[artdutra04]

I like using the MiniDV tapes as well, for two reasons: one, when you run out of space for recording video, it is very quick to change to a new tape. This is especially helpful when you stick to the 10-to-1 ratio of video: film ten times as much video as you expect to actually need, because 90% won't be good enough for the final cut.

The second reason is that the MiniDV tapes all act as a relatively cheap means of keeping long-term backup archives of the raw video. I never reuse any tapes - ever - in case I ever need to recapture that video for a future project.

I'll switch to hard drive/flash memory cameras when they are available with the capacity to shoot at least six hours of uncompressed 1920x1080 video, as generally five to six hours of video has been the most I've ever shot without access to a computer to capture to.

Also, be sure to buy a good battery upgrade for your camera. The current Sony video camera I have only came with a one hour battery; after purchasing the largest upgrade battery, I can now film for eight hours without recharging. That's enough to fill up two or three one-hour tapes from each day of a competition - enough to film all the matches, or to film only your team's matches with a lot of "stock footage" for great team promotional DVDs.