Do mini Dv tapes come in a 120min?

Question

i need to record 2hrs of footage, where do I buy these as I can only find 1hr ones?

Answer 1

miniDV does come in 80 minute version, which can be shot at EP on consumer camcorders for 120 minute. using the EP has a price, the tape will only play in the originating camera. most camera batteries will not run for 120 minutes continuous, do you have an AC adaptor?

Answer 2

As covered already, Panasonic do an 80min tape (x1.5 in LP mode = 120min)

However to fit the extra tape on the spool in the compact cassette the tape is thinner and more prone to damage.

I do not consider these tapes reliable, and furthermore in LP mode you become more prone to dropout and on some cameras you can only record in reduced audio depth (12 bit) in LP mode.

I would record on either 2x DV tapes at SP, or through the firewire cable onto a laptop and onto a hard drive.

Or if its a big job then hire in a full size camera that can take longer cassettes (something like a Sony DSR250 as a starting point)

Answer 3

The longest ones I know of are 83 minute tapes. You can buy them in single packs:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-AYDVM83P...

or multi-packs:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-AY-DVM83...

If you need to record non-stop 2 hours of footage, I would recommend using a laptop or borrowing a laptop from a friend. Then simply plug in your camera using firewire, turn it on to the regular recording mode but don't press the record button, disable auto-power off, and use Movie Maker or HDVSplit to capture to disk (preferably your own external hard drive. EDIT: Yes, this actually works because I used my external USB 5400rpm drive to capture 1080i video using HDVSplit and worked flawlessly all seven nights). Just make sure you have 30GB free for safety. If you are unable to get a hold of a laptop, then unfortunately you will have to use LP mode on your camera. Hope this helps!