There is a lot of talk about which is the best tape to use; some say they're all the same so use the cheapest, others only brand X, etc.

We have a different point of view on tapes. First of all, virtually every major manufacturer of miniDVs have a wide range of tape products from $2.50 per tape in quantity, to $12+ for super pro extra gold platinum George Lucas signature series.

The fact is, there's only 4 or 5 major manufacturers of tape so when you buy Sony's tape, you don't know who the manufacturer is.

All manufacturers also use deceptive advertising to further confuse. Even the cheapest tapes might be advertised as "professional".

As with most other products, price and branding is a rough guide to quality.

There are different types of magnetic coating, different lubricants, different thickness, etc. These factors affect dropout (frames disappear (don't get recorded) because the coating is worn off or too thin)and head wear. The heads in your camcorder have a limited life. As the tape passes over the heads, it wears them down. The rougher the coating, the faster is wears. Also, sometimes differet lubricants used on the coating are not compatible and can gum up. So, for what it's worth, here's what we do.

1. Stick to the tape sold by your camcorder's manufacturer. If it's a Sony, buy Sony tapes. This will at least make sure the lubricant is compatible tape to tape.

2. Always use the same tape. Don't mix tapes by brand or type. When you find a good tape with zero dropouts and a reasonable price, there is no reason to change.

3. Never use a head cleaner unless you have to.

Head cleaners are rough on heads. They have to be to remove material. The best bet is to use good quality tapes so you don't need to clean the heads.

4. If you have no other way of gauging tape quality, elect a mid-priced tape from a major manufacturer or find out what others have found.

The unknown brand bargain tape is sort of like sandpaper. Many times this is rejected tape from a major manufacturer, but no one is willing to put their name on it due to the quality.

Head replacement in your camcorder costs hundreds of dollars, wiping out any savings from cheap tape. Also try to avoid the $12+ tape if possible. In this range, most of the claims are hype. We use a Panasonic tape that costs us about $7-9 in bulk. We buy by the box (10) so that they are all from the same batch. We'll repack (FF/rewind/black stripe) then shoot a few scenes and check playback. If O.K., we are pretty sure the whole batch is good.

5. Always carry extra tapes. Goes without saying.

Keep this thought in mind: When shooting in the field, with all the equipment, assistants, actors, food, transporataion, scheduling, etc. why would you take a chance using sub-standard tape?

Ray6