8mm Family Camcorder Buyer's Guide
8mm sets the standard for low-cost video equipment. Hi8's superior resolution and up-to-date features have made it attractive to the starving artist and semi-pro alike. Now, with Sony's innovative Digital8, the format stands with one eye focused on the past and the other on the future.
If you're looking for your first camcorder or you're considering an upgrade, you can investigate the virtues of 8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 in the pages of this buyer's guide.
The Original 8
Back when the first VHS camcorders came out, they were clunky and unwieldy. But as technology evolved, manufacturers were able to design smaller, more compact cassettes that reduced the width of the tape from the 1/2-inch (about 13mm) that VHS uses, to just 8mm. An obvious outcrop of this was smaller camcorders. These small, lightweight, easy-to-carry camcorders quickly became popular with consumers.
Although initially touted for their compact, portable size, other advantages of 8mm camcorders quickly became apparent to consumers. Along with a slightly greater resolution than VHS, its most appealing characteristics was and continues to be its equally low price. If you're looking to get into video while spending as little as possible, you can take your pick from a number of 8mm models for less than $500. These include Samsung's SCA30, an entry-level, no-frills unit that sells for just $330, Canon's ES190 ($399) and Hitachi's VME555LA. At $500 the VME555LA is an affordable model that includes a 2.5-inch LCD monitor and wireless remote control.
If you're looking for a few more bells and whistles, like color viewfinders or digital effects, you can expect to invest a little more money. Canon's ES290 ($499) and ES970 ($799) make use of a clever innovation called FlexiZone. FlexiZone uses a miniature joystick located in the thumb-control area on the back of the camcorder that maneuvers a small focus box in the viewfinder.
By moving the FlexiZone area, the camcorder operator determines which portion of the screen the camcorder will use as a reference point to adjust its automatic focus and exposure settings. Most camcorders automatically focus on the center of the frame. FlexiZone comes in handy when you want to focus on something that isn't in the center of your screen, like a child in the background of a school play.
It's safe to say that standard 8mm is sufficient for the casual camcorder carrier; for those seeking higher resolution, Hi8 is the next step up.
Hi8
The image quality of Hi8 is vastly superior to regular 8mm. It has up to 400 lines of horizontal resolution compared with 8mm's maximum output of 280 lines. Not only that, but Hi8 camcorders usually have a minimum of 410,000 pixels per CCD, whereas only a few regular 8mm camcorders have more than 270,000 pixels (see grid for specifics).
Most manufacturers offer an entry-level, intermediate and advanced model within their product line. What's best? That depends largely on your needs. Those looking for a bare-bones, inexpensive Hi8 camcorder might consider the Hitachi VMH650A ($400). If ease of use is high on your priority list, then Sharp's Viewcam series might be for you. By eliminating the traditional viewfinder, relying instead on large LCD monitors for image display, Sharp developed a convenient two-hand grip design that makes for extremely stable handheld shots. Sharp's VL-870U ($800), VL-H875U ($800) and VL-890U ($900) also incorporate a touch-screen control panel on their monitors (with an obligatory fingerprint reduction coating on the surface).
Canon's line of Hi8s includes their unique FlexiZone feature and PAL (television standard in Europe) playback. This is convenient if you're travelling abroad and you want to view your day's activities while in your overseas hotel room.
In general, you can expect to find more advanced features on Hi8 models than you will on regular 8mm. Features like stereo audio, manual focus, manual exposure, S-video output and headphone/microphone jacks.
Digital8
If analog is an apple and digital is an orange, with Digital8, Sony has created the orpple. As the inventor of 8mm, it's not surprising that Sony developed a new camcorder to prolong the life of the 8mm tape in the digital age. Sony targeted shooters who currently own 8mm or Hi8 camcorders but want to make the transition to DV. Digital8 records high-quality Digital Video on standard 8mm or Hi8 tape, although a 120-minute analog tape will hold only about 60 minutes of Digital8 material.
Not only are their tapes less expensive and more readily available than Mini DV tapes, Digital8 camcorders can still play analog 8mm and Hi8 tapes. And if you'll be using a Sony VAIO Digital Studio computer you'll even be able to output their signals in DV format for editing.
There are a number of different Sony Digital8 camcorders, each with one or two different features. The Sony DCR-TR7000 ($899) has all the features of the more expensive models, but doesn't include a flip-out LCD screen. For $200 more, the DCR-TRV310 adds a 3-inch color LCD screen and a color viewfinder. At the highest end of the Digital8 category is the DCR-TRV510 ($1399) which comes equipped with a color viewfinder, a 4-inch color LCD screen and 2MB of memory for capturing digital still images, which it can output to a computer's serial port.
The Flip Side
8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 are all thriving formats for video artists, small business owners and hobbyists. Manufacturers continue to invest engineering efforts toward upgrading and innovating the camcorders to improve picture quality and the number of features. However, there are some down sides to 8mm camcorders that are worth mentioning. First, 8mm camcorders aren't capable of audio dub. With standard 8mm camcorders, the audio signal mixes with the video signal on the tape. Since it's not on a separate track, it's impossible to insert audio without destroying the video. Hi8 with PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) audio is technically capable of performing audio dub, but virtually every Hi8 device (with the exception of some very high-end decks) use the AFM (Audio Frequency Multiplexing) audio format which doesn't support audio dub. Digital8 gives the videographer the option of 12-bit or 16-bit PCM stereo audio, but Sony does not incorporate audio dubbing functions on any of the current models.
And second, your VHS VCR cannot play 8mm, Hi8 or Digital8 tapes. You'll need to wire your camcorder up to your TV directly in order to watch what you've taped.
A Sound Investment
Even with the lack of audio insert and the inability to play in your VHS VCR, the 8mm formats are reliable and popular with more positive marks than negative ones. It's possible that the popularity of 8mm and Hi8 will wane as Digital8 and Mini DV models become available in the same price range, but for now, Hi8 continues to produce high-quality images and regular 8mm tops the affordability list.
The arrival of Digital8 is exciting. People who have a history with 8mm or Hi8 can morph into the digital realm. Its low price points will surely capture the attention of any audience looking to go digital.
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