got a new (old toy) questions, can i get good video with this

[Eddie Lotter]

Of course you can use it…as a doorstop.

But seriously, since it is likely to only have analog output connections you will need an analog to digital converter to get the footage onto your computer.

You can either buy an expansion card or you can use a digital camcorder to either pass through the signal or to record to digital media and then capture from that digital media.

Cheers
Eddie

[Jason Harris]

eddie

love the humour, but like you said seriously, i was raised in the school of photography and SOME of the best photos come from the 30 yr old slrs lol

i was thinking about the card, probably could get a PCI card with RCA inputs (thats what the camcorder has going out, a 18th into the rca cables) and might go with that

now to find an older expansion card in our lab somewhere

lol

the question was really only based on the type of video (as for fps and whatnot) not so much the device itself lol

thanks for the chuckle (it IS heavy enough to use as a doorstop or bookend lol)

[Tim Kolb]

The framerate is locked at 29.97 NTSC on VHS camcorders.

The biggest compromise is just signal-noise ratio. I think in most people’s minds VHS is pretty low quality.

That being said, there have been posts more than once on the cow of someone looking for an old camcorder like this to simulate footage taken in that era… I’d get some tape for it as quick as you can though.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Adrian Sancho]

Well, it may be free, but what’s it going to cost you to get capture gear? If you have to go out of your way for it, it may be cheaper to get a cheap DV camcorder.

Actually, one simple solution is if you already own an SD Mini-DV camcorder. Most of these have the ability to digitize analog signals on to Mini-DV tape. I would say if you already have one of these, or have readily available access to one, then all you need is a Fire wire or USB 2.0 interface (depending on the digital camera) on your computer and you’re in business.

Under good lighting conditions the signal can be useful. I once did a 3-camera shoot where one camera was a C-VHS unit and the other two were SD Mini-DV camcorders. I digitized into one of digital cameras and sync’d everything up for the timeline. While anyone who works in video can see the differences, most viewers usually won’t (and didn’t, on this project I was involved in).

So if you can make use of it for next to zero investment costs, then I say go have a blast with it.