Advice needed on blank miniDV tapes (1 Viewer)

[John Wilson]

As a recent buyer of a miniDV camcorder, I'm interested in purchasing blank miniDV tapes. Can anyone suggest which brand and model are the best bang for the buck? I know from my 8mm and VHS days that not all tapes are created equal.:frowning:
Thanks for any advice/leads.

 

[Zack Scott]

I shot an entire movie on MiniDV. I highly reccomend TDK DVm60 ME tapes. Sony Dv tapes have a prone to "shedding" and distortion. If anything always buy professional tapes. They may cost a grip but you are guaranteed that you will have preserved your event.

 

[Jeff D]

The adivse I have.... Be careful. Last year I bought my DV camcorder. Bought a 4 pack of TDK tapes at costco (2 for $24) and.... well, there was a problem TDK had in the manufacturing of the tapes that went to costco this one time. I think I ended up buying those "bad" tapes and they destroyed by camcorder. (I posted something about this asking other HTF members if they had similar problems in the AV Sources area. Only one response of they worked fine for him)

The TDK guys I've been dealing with have been unwilling to confirm/deny the lot I got is the bad lot. So I can't tell you what lot to stay away from.

Since then I've picked up some Panasonic tapes when they were on sale at fry's $3 each! That was the deal of the month for me!

 

[Al Fischer]

The best tapes I've been using are the Panasonic miniDV Master. It's the DVM83. I use it for all my productions.

 

[John Wilson]

Thanks for the help. I found some Panasonic Professional DVM63 tapes at tapeandmedia.com for $4.79 each. I'll give them a try but I didn't think that price was too bad.

 

[Matthew R]

One thing that I've seen recommended: whatever brand of miniDV tape you choose, stick with that brand. I guess at one point the lubricant used in different tape brands would cause problems when mixed. This may not be an issue any more, but I'd still recommend sticking with one brand. There's more info here.
--Matthew

 

[Jeff Kleist]

There was just an update on this in DV Magazine. It's not as much of a problem anymore, but still, it's good to stick to 1 brand of tape.

 

[Scott H]

We, like most, only use Sony stock for professional production, for any tape format. With DV we only record in DVCam, using TC.

For prosumer cams/decks like PD-150 or DSR-V10:

Sony Excellence DVM60EX2 60min/40min DVCam

~$40 box (5)

For pro stuff:

Sony DVCAM PDVM-40N 40min

~$130 box (10)

 

[Jeff D]

Fry's is at it again... Panasonic DVM 60EJ tapes $3.99 each (limit 5 per, but you can always get around that...)

 

[Peter Kim]

Thanks, John for this thread. Didn't even realize that purchasing blank media on the internet was an option. I've been foolishly buying medium grade tapes at Target and Best Buy for full retail prices, a package(2/package) at a time.

When you receive your order from tapeandmedia.com can you post your experience? I'm not familar with this site and although they look reputable, it's always nice to hear testimonials from others.

Any ideas for other, good (and competitively priced) online retailers of miniDV tapes?

 

[John Wilson]

Update:
I placed my order with tapeandmedia.com on 3/28/02. I received a shipping confirmation via email on 3/29/02. My order, 5 miniDV tapes, arrived on 4/01/02. The order was correct and the tapes were in a sealed, 5-pack box.
So far, so good