Handycam is a line of made by Sony and introduced in 1985.
Handycam was first used as the name of the first Video8 camcorder in 1985, replacing Sony's previous line of Betamovie of camcorders. The name was intended to emphasize the "handy" palm size nature of the camera, made possible by the then-new miniaturized tape format. This was in contrast to the larger, shoulder mounted cameras made before the creation of Video8, as well as competing smaller formats such as VHS-C.
Formats
Sony has continued to produce Handycams
[ HandyCam – CNet] in a variety of guises ever since, developing the Video8 format to produce Hi8 (equivalent to
S-VHS quality) and later Digital8, using the same basic format to record
digital video. The Handycam label continues to be applied as recording formats evolve, such as adopting the
MiniDV,
MiniDVD, and
MicroMV formats, and then later using hard disk drives and
flash memory.
Functionality
Night vision
Select flagship Sony Handycam models feature infrared night-vision dubbed
NightShot (sometimes referred to as
"NightShot Plus" on some models), which utilizes an infrared light-emitting diode and an infrared filter that is mechanically attached and detached to the sensor in order to enable the camcorder to record video footage in complete darkness (
"Nightshot 0 lux").
[ Sony DCR-SR90E/SR100E operation manual (2006)] This feature has been occasionally used with
Ghost hunting on Travel Channel's
Ghost Adventures.
Metadata
MiniDV tape Handycam camcorders record a time code and video recording parameters (such as light sensitivity (in
dB),
aperture,
exposure time, and info) on an additional
meta data track on the tape.
[ Sony Handycam DCR-HC51E/HC52E/ HC53E/HC54E operation manual (2008)]
Models
-
Video8 Handycam (1985-1989) (These continued for sale into the 90s)
-
Hi8 Handycam (1989-2007)
-
Digital8 Handycam (1999-2007)
-
DV Handycam (1995-)
-
HDV Handycam
-
DVD-Handycam
-
MicroMV Handycam
-
HDD Handycam
-
Memory Stick Handycam (using Memory Stick Pro Duo. Up to 16GB)
-
SD Card Handycam (with or without internal flash memory)
-
4K Handycam
See also
External links
