Camcorder - Mini DV Tape or Hard Drive

Any particular advantages to one versus the other? Any consensus preference? Seems like recording to a hard drive would be better.

Hi George

Sorry I missed this thread. Recording to a hard drive is better since you avoid the problems of dropouts which can happen with tape. Most of the HDD camcorders are using the AVCHD codec which is lower quality and harder to edit than the tape based HDV. With tape you have a hard copy, with a drive you have to transfer to another drive once filled.

Really depends on what you are looking for as usual.

I am also not sure if my next camera should be HD and when I come to think of it...

when you travel and don't bring a laptop with you or a second external HD and after a week of diving your camera will flood... (fingers crossed that it won't happen) then you have no footage as all is lost. However, with tape you can change tape let's say every day so your footage is then 'safe' (except for the dive on which you're camera is actually flooded). As a matter a fact. I am now using DV tapes (SD) and when I come back from a day of diving and only have 25 minutes of footageof special underwater life.. I take out the tape, secure it and store it; it will not go in the camera again. Is tape really causing more dropouts than HD will do??? All filmers I know still would like to stick to tape. Even though the capturing from tape to PC will take some time.

I recently went thru this same decision making delimma too. After a lot of research, I was generally left with an overall impression that the newer HDV AVCHD codecs being used to compress the image in hard drives cameras are not yet matured, and do not yet have the same image quality as MiniDV "tape" systems. I guess it depends on how important this is to you. To me, it is important to start off with as good of a "master" recording initially. When edited and then re compressed to a DVD there there is less image quality (more digital artifacts) due to your finished DVD being a 2nd generation. I agree and like the idea of having a standalone, tape backup of my footage, that I can later restore from if needed. If low cost and lowest operating cost is your most important need, then go with the HDD cam. If image quality is more important (within the contraints of your prosumer budget) then go tape.

Have to say, I had the same dilemma before I upgraded, I like tape it's great to archive and I've had a couple of HD failures so not sold as yet on tapeless.

I reckon tape less is the way forward it just need you to set up your work flow correctly and have ample redundancy. And like anything spend the dollars to cover your arse...

I'm happy to wait until the next round of tape less cameras come round.

J

There are also some units coming out that record to flash memory, which I think may be better than a hard drive in terms of reliability. I'm watching the Canon HF10 to see if its picture quality and low light abilities will match their HV20 and HV30 cameras. The HF10 uses AVCHD, and the sensor is smaller, so it may not be as good as the tape units. There should be some tests out in the next two weeks and supposedly the HF10 will be available in April.