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Posted by Richard Crowley on 12/22/05 14:39
"Ty Ford" wrote ...
> I ran across a note on the internet recently that advised
> to stick with either wet (Sony) or dry (Panasonic)
> lubricated tapes but never to switch because combining
> the two types would result in a mixture of gunk inside the
> transport. Any thoughts on this?
>
> I happened to start with Sony, If the warning has merit,
> are there other wet tapes in addition to Sony? Is there a
> "best " tape quality wise?
Here is what I consider to be the definitive summary
on the subject...
" From: "Dimitri P." <see-bottom@for-email.see>
" Subject: Re: Mini DV tapes
" Date: Monday, December 23, 2002 3:39 AM
"
" > Is it true that most mini-DV tapes are made in the
" > same factory,
"
" Yes. There are only 2 Tape OEMs: Sony & Panasonic
" TDK are TDK.
"
" miniDV tapes are made by either by Sony, Panasonic and TDK.
" Sony uses liquid lubricant
" Panasonic uses dry lubricant
"
" Panasonic makes tapes for: Fuji, Maxell, JVC, Canon
" Sony makes for the rest.
"
" TDK are on their own since they have their own ME
" (Metal Evaporate) Facilities.
"
" In other words, mixing these 3 brands will clog the heads.
" why the manufacturers hide this, I really don't know.
I use Sony camcorders and use Sony tape exclusively.
And I insist on the people at the office doing the same.
But the important aspect isn't Sony camcorders and Sony
tape, but consistently using either Sony-style liquid
lubricated tape or Panasonic-style dry lubricated.
IMHO, "best quality" in the digital world means the
most reliable storage and retrieval of the ones and
zeros. There are no "degrees of wonderfulness"
or "coloration" when it comes to digital tape, whether
we are talking about video or audio.
There are most certainly differences in the lens and
the image pickup parts of a camcorder which affect
"quality" bigtime. Exactly the same as the choice of
microphone, preamp, A\D converter affect the quality
of a digital audio recording. But once it is in the
digital domain, the only thing that counts is the accurate
storage and retrieval of the ones/zeroes.
Of course, the "Real World" (including tape and tape
transports) are "analog" and depend on things like tape
lubrication to counteract friction, etc.
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