Camcorder Review: RCA CC4392 VHS Camcorder

Don Collins
March 2000

Despite all of the hype surrounding smaller and sleeker models, the full size VHS camcorder manages to survive. As other formats have gained popularity with more sophisticated users in recent years, the VHS format quietly remains the standard for ease of use. Although today's models offer less manual control than earlier VHS offerings, current models are easier to use than ever before.
RCA follows suit with its latest VHS camcorder, the CC4392. The CC4392 has a 1/4-inch imaging chip. And though it has no manual controls to speak of, there are several reasons why this camcorder is one of the best in its class and a good buy for the novice video shooter.

The CC4392 is an entry-level camcorder that doesn't attempt to be anything more. Its full size offers better stability than palm-sized models, and its tapes will play in any VHS VCR without the need for an adapter. Unlike some smaller camcorders that rely on cumbersome menu systems, the CC4392 positions the few control buttons it has on the body of the camcorder, making them easy to access, even while shooting.
Like other full-size VHS camcorders, the CC4392 rests on your shoulder while you shoot. This makes it easier to shoot steady pictures. In addition, the CC4392 has an electronic image stabilizer (the only full-size VHS camcorder to include this handy feature). With the image stabilizer turned on, the shot was rock-solid with very little image degradation.
The CC4392 has a flip-out 3-inch color LCD viewscreen, and an adjustable color viewfinder. The viewscreen is handy for tripod shooting, but seemed a little too close to the face when trying to use it with the camera on the shoulder. Bifocal wearers might prefer to stick to the eye cup.
There are no manual controls available; no focus, shutter speed or exposure to adjust. The downside: you have little control over how your image will appear on tape. The upside: ease of use. The automatic controls do an admirable job adjusting and compensating for various conditions. While the picture quality won't impress the pros, it will more than satisfy the home video shooter.

The CC4392 features a 16:1 optical zoom lens and a 72:1 digital zoom lens. The zoom is a non-variable speed zoom, so you can zoom at only one speed: slow. It does have an instant zoom, however, that instantly magnifies the image by 1.5. When we zoomed in to the full 16:1 optical zoom, the image looked great and it was easy to keep steady. As always, the 72x digital zoom is more of a marketing ploy than a useful tool. With it on, the image looked pixelated and jumped around the screen. We recommend sticking to the 16x optical zoom and moving closer to distant subjects.
Although there is no external microphone jack, the on-camera microphone worked well within five or six feet. The quality dropped off quickly when the subject spoke from farther away. There is no headphone jack to monitor your audio as you record, but there is a speaker to listen on playback.
Also included is a built-in, on-camera light. It has an on/off switch and an automatic mode, which senses low light situations and automatically turns the light on when needed. In our tests the light worked well to illuminate subjects at up to 10 feet.

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