Leads me to wonder what's the latest word on direct (from the camera - no tape used) hard drive capturing. I've glanced at a few units out there and am just curious as to weather anyone has any praise or horror stories to report.
I've used only the new HDV tapes in my FX1.I mentioned to Spot a while ago. I have a couple of tapes that I have used for expirementing with(as they aren't cheap ), that I have re recorded over at least 3 times each. I wasnt worried about drop outs if they did occurrand always use a fresh tape for project material. But I have yet to have even one drop out on the re recorded tapes. Even though the tapes are expensive approx 13.00 a piece , its still not breaking the bank. I plan on sticking with the same tapes even for warranty purposes.
And I think I wil only clean the heads if I start to see a problem.
Does anybody have any feedback on occasionaly wiping the head with denatured achohol from time to time. ?
Wiping with alcohol is used for cassette players which have a stationary head. A technician who used to clean VCR heads told me that if you touch a spinning head with anything, even a Q-tip, they become junk. I watched him spray the heads with compressed Freon, without making physical contact with them. I don't know if this is how DV heads are cleaned in a professional shop, and if so, it makes me wonder where the particles end up going, and what happens to the lubricant for the mechanisms.
Video heads are incredibly small and brittle. If they get snagged on even a single strand of cotton from a cotton swab, they can be broken off and rendered useless. It is best to just use a dry cleaning cassette and only very occasionally or when you notice problems. The "tape" in the cleaning cassettes is abrasive and will wear your heads out much more quickly if you use it unnecessarily.
As long as you "stick" with Sony tape, you should be fine. The problem (if there actually is one) is when you mix Sony tapes with any other brand.