ccowden 0 #1 February 13, 2005 I have recently been getting alot of pixelization in the form of grey bars across the picture that will slowly go away when left playing. I assume it may have something to do with the head getting dirty? I have never cleaned my camera and wondered if they make a head cleaning tape for MiniDV. Also if anyone recommends against cleaning or knows a better way or different cause of this problem. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canuck 0 #2 February 13, 2005 Yup they do, and they work great. Sony has one, as do Maxell and a couple other brands. Should easily be able to find one at a Sony store, or any decent electronics place. I've only needed to use mine once and the camera has been working great ever since. Canuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccowden 0 #3 February 13, 2005 Cool, I will have to look for them. Were you experiencing the same thing I described? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dqpacker 7 #4 February 13, 2005 I dont want to sound stupid but they will work on any minidv camara right? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canuck 0 #5 February 14, 2005 Exactly the same thing - grey horizontal bars in the playback that would go away on their own in a couple seconds, but looked really shitty on a tandem video! I think I paid about 20 bucks for mine, and they're good for something like 20 uses. Canuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canuck 0 #6 February 14, 2005 Yes they will work on any dv camera. The only thing to consider is that it might be worth sticking to whatever brand of tape you regularly use. Someone like Quade would need to explain it, but there are two different types of minidv tapes, wet and dry or something like that, and I assume the cleaners are probably the same and best suited to whatever type of tape you regularly use. I'm a Sony snob. Canuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccowden 0 #8 February 14, 2005 Cool. Thanks for the info. I just got a Sony MiniDV head cleaner tape on ebay for $12 shipped, in case anyone else is looking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #9 February 14, 2005 http://www.taperesources-store.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=DVCLN%2DS&dept=6 Some of the coolest people I've delt with, and they put candy in every package they send out..... ---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #10 February 14, 2005 Do NOT use any "wet" consumer head cleaners. Pretty much they all suck because not only do they wet the tape heads, but also the rollers, which if still wet when a normal video tape is placed in the machine will -really- screw it up. Broadcast head cleaning is done wet and by hand -- this is NOT for the timid or untrained. Sony makes a very good "dry" MiniDV head cleaner cassette. Put it in, play it for 10 seconds and check to see if the problem has cleaned. If not, repeat. Be aware that if the clog is in the record (as opposed to playback) head, then it's possible that the signal itself is recorded bad and you'll -never- recover the image properly. To help avoid tape clogs to begin with, try to NOT leave your camera on stand-by for longer than a few seconds (20-30) at a time. It makes NO sense and is bad for your sanity to turn on your camera more than a few seconds before the door opens and you're ready to go. It bugs me on a personal level to watch people put their helmets on and turn them on stand-by (and you can tell by the CamEye lights) -minutes- before jumprun. I know they're just tempting the head clog demons. This -does- however bring up the subject of checking your camera at some point well -before- that just to make sure it's working. People doing "school" work will probably be recording in-plane interviews and whatnot anyway so they usually know everything is working, but RW camera flyers should make a habit of checking their cameras at some point on the ride up so that they have time to correct any situation that might be bad. I religiously check cameras at 6,000 AGL. This includes turning the camera on, checking the zoom setting, battery, tape remaining and CamEye light -- then turning it back off. For some reason, I'm usually the first person by the door and if so, I turn the camera on stand-by just as I'm opening the door and start recording just before climbing out. During important jumps for video (competitions mostly) I'll wear two video cameras just because I know things will go wrong at exactly the worst time.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newshooter12 0 #11 February 14, 2005 Q - You've got my ears perked up when you said not to use standby mode too long. My experience from cameras (ENG, etc...) "standby" means the camera is powered up, but the heads aren't rolling & tape isn't touching them so what would be the harm in that?? Or is it different on consumer cameras? Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhi 24 #12 February 14, 2005 QuoteSome of the coolest people I've delt with, and they put candy in every package they send out..... Just checked it out. One tape is $10. S&H is $12 and change. Exactly how much candy do they put in? Much better deal if you spend $50 and up, apparently.Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #13 February 15, 2005 I usually order 25 to 50 tapes from them at a time, why not? the price is right.......---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #14 February 15, 2005 Not to mention that usually at an order like that thay ship out a few of the DV tape holders. I've got a 24 tape holder right now and its full. I need to order another order this spring and I'll be asking them to send me 3 10 tape holders since they are easier to take to the editing PC then the 24 tapes Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #15 February 15, 2005 Stand-by is tapes threaded and heads turning -- ready to record or playback in an instant. If you're playing back and the deck is in pause with a picture showing . . . same thing. Stopped is tape threaded but no motors running. This terminology is consistant thoughout the entire Sony line.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Billy 0 #16 February 15, 2005 Hey thanks for the tape resources link,, better quality and price than locally even with shipping... Question... How often do you clean your heads?? Think the manual says at least every 10 hrs... Thanks Billy Natural Born FlyerZ.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cameramonkey 0 #17 February 24, 2005 Quotehttp://www.taperesources-store.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=DVCLN%2DS&dept=6 Some of the coolest people I've delt with, and they put candy in every package they send out..... Uh... dude, those are starch based packing peanuts.... not candy. Although in a weird way, they are kinda tasty... melt in your mouth... Nothing gets your coworkers looking at you stranger than when you walk up to a box of those things and pop a couple in your mouth, chew for a few seconds, then after they dissolve continue talking to the person like nothing happened... everyone always assumes you just snarfed down some stryrofoam and gives you the weirdest looks. But seriously, those folks are GREAT. I buy all my tapes from them (when I dont need them immediately)Two wrongs don't make a right, however three lefts DO! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
