It didn't look too good when I got it. Postman didn't even bang on the door, just left a claim ticket, and split, like I'm supposed to hear him coming, like a fiathful dog :| Got there just before they closed for the night, still wet from the shower and adrenaline jolt, to get the truck there in once piece. This was the second box I got, and the third camera I put money down in the past 2 months....
But it seems to work perfectly, even better than the one I used 15 years ago. Got lens envy yet?
Unfortunately, the first two tapes I tried had nothing but static on them, but the rest (so far) are still in tact. Smaller tapes needed very classy materials to retain electrons, without jitter and loss. Technically, this Hi8 is a digital device capable of 400 lines of resolution, not much by today's standards.
What makes this thing special, is the way it can be held. I prefer(ed) holding it low, and looking down into viewfinder, very stable. For walking around, having a bigger camera like this is ideal for stable handheld shots, though I'd prefer a shoulder designed camera for that.
When my old one broke in 1999, I found 7 layers of boards in the body, no way to fix it without going batshit crazy. This one here was made 20 years ago, and still runs like a champ. My Colecovision took a shit after less than 2 years (non-sequitur).
It's been interesting seeing where I left off on the tapes, usually around sexy women or atypical scenes I'd use elsewhere, in my tapestry of audio, video and stupid text on the screen, which surely hinted at my innate madness.
Phase 2 will involve an analog to digital converter, most of which export in DVD type files which are shit to edit... anyone have any tips on editing FOB's, or whatever those files are called? I narrowed the hardware down to 2 choices, might just go cheap and pray.
Phase 3 will consist of the kind of hardware, I would've sacrificed small children to attain. Once it's all ordered, I'll make a post in the Computer Builder's club thread with the specs.
cozmofish
i absolutely have lens envy. my lens doesn't even compare to your lens.
i can't wait to see you post the results of all this hard work. it has to be satisfying to have made such a big jump towards completing your project!
VicariousE
It's a few millimeters short of howitzer-sized, and this one doesn't have a huge scratch on the lens like mine did. Also came with a 2x adapter :) I don't think I'll use it too much for 'taping' video, though I'd like to try and find a huge IR LED light for the spare hot shoe, then I can use it as a night vision camera!
It's a question of money now, sadly, all the hard work I did, was before I even joined NG.
What really shocked me, was watching the first episode of Disposable People... it didn't suck as bad as I thought it would! Would it hold someone's attention in the internet age? Idk...