# 90's camcorders



## Cam (Nov 19, 2010)

I love these fuckers. They bring the most perfect amateur-filmed quality. So clear and fluent.

I just found my moms old Panasonic camcorder. I wanna test it out so badly, but the battery & charger are missing.

Once I buy those online i'm gonna have this kickass camera to use. And once I figure out how to transfer VHS to a computer file (easily), then my life will slowly get better every day.


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## Lapdog (Nov 20, 2010)

For your "VHS to PC" dilemma, I may be able to help you. If you go to your local radio shack, I heard you can get "USB Analog Video Capture Devices", and then hook your VHS player to that. Then, you use this software to convert it to MPEG or AVI, whatever you prefer.

Or, the old fashioned way, film your TV with digital, and then out that on your PC. That's silly though.


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## Cam (Nov 20, 2010)

Lapdog said:


> For your "VHS to PC" dilemma, I may be able to help you. If you go to your local radio shack, I heard you can get "USB Analog Video Capture Devices", and then hook your VHS player to that. Then, you use this software to convert it to MPEG or AVI, whatever you prefer.
> 
> Or, the old fashioned way, film your TV with digital, and then out that on your PC. That's silly though.



I wanna start filming for internet shows, and im just in love with this camera. I was actually looking into those things & thats probably what I was gonna do


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## FurryJackman (Nov 20, 2010)

The Canopus ADVC devices are actually much better when it comes to de-noising VHS. Only drawback is that it's Firewire, not USB.


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## AshleyAshes (Nov 20, 2010)

Do you really think that's the best solution?  Low resolution, low fidelity VHS video, it's interlaced, and it's a composite signal so you'll have color loss, red bleeding AND composite dot crawl.  Is that really how you want to start an 'internet show'? o.o


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## Cam (Nov 20, 2010)

AshleyAshes said:


> Do you really think that's the best solution?  Low resolution, low fidelity VHS video, it's interlaced, and it's a composite signal so you'll have color loss, red bleeding AND composite dot crawl.  Is that really how you want to start an 'internet show'? o.o


 
This is my moms fucking badass 90s camcorders, for some reason she refused to get nothing but the best back in the day o_0

It has awesome resolution, & almost no color loss at all


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## AshleyAshes (Nov 20, 2010)

Cam said:


> This is my moms fucking badass 90s camcorders, for some reason she refused to get nothing but the best back in the day o_0
> 
> It has awesome resolution, & almost no color loss at all



The issues I noted are limitations of VHS and composite video themselves.  No high quality camera can beat out the limitations of the technology they use.


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## Cam (Nov 21, 2010)

AshleyAshes said:


> The issues I noted are limitations of VHS and composite video themselves.  No high quality camera can beat out the limitations of the technology they use.


 
Oh well, ive still got a boner for this camera :3


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## Shay Feral (Nov 21, 2010)

VHS... Wow... I grew up in the 90's and VHS was the shit! (in the good way) Now that I think about it, I can't believe how long it's been since I've seen a brand new VHS cassette in a store. Honestly, I don't know if they even sell the recording cassettes anymore.

My grandfather had one of those video recorders that used a very small cassette that you'd then insert into a special VHS cassette. How did those things work? o.0;


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## Lapdog (Nov 21, 2010)

Cam said:


> Oh well, ive still got a boner for this camera :3


 
Dude? Gross.  Meh, I suppose if that's what your into...
On topic, You may want to use a regular digital camera, I mean if you want to post an internet show, it's better to have the video easily accessible, and not on tape, literally. Just use a normal video camera, one with a good- no, *great* resolution, with one of the best lenses around. _That_ will get your webshow going.


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## Cam (Nov 21, 2010)

Lapdog said:


> Dude? Gross.  Meh, I suppose if that's what your into...
> On topic, You may want to use a regular digital camera, I mean if you want to post an internet show, it's better to have the video easily accessible, and not on tape, literally. Just use a normal video camera, one with a good- no, *great* resolution, with one of the best lenses around. _That_ will get your webshow going.




Ffffffffffff.

Its the quality of the camera that I love it so much, THATS why im in deep love with it <3. The way it films is awesome and I think would just fit into the style of the show, which is just filming my friends doing retarded shit, thats basically it.


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## AshleyAshes (Nov 21, 2010)

Cam said:


> Its the quality of the camera that I love it so much, THATS why im in deep love with it <3. The way it films is awesome and I think would just fit into the style of the show, which is just filming my friends doing retarded shit, thats basically it.



I'm assuming you mean it has that 'fast shakey cam' feel like you get when watching Cops?  To be honest, even DV cameras get this effect when filming at 29.97fps interlaced.  It's an effect resulting from filming at 60hz (30fps x 2 cause they're interlaced).  In fact, in order to even GET a nice 'film' look you basically NEED a lower frame rate of 24fps and it'd be best done progressive.

Though these days, avoiding interlacing at all costs is really ideal.


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## Cam (Nov 21, 2010)

AshleyAshes said:


> I'm assuming you mean it has that 'fast shakey cam' feel like you get when watching Cops?  To be honest, even DV cameras get this effect when filming at 29.97fps interlaced.  It's an effect resulting from filming at 60hz (30fps x 2 cause they're interlaced).  In fact, in order to even GET a nice 'film' look you basically NEED a lower frame rate of 24fps and it'd be best done progressive.
> 
> Though these days, avoiding interlacing at all costs is really ideal.


 
Its not really the shakiness im after, but the cops feel of filming I suppose I could say. It just kinda gives the film a more real-"er" look. Atleast I think


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## Leafblower29 (Nov 24, 2010)

I still have a Sony HandyCam 8 from 1994. Batteries don't charge.


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## Demache (Nov 25, 2010)

We still have our Sony Handicam from the mid-90's. Its a handheld and records to 8mm tapes. The video it takes is still really good quality and the tapes have stood the test of time. But the tape loader in the camera itself is pretty much dead. You have to smack it around a little and hope it doesn't spit the tape back out.

Its a pretty bad situation. We still have tons of the original 8mm tapes, but since 8mm consumer level recording and cameras are pretty much dead, you can't simply buy a new camera. I just hope it lasts long enough so I can get all those tapes converted over to DVD. And they are two hours each, so it takes a LOT of time. It would be too expensive to have them sent off to a professional.


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## Caustic (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeah, those old camcorders were da' shit back then! Frankly, I don't have any 90s camcorders... but I have one from the 80s. IIRC, it's a 1988 Panasonic Omni-Movie PV-420D. This thing is even older than me... however, it still works to this day fairly well. 

Oh... FYI, I've seen VHS tapes being sold at Walgreens stores.


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## AshleyAshes (Dec 10, 2010)

You guys want your crappy VHS cameras.  Meanwhile I want to find a 24p capable HD camera which is cheap enough that it can be used in 'risky' situations where you wouldn't want to endanger a more expensive camera.

...Like duct taping it to the side of a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. >_>


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