 PM

I just purchased a used XL1S camcorder and I don't know which brand of tape to use...I want to use the best that is available...because I heard that you are suspose to use the same type that had been used in it previously, but I don't know because I can't get a hold of the owner...the camera shop says that Fuji mini DV tapes our popular in the area and he may have used those in it but they don't know for sure....does it really matter if I start using another decent brand??

Don Palomaki · February 4th, 2006, 06:38 AM

Just be sure to do a good head cleaning before you change to a differnet brand of tape and you should be OK.

Well known brands of MiniDV tape are about equal in visible image performance, so pick a tape you like and you should be ok. If you favorite tape is hard to find locally, stock up so you never run out. I've been using mainly Panasonic tape.

Tape sold and labled for DVCAM use is usually subject to tighter quality control and will likely have fewer drop-outs, but many users do not notice this. In any case the price is substantially higher.

Dean Orewiler · February 4th, 2006, 07:51 AM

DVM-CL is what I should be using to clean the head?? Where can I get one of these??
Dean

Don Palomaki · February 5th, 2006, 06:58 AM

For the Canon brand cleaning tape try a Canon camcorder dealer. But any decent MiniDV dry cleaning tape should work OK. I currently am using a Sony DVM12CL purchased from my tape supplier.

Dean Orewiler · February 5th, 2006, 08:14 AM

thanks for the info..I'm all new to this....and never used Canon digital video before.

Ken Grohs · February 8th, 2006, 01:18 PM

From everything I've ever heard/read, and from personal experience, I'd go with Panasonic Pro tapes.

I tried running the Sony Premium tapes but frequently got streaks/banding in the video, and I've heard that the coating that Sony uses comes off on your heads and ends up mucking them up eventually.

Have yet (knocking on the nearest piece of angiosperm) to experience any problems with the Panasonic tapes.

As others have said, though, once you start with a particular brand of tape it's best to stick with it.

Dean Orewiler · February 9th, 2006, 07:05 AM

Yeah, it all depends who you talk to. My friend who is a pro videographer shooter told me to completely avoid Panasonic tapes because of an expensive "head job" and the repair shop said to avoid these tapes....now I'm hearing (after ordering 30 of 'em)...that Sony tapes are just as bad (from what a Canon rep told another threader on here)...so what the hell are you suspose to use??!! It only proves that one of these days when prices are affordable, everybody will have a firestore or something to burn the image directly to harddrive and nobody will have to worry about crappy tapes anymore.

Don Palomaki · February 9th, 2006, 06:20 PM

The truth is that all tape makers put out occasional bad batches that may cause people problems, and some people may abuse tape (e.g., poor storage habits) and then blame the tape for their problems. Sony sells tape, so one could argue that they have a vested interest in telling people with head problems on Sony gear that Pana tape is bad, and the same could apply to Panasonic. At one time Canon was using/packaign Panasonic tape with their gear and specified panasonic tape in the alignment instructions.

Also, at one time Pana and Sony (the two main classes of tape) used differnt lub, that was in the 1990s. Sony and Pana got together and resolved the differences and that problem went away 5 or so years ago. But the lub question still exists as Internet "wisdom." (Some folks may recall a Sony tape plant "fire" that roughly conicided in time with the resolution of the issue. It has even been rumored that after the fire, Sony bought and spooled Pana tape under their name until they got their plant back on line.

Different brands of tape may have slightly diffent mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) and that may cause different wear and wear deposit patterns over time. Changing to a differnt type of tape could cause deposit to break free and cause a head clog, thus a continuing reason to stick with one brand of tape and do a head cleaning if changing brand of tape.

.

Joe Barker · February 9th, 2006, 06:44 PM

I use only the Sony Excellence tapes.I figure if i'm using a $6000 camera,why not use top quality tapes.I used Panasonic in my older camera without any problems,but a friend of mine bought a bulk pack and had 3 or 4 faulty tapes in the batch.At the end of the day,theres always room for manufacturing faults no matter what brand.At least by using top quality tapes ,the odds of getting problems can be reduced.What's an extra $10 for a tape when you can lose half a days work and expensive ,time consuming set ups.

Kevin Janisch · February 10th, 2006, 01:24 PM

I've only used Fujis with my XL1s, no problems with exception to dropouts do to a faulty recorder unit (replaced under warranty). When I upgraded to the XL2, I switched to Panasonic MQ tapes (much more expensive by the way) based on recommendations here + other reputable dealers. This was the first tape brand used in the XL2 and I had drop out problems, blue screens, etc on a factory fresh camera. Switched back to Fuji after a cleaning and 30 tapes later, still no problems. Take it for what it's worth.

Kevin

January 13th, 2006, 03:05 PM	#108
Mark Ryan New Boot Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 15	which are the best DV tapes? tried doing a search, couldnt find anything. Just wondering which are the best for my XL1s I just purchased. thanks.

January 13th, 2006, 04:01 PM	#109
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	What brand came in the box? That usually is the brand used to set the internal settings and should geive best results. At one time Canon based their alignment instructions on using Panasonic MiniDV tape. Not sure what is is now. If the XL1s was used, do you know what the previous ower use? Most brand name tapes will work OK, and paying a premium for exotic tapes is not necessary for most people and purposes. Conventional wisdom is to pick a brand and type and stick with it. I use mainly Panasonic AY-DVM60EJ with satisfactory results. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

January 14th, 2006, 05:15 AM	#110
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	There is no great difference between brands...and not even between the cheap DV tapes and the expensive pro tapes from the same company. I use JVC Dv tapes and they work fine. The main thing, as Don said, is to pick a brand and stick to it, because some people experience problems when they use different brands of Dv tapes in the same unit. __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

February 3rd, 2006, 10:27 PM	#111
Dean Orewiler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 186	What Brand of Mini DV tape should I use I just purchased a used XL1S camcorder and I don't know which brand of tape to use...I want to use the best that is available...because I heard that you are suspose to use the same type that had been used in it previously, but I don't know because I can't get a hold of the owner...the camera shop says that Fuji mini DV tapes our popular in the area and he may have used those in it but they don't know for sure....does it really matter if I start using another decent brand??

February 4th, 2006, 06:38 AM	#112
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	Just be sure to do a good head cleaning before you change to a differnet brand of tape and you should be OK. Well known brands of MiniDV tape are about equal in visible image performance, so pick a tape you like and you should be ok. If you favorite tape is hard to find locally, stock up so you never run out. I've been using mainly Panasonic tape. Tape sold and labled for DVCAM use is usually subject to tighter quality control and will likely have fewer drop-outs, but many users do not notice this. In any case the price is substantially higher. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

May 17th, 2005, 01:15 PM	#106
Henry Cho Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 516	let me add it is not advisable to re-use tapes, if i catch your drift. the mini-dv media is delicate, to put it mildly. even the best, most well-cared for tapes will start experiencing dropouts on re-use, and nothing's worse than finding out your footage has dropouts in it when you're transferring the footage to your NLE. hope that helps.

May 17th, 2005, 02:09 PM	#107
Rob Ketting Tourist Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4	thanks Henry, and yes that what i meant to format the tape and reuse.

February 4th, 2006, 07:51 AM	#113
Dean Orewiler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 186	where can I get the canon DVM-CL head cleaner? DVM-CL is what I should be using to clean the head?? Where can I get one of these?? Dean

February 5th, 2006, 06:58 AM	#114
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	For the Canon brand cleaning tape try a Canon camcorder dealer. But any decent MiniDV dry cleaning tape should work OK. I currently am using a Sony DVM12CL purchased from my tape supplier. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

February 5th, 2006, 08:14 AM	#115
Dean Orewiler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 186	thanks for the info..I'm all new to this....and never used Canon digital video before.

February 8th, 2006, 01:18 PM	#116
Ken Grohs Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 395	From everything I've ever heard/read, and from personal experience, I'd go with Panasonic Pro tapes. I tried running the Sony Premium tapes but frequently got streaks/banding in the video, and I've heard that the coating that Sony uses comes off on your heads and ends up mucking them up eventually. Have yet (knocking on the nearest piece of angiosperm) to experience any problems with the Panasonic tapes. As others have said, though, once you start with a particular brand of tape it's best to stick with it.

February 9th, 2006, 07:05 AM	#117
Dean Orewiler Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 186	Panasonic tapes bad - Sony is Bad... Yeah, it all depends who you talk to. My friend who is a pro videographer shooter told me to completely avoid Panasonic tapes because of an expensive "head job" and the repair shop said to avoid these tapes....now I'm hearing (after ordering 30 of 'em)...that Sony tapes are just as bad (from what a Canon rep told another threader on here)...so what the hell are you suspose to use??!! It only proves that one of these days when prices are affordable, everybody will have a firestore or something to burn the image directly to harddrive and nobody will have to worry about crappy tapes anymore.

February 9th, 2006, 06:20 PM	#118
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,488	The truth is that all tape makers put out occasional bad batches that may cause people problems, and some people may abuse tape (e.g., poor storage habits) and then blame the tape for their problems. Sony sells tape, so one could argue that they have a vested interest in telling people with head problems on Sony gear that Pana tape is bad, and the same could apply to Panasonic. At one time Canon was using/packaign Panasonic tape with their gear and specified panasonic tape in the alignment instructions. Also, at one time Pana and Sony (the two main classes of tape) used differnt lub, that was in the 1990s. Sony and Pana got together and resolved the differences and that problem went away 5 or so years ago. But the lub question still exists as Internet "wisdom." (Some folks may recall a Sony tape plant "fire" that roughly conicided in time with the resolution of the issue. It has even been rumored that after the fire, Sony bought and spooled Pana tape under their name until they got their plant back on line. Different brands of tape may have slightly diffent mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) and that may cause different wear and wear deposit patterns over time. Changing to a differnt type of tape could cause deposit to break free and cause a head clog, thus a continuing reason to stick with one brand of tape and do a head cleaning if changing brand of tape. . __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

February 9th, 2006, 06:44 PM	#119
Joe Barker Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Perth WA Australia Posts: 124	I use only the Sony Excellence tapes.I figure if i'm using a $6000 camera,why not use top quality tapes.I used Panasonic in my older camera without any problems,but a friend of mine bought a bulk pack and had 3 or 4 faulty tapes in the batch.At the end of the day,theres always room for manufacturing faults no matter what brand.At least by using top quality tapes ,the odds of getting problems can be reduced.What's an extra $10 for a tape when you can lose half a days work and expensive ,time consuming set ups.

February 10th, 2006, 01:24 PM	#120
Kevin Janisch Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 406	I've only used Fujis with my XL1s, no problems with exception to dropouts do to a faulty recorder unit (replaced under warranty). When I upgraded to the XL2, I switched to Panasonic MQ tapes (much more expensive by the way) based on recommendations here + other reputable dealers. This was the first tape brand used in the XL2 and I had drop out problems, blue screens, etc on a factory fresh camera. Switched back to Fuji after a cleaning and 30 tapes later, still no problems. Take it for what it's worth. Kevin