What is first gen, master tape?
 

What could be considered as first gen tape? Could handycam capped tape be considered as master recording or does it have some more technical criteria?

It's "only a name", you can call your tape 'Billy' or 'Dick' if that helps :P

Generally whatever is the first source is considered the master, in broadcasting terms differ where the 'edit master' is usually the cardinal tape once everything has been edited. We have to have certain arrangements in place to deal with them.

But, in answer to your question, 'first' generation is considered the first source, not the first dub. There's no 'zeroth' generation if that's what you're asking? - Terms may differ globally though.

source master = 1st gen
copy of 1st gen = 2nd gen, aka edit masters
copy of 2nd gen = 3rd gen, aka distribution copy, degradation starts here
copy of 3rd gen = nth gen

If the copy method was bad, no TBCs, generic VCRs, then the 2nd gen is the same as nth gen, very degraded right away in almost all cases.

Nope, pretty universal in both pro and hobby circles.

Is recording made with consumer handycam considered as first gen/master tape? Or does it have to be capped with studio equipment to call it that way.

No, it's not a crime to call amateur footage 'first gen'.

I'm unsure what you're asking, if it's the 'original' footage then it's the first generation by definition.

Do you have an example as to why you think that may not be the case?

In general, the camcorder original shoot tape is first generation and can be considered the master.
The VCR recording could be first generation if it was fed from an original source such as a live camera.

Some might consider an off-the-air (or cable) recording a first generation but that could lead to a philosophical discussion since many broadcasts are from tape. However, for our purposes might be OK considering that the source is generally much better than most home tape playback would be.

This is due to the fact that any defects in the input to the 2nd generation copy tend to be "baked in" for subsequent generations. However, keep in mind that each generation copy of analog material will introduces additional issues driven by the system signal to noise ratio, frequency response, distortion, mechanical variables, and related issues. Thus the (n+1)th generation copy will generally be worse than the nth. However digital recordings can be copied without losses (subject to media read errors) provided they stay in the digital signal domain.

FWIW: Broadcast professional formats do not suffer the same degree of generation loss as the consumer analog formats thanks to better frequency response (especially for chroma), lower noise, and more stable mechanics.

In the tape trading hobby world, this is accurate. The TV recording is the master/1st gen, aka often now "blank tape" (wink, wink) auctions on eBay. Treasure troves of old commercials (WOC shows), unreleased shows, etc.

Edit masters may or may not exist (copy broadcast, vs. commercials edit out), and may or may not be crappy when those exist (always TBCs and good decks, vs. not TBCs and cheap decks).

Distribution copies are always awful unless care was taken (TBCs, good decks) -- and care was rarely taken. FYI: This is why Go.Video dual decks are infamous crap, hated by quality-seeking traders in the 90s, and adored by money whores (the fat smelly guy at the small comic con with overpriced horrid quality boots).

The broadcast master isn't necessarily analog, and hasn't been for many years (80s and earlier). Satellite and cable especially not analog sources as 90s progressed, MPEG-2 encoded even before DVD-Video existed. It was mostly local stations that held onto analog well into the 2000s.