Once you have decided which format you like, choosing a camcorder boils down to its features, including convenience. Just reading the specs of different models won't tell you everything because overall convenience depends on your specific combination of camcorder and playback VCR. (See "What to Look for in a Camcorder," next page, for a comparison of four popular camcorders.)
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Editing techniques
A videotape will almost always need editing before it is presentable. A rough but effective form of editing can be accomplished during playback with indexing, a feature on many recent VHS and 8-millimeter camcorders and VCRs that invisibly marks the beginning of every scene on a tape. When you are playing back an indexed tape, you can skip to the next scene or skip a number of scenes. You haven't eliminated the bad or unnecessary takes, but at least you can fast-forward past them.
To make a finished video, you need to create an edited tape by copying, or dubbing, selected sections from the original tape onto a new tape. You can do this manually with two connected VCRs: put the original tape in one VCR (the playback deck) and record onto the second (the recording deck). The process -- starting and stopping each deck as you find the scenes you want to preserve -- is tedious, and the results are usually pretty ragged unless you are able to control the decks accurately.
The first practical device for making do-it-yourself video editing easier is the editing controller DirectED, from Videonics Inc. You mark the beginning and end of each scene you want to keep, and DirectED assembles them semiautomatically. DirectED works with most video equipment, including camcorders; the only requirement is that the recording deck have an infrared remote control, which the DirectED uses to turn the deck on and off. For editing 8-millimeter tapes, Hama makes Videocut 10, an editing controller that takes advantage of the Control "L" remote-control jack built into most 8-millimeter camcorders. The recording deck can be any format with an infrared remote control.
You'll want multiple copies of many of the videotapes you make. If you need more than a few, send the original finished tape to a video-duplication service. With two VCRs, you can make copies yourself, of course, and you can convert your tape to another video format. To convert an 8-millimeter original into VHS, for example, you'll need to copy from an 8-millimeter VCR connected to a VHS recorder. For tapes you are planning to circulate outside your company, you will almost always want copies in the full-size ordinary VHS format, which is currently the most widespread in the consumer market.
In the future, personal computers will play an increasing role in business video production. Camcorders and VCRs will come with built-in computer interfaces, so a complete editing system could be built around a personal computer. Such a system will be much easier to use than the editing equipment available today. Improvements of this kind will help make video indispensable to businesses.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CAMCORDER
A shopper's guide
Four popular camcorders are reviewed here -- Sony's 8-millimeter CCD-F40, and three Super VHS-C models: Panasonic's PV-S150, Toshiba's SK-S80, and Zenith's VM6500. (These models, and many others on the market, may also be sold under different brand names. The Zenith VM6500, for example, is the same as the JVC GR-S55, and the Panasonic PV-S150 is also sold as the Magnavox VR9260.) All four are priced below $1,700, and all work well, although they are quite different. Whatever camcorder you decide on, you will need at least two accessories: a spare battery and a tripod, which can eliminate the shaky pictures that always plague handheld shooting.
* Size and handling. All four models are the compact variety that most people should opt for, with the Zenith being the smallest and the Toshiba the largest. To shoot, you hold the unit in front of you, much like a still camera. (Full-size VHS camcorders have one advantage over these compact units in that they sit on your shoulder while you are taping, a more stable position).
Of the four, the Zenith handles best: its handgrip is near its center of gravity, and its controls are well placed for easy operation. Sony's 8-millimeter unit ranks second in "feel." The handgrip on the Panasonic is so far forward that the camera does not balance well in your hand, and its controls are less convenient. The relatively bulky Toshiba has its tape-transport controls (play, rewind, and so forth) on top toward the front, where they are hard to operate quickly. It ranks last for handheld shooting, but it is the only model that comes with a full-function remote control that lets you shoot without being next to the camera.
* Picture quality. The images produced by all three Super VHS camcorders are sharper than the 8-millimeter image, but, as it turns out, sharpness isn't everything. In a comparison of the same scenes shot with all four camcorders, indoors and out, bright colors in the 8-millimeter picture came closest to what you see with the naked eye; there was less distortion of straight lines; and the light and color in scenes with bright sunlight and dark shadows were better balanced. Among the Super VHS models, the Toshiba gave the best picture. The Panasonic was next, trailed by the Zenith, which had the most trouble handling mixed sunlight and shade.
* Sound quality. Camcorders all have built-in microphones, which pick up sound effectively as long as your subject is close enough. The built-in microphones also record sounds you may not want; in a quiet location, you can pick up the camera motor. The Sony is the quietest of the four models. The Panasonic runs a close second, and the Toshiba and Zenith camcorders pick up a little motor noise in a quiet room. All the camcorders can also accept external microphones.
