On Mon, 9 Apr 2001 21:30:34 +1000, "Patricia Verden" wrote:

>Hi, A friend and I are planning to make a documentary using a DV
>Camcorder. Right now, we're looking around at the different models and
>their various features.

You can find (critical..., nothing is perfect) reviews
of several camcorders at:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm
(note that several covered are also sold under other
model names [i.e., Pan. EZ30U = PV-DV950, and is
similar to a larger Pan model...], and model names
are different in different countries [i.e., Canon
GL-1 = XM-1] - do a little research on names, and you
will probably find a similar model reviewed at the
URL above.)

>However, we've been advised by someone with a lot of experience in video
>production to choose a different video format. He suggested that the
>Mini DV tapes are susceptible to loss of data through exposure to heat.

????!
"Bake" any tape and you WILL "lose data" - this
is silly advice...! ;-)

>Being a newbie in this area, any advice on your own experiences with
>Mini DV tapes and their stability as a storage medium would be
>appreciated. Thanks,

They appear to store quite well, assuming reasonable
heat/humidity storage conditions. I rewind all tapes
smoothly from the tail end, and store them upright
(I've seen no degradation of the Sony tapes from the
earliest shot several years ago). BTW, avoid shooting
in LP mode for best long-term storage...