Best recording quality for price
Written: Mar 08 '00 (Updated Jul 08 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exceptional video quality for price
Cons: No manual controls
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| pbongaarts's Full Review: Hitachi VM6500A Camcorder |
If you don’t mind the bulkiness of a full size VHS camcorder, and you’re looking for the best video quality you can get for <$400, I think this camcorder does quite nicely.
I found the layout to be quite simple, almost too simple for my liking. Zoom in, Zoom out, and a pause/record button are the only options available to you while filming. With the exception of the ability to add titles, there are no fancy bells and whistles on the camcorder. No digital effects, no fades, and NO MANUAL CONTROLS.
The camera has a nice 46mm f/1.4 lens, shutter speeds from 1/60 – 1/4000 of a second, and a white balance that is better than the vhs-c cameras I’ve used in the past. In extreme conditions, you might want to put a FL-D (to balance for fluorescent light) or 80A filter (to balance for warm tungsten light). Supposedly, these filters make the white balance work even better (keep in mind you do lose 1-2 stops of light with the filters). Just make sure to turn the camera off and on again once you add the filter so it has a chance to recalibrate.
My only gripe with this camera is that you can’t set the shutter speed. But if you’re not in the habit of playing back fast action in slow motion to analyze form, then that probably won’t bother you.
Additionally, the autofocus sometimes gets confused with off-center subjects, but that's a minor problem.
The exposure program seems to be biased towards a smaller aperture, since while filming in midday sun in the snow, I was only getting 1/180 of a sec shutter speed. But I suppose most people would prefer the depth of field over the extra speed.
All in all this is a great camera if you’re going to stick it on a tripod and use it to record events. The video quality I have observed is MUCH better than I have observed from vhs-c tapes. (The manual says the camera scans at 525 lines of resolution, but keep in mind it is only a 1 CCD camera, so actual resolution will be much less). But for under $400, how can you go wrong?
Check out B&H in NYC if you're interested. (www.bhphotovideo.com)
I actually think that this version has been discontinued. Such a shame.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pbongaarts
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Reviews written: 1
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