Choosing a Camcorder

Camcorders! What Kind Should I Buy?

The 8MM cassette is about 2-3/8" wide, 3-5/8" long and just under 5/8" thick. The tape is 8MM (about 1/3" wide). The 8MM cassette also contains enough tape for a two-hour recording at the SP speed. Quite a difference.

This means, of course, that the VHS camcorder is going to be quite a bit larger and heavier to accommodate this cassette.

Of course there is a smaller version of the VHS cassette called VHS-C for "Compact". The tape is the same width (1/2") as regular VHS but the cassette is much smaller (2-1/4" wide, 3-1/2" long and 7/8" thick) and contains only enough tape for twenty or thirty minutes of recording at SP speed.

This means that VHS-C camcorders can approach 8MM camcorders in size and weight, but have shorter recording times available.

What's This SP Business?

The quality of the recorded signal is affected by many things, but for our discussion, we're only going to consider one - tape speed. This is the speed that the tape is transported across the rapidly spinning recording heads. Basically, the faster the tape moves, the better the quality of the recorded signal. The sharper the picture and the better the rendition of color. Professional camcorders and recorders operate at just one speed - a speed that provides a balance between good picture quality and maximum recording time.

What Other Speed is There?

There used to be three separate recording speeds. Some manufacturers gave them different names but they are basically: SP - Standard Play; LP - Long Play; and SLP - Super Long Play. On a VHS or 8MM cassette, SP provides two hours of recording time. LP (which is no longer offered, but remains on some older VCRs and Camcorders) provides four hours of recording time. (Most VCRs can still play LP but can't record it.) SLP (sometimes called EP) provides six hours of recording time on a standard two-hour cassette.

Which Speed is Best to Use?

Video professionals will always suggest that you use the SP speed for any video that is important to you, especially if you think you might want to edit that video or make copies. SP will provide the best picture and color quality and retain much more of that quality in editing or copying.

However, if your goal is simply to record a program off the air so that you can watch it at a later time, the slower speeds (LP or SLP) may be adequate. You will, however, lose some quality.

Now to the camcorders themselves.

Full-size VHS camcorders certainly still have a place in the industry. They are more rugged than the 8MM units and provide good quality video for many uses.

If you want better picture, color and duplication quality in a full-size camcorder, you might want to consider a Super VHS (SVHS) unit. They are more expensive but provide a superior recording. Incidentally, the qualities and capabilities of SVHS are the same as for the format called Hi-8MM.

SVHS camcorders use a cassette which contain a higher-quality tape and record the video signal in a different manner. Briefly, VHS (which stands for Video Home System) actually refers primarily to the tape and the construction of the cassette. When recording a video picture, there are two basic elements to be considered: the 'luminance' or brightness of the image, and the 'chrominance' or color of the image. These two signals are converted by the television into the picture we see. Regular VHS creates what is known as a 'composite' signal in which the luminance and chrominance elements of the image are carried on a single wire.

I realize this may not mean much to you, but the difference comes when you begin to copy the VHS video either to make copies or to edit the footage into a more-comprehensive story. The problems inherent in the way VHS video is recorded cause significant losses in quality each time the footage is copied. For instance, the method used to edit video requires that the material be copied to a new tape. This causes an unavoidable degradation in the image. Then, when the editing is complete, the master tape must be copied again to create duplicates -- more image degradation.

This was made necessary when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission defined the color TV signal which was to be transmitted by TV stations so that it could be received by the millions of black and white sets then in existence.

About fifteen years ago, Panasonic created the video format known as Super VHS (SVHS) to permit professional videographers to record high-quality video without some of the impediments inherent in VHS. Basically, in this format, the color (chrominance) signal and the brightness (luminance) signal, were separated and carried on individual wires. This reduces the interference inherent in combining these signals on a single wire and greatly increases the quality of video recording. Another advantage is that image degradation between copies is much less with SVHS.

The value of SVHS is to permit editing with minimal loss of picture quality. To get the full picture value of SVHS, however, it must be viewed on an SVHS television receiver or monitor. In fact, showing SVHS on a standard monitor will provide a degraded picture. The format is used, therefore to shoot and edit video and is normally converted to regular VHS for viewing.

What's With this 8 MM?

Sony created the format called 8MM. Surprisingly it's called that because the tape is 8 Millimeters in width, as opposed to 1/2 inch for VHS. The narrower tape permitted full two-hour cassettes to be made which are about the size of a standard Audio cassette. This allows the camcorder to be much smaller, provides better battery life because the tape is easier to pull through the mechanism and makes the camcorder easier to handle and store.

You can carry several cassettes in the same area you could carry just one VHS cassette. The batteries are also much smaller and lighter than those needed for full-size VHS camcorders. This makes the format great for the traveller and vacationer.

All is not beer and skittles with 8MM however. The tape-transport mechanism of 8mm camcorders is much smaller and lighter than in VHS units. This also, unfortunately, makes it more subject to damage and misalignment. At the same time, the very narrow width of the tape, makes it much more critical that tape-transport adjustments not change. A small misadjustment in a VHS unit that could be compensated for by built-in Tracking adjustments, can be disastrous in the much more critical 8MM system.

Typically, what happens is that a small jolt of the camcorder, causes the tape transport mechanism to become misaligned slightly. At first, this may not be noticeable, especially if you copy your tapes to your VHS VCR in your home. However, once the misalignment has occurred, the screws holding the mechanism in place become loosened and the misalignment slowly increases. Soon, the tapes you record on your camcorder can no longer be recorded properly on your home VCR and the 8MM tapes you recorded previously, will no longer play in your 8MM camcorder. This sets the stage for some costly repairs. The camcorder must be maintained only by someone who has been trained on that particular brand and the costs can easily run from $400.00 to $800.00. This is bad news, especially if you only paid $400 or $500 for the unit.

Basically, if you decide you must have the reduced size and convenience of an 8MM camcorder, it's vital that you take great care to protect the camcorder from bumps and bangs. If the camcorder comes with a carrying strap always hang the camcorder around your neck when you are using or carrying it. That way, the chances of it falling and becoming misaligned are reduced.

What is this HI-8?

To provide higher, almost professional-quality recording, the SVHS capabilities we discussed above, were incorporated into the 8MM format. Since 8MM is not VHS they needed a new name for it, so it's called HI-8. The picture quality is about the same as SVHS, with the added convenience of the 8MM size. However, the misalignment problems we discussed above with 8MM also apply to HI-8 since they use the identical tape-transport mechanism.

What's All This I Hear About Digital Video?

Well, digital video will certainly be the wave of the future. The units can be super compact and light. Without going into technical details, the value of digital video is that once recorded, any copy of the material will essentially be a perfect clone, with no discernable losses, even after multiple generations of copies. (That means quality remains excellent even when making copies of copies of copies.) The quality of the picture, as recorded, will normally be superior to VHS. It has the added value of not losing much quality as it is transferred to VHS for home viewing. Digital video is changing so rapidly that a long discussion of the format here would be out of date as soon as I upload it.

The Bottom Line.

The answer as to which camcorder you should buy will have to be answered by you. If you choose a full-size camcorder, you will have a larger unit to carry and use, but you will have the advantage of a generally more rugged and forgiving unit. You will also be able to find camcorders with many features at very reasonable prices. You will also be able to take your tapes directly from the camcorder and play them in your home VCR.

SVHS units will provide better quality, but the camcorders and the tapes are both more expensive than VHS. If you do not intend to edit your tapes you may not need the added quality of SVHS.

8MM and HI-8MM camcorders will provide the advantage of lighter weight, and smaller size of both units and cassettes. Be aware, however, about the potential misalignment problems associated with the 8MM format.

The SVHS-C and VHS-C camcorders tend to bridge the gap between full- size VHS and 8MM camcorders. They, like their full-size counterparts, tend to be fairly rugged and forgiving. There is an inherent problem with the Compact camcorders. The smaller tape only allows 20 or 30 minutes of recording at the Standard Play speed, which will provide the best quality picture. Because of this, many people record their video at the Super Long Play speed. Using the SLP or EP speeds will result in picture quality that is noticeably degraded, and when these tapes are duplicated, the quality is much more degraded. For this reason, if the Compact format is your choice, I suggest that you invest in the SVHS version. With the SVHS format you can use the SLP speed and still retain a reasonable level of video quality. the problem, however, is that you will not be able to put the SVHS-C cassettes in a carrier and play them in your home VCR unless that VCR is capable of SVHS operation. This means you must play the tape from the camcorder and record it on your home VCR in regular VHS.

In Closing!

Finally, we suggest you take note of the information we have tried to offer you. Once you understand it, then go to your equipment vendor and try out all the camcorders you see. Don't be impressed only by the number of features the camera has, nor by a very low price. Remember - you almost always get what you pay for. Low prices are not a gift from the store or the manufacturer to you. Low prices are created in many ways - by using lesser-quality components (all circuit chips are not alike) and by using light plastic rather than metal components in the very important tape-transport mechanism.

A camcorder is not a camcorder is not a camcorder. Features are cheap. They are electronic and are available on almost every unit you can find. Two things are important: the size and number of 'chips' used to pick up the image. The larger the better and two are better than one and three are better than two.

Use your wits and buy what is right for you.

Good luck.