I used to be able to get Sony HDV tapes for about £5 each, but that has now gone up to about £10 each - so I am looking for alternatives.

Reading some of the posts on this forum, it seems that people feel that Sony Premium tapes are just about as good as the HDV tapes. So I am thinking of buying some of those. The only issue I have is that there seems to be two different product codes for the tapes, 60PR2E and 60PRL. When I Google these I normally get UK sites for the PR2Es and US sites for the PRLs. This has made be wonder if they are exactly the same tape, but with different codes in the US and UK. Is that right, or is there an actual difference?

Also, I have seen some posts where people suggest that, for very important occasions, it may be worth using HDV tapes to further reduce the already low risk of dropouts.

In this case, would it be worth buying some of the TDK HDV tapes (although it seems there is a risk to the heads, of changing brand of tape). Does anybody have any thoughts on how they compare to the SONY HDV tapes and the Sony Premium tapes.

Any help on any of the above would be very appreciated.

Many Thanks,
Teabag

You may have read this already (it may be what you're referring to above) but just in case you haven't:

Tape rules:

Don't waste your money on HDV tapes. There is no difference in picture quality between these and regular MiniDV tapes -- it's all digital. Sony Premiums are fine and can be had online for a little over $2 each.

Tape manufacturers often say that HDV tapes are built to higher standards than regular MiniDV tapes. That's frequently claimed but so far no one has ever presented any statistical evidence, anywhere, that this is so.

Even if it is true you need to do a cost-benefit analysis to decide if overpaying for all your tapes is worth the reduced chance of a dropout, especially if such dropouts are easily cut around (as they are in all the shooting I do). If it's a once in a lifetime event and you want to maximize your chances of having every frame be perfect, then the more expensive tapes may be worth it for you.

When I first started shooting DV I used the TDKs available at Costco for about $2.50 each. I used a couple of hundred without a dropout or any other problem. Later I switched to the Sony Premiums because even with shipping they were cheaper. I’m on my fourth case of 100 and have had maybe three dropouts total in two years. Costco now sells the Sony Premiums instead of the TDKs.

Don't mix tape brands. Sony uses a different lubricant than others and switching could gum up your heads. Run a cleaning tape for 10 seconds and then pick one brand and stick to it.

Never re-use your tapes. They should go through your camera exactly twice: once when you shoot and once when you capture.

Try this:

http://www.tapeonline.com/MiniDV/Sony_DVM60PRL.aspx

Sorry if this is repetitive.

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"It can only be attributable to human error... This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error."

Thanks acgold7.

Yes, I had read your advice before but thanks for taking the time to post again, as it is very useful.

Thanks also for the link but I forgot to mention that I live in the UK, so with the falling pound and the shipping costs (about $60) they are more expensive than I can get them for in the UK.

These are the tapes that I was thinking of getting:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007A57K6/

But am still a bit confused about whether there is just one type of Sony Premium tape (with 60PRL and 60PR2E just being region specific codes). In fact, the link you provided has 60PRL in the URL but then 60PRR on the page (maybe a typo on their part). Here is a link to the PRL tapes on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-Sony-P...L/dp/B0002A08EG

Do you know of any differences between these?

Thanks for your help,
Teabag

I think you're right that these codes are really only there to signify differences in region (or even retailer, as different stores here sell different ones). My hunch is they're all the same.

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"It can only be attributable to human error... This sort of thing has cropped up before, and it has always been due to human error."

Every premium Sony tape is exactly the same. I've traveled and picked up Sony tapes, and while the outer casing is a different picture/color, it's the exact same tape minus the DV logo being different. Otherwise exactly the same. Whatever Sony premium tape you get, it will be fine and exactly the same.

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Yes.....i'm an extreme Sony loyalist.....you got a problem? SONY ~ LIKE.NO.OTHER ~