Advice please

Did I read somewhere that I should run a new tape or old tape through the camera before recording/rerecording on to it.
Mick

In four years of listening and learning I have never heard that befor.

Having said that I can see the reasoning - it doesnt seem impossible to get a tape with a dodgy mechanism or something.

I suppose it depends on how cautious you are. Personally befor I go out with my camera I put a tape in ff and record a bit, check it - just to make sure cam / tape are ok, and I always take a spare tape and a load of batteries. Once or twice for things that were 'one offs' I have also taken a spare camera. All depends on circumstances.

I dont think you need to play a tape through befor using and it isnt something i have ever done.

__________________
I have two prejudices - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders, and I eat mooks who claim to be pro wedding vidders and ask dumb questions.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

I think what you're referring to is known as Striping. Alot of guys say yes, alot of guys say dont bother. I've never bothered.

__________________
www.playpauseclick.com

People often record to the tape, all the way through filming nothing before they film their intended scene, this is to add timecode to the entire tape, which makes it marginally easier to navigate via computer control, then, when you rewind the tape, it retensions it.

However, that said I find this technique all but useless as I generally start/stop recording before and after what I want to film is infront of me - and most tapes are tensioned well enough out of box.

__________________
It's not about what camera you use or how much it cost.

It's about what you shoot,
how you shot it,
and how you edit it :P

I have a question how many times can you keep recording over one mini DV tape?

Once used and burned on to computor .

Dave

Depends greatly on the construction of the tape. Also a small dropout may go unnoticed in Dv format. : P Although on HDV a dropout would be more notable as the motion would block up and judder for a second or so.

__________________
It's not about what camera you use or how much it cost.

It's about what you shoot,
how you shot it,
and how you edit it :P

Tapes last for ages in my expirience. The very start can get more drop outs so i avoid the first minute or so. A used taoe is actually likely to be a safer bet than a new tape due ti the shape of the bathtup failure curve.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

__________________
I have two prejudices - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders, and I eat mooks who claim to be pro wedding vidders and ask dumb questions.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.