Canon HV30 Tape Recommendation

Having had an HV30 for years, I would say the most important thing about choosing a tape brand/type is that once you start with a particular brand/type you stick with the exact same media.

Manufacturers use different methods of making the tape and magnetic coating, some do not mix well together, and can produce head clogging if used at random in your camera.

Other than that, any quality tape from a known manufacturer should serve you well.

MtD

I personally use only Panasonic tapes and have had no problems in doing so. I also avoid Sony tapes. As Meg said: stick to one brand to avoid problems.

and I've always used Sony. Not sure whether mixing tape stocks is a problem or just apocryphal, but it's probably a good idea to stick with one brand.

I've still got a dvx100a and a sony dsr-11 but they rarely get used any more. I always used dvcam stock, for the camera and dvcam mastering. Never a problem. Tapes DO sludge up in the transport and heads if you mix brands/types of lube.

markysparky100 wrote:

I've read that Sony use a 'wet' style of lubrication and Panny use a more prefered dry tape.

That is the reason I avoid Sony. If I remember well Sony are the only ones using a "non-dry" lubrication. If I use anything else (Panny, TDK etc) I might get away with using another "dry" brand if I have to purchase tapes and just can't get my brand at that moment. If I shot Sony tapes it will have to be Sony tapes. But that doesn't mean that the tapes themselves are inferior quality wise.

markysparky100 wrote:

I only want to know that my family memories are on a decent quality physical tape incase I ever need to call on them.

You shouldn't have any problems there. Of course magnetic tape doesn't last forever but if you store it in a cool and dry location you should get very decent mileage. FWIW I just had to pull a few tapes that I shot between 3 and 5 years ago. They were all Panasonic, medium price range bulk purchase. They played and captured just fine.

I used a HV30 for many years and still use it.

I always used Fujifilm DVC and never had a problem.

I tried at the beginning Sony (which I really DO NOT recommend), TDK and Panasonic (which are ok too).

Anyway, with Fijifilm never had a single problem in years.

Hope this help.

m.

So THAT explains why I've been having random video skips recently. I switched to "HD" mini DV Sony tapes from my regular Panasonic mini DV tapes, and they were fine at first but seem to have trouble after being reused a few times. It's weird because Sony usually makes great products.

Have you cleaned your tape path in the camera?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/813770-REG/Panasonic_AYDVMCLWW_Mini_DVCAM. html

OR

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/105030-REG/Sony_DVM12CLD_DVM_12CLD_Cleanin g_Cassette.html/prm/alsVwDtl

MtD

You're really not supposed to reuse minidv tapes. They just aren't robust enough. I gotta say I've been using sony stock for what's gotta be well over 10 years without any issues.

I've always used these bargain-basement Panasonics with my HV20 and other cameras with no problems ...... likewise the other members of my film-making society.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DVC-Tape-minute-Pack/dp/B000A41H62/ref=sr_1_2? s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398090294&sr=1-2&keywords=Panasonic+DVM60

I'm curious as to why you have bought a long-discontinued camera and where you were able to find a new one?

A couple of years ago I moved over to a Panasonic 3 chip model (using SDHC cards) and have never looked back ........ apart from the fact that I don't have to worry at all about transport mechanisms and importing being a cinch, the overall performance is generally superior.

Yes, I tried that as soon as I noticed video skipping. It did not seem to help. I know that the pros probably don't reuse mini DV tapes, but I get great quality video without skipping even though I've reused my Panasonics many times. It's probably not as good as spending a tape each time, but I do not need the absolute best quality possible (or else I would have just updated my camera by now).

Slightly off topic:

I don't know what the current state of the video camera market is, but back when I bought my HV30, it was by far the best option if you wanted quality without paying a ton of money. All those consumer-level SD card ones that used AVCHD had horrible quality and were at least twice as expensive, even years after the HV30 came out. I think encoding/decoding AVCHD is still a pain in some cases. Because I never see anyone using tape cameras nowadays, I'm assuming AVCHD has finally caught up in terms of quality and affordability.

I believe the HV30 hit the streets in 2008 which was around the time AVCHD caught up.

I bought a Panasonic 3 chip AVCHD model in 2011 (they'd been going a few years) to replace my HV20 (mechanically and optically identical to the HV30) for about 60% of the price.

The quality of the video is better especially in low-light where the Canon produces noticeable noise . . . . . the Panasonic is remarkably free and any noise is very fine.

The fact that the AVCHD does away with potentially problematic tape drives is great but the main advantage is the speed of access to every clip.

My old 2008 iMac can download an hour of video in well under 10 minutes and I have instant non-linear access to any clip on the SD card.

I can also video in extra long play modes that will give up to 4 hours on an 8GB card with virtually no degradation of quality.

Furthermore, I never have to worry about the camera breaking down as I can play my SD cards on any computer.