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mattmarshall · Jan 31, 2002, 01:19 AM

hey all...

about to make my jump into the dv world...but i need tapes!

just wondering, what is the cheapest/best palce to purchase mini dv tapes? they'll be used in my new canon zr20.

online, offline, where's the best place to look?

also, i don't know anything about dv. are all tapes for mini dv cameras the same? quality, size....

tell me anything that seems "basic"--cause i know nothing!!

ah--can't wait....

thanks

-matt

Hydra · Jan 31, 2002, 01:46 AM

I noticed that eCost.com is having a sale on 10 packs of 60 min DV tapes from JVC for about $39 (that's real cheap) and they have Sony premium 10 packs for $50. I prefer the Sony tapes and have never had any problems with them I notice other brands occasionally have to be reinserted into my cam to get them to be recognized by the cam. With the Sony tapes I never have had a problem.

-Jerry C.

Hydra · Jan 31, 2002, 01:55 AM

Sorry double post so I'll use this space too-

As far as quality goes they do vary but Sony's premo tape is good stuff as far as I'm concerned. From what I understand the tape is made by one of three manufactures so quality shouldn't vary too much anyway. You want miniDV tape. DVCam is larger pro stock stuff so avoid this. You should probably avoid the more expensive tapes with built-in chips. they usually cost 2x's as much. If you are going to edit on a MAC/PC (I assume that because you're posting in this place) it makes the on tape chip a waste of money.

-Jerry C.

[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Hydra ]

GK · Jan 31, 2002, 12:24 PM

www.bhvideo.com

large new yorker reseller, reputable, good prices, bought my sony dcr-pc110 from them

Hydra · Jan 31, 2002, 03:06 PM

I love to go to BH Photo but they are not the best prices. I would highly recommend them for a hardware purchase for the peace of mind of a reputable dealer but for tapes they aren't too cheap. If you live in NY like me they are a treat to visit (they have baskets with the merchandise traveling overhead on a track system in the store to shuttle things from the stock room to the registers - really fun to watch). But for little things like tape they aren't too cheap and living in NY they charge me sales tax.

Jerry C.

scottiB · Jan 31, 2002, 05:51 PM

Costco has a 4-pack of TDK for $24.00. I've never had a problem.

zigzag · Feb 1, 2002, 05:49 PM

I prefer the TDKs (I get them from Costco too) because their covers are a softer plastic, which is less brittle and breakable than the hard plastic on the others. You can pack the TDKs and toss them around without worrying about breaking them.

jed · Feb 4, 2002, 04:27 AM

heh. that's exactly why I like the TDKs. I buy Sony or TDK, whichever's cheaper. BJ's has them very cheaply sometimes.

Stick to a name brand and you can't go wrong. I've noticed no problems with either.

MountainMac · Feb 4, 2002, 09:22 AM

www.taperesources.com www.tapeandmedia.com

I think both have them in quantities of 5 or more for around $5 apiece. I've heard it's best to stick to one brand of tape in a camera since each mfr uses a slightly different chemical composition on the tape itself and they can combine in strange ways and gum up the works. I don't think that's really a "don't run your truck without oil because it'll blow up" sort of precaution; more along the lines of "if you use synthetic oil your engine will last longer than with conventional oil."

Oops, looks like I strayed from home. Back to the "chevytalk.com" message board with me!