Gerard Houghton

Hi I wonder if anyone can give me some leads regarding something I'm trying to set up. I've been involved in a project to document dances from the Himalayan region for some time - we're using Sony HD cameras for the main work - and wanted to see if I could get some footage from within the dance itself by using some sort of lightweight camera possibly mounted on a mask worn by one of the dancers. I've no experience of this field and wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction in terms of the kinds of equipment available and/or any other sources of information relating to the field that might be helpful for me in gettig to grips with the various issues. Thanks in advance Gerard Houghton Cameraman

Charlie With all the tapes nuanced and numbered- I'm not sure if it's the exact same Digital Master tape you're mentioning. You can find images and info on the B&H page: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...egoryNavigation The features burble runs: "Sony's DVM-63HD HD DVC tape offers the highest quality recording media for the consumer or prosumer making the step-up to an HD camcorder. It is the recommended media for HDV camcorders. Independent film makers, advertising agencies, and other videographers will appreciate the improved image quality, and the professional 63 minute tape duration. The DVM-63HD features 90% fewer errors and 50% fewer dropouts compared to DV Reference tape. Key Features Designed for 1080i or 720p HDV recording and playback. 3dB higher carrier-to-noise ratio vs. Premium DVC tape " which comes close to the tapes you're talking about - but I still want to know more about this stuff from someone who's used it - or someone who can tell me just why it might be worth triple it's weight in silver dollars. gessie

Micah, Thanks for answering my question. Yes, it's an HDV project: were using a couple of FX1s and four Z1s to gather the material - so total tape cost becomes a factor. So far there've been no mechanical problems with gummed heads or anything of that sort - and nothing's been said that convinces me of any quality differential that'd make switching to these new tapes that desirable - though I'll keep my ears open for developments on that front. cheers gessie

Dear Richard Actually Not! No one put me up to asking the question! I expect to be shooting about 1000 hours of footage - all together. The difference between 1000 hours at $2.99 or $4.99 and 1000 hours at $13.99 meqans that you ask yourself just what it is that you're paying for that is worth that extra expense. Maybe you don't have to ask basic questions like that - I presumed that most people did and that those who didn't know the answer would also be interested in it. regards gessie

I'm working on a long HD project and so far (150 hours) have been using Sony DVC Premium tape stock - which is what I've generally used for other DV projects. Recently someone suggested that I should have a look at the new <<Sony DVM-63HD 63 Minutes Mini DV HD Video Cassette>> which at $13.99 is about three times what I'm paying for the ordinary mini-DV tapes and will make a big change in the budget if I decide to go that route. Does anyone have any idea as to what the advantages of this tape are supposed to be - what one's paying out for? I shall need one set of archival tapes - the project is to create a dance archive - but much of the work with the several hundred hours of footage will be done from digital copies on hard drives. Anyone have any experience - opinions - on these new super(?) tapes. thanx gessie