Panasonic AY-DVM83PQ Professional Mini DV Tape 83min (Single Tape)

Good imaging and durability.

dank for security tapes

Ok! Tapes are tapes. The quality is good and there are actuality about 2min more recording time than stated. I record concerts that run 1hr 30mins or more. I recorded a Trombone Shorty Concert video that ran 2hr 3min in LP mode and upload it to youtube so these's tapes do the job! 5*****s buy them it's a good deal.I paid $37.20 for 5 tapes BK.

I posted the following comments on a competitive site (supermediastore.com) selling mini-DV tapes, but I will publish them here, also, as a note of warning. Much of the information contained in the reviews on mini-DV tapes are authored by amateurs, who ignorantly advise people to buy the cheapest tape available, or who mention, in passing, not to mix-and-match tape brands and cameras without explaining why. Taking the cheap route could quickly turn out to be prohibitively expensive, if you end up clogging or damaging your heads to the point that they need to be replaced. Maybe these comments will help to clear things up. This cautionary review of Panasonic's 83-minute tapes appears here (on the SuperMediaStore.com site), under the 63-minute tape product offering, because SuperMediaStore (unlike Amazon.com), apparently requires you to buy a product before you can actually write a review about it. That's a dumb policy, if you ask me, especially when, in the case of those 83-minute tapes, I do NOT want to buy them, and I want to warn others to avoid them, also. Owners of professional level Panasonic camcorders, like the model AG-DVX100, should take note that Panasonic explicitly states in its manual: "Do NOT use 80-minute mini-DV cassettes." (emphasis added) The main reason that Panasonic advises against this--as I learned recently from talking with their repair center manager and staff--is that the additional tension placed on the heads could cause the heads to clog up or the tape path to get excessively gunky, as well as lead to premature head wear. Any, or all, of these factors will result in your camera requiring an expensive cleaning at a Panasonic service center, or worse, replacement of the heads with a stern warning never to use the 80-minutes again. If you ever need to call Panasonic to complain about getting "Venetian blinds" (blue bands across your viewfinder) due to head clogging, the first question they will likely ask you in their troubleshooting process is whether or not you were using the forbidden 83-minute mini-DV tapes. Also, why I'm at it, Panasonic camera owners ought be aware there are two different kinds of mini-DV tape formulation, which are referred to as "wet lube" and "dry lube" tapes. Panasonic and several other manufacturers use the "dry" formulation, while Sony uses the "wet" formulation. While each type of tape can produce excellent results, Panasonic recommends against mixing the two types of tapes in the same camera, because the residue of the chemical reaction which occurs when the two different types of tape are run through the same tape path (without that path having been cleaned out, using the service of a professional repair shop, not by merely running an abusive tape head cleaner over the heads!) will leave tiny particles of gunk on the rollers, which can (and often will) find a way to block the very tiny head gaps of your recording and/or playback heads, rendering them useless until you pay for a professional cleaning, or you replace your tape heads altogether, a very expensive proposition. Again, this information comes straight from the Panasonic repair center, so ignore it at your own peril. I learned all this the hard way, so I'm passing it along as words to the wise. You'll find ample documentation on these subjects if you search the web, or if you call Panasonic and ask for clarification. In summary: (1) Do not use 83-minute tapes. (2) Do not mix tape types in the same camera. Stick with one brand of tape. (Or at the very least, stick with type of tape formulation, either Panasonic ("dry" lube), or Sony ("wet" lube.) (3) Avoid cheap stuff. Standardize your tape usage to a high quality tape, like the 63-minute AY-DVM63PQ Panasonic professional tapes, a reliable vendor.

It will help with two or more events I wish I could have buy more than two so I can make a short film next

Great product. I use this to record long format special and high value event videography and the color, saturation, and lack of dropouts is really good. I have always used Sony tape stock in the past, but this is a really good tape for Mini DVCAM recording and playback.

This is a very reliable professional-grade videotape. I am using this model (along with its 63-minute counterpart) in my Canon Vixia HV40 camcorder with absolutely no issues whatsoever. I haven't been reusing the same tapes much, so I can't comment on how durable it is for rerecording purposes, but for one-time recording it's perfect, and you can't beat the price, too.

I have onlt used a couple of roles of this tape but I have hi hopes it will live up to its clames. I shoot with a Canon XL2 and have been trying to protect it by using hi quality tape. My sourse was Radio Shack and they recently went to a cheaper supplier even though they charge the same. Since Radio shack never carried the 80 minute tapes and Cannon Recomends using only Canon supplies and Canon tapes are maid by panasonic it seems right to switch. It is also recomended to use only one brand of tape because different brands use different lubercants that when mixed can gum up on the recording heads.