R?R fun

[ARC Tech-109]

I've had a number of those EIAJ decks in the past, Sony AV-8650 & the 3400 rover package along with the Panasonic NV-3020 B&W and 3160 color editor. Pound for pound the Panasonic had the better build quality than the Sony with more heavy brass but being a color-under the video quality was about the same. Panasonic also used a ball bearing for the capstan and sony a bronze bushing that would wear causing the shaft to tilt and run the tape up the pinch roller.
Lots of memories with those, buddy picked up a pallet of decks & cameras and other "production" equipment from the school auction in the 80's and we nerded out over those for months, still have a tape we made from back then but I'm not sure I want to play it today! Cameras were a mix of those AVC-3600's and DXC-1200's with man-sized C-mount zoom lenses. Good times were had by all.