playing back on the camera

Lucita Jones · February 13, 2006

Hi

I will be shooting a documentary in an island where there is no electricity. I am new to the ZiU and have a couple of questions I'd like you to help me out with. I appreciate it. Here they go:

1. How BAD (if at all) is it to playback in the camera to check if my recorded material is OK? Does fast forward and rewind damage the heads? Could it cause drop outs? What if I playback the miniDV tape I am recording on a separate consumer mini DV? Will a tape recorded in HDV playback on a regular miniDV camera? Would I be risking that my tape get dirty from the other camera?

2. I will be charging the batteries on a generator that can be found in the island. What precautions should I take? Should I take a voltage "regulator", or just conect the batts directly to the generator?

THANKS!

LJones

Matt Sandstrom · February 13, 2006

How BAD (if at all) is it to playback in the camera to check if my recorded material is OK?

it can hurt, i.e. increase the risk of dropouts later, but probably not. watch out for tc breaks though. i've gotten weird sound sync problems on hdv tapes that didn't have continuous tc.

Will a tape recorded in HDV playback on a regular miniDV camera?

no. sorry if this sounds arrogant but what gave you that idea? anyway it's the tape that's sensitive to damage, not the heads, and it will cause wear no matter what deck it's played in.

I will be charging the batteries on a generator that can be found in the island. What precautions should I take? Should I take a voltage "regulator", or just conect the batts directly to the generator?

i wouldn't plug a camera into a shaky supply, but a charger should be ok.

good luck.

/matt

Lucita Jones · February 14, 2006

Thanks Matt for your help. I have heard that not only the tape but the heads of the camera can get damaged after playback. So I am concerned about both, heads and tape.

Thanks again,

LJ

Matt Sandstrom · February 14, 2006

well, the heads also wear down over time, but we're talking years of use and thousands of hours of running time. do you honestly think somebody would build a camera that could break from putting a tape in it?

/matt