DVCPRO - HD

Today I asked for the difference between a DVCPRO regular tape and a DVCPRO HD tape... and someone told me that is the same tape, you can use the regular DVCPRO tapes in a HD camera with the same results.

Is this true?

Pol Turrents
Spanish DP.

Pol Turrents wrote :

>Today I asked for the difference between a DVCPRO regular tape and a >DVCPRO HD tape...

Here In NYC I've used DVC50 92 minute tapes in Panasonic 27 F cameras and recorded HD on them No problems. You get 46 minutes of recording time with a 27 F. Of course, you have to specify the less contrasty HD tape instead of the normal stuff

Mark Smith DP
Oh Seven Films Inc.

Just learned it myself a few months back from someone on the CML.

Yes the DVC 50 which comes in a 92 minute load is identical formula as the HD just a bit cheaper.

Walter Graff
Producer, Director, Creative Director, Cinematographer
HellGate Pictures, Inc.
www.film-and-video.com

Pol Turrents wrote :

>…and someone told me that is the same tape, you can use the regular >DVCPRO tapes in a HD camera with the same results.

DVCPRO, DVCPRO-50 and DVCPRO-HD all use the same tape. Don't forget though that runtime is different! 60 minutes on DVCPRO are 30 minutes on DVCPRO-50 are 15 minutes on DVCPRO-HD.

Rg, Karl Lohninger
Los Angeles

>Today I asked for the difference between a DVCPRO regular tape and a >DVCPRO HD tape...

Yep! Burned alot of it without any problems. Same stuff. 126 will give you 33 minutes.

Elliott Dunwody

>Of course you have to specify the less contrasty HD tape instead of the >normal stuff...

Does the low contrast HD tape work better than using the normal HD tape and overexposing the image by one stop, then having the lab pull process the tape one stop? Inquiring minds want to know.

Jessica Gallant
Los Angeles based Director of Photography
West Coast Systems Administrator, Cinematography Mailing List
https://cinematography.net/

Jessica Gallant wrote :

>Does the low contrast HD tape work better than using the normal HD >tape and overexposing the image by one stop, then having the lab pull >process the tape one stop? Inquiring minds want to know.

Actually I shoot high contrast tape in low contrast situations and low contrast tape in high contrast situations....and not to confuse the issue I just shot some 100fps material with '45 on a sunny day and I think the Hi def folks better go back and recalibrate their imaging model.

Oh yeah, the stock had been in the fridge for 3 years too.

Mark Smith DP
Oh Seven Films Inc.

Mark Smith wrote :

>Actually I shoot high contrast tape in low contrast situations and low >contrast tape in high contrast situations....

I store new tape stock in the freezer. It helps to keep the Earth's EMF from fogging the tape.

Tom McDonnell
DP
New Orleans, La

>Today I asked for the difference between a DVCPRO regular tape and a >DVCPRO HD tape...

Just take care. If you bounce from brand to brand, the tape lubricants conflict.

A lesson I learned on my Canon XL1.

Dave Stump
VFX supervisor/DP LA

Dave Stump wrote :

>Just take care. If you bounce from brand to brand, the tape lubricants >conflict. A lesson I learned on my Canon XL1.

Dave, the lubricant is embedded in a Metal Particle tape, which is what the DVCPRO standards are, and there is no issue. Metal Evaporated is the DV and DVCAM tape and there indeed one has to be careful.

Hope that helps

Jan Crittenden

Jan Crittenden wrote:

>…the lubricant is embedded in a Metal Particle tape, which is what the >DVCPRO standards are, and there is no issue.

Also, in reference to a recent thread, aren't all the DVCPRO tapes the same formulation, from 25 to HD, differing only in labelling, and can be used interchangeably?

Wade K. Ramsey, DP
Dept. of Cinema & Video Production
Bob Jones University
Greenville, SC 29614

>…aren't all the DVCPRO tapes the same formulation, from 25 to HD, >differing only in labelling, and can be used interchangeably?

Not exactly the same formulations. The 25's are not 'packed as tight' in terms of particles as the 50's which are equivalent to the HD's, but I have checked the specs of the 50's compared to HD's and they are identical.

Walter Graff
Producer, Director, Creative Director, Cinematographer
HellGate Pictures, Inc.

>…aren't all the DVCPRO tapes the same formulation, from 25 to HD, >differing only in labelling, and can be used interchangeably?

Well, that’s good to know. I thought all of the tape was the same.

What about brands, ie. Fuji to Panasonic?

Elliott
Bright Blue Sky Productions, LLC
Macon, GA 31210
www.brightbluesky.com

Jessica Gallant writes :

>Does the low contrast HD tape work better than using the normal HD >tape and overexposing the image by one stop, then having the lab pull >process the tape one stop? Inquiring minds want to know.

There's no need to pull process. All the lab has to do is run the tape past a large, powerful magnet. That pulls the contrast back quite thoroughly. As a bonus, the tape can then be re-used, saving the producer a bundle.

Dan "my tapes all point north" Drasin
Producer/DP
Marin County, CA

>…aren't all the DVCPRO tapes the same formulation, from 25 to HD, >differing only in labelling, and can be used interchangeably?

Walter wrote :

"Not exactly the same formulations. The 25's are not 'packed as tight' in terms of particles as the 50's which are equivalent to the HD's. But I have checked the specs of the 50's compared to HD's and they are identical."

After checking with the tape guru over here, it seems that DVCPro, DVCPro50 and DVCPro HD are in fact EXACTLY the same with only a difference in the label; same formulation, same particulate matter, same coatings. This is universal as Panasonic certifies all factories that license/manufacture DVCPro tape (Maxell, Fuji etc.)

This assures 100% compatibility and reliability. So there should never be tape failure more often with a single brand of DVCPro over any another.

Hope this helps,

Illya Friedman
Senior Camera Rental Agent
Moviola
www.moviola.com