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REVIEW
FIVE EASY PIECES -- CAMCORDERS
JVC GR-SV3 £800
This is the most recent of
the LCD screen camcorders, and the first one to use the VHS-C cassette format.
It’s targeted at those who until now have shied away from the idea of video
movie-making, either because it looks too difficult, or conventional camcorders
appear intimidating. JVC have dubbed the SV3 ‘Infocam’, because it has a simple to use video memo recording
facility. A light on the machine blinks to alert the recipient, who simply
presses a button next to the screen to replay the message. The machine is held
two-handed and the user looks through the optical viewfinder, the LCD screen
faces forward, so the subject can watch themselves being recorded; it certainly
gets a much livelier response than a normal camcorder, though not everyone takes
to it. The machine is very easy to use, there are no adjustments to make, other
than framing the shot with a simple 3x zoom. It even has a switchable 5-second
record mode, so you don't end up with long boring shots of nothing in
particular. The screen flips up so it can be used as a viewfinder (the image is
automatically inverted), or it can be used in either position for on-the-spot
playback, (with sound). An optional clip on TV tuner module is available for an
extra £130.
Forced two-handed operation
is a nuisance but balance and handling are generally okay. VHS-C tapes can be
played back on any normal VHS VCR using the supplied cassette adapter. Picture
quality in good light is comparable with a conventional camcorder -- resolution
is just over 240-lines -- however, because this machine has such a tiny lens
and uses a smaller than normal image sensor, low light performance is a bit ropy.
Recordings made indoors, under normal room lighting, tend to look quite grainy.
Otherwise colour rendition and picture noise levels are both good. We found
fingers strayed into the picture on a number of occasions, so it needs to be
held carefully. Sound quality is fair, though anything further than a few metres
from the built-in microphone gets lost in the mush. The LCD screen isn’t
especially bright and it tends to get washed out in daylight, a sun-shield is
provided in the outfit, though.
Value 85%
JVC Telephone 081-450 3282
PANASONIC NV-S70 £800
The odd one out in this
collection for three reasons; firstly it doesn’t have a LCD colour screen,
secondly it records using the Super VHS-C system, which gives appreciably
better picture quality, and thirdly it has stereo hi-fi sound. So what is it
doing here? The common factor is the price, the S70 provides a useful contrast,
and just goes to show that simple doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper or better!
LCD screen camcorders have
two things going for them; communal playback and apparent simplicity of
operation. Playback on the S70’s monochrome viewfinder is a solitary activity
-- your friends will just have to wait until you get home -- but it’s certainly
no more difficult to use than the LCD screen machines. It has the option of
fully automatic recording -- just point and shoot -- and it can be comfortably
held in one hand. Moreover it will work in a wide range of conditions with its
programmed autoexposure system, and in really tricky situations there’s the
option of manual control. However, the S70’s biggest selling point is
flexibility, and for those who get hooked on video movie-making, the S70 has
the necessary AV performance plus the creative and editing facilities to take
them as far as they want to go, up to and including semi-pro work.
Super VHS-C picture quality
is stunning, images are sharper, colours are crisp and noise levels are very
low. The only note of caution is that the full impact is only visible on
recently-made TVs with the appropriate S-Video socket. However, on older sets the S70 delivers a better than
average picture. Even in the standard VHS recording mode it is still capable of
more than 250-lines of resolution, and the stereo hi-fi system produces a
punchy, dynamic sound with very little background hiss.
Value 95%
Panasonic Telephone (0344) 862444
SANYO VM-EX33 £800
Sanyo were the first manufacturer
to market a camcorder with a LCD colour monitor screen, though in this case it
is built into a detachable module that clips to the machine’s accessory shoe. The
camcorder is a neat-looking palm-sized 8mm model with a conventional black and
white viewfinder. It’s reasonably well equipped with a simple 6-mode program autoexposure
system, 12x zoom lens and a handful of creative facilities. The monitor module
has a 2.2-inch screen and miniature speaker, it also houses an infra-red remote
control, which can be used to operate the machines main functions, but the
icing on the cake is a built-in 8-scene edit controller. This instructs the
camcorder to replay up to eight designated segments, in any selected order, and
at the same time control the record-pause function on a VCR, so the edited
scenes are strung seamlessly together. (The remote/monitor contains a library
of IR commands covering most popular makes and model of VCR). It’s an excellent
way of chopping out the inevitable wonky and out of focus shots, with the
potential to turn a boring and over-long video movie into a polished and professional-looking
production.
It’s a very easy little
machine to live with, the LCD monitor can be used as a viewfinder if needed but
mostly it earns it keep editing, as a remote control and providing on-site playback.
(A remotely-controllable pan/tilt head is available as an option, useful for wildlife
videographers and peeping-Toms...). Picture
quality is average to good, resolution on samples we’ve seen hovered around the
240-line mark. Colour accuracy and noise are both reasonable. There is a
noticeable increase in noise on second generation edited copies, and the
picture doesn’t look quite so sharp, though that’s not just confined to this
machine. The mono hi-fi soundtrack is good, very little background hiss, and
the microphone is well insulated against handling noises.
Value 90%
Sanyo Telephone (0923) 246363
SHARP VL-E31 £900
All credit to Sharp for
coming up with the ViewCam concept, they must surely be flattered by all of the
imitations. In fact they can’t loose, they have a virtual monopoly on LCD
screens and make them for their rivals as well. The VL-E31 is their baseline
model with a 3-inch screen, even so at £900 it is quite expensive and hasn’t
made much of an impression on the budget end of the market. Nevertheless it has
a reasonable specification with an 8x zoom and 4-mode autoexposure system,
configured for difficult lighting situations. They are: ‘parties’ (lots of
bright lights against a dark background), ‘snow/sand’ (exposure compensation
for bright backgrounds), ‘twilight’ (colour balance optimised to capture strong
reds at sunrise and sunset) and ‘sports’ (fast shutter speed to reduce blur on
fast-moving subjects). The camera/handgrip is mounted on a pivot, so the deck/monitor
section can be turned to face the user for self-recording, and a TV tuner
module is available as an optional extra.
Aside from having to hold
the machine with two hands, which isn’t very comfortable or convenient, it is simple
to use, and the twisting screen/handgrip is great for getting unusual overhead
or waist-level shots. The screen is all but useless in direct sunlight, but a
fold out visor is supplied. Resolution dips a little below 230 lines, which is adequate
but nothing to write home about. Colour fidelity is also fairly average but
again it’s liveable. Low light sensitivity is fair to middling, though there’s
a noticeable grain and noise in the picture indoors, under normal room lighting
conditions. The mono soundtrack is fine,
maybe a tad bassy but the mike is sensitive and reasonably directional,
unaffected by motor whine or handling noises, except in really quiet
surroundings.
Value 80%
Sharp Telephone 061-205 4255
SONY CCD-SC5 £900
The SC5 was Sony’s
unexpectely fast response to the Sharp ViewCam and once again the key feature
is a LCD colour viewfinder. Unlike ViewCam, though, it has an optical
viewfinder as well, which saves power, and makes it a little easier to use.
Unfortunately it is very basic, the lens has a simple switchable wide/tele
setting, there are no exposure controls and no creative facilities at all. In
its favour it is absurdly easy to use, the sort of machine where you can use without
reading the instruction book first. The LCD screen is hinged, so it can be tilted
for table-top viewing, but it doesn’t have any other tricks. The SC5 is powered
by a Lithium Ion battery, one of a new generation of rechargeables that do not
loose their capacity as quickly as nickel-cadmium batteries, they also pack
more power into a smaller space and this machine will record for up to 45
minutes between charges (with the LCD screen switched off). The downside is it
takes around two hours to charge, and cost a small fortune to replace.
It’s quite a handful, and
at 0.8kg all up no featherweight, but the
balance is good and fits comfortably into the hand. On-screen performance is
quite respectable, resolution is just on 240-lines, the fully automated
exposure system copes well with most lighting situations, even tricky ones like
brightly back-lit subjects and fluorescent tube lighting, which often upsets
colour accuracy. The LCD screen is about the same as the others, it’s fine
indoors or away from bright lights but outdoors, in direct sunlight the image
is lost. The clip on sun-shield helps but it’s really only suitable for
playback. Sound from the mono hi-fi track is quite good, very little background
hiss, and the microphone works reasonably well within three or four metres of
the subject.
Value 80%
Sony Telephone (0932) 816000
CONCLUSION
CAMCORDER PRICES AT A GLANCE
JVC GR-SV3 £800
PANASONIC NV-S70 £800
SANYO VM-EX33 £800
SHARP VL-E31 £900
SONY CCD-SC5 £900
WHO’S BETTER, WHO’S BEST
Picture quality Panasonic NV-S70
Sound Quality Panasonic
NV-S70
Features and facilities Panasonic
NV-S70
Ease of use Sony
SC5
Cuteness factor JVC
SV3
Overall value for money Panasonic
VV-S70
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1994 0509
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