Error E03 can be caused by a SLACK TAPE. Remove the tape and, using the blunt end of a pencil inserted into the sprocket, take up the slack.

A few more tips:

1. Don't store the camera with the tape in. Tape is wrapped around a number of spindles and the spinning head of the recording unit inside the camera. If the camera is stored (turned off for more than a few hours) with the tape inside, if there is any condensation, the tape may stick to internal camera components and cause a transport error.

2. Don't leave the battery on the camera. It will slowly drain over time. This may not contribute to the error, but it also makes sense.

3. Use either JVC or Panasonic brand tapes, but avoid Maxell and TDK tapes. Panasonic and JVC are not affiliated, by the way. Generally speaking Maxell and TDK are great tape brands, but in the miniaturized world of mini-dv tapes, even very tiny differences in the physical mechanisms of the tape cartridge may add up to incompatibilities or transport problems.

Last update: 08:23 AM Sunday, November 19, 2006