Using A 30-Year-Old Camcorder In 2020 - Sony Hi8 Handycam

OUR VINTAGE LENSES LUT PACK IS NOW JUST $5 (FOR A LIMITED TIME)!
filtergrade.com/product/phase...
FREE VINTAGE LENSES LUT DOWNLOAD
bit.ly/PDMDare
Sam recently dug out this camera, which has been in the family for almost 30 years.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Specs
5:25 Review & Camcorder Footage
12:10 Summary
Inspired by Mark Holtze - • SONY CAMCORDER Hi8 Rev...
Check out his channel - / @markholtze
My Lego Stop Motion Channel - / saminatorger
New to the channel? Why not consider subscribing with notifications for more BTS, music/camera gear and general terrible humour :)
Copyright 2019 Phase Drive Media
All Rights Reserved
Phase Drive Media is available for hire in the UK! We're highly experienced in videography, photography, editing, music production and social media.
Website:
phasedrivemedia.com
Facebook:
/ phasedrivemedia
Instagram:
@phasedrivemedia
Email:
[e-mail]

[@MarkHoltze]

30 is a nice round number love it! Great video dude! Love the retro look with nice crispy audio!

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

It's a nice mix for sure! Very tempted to use that setup again for some future videos :D

[@parkerhager1127]

I found a Sony Hi8 handy cam at a garage sale and I use it for skateboarding and edits. I also got a fish eye lens for it.

[@richardpaddington4216]

I really appreciate this delving into older video cameras. I have a couple myself, the Canon XM2 and the Canon XHA1. It breaks my heart to see them unused. I've tried putting their footage into a 4K timeline but things don't look good. I haven't given up though. You have inspired me to approach things differently. Thanks

[@rupert6478]

back in 2001 I got a sony dsr-pd150 :) it was one of the best cameras at the time, and still holds a place in my heart.

[@epicchris1985]

Awesome video. Seen Marks too few weeks back. He does some fantastic videos. I’m massively into my retro gear myself so my channel is all about retro cameras 🤗

[@10thirty-one42]

Love the video. I used to own a Sony CCDTRV608 back 2002. I loved it. I plan on getting another one.

[@soundhobo]

Nice...& why not, it’s a good look & it’s genuine 👍

[@FernandoMagaldiCachoeiro]

Excelente! Parabéns e obrigado!

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

One of the best exercises a content creator can do is to go back to an older technology and appreciate the true creativity unleashed by strict limitations. 24 shots on a film camera makes you more technically and artistically critical of your photography, which makes you a better photographer. The resolution and physical limitations of Video8, Hi8, and Digital8/DV makes you a much better cinematographer by forcing you to understand the art and technicality of lighting and framing. A 4 track cassette recorder will make you a better songwriter and audio engineer as you squeeze the best performances and fidelity out of 4 tracks on cassette tape. Infinite high res photos and video storage can hinder creativity. "I'll just shoot 100 photos and take what's accidentally the best." Or record 40 tracks in Pro Tools, or use only 3 seconds of B Roll out of 2 hours recorded... Modern technology is miraculous, but is absolutely used to the best of its ability by thoughtful, skilled creatives with an appreciation of the creativity bred through past limitations.

[@reel_images]

Great review, love it, I'm a product of the 80s and 90s. Grew up using the PXL2000 and a big brick VHS Camcorder. The only suggestion would be to use the S-video as it slipts the signal and to deinterlace to get fields to full frames. Look into QTGMC deinterlacing with VirtualDub2.

[@alanvanallen7762]

Interesting video Sam,thanks.I enjoy watching these types of videos about old tech camcorders,I have 3 x 8m camcorders ,an early Sony CCD F550 ( I bought when first released mid 90's I think,not working) a Canon H8 V65 and a Sony TRV110E Digital8 bought fairly recently.A channel on youtube I often watch is Reel Film,have you seen any of his youtube videos,I think they would interest you,he covers all formats including 8mm film. Thanks again

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

OUR VINTAGE LENSES LUT PACK IS NOW JUST $5 (FOR A LIMITED TIME)! filtergrade.com/product/phase-drive-medias-cinematic-lut-pack-for-vintage-lenses/

[@justsayin1752]

That's a good point about CRT monitors. I think a lot of young KZbinrs have an idea of the past as being worse quality than it was not realising that a lot of old TV clips uploaded are taken off ropey VHS copies and would have looked better anyway on CRT. Speaking as someone that grew up with CRT in the 80s it was pretty respectable and also when I went on to sell Hi 8 camcorders they were regarded as a big step forwards- roughly on a par with the US broadcast standard. The sad thing is, we didn't have a means of broadcasting as we do now (KZbin) so we were not quite so inclined to film things beyond a few movies between friends and family.

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

I always remember CRT screens hit their peak about the early 2000s when DVDs hit and got the most we could possibly get out of them Most Video8 and Hi8 camcorders looked pretty damn great on my family's old TVs at home. And even when DV camcorders came out, there wasn't actually a huge bump in picture quality. Even when the first digital cameras came out in the mid 2000s, their video quality was apalling and I'd argue that it didn't actually surpass the tape standard until maybe 2008-2010.

[@tonivoul1971]

Mine has the same mechanism for the tapes but it opens under the camera And the quality is descent The camera doesn't use red white yellow It uses AV output It has a black and white viewfinder I love it

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

DOWNLOAD OUR VINTAGE LENSES LUT PACK filtergrade.com/product/phase-drive-medias-cinematic-lut-pack-for-vintage-lenses/ FREE VINTAGE LENSES LUT DOWNLOAD bit.ly/PDMDare

[@inron13236]

Quite bad to not keep 60i smooth look on Hi8. It's very challenge to find tape to use on it. But it great old feeling picture from that camera. // It's can use any filter or wide/tele converter / Adapter to make some great capabilities

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

I've never personally been a fan of the 50/60i look! It always had a very cheap look in my opinion, and being able to convert the footage down to 25p almost has a bit of a super8 vibe to it. Plus you eliminate those horrible interlacing patterns!

[@tubekane]

Great video, thank you for this. What software do you use to capture the video once the signal leaves the elgato ?

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

I don't think I made it clear enough in the video haha I'm running the Elgato into OBS, which is free open source software available for PC and Mac

[@Incredi_fridge]

if you know how to recharge the camera it would really make me happy because i have the same camera. and i might need help turning it on.

[@YourNewDistro]

I have a Sony CCD-TRV510E Handycam and when I look through my viewfinder, the image is distorted. Does anybody know how I can fix this?

[@nashvegasnow]

does anyone know the original msrp (manufacturers suggested retail price) of the h18? no search engine i have used works except to put up ads to buy at current prices

[@noncounterproductive4596]

I see that you are using external monitors while recording. Are you also able to record video directly to a computer, or stream live with that camera?

[@generic4563]

good video. I always liked the washed out sony hi8 look alhtough my first cam was mini dv. good to see your transfer method as ppl often ust go that cheap ebay route and are disappointed. the low light on those hi8s always impresses me even compared to some 2020 devices. it's often grainy but you can see detail. often they had a light on the front too enough to illuminate a few feet in front of you in a dark basement. @13:00 what movie did you say? Para what 33? lol help! I can only rewind so many times lol and mr google didn't help

[@generic4563]

oh and the night mode!

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

Aha sorry, I speak a little too fast! The film I mentioned was Paranormal Activity 3

[@jmmusic9297]

Have you tried the Elgato RCA to USB video capture card? www.elgato.com/en/video-capture If so, how do you find it compares to your setup with the Elgato HDMI capture card in terms of doing VHS or camcorder transfers?

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

I did look into it, but again it seems like another super consumer friendly product which limits manual control. I'm sure it works well, but given the choice I'd always choose a method that allows for more control over the final result.

[@CriticalTechReviews]

Sorry to break it to you, but that's about 20-22ish, not 30. The InfoLithium battery/Hi8 combined with downmarket BW viewfinder confirms it. The cheap older stuff used NiCad and Video 8, and the fancy old stuff had a color viewfinder with Hi8. I have the 1994 CCD-FX230 my mom got when I was born, and it has the NiCad packs, Video 8, BW viewfinder, and is slightly larger. Your lens is slightly brighter at 1.4 vs my 1.6. Still nothing wrong with a fun demo of an interesting and special old piece of kit. :) I still love ours, even if the logic board is going (spazzes out randomly and won't play or rewind, demands tape ejected, etc). The quality really surprised me watching old tapes. MUCH better than the DVD camcorder shot at the high compression needed to get 50 minutes onto a disc vs 15 minutes. I think the old Sony also had a better lens. Panasonic had a 42x optical zoom, sony 10x. Much brighter aperture I'm sure, along with a physically larger lens and CCD sensor with no rolling shutter. Just a nice look, shocking sharp at times. I completely agree with these being useful to have around. I appreciate my A6300 much more now. Its limitations feel a lot less stifling in the greater context.

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

While I can admit not quite the full "30 years", it's still close to it. I know this was bought before I was born in 1993, because it was used to film on the day I was born, making it at least 27+ years old. I'm pretty sure this was one of the next models released after the sony TR-55e hi8 model (released in 1989), which is why I'd guess it was released around 1991-1992 - so it's probably more like 27-29 years old! But yeah, you're right it's so much fun to crack out of bits of kit like this and marvel at the surprising quality it still carries. I still cant believe the detail I can get from one of these old Hi8 tapes! And I've got that same added appreciation for my GH5 now. I think being limited by how much you can shoot actually makes you produce better results! I'm delving into Super 8 next, so that's gonna severely reduce my filming time to like 2.5 mins per cartridge!

[@CriticalTechReviews]

@@PhaseDriveVlogs Well, for once I eat shit involuntarily. Upon further inspection you seem to be right? What a strange camera. I'm in the US and I think they did that thing companies do, where they send us different, shittier things. I found one place thing that said yours was 92, and one that said 94, and upon closer inspection the Li-Ion pack doesn't look like the new ones despite being the newer technology. I'm most confused by the color scheme, it looks exactly like their newer stuff, vs the quintessential black 90s look of the cameras they sold here during that time. I'm still stumped by this having the high end Hi8 transport combined with the BW display tube. Our upper end model of 94 had a color LCD finder.

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

@@CriticalTechReviews honestly, I've had so much trouble researching the exact model! Definitely doesn't fit in with the typical Sony style of the time, so I'm wondering if it was some limited run European-only model? I did check with my Grampa and he said it must have been around '91 or '92 when he bought it. But I'll have to keep digging and researching 🤔 Certainly a weird one, but a great little cam nonetheless!

[@gabrielgomez2483]

@@CriticalTechReviews definitely 1991 or 92. I have this exact model and the build date is under the viewfinder and Mine is November 1992

[@ajaniwilson4767]

Can you color grade this in post?

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

You can, but the limitations of the camcorder mean you really can't do much with it beyond a bit of colour balancing and very mild exposure correction

[@oscarvch]

what tapes did you use?

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

It was a mixture of Sony and TDK Hi8 tapes

[@gregkarvideo]

Can't figure it out how to replace the coin battery 2025 that is sitting on the camera door inside

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

In all honesty, I don't even want to bother trying it in case I break it!

[@tanya1947]

I know, it is impossible to remove it and not to brake it, there for the program in the camera can not be used. Thank you any way. Just need to switch the HI-FI to a stereo sound to copy the the tape to DVD

[@noahl6910]

what battery does this take

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

It looks like an old style sony NP battery

[@assilnancymatar4115]

بنا عربي مش عم نفهم شي 🙄

[@DavidZetino]

360p?!

[@PhaseDriveVlogs]

If you're referring to the actual KZbin video - it's finally processed and 4k should be available soon If you mean the camcorder footage - it's approximately 480p, or just a bit under (upscaled to 1080p to preserve quality)

[@MohamedHatem-yg5tb]

Look I tell you something the lines is made because of heavy use