REVIEW
HEAD
PANNY GRANNYCAM
INTRO
If you thought record-only camcorders were a
thing of the past think again. Depending how you look at it the Panasonic CS1
is either almost completely idiot-proof, or designed for idiots...
COPY
Panasonic, in common with the rest of the
world's video companies are sorely troubled by the fact that most people still
do not own a camcorder. To find out why Panasonic have conducted all kinds of
surveys amongst their potential customers. They came up with three key reasons
to explain this apparent phenomenon . Number one on their list is that many
people say they simply haven't got a use for a camcorder. Reason number two is
current models are perceived as too bulky, or not very portable, and thirdly,
it is felt that they're difficult to use, and require a lot of fussing around with batteries and things.
We'll go along with that but we would have thought one or two respondents might
also have mentioned that camcorders are fairly expensive items, and quite a
long way down on many peoples list of priorities but we'll come back to the
question of prices later on.
The result of all this research is the NV-CS1, it is aimed at anyone who has
ever shied away from buying or using a camcorder, because they think they're
big, or complicated or both; in short it's the video equivalent of a 35mm
compact still camera. To that extent Panasonic have succeeded brilliantly, the
CS1 is small enough to slip into a coat pocket, briefcase or large handbag,
there are only three main controls so it is absurdly easy to use. To achieve
that level of simplicity they've had to strip away a few of the features
normally associated with full-spec camcorders. The most obvious one is the
replay facility. If you want to see what you've recorded on the CS1 you will
have wait until you get home and replay
the C-cassette on your home video recorder, using the cassette adaptor supplied
with the outfit. Panasonic reason that just about everyone has a VHS VCR these
days, so it shouldn't be a problem. No replay facility means there's no need
for an electronic viewfinder, which has the useful side-effect of reducing
power consumption, so the CS1 will record for up to 70 minutes between charges.
If
all that sounds vaguely familiar it's because it has been done before,
starting with the Sony M8 Handycam, launched in 1985 and VHS-C record-only
machines from JVC and Amstrad in 1987 and '88. Panasonic have brought the idea
up to date with a few ideas of their own, though. The CS1 has a two-mode
stop/start button. It will either work like a normal camcorder, i.e. press it
once to start recording, press again to stop; or like a cine camera, so that it
will record only for as long as the button is pressed. This is an excellent
idea and should go a long way towards eliminating those annoying shots of the
ground, or the sky. Come on admit it, we've all done it...
Without an electronic viewfinder the optics
have had to be kept simple, and the lens is a fixed focus design, even so
Panasonic have managed to squeeze in a motorised wide-angle/tele adjustment,
equivalent to a 3x zoom, though the setting can only be changed when the
machine is in the standby mode. The accessory pack is unusually comprehensive
and in addition to things like a lens cleaning cloth there's a clip-on battery
pack which holds six AA size pen-cells. This could prove very useful if you're caught short, with a flat nicad pack,
or expect to be away from a mains supply for any length of time. A side grille
on the microphone enclosure means it will pick up the user's voice. This is
handy for adding a running commentary; it will also pick up breathing noises,
sniffing, grunting, gnashing of teeth etc. We found a little piece of sticky
tape cured that particular problem. Other useful little features are a
self-timer, time/date recording and an LCD panel which shows battery charge,
tape status, time and date, plus any warning indicators.
IN USE
Pick it up, pop in a tape and battery, switch
it on, point it in the right direction, and press the start button. If you can
follow those simple instructions you're halfway there. The only other tricks
you need to learn is how unload the cassette and replay it on a VCR, and when
to charge the battery; they've even fitted a mains plug to the charger, so you
can't use that as an excuse. Advanced users can choose between tele or wide
setting, and whether or not to record the time and date.
Joking aside it is very small and light and
we suspect Panasonic's marketing people weren't joking or being overtly sexist
when they quietly suggested it might appeal to women. It looks unthreatening
and easy to use, unlike most camcorders which are designed by men, for men, and
unashamedly pander to the male enthusiasm for gadgetry. It's toys for the boys
if you will but Panasonic at least recognise the fact that around fifty percent
of the population of this planet are of the female persuasion.
VERDICT
As there's no replay facility it's difficult
to give a meaningful figure for things like resolution, which will ultimately
depend on the performance of the deck on which recordings are replayed.
However, to give you an idea of what it can do, recordings on our sample
resolved a little over 230 lines on a deck with a known capacity to reproduce
recordings of more than 250-lines; make of that what you will. It's a little
easier to assess things like exposure, colour fidelity and recorded noise.
There are no exposure or white balance controls, so everything hinges on the
CS1's auto systems. Given the constraints those constraints picture quality isn't
half bad, though best results will obtained outdoors in good daylight. Inside
the picture becomes quite grainy, and it's not very happy with fluorescent
light, which gives the picture a yellowish caste.
The wide-angle lens setting is very welcome
and does a good job on landscapes, or squeezing everyone into group shots.
Unfortunately the optical viewfinder doesn't tally with what is being recorded
underestimating the image area by around 20%, presumably this is deliberate, to
compensate for the parallax errors that occur between the viewfinder lens and
main lens.
The built-in microphone isn't very
directional, but that's not a problem. The mono audio soundtrack is actually
quite crisp, though there's the usual amount of background noise.
VERDICT
The NV-CS1 is an important new product for
Panasonic, and we've tried hard to be objective but it hasn't been easy. The
fact is that even with recent across the board price rises, following the
devaluation of the pound a few months ago, you can still buy a good quality,
full-spec camcorder for less than £550. So how come Panasonic are trying to
sell this very basic record-only machine for £600? They say the price will be
held, even if there are further currency fluctuations, they point to the
development work that went into designing a virtually foolproof camcorder, and
we even heard it suggested that it costs almost as much to build a camcorder
without replay facilities, as it does to make a normal camcorder. Plausible
arguments, all of them but we're sorry to have to say that this machine is
still far too expensive, even taking into account the Granny factor. We'd be
far happier to see it selling for £400 or less, where it would get our
wholehearted support.
We agree with Panasonic that there is a very
strong case for a completely foolproof camcorder and the CS1 comes close to
being that machine, but you would indeed be foolish indeed to spend £600 and
get so little for your money...
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model Panasonic NV-CS1
Recording format VHS-C
Guide price £600
OPTICS
Lens f2.7, 4mm (wide), f3.1, 11.7mm
(tele),
Zoom effective 3x
Filter diameter N/A
Pick-up device 0.3in CCD
Min. illum. (lux) 7
VIDEO DECK
Tape speed (mm/sec) 23.39 (SP, record only)
Max. rec. time 45 mins
Remote control none
Main facilities auto exposure, auto white balance, self timer,
tally light, time/date recording, one-button operation
VIEWFINDER
Viewfinder optical
Viewfinder inf. red LED: rec mode; yellow LED: low battery, dew
warning, head clog, tape end or no tape
AUDIO
System mono linear
Microphone omnidirectional electret
GENERAL
Sockets DC in (square 4-pin), video out
(minijack)
Size (mm) 71 x 39 x 142
Weight 0.7 kg (inc. tape and battery)
STANDARD ACCESSORIES
Batteries, (nicad, lithium and alkaline),
straps, AC charger/power supply, cassette adaptor, dry battery case, lens
cleaning cloth
PERFORMANCE
Resolution 230-lines (see text)
Colour fidelity average
Picture stability good
Colour bleed none
White balance average
Exposure average
Autofocus N/A
Audio performance average
Insert edit N/A
Playback thru adaptor good
VC RATINGS
Value for money 4
Ease of use 9
Performance 7
Features 5
---end---
(c) R Maybury 1993 1705
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