Analog-8mm Reviews
- Compact Hi8 Handycam camcorder with 320,000-pixel CCD
- 20x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 990x) with manual focus and image stabilizer
- 2.5-inch rotating LCD and black-and-white viewfinder
- Low-light recording settings and built-in white LED light
- NP-FM30 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery
List price: $329.99 (that's NaN% off!)
Used price: $200.00
Buy one from zShops for: $230.00
Very happy with it
- Compact Hi8 Handycam camcorder with 320,000-pixel CCD
- 20x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 990x) with manual focus
- 2.5-inch rotating LCD and black-and-white viewfinder
- Low-light recording settings and built-in white LED light
- NP-FM30 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery
List price: $299.99 (that's 21% off!)
Used price: $179.99
Buy one from zShops for: $207.00
Not so good buy
Good out of box performer
Great first-timerI had been kicking around the idea of buying a camcorder for a couple of weeks and bought this model just two days before going on vacation. I didn't do a whole lot of research, I just liked the look and the price. It is small and sleek and super easy to use. It can use regular 8MM tapes, Hi8 or Digital8. I used it for recording live music performances in Nashville and was happy with the quality of the video and audio on playback. There are 8 effects for shooting (sepia, stretch, etc.), along with three fade-ins/outs. So I have more options than I really know what to do with at this point but I'm sure I'll get into them as I use it more. The display is sweet and can rotate around.
My one complaint is the battery area. The battery clips on the back, but there is no cover - my Sony digital camera has a locking compartment the battery slides in. I'll probably also be picking up a spare, even though it seems to hold a charge well. I really like the size because I have small hands and short fingers, but I can still use the strap and reach all the buttons.
- Starter kit for YesVideo mail-in DVD production service
- Preserve your camcorder and VHS tape footage by sending it to YesVideo for professional transfer to DVD-Video
- YesVideo handles 8 mm and 16 mm film transfers, too
- 54 disc chapters with representative thumbnail images let you snap right to your favorite moments quickly and easily
- Each YesVideo DVD includes three 60-second music-video highlights of your footage, selected and edited by YesVideo's trained engineers
Sloppy work and not worth the hassleI don't want to waste any more time having the conversion attempted for a third time and I would be extrememly nervous now about entrusting an irreplaceable tape to this company.
Will recommend to my motherSo I opted for YesVideo and ran a test. The test consisted of (holding my breath and) sending all 29 family videotapes we've recorded over the years of our kids growing up, and waiting to see what was returned. I did this without the knowledge of my spouse -- gambling with my life.
I was impressed and extremely satisfied with the result. The service was much faster than I anticipated (only a couple of days), and the quality was terrific. Video and audio both. The intelligent parsing of the footage is much appreciated -- we can skip over the embarrassing stuff (like me in a swim suit) and not have to search for our son's birthday or our daughter's first steps. The DVD case also has screenshots on the front that make searching a real cinch -- this is a big deal when looking through 29 volumes of video for the right moment in time.
On top of all this we got a photo CD with a bunch of digital photo-quality still images taken from the actual video footage. Not sure how they decide which ones to take, but it turned out a bit like a roll of film -- some good ones, some bad ones, and one or two that you want to put on your wall. Of course, they also returned the original videotapes, but I'm guessing the DVDs will outlast the originals anyway.
In the end, I surprised my spouse with the achievement of transferring all of our memories to DVD, and she was very pleased. (And I got doubles for my parents, which I'm saving for a Christmas present.) The test was a smashing success, and I'm going to recommend the service to everyone. It's a great service, and definitely worth the price. I don't know of any other reliable way to convert taped memories to DVD with such ease & efficiency. I give it 5 stars.
Easy way to convert your videotapes to DVD!!!!!The DVD has a really cool feature in that there are pictures from the video that are used as a menu screen on the outside cover. This is great for reminding everyone what is on the videotape that has a title like "Summer 1998". There are also music videos on the DVD made from my own footage. This was interesting but I wish they were a little longer.
All in all, this is a great service at a great price. I wish I could get my money back for my fancy PC with its DVD drive.
- Camcorder uses 8mm and Hi8(TM) videocassettes
- 20x Optical Zoom Lens
- 560x Digital Zoom Enhancement
- Built-in color enhancing video light
- Ultra sensitive for monochrome imaging in dark areas with NightShot(R) capabilities
- Built-in light
- NightShot 0 Lux technology for effective shooting in low light conditions
- 20X Optical Zoom
- 560X Digital Zoom
- 2.5-Inch LCD Screen (61,000 Pixels)
I knew I didn't want digital because I don't even use my digital still camera very often, other than to e-mail pictures.
I knew that I wanted another 8mm, so that we could play our tapes we have now. I didn't want to spend too much money. We received this camera a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. It even has more options than I really need. We charged the battery when we got the camera and for 2 weeks we have been filming the kids occasionally and the battery is still full. I never thought I would use the night vision, but have found it is fun to film the kids when they are asleep and I don't have to turn a light on to film. The zoom works well and the color looks good. For the price, I don't see how you could get a better camera. I don't think you could find a better analog camera even if you did spend more money. I obviously can't comment on how well it will hold up in the future, but as far as its performance now, I love it.