VIDEO CAMERA 1993

BootLog.co.uk

ASK RICK -- AUGUST

COPY:

EDIT MODIFICATION?

About eighteen months ago we purchased a Canon E110 camcorder and

are now seriously considering going into the realms of post

production editing.

The idea is to use a mixer to allow us to edit our film and to

over dub a soundtrack. Using the camcorder as the master deck,

we have two questions we would like answered:

Could a video/electronic engineer convert the Canon to accept

synchro synch?

What makes of mixer and VCR would be compatible with the Canon?

Your frank advice in this matter would be appreciated.

Simon Lappin

Lowestoft, Suffolk

Whilst it is theoretically possible for a competent engineer to rig up some sort of editing control system on your E110 we doubt whether it would be practically, or economicaly viable, in fact it would probably be cheaper to buy a new camcorder, fitted with an edit terminal. There's much better news on the mixer and VCR compatibility front. The E110 has standard line audio and composite video outputs, so it can be connected to almost any make of type of mixer or VCR, using the AV lead supplied with your machine, and possibly a SCART adaptor, depending on the equipment used.

DIY DISCHARGER

I've made myself a battery discharger using a small plastic box

with a bulb holder and have wires screwed into the bottom to make

contact with the two small plates on the bottom of the battery.

After using my camcorder I finish the battery off and put it into

my discharger until the bulb goes out. It's then charged on the

charger I already have for my Sony TR60.

I don't know if this is a good idea, so any comments you may have

on this are welcome.

D.J. Orton

Port Talbot, W. Glamorgan

A2.

Bad idea, stop it immediately! The problem with your discharger is that it offers no protection against over-discharge, which occurs when the cells in the battery fall below

one volt. When that happens permanent damage will occur, and you will reduce both the battery's capacity, and working life. Dischargers with built-in protection circuits are now widely available, for a lot less than the cost of a replacement battery.

WEDDING JITTERS

I'm thinking of taking up wedding videography using my Sony V600,

RME 700 editor and SLV 715 VCR (also Sony). Is this a suitable

set-up?

Would the V600 be suitable to use as the main camera, or should I get another one, also with a Control L facility?

To save wear and tear on the camera I'm thinking of making tape to tape copies on VHS VCRs, which are the best grades of 8mm Hi band and VHS tape?

D. Rimmer

Merseyside

Your current set-up would certainly do for starters. It might be an idea to see how you get on with your present camcorder, before rushing out to buy another one. It's a very competitive business, and your success, or otherwise will depend on what kind of service you can offer, and the end product, so if you have any money to spare it might be better spent on some post production equipment, such as an audio mixer, a video processor, and definitely some kind of title generator. Always use the best quality tape you can get for original recording and editing masters, standard grade tape, from one of the major manufacturers, will be perfectely adequate for the final copies

THUMBS DOWN

I have a Sony EVC3 VCR, a Sima Titler, VEC1060 Editor and a

Thumbs Up Editor conected up in that order.

If I set up without the Thumbs Up, it all works very well. If I

use said Thumbs Up on its own, that also works. But if I connect

them all together the Thumbs Up scrolls rapidly up the screen,

and no amount of button pressing, as per the instruction book

will stop it.

J. Richardson

Preston, Lancs

We commented on the instability of the Thumb's Up on-screen display when we tested it late last year, and the designers confirmed that in order to keep the price down some sacrifices had been made. The effect you describe appears to confirm this; we don't think there's anything you can do about it, apart from compiling your edit list with the titler out of circuit, then connecting it back in when you come to make the final copy.

TERMINAL TRAUMA

I use a Sony V200E in my work and own a Panasonic S6 for home

use. I'm pesently editing direct from camcorder to VCR with

reasonable results, but would like to improve on this.

I'd like to purchase an editor which I can use with both my

camcorders and am considering the Videonics Thumbs Up or perhaps

the Panasonic VW EC310 or Sony RME 300. Each has its own

features but I'm not sure which one to go for as my work involves

producing 6 - 8 minute training videos.

Can you please advise...

M.Gatenby

Middlesbrough, Cleveland

Thumbs Up is the only one of the three edit controllers you mention that will work with both camcorders, the other two are designed to interface with Sony and Panasonic camcorders fitted with Control L and RMC 5-pin terminals respectively. There are a number of other so-called 'universal' controllers on the market you might like to consider, as well as several software programs, designed to work with Amiga and PC-compatible computers, however, Thumbs Up sounds like the best bet for the kind of short videos you're planning to make.

NOISE ANNOYS

Having bought a Camlink VMX4000 Editor/Processor/Sound Mixer

recently, I was annoyed to find, on playing back an edited tape,

that I had an unwanted background noise audible during quieter

intervals on the wanted sound track.

By breaking phono connections and generally fiddling about I

concluded that the noise was being generated through the video

channel during tape play from my camcorder.The sound could be

isolated by unplugging all input connections to the VMX 4000 and

leaving all sliders at zero apart from the master sound.

It can't be the camcorder itself as use of the by-pass switch

eliminates this irksome sound: however, this poses a further

problem since the Camlink instruction leaflet is less than

helpful. It's unclear whether or not the by-pass is for the

video processing circuitry alone or both the Audio and Video. If

the latter is true then it doesn't work very well since the music

source can still be heard at reduced volume.

Can you possibly shed any light on this problem?

A. Robertson

Truro, Cornwall

It would have been helpful to know a little more about this annoying sound, for instance, is it a buzz, hiss or hum, and is it constant, or does it change in pitch? Thge most likely candidates are mains hum, caused by poor regulation inthe mains power supply, or some kind of interaction between the audio and video circuits. The fact that it dissapears when you use the by-pass switch would seem to favout that theory, the by-pass switch only works on the video signal, cutting out the processing circuitry so the input signal passes in and out of the box. In either case we suggest that you return it to the dealer to have it thoroughly checked. It might be a good idea to make a short recording as well, so the service engineer can hear the effect for themselves, just in case it doesn't happen on the bench, which might indicate a problem elsewhere in your system.

NIMBLE NIMBUS

I read recently that British engineers have developed new

technology whereby feature films recorded on standard 5 inch CD

discs will soon be able to be played, via the developed adaptor,

through a television set.

Have you heard about this?

F. Croxson

D-7899 Uhlingen-Birkendorf, Germany

Yes, the system to which you're referring was developed by Nimbus records and it uses more or less conventional CD recording, mastering and reproduction techniques to squeeze up to an hour's worth of VHS-quality video ( in the form of comressed digital code) on to a standard CD. Before you get too excited there's a few ifs and buts to be sorted out before it becomes a commercial product. The first is that discs will only be playable on the most recent decks, which are able to process the increased amount of information. Secondly, suitable decks must also have a digital output, to connect to the video decoder; many older CD players do not have this facility. Finally, Philips, control and police the patents for the CD system are none too happy about this development. They claim it contravenes the so-called 'Red Book' standard, which ensures universal compatibility for audio compact disc, and it threatens their own forthcoming 'full-motion video' (FMV) video disc technology based on their CD-i system, which uses a different (and incompatible) coding system to the one developed by Nimbus. Nimbus have been reported as saying that they hope to have a decoder and discs on the market by the end of the year, we shall have to wait and see.

I own a Sanyo VMD6P camcorder and Akai A650 VCR and am thinking

of buying either an Amiga 600 or 1200 for producing titles for my

videos.

Can you please advise as to what kind of software I would need

and also where I could get it at a reasonable price?

Barrie Meek

Ayr

Given the choice we'd opt for the 1200, or if funds allow the 4000, as they have improved graphics handling capabilities. There's certainly no shortage of good titling and graphics software but Scala and Deluxe Paint are the current favourites. We would suggest that you check to see if there are dealers in your area, so you could see what's available for yourself. As far as prices are concerned, the golden rule is to shop around, you'll find plenty of good mail-order deals in the specialist Amiga mags.

MONOCHROME MUDDLE

I have a Canon E60 camcorder and JVC HRD960 VCR. On editing from

the camcorder to VCR manually I get good colour results on

playback through the television.

However, at a recent club competition, ten out of eleven entries

played through the Sony projector using a New Agfa 180 cassette

came out in lovely colour. The eleventh, mine, was in black and

white! So far, no one can come up with an explanation - can you?

J. Lowther

Leeds, W. Yorks

It sound as if your recording went a generation too far, assuming that all of the entries in this competition were transferred to the one tape, using the same copying machines. Was your entry a second or third generation recording? If so making yet another copy may have weakened the colour information on the tape to the point where the replay VCR just gave up trying to process the signal and decided to show it in black and white.

A couple of years ago I bought a Sony TR55E palmcorder and

enjoyed the results. I then decided to try to edit the tapes and

purchased a Hama Videocut 10 which would, in theory, enable me to

doe everything I wanted.

That was when I discovered the the counter on my camera was

useless. Rewinding after an hour's running of the tape would not

take the counter back to zero. It could be up to 1 minute and 10

seconds out at times making it impossible to make allowan

ces for

the discrepancy in my editing.

By now the machine was out of guarantee, but if I had œ544 spare

I could have it repaired...

When I read about the new Sony 8mm deck I thought my troubles

were over when it arrived on my doorstep - wrong! The counter

was defective too - 15 seconds out on an hour's running. I sent

it back to the suppliers to try to remedy the fault and they

charged me œ40 for telling me it wasn't faulty.

A local supplier told me that all counters are inaccurate and

can't be used for anything like accurate editing. What would you

recommend, as I've invested so much in equipment already and

can't afford to replace my equipment.

G. Taylor

Wakefield, W. Yorks

I've been video taping for about two years now and have become

bored with just using one camera. I'd like to use more than one

at a time to get different angles when shooting.

How many different ways are there of switching from one camera to

another and recording the results at the same time? I know there

is the Panasonic WJAVE5, MX12 and MX50 but is there any loss in

picture quality if I use these?

Can the WJAVE5 be up-graded to the full S-VHS of the MX12? If so

how can it be done?

S. Brathwaite

Willenhall, W. Midlands

Having been making videos of weddings, shows, etc., I purchased a

new Panasonic MS4 VHS camera having had the M5 and M7 over the

past three years.

However, I have hit one big problem - I cannot erase original

sound. On 95% of the videos I fiom I have to audio dub on the

original tapes and erase old audio completely unless I need to

kep some original sound.

After audio dubbing the original sound can still be heard on

stereo video recorders and, therefore, I'm having to re-record

the taps through the Panasonic WJ-AVE5 mixer to control the audio.

A friend suggested I try an external mono microphone, but the

results are the same. I would like to have full control of

audio, but can't seem to with the M4. My previous M5 and M7

didn't have this problem...

A. Hussain

Small Heath, Birmingham

Can you please recommend a camcorder that would be most

compatible with my Mitsubishi VCR that won't be out of date in a

few months, doesn't cost the earth, and advise which is the

better format - 8mm or VHS-C? I've looked at dozens in the shops

and they all seem to be alike. This is most confusing to a

complete beginner like myself. Your help would be appreciated.

D. Chentry

Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

In a recent issue you showed monopods, shoulder pods and chest

pods, but didn't say whether any of these really did the job as

far as getting steady pictures was concerned.

Do they really do the job? I visualise possible movement with

the monopod even with a rest which didn't seem to steady it;

wouldn't even breathing have some effect on picture quality if

one used a choulder pod?

Does anyone make what I would call a mono tripod, which is able

to open out the legs in order to make it more steady, as I need

someting light to take with me when I go abroad...

K. Windle

Luton, Beds

Being an owner of a Mitsubishi TV, B12 VCR and an HSC50

camcorder, I read with interest that if my television has a scart

connector (it has and so does the VCR) I can get the benefit of

S-VHS by using an RGB converter.

The operator's manual fully itemises the scart connections and

states it has input connections for AV and RGB signals from a

VCR. The VCR scart connections are not itemised: I've searched

for a source whic supplies these convertors to no avail.

Could you possibly tell me where I can find one and if I'm lucky,

how to utilise it with my equipment?

D. Alcock

Oldham, Lancs

My query concerns the Audio Dub Facility on my Sony SLV625 VCR.

As I understand it the audio dub only works on the normal audio

track and does not in any way effect the hi-fi track.

I recently lent a tape to a friend which I'd audio dubbed in

places, this being an important feature to the film. As his

machine was in Nicam stereo mode at the time he didn't hear it at

all. I've tried all sorts of things to ensure this doesn't

happen in future, but to no avail. Without being able to switch

this from Nicam to Mono, it doesn't seem possible.

My current solution is to edit and record footage I wish to audio

dub onto my Hitachi mono VCR and then rtansfer it onto the Sony

for audio dub of the soundtrack.

Am I mising something?

K. Birch

Chorley, Lancs

I'm less than satisfied with the recording times I am getting

from the new Sony NP 500 Lithium Ion batteries. I have three of

these at the moment, all freshly charged and in a warm climate.

In normal use each battery gives only between five and eight

minute's recording time; if left for a few days,even less. This

is not in any way comparable to Sony's claims in their adverts.

Having written to Sony and had no reply, I'm beginning to wonder

if there's anything wrong with this new, wonder battery system

that makes them reluctant to reply.

I've been charging the batteries as per the instruction book and

don't do much in the way of zooming. The camcorder is a joy to

use otherwise: mind you, if you were going to do a full day's

shooting you'd need a pocket full of these batteries! Have you

come across this problem before or am I just unlucky?

D. Underwood

Burnley, Lancs

I have a Sanyo camcorder VM D66P together with a Saisho VCR.

I've just added a Sony RM-E33F editor and Hama VM-518 audio

mixer.

After about an hour's editing the picture starts to judder on the

TV screen but is perfectly steady in the camcorder's viewfinder.

If I connect up through the TV's AV sockets there is no judder.

This seems to point to the VCR being at fault. I had this

checked over and was told that there was nothing wrong with its

AV circuits.

Have you heard of any similar experiences like this and is there

any remedy to it?

A. Wilson

Peterborough, Cambs

Having finally decided to trade in my 35mm still photography

equipment in favour of a camcorder, I spent weeks and pounds

studying various magazines to try to find one I liked.

I finally decided on the Sony V800 having read rave reviews about

it. After seeing it advertised in Tecno's Spring 93 brochure I

rang them up only to be told that it's now discontinued and

unobtainable! What really hurt was the fact that if they'd had

one, if would have only cost me œ899 instead of the MRP price of

œ1200.

What is going on? It only seems to have been out for 18 months.

I was told its replacement model, the VX-1, was available at just

under œ2,000 - they must be joking!

Is this normal in the world of camcorders? My Canon 35mm SLRs

had long production runs and certainly weren't replaced at double

the price every 18 months. Can you suggest a suitable

alternative that's light, is Hi8, medium sized and has full

manual overrides?

N. Munro

Trowbridge, Wilts

I've been making copies of VHS videos using an Amstrad Double

Decker. I own a Canon E110 and am delighted with the results

using the Saisho VCR in the living room.

I realise that this is not an ideal situation and that I'll have

to think about setting up suitable editing facilities and I'm not

sure if the Amstrad can be employed in this situation.

It has scart sockets at the back, one for each deck, but the

salesman led me to believe these were for cable TV which I do not

have. I don't really want to buy a third VCR - can you suggest a

way of using what I already have: a Camlock accessory kit with

audio mixer, etc. If not, is there a VCR with all the things I

want e.g. jog shuttle, for editing, without unnecessary

duplication of our already over the top recording arrangements?