VHS-Family Camcorder Buyer's Guide

A good friend of mine recently purchased his first camcorder. He went out and tried various cameras and formats. He read back issues of Videomaker, talked with other camcorder users (actually, "bugged them to death") and, after spending a considerable amount of time contemplating his choices, he settled on a VHS camcorder.
I was surprised. Currently it seems everyone is looking for smaller size and better image quality. I asked him why he chose the VHS over the 8mm or Mini DV formats. He said he liked the idea of being able to shoot footage and then pop the tape right into the VCR to watch. He also thought that the larger size gave him a steadier shot and he said it just felt "more comfortable" in his big hands compared with the smaller cameras that he tried.

For these reasons, and more, many people still prefer the VHS format. So manufactures continue to make them. If you're one of those people, you'll find a VHS camcorder to fit your hands and your budget in this buyer's guide.
There are three types of VHS format: VHS, VHS-C (Compact VHS) and S-VHS (Super VHS).
Note that VHS-C cameras are not made in the large shoulder-mount body style. These are compact, hand-holdable camcorders that use a smaller-cartridge version of VHS tape. With the use of an adapter, you can play these tapes in your standard VCR.
The S-VHS format has almost double the image quality of regular VHS.
The JVC Pro GY-X3U, designed for professionals, is at the high-end of the S-VHS format in both price and features. It has three CCDs, manual focus and white balance, stereo audio channels and retails for $4,950. The Panasonic Broadcast AG-456 is another professional-oriented S-VHS. It has one CCD and includes manual iris, focus and white balance controls with optical and digital zoom and seven digital effects for $2,225.
At the other end of the price and feature scale are sixteen VHS-C format camcorders that all sell for under $1,000. The RCA CC6374 retails for $449 and has both optical and digital zoom and electronic image stabilization. The Panasonic PV-D301 is another low price leader at $350. And what kind of bang do you get for your buck? How about a color viewfinder, video light and a 20x optical zoom and 150x digital zoom? From JVC's consumer line is the GR-SXM730, another S-VHS-C camcorder that has a suggested retail price of $650. It comes with seven program modes including sports, fog and neutral density. It also has an auto fade feature and three-inch LCD monitor.
Although Hitachi announced that it's no longer manufacturing VHS camcorders, the format is still alive and kickin' so don't be getting out the shovel just yet. With affordable prices and features to boot, the VHS family of camcorders may be just what you're looking for.