a helical scanning rotary head type magnetic video recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a video signal by two rotary heads having head gap angles which are slightly different from each other and carry out azimuth recording , and for reproducing a still image by two rotary heads having a same head gap angle as that of one of said two rotary heads . when the apparatus is switched from a normal playback mode to a still image playback mode , a magnetic tape is driven at a lower speed than that used during recording and a noise generation section within reproduced signals is detected , and the magnetic tape is stopped after it is allowed to run for a predetermined length of the tape so as to stop the tape at an optimum condition for reproducing a still picture .