Can you delete and re-record over Mini DV tapes?

I know this must sound like a silly question to anyone who knows about video camera's. I am looking at buying a basic Sony Handycam and one saleperson has told me you can simply erase unwanted footage from a MiniDV tape and tape over it someone else has told me that this can't be done.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Thanks.

Yes you can, but there are some things to keep in mind.

Many professions claim that you should never re-use a tape for any serious work. They say it causes more frequent "dropouts" (lost frames that don't get recorded to your computer or other device).

However, one guy reports copying episodes of a 45 minute show onto 5 DV tapes, and that he has done this about 20 times per tape on 5 tapes, and that he has NEVER experienced a single problem because of it.

Others claim that reusing their tape twice started causing noticeable problems. The manufacturer says you can reuse pretty much all you want without trouble.

My advice? If the footage you are getting is crucial, or a one-of-a-kind, never-again-moment, use a brand new tape to get it. Otherwise, reuse all you want. But be careful! Reusing old tapes from the middle (not from the beginning) can cause some problems, especially if you are using LP instead of SP, or SP instead of LP, and then they get mixed and may cause difficulty with transferring the footage later.

Rewind your old tapes to the beginning, and then use it like it's new!

Just, keep some spare (new) tapes handy.

[In response to another post, I do NOT recommend backing up to DVD. It's notorious for failing when you most need it. Keep the Mini DV tape backup instead, or use an external hard drive. Don't make DVD your only backup.]

Yes, you can.

You merely find a spot you want to record over and record over it.

It can be done, but at $3 per tape, they are cheap. I never re-use tape.

It is easier to "bulk erase" the whole tape...

But since you asked about the partial... let's say you have 10 minutes of video... then there is a five minute clip you don't want... then there's another 6 minute clip you want... if you just want to record over the five minutes you don't want, what happens if what you are taping is 10 minutes long?

What you think is unwanted now may be something you want in 4 years... just buy tapes. It is no big deal.

OR you can do what I'm in the process of doing, and that is making a back-up DVD copy of the tape you are about to record over. simply make a direct-to-disc copy of everything that you recorded onto that little mini-DV tape, then you'll always have it if you want to use that footage for something later. now you won't feel so bad about using the same tape over and over again!

or...
import the video files to a video editing software, e.g., win movie maker, cut out unwanted frames and export the edited video back to the vcam using a new tape