Question about transferring 8mm/hi8 cam to pc
 

hello everyone

i recently got an email from an old friend that has around 400 (yes 400) 8mm/hi8 tape he'd like converted to pc for him. I'm fine with doing the work as there is 0 rush so i can go slow etc etc BUT i'm a little worried about my camcorder to be honest. It isn't "that' old in terms of camcorders but i assume running 400 tapes through it will kill it or at least beat it to death. I know we never EVER put a "cleaning tape" through our vcr. Is this the same for camcorders? I see 8mm/hi8 cleaning tapes all over the place. Is tehre anything i can do short of taking it somewhere to get it professionally cleaned? Does that even apply for camcorders? I always cringe when i ask this but i assume a simple blow from a can-o-air is a big no? I know this is a huge project i just want to make sure i have the means to do it for him before I say yes lol

if it is a Sony Hi8 or D8 (and it should be for doing tape transfers)
just pop off the tape cover (2 screws) and do a manual cleaning.
cleaning tapes dont really do jack sh**

for that many tapes may want to consider getting a Hi8 deck instead of a cam.

I haven't used many cams for this purpose but when I do I've found that it needs manual cleaning every 30-50 tape or so. Never had this problem so much with the decks (be they with or without automatic head cleaners).

edit: If the tapes are HQ and properly stored, this problem will be less severe.

The camera should be fine. I use one, and never had issue. Decks aren't needed. To be honest, I think decks tend to be worse that cameras for playback.

The can of air works the first few times, about every 10-25 tapes, depending on how aged or dirty the are. After 100 tapes, it mostly needs a shammy/alcohol swipe across the heads and non-greased transport parts. Don't use a cotton Q-tip, but a shammy or "chamois". I actually use DSLR sensor swabs myself. I have lots, because I have multiple DSLRs. Use 90%+ alcohol. Drug stores often carry it, "rubbing" alcohol. Just make sure it's 90% minimum, not 50-70 like the cheaper ones. CVS and Walgreens have it in most locations, in the USA.

Have fun with the project. :congrats:

At least Hi8/Vdeo8 doesn't have chroma noise. It was a good pre-DV home shooting format. Better than VHS!