From the late 70s through the 90s, vintage camcorders went from bulky and expensive to portable and user-friendly
The earliest vintage camcorder models from the late 1970s were bulky, heavy, and expensive — mainly used by professionals (and wealthy hobbyists who had to have the latest and greatest tech). However, they paved the way for future consumer-grade camcorders that would revolutionize the way we capture and share our memories.
It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that consumer-grade camcorders began to hit the market. These were much smaller and more affordable than their professional counterparts, but they still used bulky VHS tapes (remember them?!) and were often complicated to operate. However, they soon became superstars with families and hobbyists who wanted to capture special moments on “film.”
The 1990s saw the introduction of even more advanced camcorders, featuring improved functionality such as image stabilization, increasing zoom capabilities and low-light features. High-definition video also became the new standard, allowing for stunning footage that rivaled professional-grade equipment.
As technology continued to advance, camcorders became smaller, swapped in digital technology for clunky tape cassettes, more portable, and easier to use. Ultimately, however, the rise of smartphones with high-quality cameras marked a shift in the way people capture and share their memories.
Today, most people use digital devices to take photos and videos, making dedicated camcorders less popular than they once were. For most of us, there’s no need to spend extra money on a dedicated device when you have something in your purse or pocket that can do the job about ten times better than the average 80s videocam.
Looking back over the history of vintage camcorders showcases the incredible advancements in technology we experienced over the years. From bulky and expensive devices to accessible hand-held wonders, camcorders have played an important role in the development of home video technology.
While they may not be as widely ubiquitous as they once were, they still hold a special place in the hearts of amateur videographers, professional vloggers, and families who want to capture their memories on film.
Toshiba Video Studio – color videotape camera (1977)
Goodbye, Home Movies. Hello, Home Tapies.
The problem with the home movie is that it’s always been a big production. Set up lights, set up sound equipment, adjust camera, shoot. Then wait a week or so to see how your film came out. Shoot it now See and hear it now. With Toshiba.
The Toshiba color videotape camera requires no elaborate setting up. Its low-light lens records action in color with normal room lighting. (A 100-watt bulb is plenty.) It has its own microphone. And because it uses tape, not film, you get your own instant replay.
JVC Vidstar GC-3350 video camcorder (1978)
Don’t look now, but your color TV set just became your family’s ticket to stardom. Because JVC’s new Vidstar “TV Star” Systems let you shoot the family gunfighter with a budget-conscious color video camera. And play back that lightning draw, via compact video cassette, on prime time. In living, breathing color and sound. Right on your own TV.
It’s a whole new way of looking at TV And a new dimension in family entertainment. Beyond the hassles of 8mm home movies. And far beyond those new “instant” movies you might have seen (but not heard, since they’re still silent movies).
Of all the people who make video products today, only JVC lets you choose from a range of high-performance color cameras. From the most budget-conscious model to the professional-type quality GC-3350 shown below. They’re all portable. And all compatible with any VHS video recorder.
Retro portable VCR and color video camera (1983)
Kodavision Camcorder 2400 for 8mm videotapes (1985)
Vintage Konica CV-601 compact auto-focus color video camera (1985)
Introducing the world’s lightest, most compact auto-focus color video camera. The Konica CV-601. It weighs only 1.8 lbs. And measures only 9.3″H x 2.9″W x 4.7″D. To understand how small that is, place your hand next to this actual size photograph.
To understand how easy it is to use, get your hands on the real thing. How did we manage to give you something that amounts to so little? Practice. After all, we’ve been making camera innovations longer than most companies have been making cameras.
MORE: The drive-up Fotomat store offered fast & easy next day film developing in the 1970s & 1980s
Vintage 1985 RCA camcorder and video cassette
Vintage Panasonic OmniMovie camcorder & playback unit (1985)
Why buy a video camera that just records? Panasonic presents OmniMovie: It plays back your magic moments. And Hollywood’s too.
Now bring the joy and magic of your best scenes, or Hollywood’s, to the home screen. With OmniMovie. The spectacular new video camera. VHS recorder. And playback unit all in one.
Shoot your own movies.
OmniMovie makes it simple. Just touch a button and it zooms in for a closeup. With auto-focus and auto-exposure, it’s automatically great. Shoot indoors or out with the light of just a few birthday candles. OmniMovie even has direct playback through the viewfinder. So you can see what you’ve shot. Right on location.
After all, even the best directors need a second take sometimes. And OmniMovie, unlike some camcorders, uses standard VHS tape. Now you can shoot for up to hours* on a single charge of its battery. Watch Hollywood movies.
ALSO SEE: VHS or Beta? A look back at Betamax, and how Sony lost the VCR format war to VHS recorders
Vintage camcorder: Canon Canovision 8 8mm video camera system
Vintage camcorder: Teenage boy with a retro 80s video camera (1985)
SEE MORE: Vintage ’80s tech: See 1987’s hottest TVs, VCRs, stereos, cellular phones & more at The Good Guys
Magnavox VHS Movie-Maker vintage camcorder (1985)
It makes moviemaking easy as 1… Introducing the Magnavox VHS Movie-Maker.
Home moviemaking has never been so much fun and so little trouble. Thanks to the amazing new Magnavox VHS Movie-Maker. Its advanced technology lets you record both picture and sound with just the touch of one button. What’s more, it focuses itself. And because its design is light (7.7 lbs.) and self-contained (with no power pack hanging off your shoulder), it gives you a whole new freedom of movement when you’re shooting.
The Magnavox Movie-Maker is a totally integrated camera and video recorder/player in one. It tapes up to 2 hours and 40 minutes on full size VHS tape. And its viewfinder doubles as a monitor, so you can play back and review what you’ve shot.
Best of all, you don’t even need a VCR to enjoy the movies you make. Just plug it into your TV set. And you’re all set. The new Magnavox VHS Movie-Maker. Moviemaking will just never be the same. (Thank goodness.)
1980s RCA Small Wonder VHS video camera (1987)
Fisher Price PXL-2000 black & white video camera for kids
Now, with the Fisher-Price PXL-2000, your kids can make and show their own videos. It’s the first video system made just for them. The PXL-2000 camcorder is a revolution in video • technology. It’s the first camcorder to record both video and sound on audio cassette tape.
Recording is simple. Just aim and shoot. Playback is easy, too. No separate VCR is needed. The camcorder plays back instantly in a unique black and white image called Pixelvision on the PXL-2000 TV. It’s a real TV so kids can also watch their favorite programs.
The price is surprisingly low. You can buy the entire system for a fraction of what you’d pay for an adult camcorder alone. The PXL-2000 video system. It’s a great new way to turn on your kids’ imagination.
ALSO SEE: Fisher-Price Movie Viewer toys from the ’70s let kids turn a handle to make movie magic
Minolta Master camcorders (1987)
It took the mind that revolutionized photography to conceive the ultimate camcorder
Only the mind of Minolta would even imagine a camcorder as revolutionary as our Maxxum SLR. Yet like Maxxum, the Master VHS-C Camcorder is a giant leap forward. The advances begin with Multi-Dimensional Autofocusing.
The first system to maintain focus smoothly from infinity right to the surface of the lens. And if your subject leaves the center of your frame, the Master’s widening focus area will never be fooled into focusing on the background…
JVC Super VHS-C vintage camcorder (1987)
80s Radio Shack MovieCorder VHS Vintage Camcorder-VCR (1987)
Vintage camcorder sales at The Good Guys (1987)
1980s JVC camcorders from 1988
Panasonic OmniMovie camcorder PV-460 (1988)
Vintage yellow Sony Sports Handycam (1988)
Vintage Kyocera Finemovie 8AF KD 1700U camcorder (1988)
Announcing home movies that won’t look homemade: Now you can shoot, edit, and add titles like a pro with the new Kyocera Finemovie
ALSO SEE: Old VCRs seemed like magic, because you could tape your favorite shows & watch them later!
Vintage Hitachi Twin Beam autofocus video camcorder (1990)
Hitachi Surf & Snow sport videocamera (1992)
Panasonic Palmcorder compact camcorder (1992)
Panasonic introduces the new Palmcorder-Camcorder. Yes, it’s VHS. So its tapes will play in any VHS recorder. Yours, your family’s and your friends’.
Before you buy a compact camcorder, make sure its tapes will play in the VHS recorder you already own, otherwise you’ll have to connect your camcorder to your TV every time you watch a tape. And that’s not just inconvenient, it means your camcorder will get twice the wear.
Watching what you’ve shot with the Panasonic Palmcorder is easy. Its tapes simply slip into the included PlayPak and then into your VHS recorder like any ordinary tape. The Panasonic PV-42 Palmcorder gives you an outstanding picture. And to make that picture even better, there’s Digital Image Stabilization to help hold the picture steady even when your hand shakes. A 20 to 1 digital zoom. One-lux low-light capability. Even a color enhancement light.
So, before you buy a compact camcorder, make sure its tapes will play in your VHS recorder. They will if it’s a Panasonic Palmcorder.
ALSO SEE: 25 things most people under 25 have never seen in real life (and probably can’t name)
Fuji Fujix 8mm camcorders (1992)
Sony Handycam video Hi8 camcorder (1992)
Inside the Hitachi VM-H39A Hi8 camcorder (1993)
The engineering challenge: Create an ultra-small and light, fun and easy-to-use camcorder with state-of-the-art picture quality and digital effects.
This was the mission given Hitachi engineers and they knew they were up against formidable competition. They took a clean sheet of paper and began to meet the challenges. The result was the acclaimed VM-H39A.
Hitachi’s engineers understood that utility — to be able to carry the camcorder in a pocketbook, briefcase or pocket — was the goal. They lengthened the shape to move the components in front of the transport and reduce thickness — the most important element in true portability.
Next, they created a better image stabilization system, one that would not degrade the picture quality. They used a 470,000 pixel CCD, the densest ever in a consumer camcorder. This breakthrough technology solved the EIS image degradation problem and allowed the engineers to include Hi8 picture quality with the best digital zoom.
Vintage Sharp Viewcam camcorder from 1993
YOU’LL NEVER SQUINT THROUGH A VIEWFINDER AGAIN
There’s never been a camcorder like the revolutionary Sharp Viewcam. Now, for the first time, you can look at the world with a big color LCD view screen instead of through a tiny black and white viewfinder. So it’s easier than ever to see what you’re shooting — even with glasses. What’s more, this incredible view screen gives you freedom to be part of the fun.
With Sharp Viewcam held away from your face, you can enjoy and react to the excitement around you. Put your subjects at ease as you talk and laugh with them while you’re recording. The Sharp Viewcam gives you a whole new dimension in entertainment.
SEE WHAT YOU’RE SHOOTING FROM ANY ANGLE
Only the Sharp Viewcam lets you rotate the lens up to 270? So it’s easy to shoot from any position, any angle. Hold it over your head to shoot above the crowd at parades or sporting events. Place it down low to capture baby’s first steps. And never lose sight of what you’re shooting.
The Sharp Viewcam is so lightweight and easy to hold, you will want to take PLAYBACK it everywhere. It WITH COLOR even has Neuro AND SOUND. Auto Exposure which adjusts to difficult lighting conditions just like the human eye. That, plus full range auto-focus with macro and 8x power zoom means you get picture-perfect images.
SEE YOURSELF IN THE FUN
Rotate the view screen 180? You can get yourself into the picture and still see exactly what you’re shooting, right on the view screen. What a great way to check your golf swing or tennis serve. And best of all, you won’t have to find someone else to take a video of you with your family or friends.
ONLY THE SHARP VIEWCAM HAS INSTANT PLAYBACK WITH COLOR AND SOUND
Now everyone can see and hear the playback together, right on the view screen. No matter where you are, you’ll enjoy what you’ve recorded in full color, fine detail and rich sound. And you’ll always be sure you got the important shots.
What’s more, the Sharp Viewcam is the only camcorder that lets you watch pre-recorded 8mm tapes and movies anywhere — even outdoors or in your car. No special hook-ups or wires are needed. And it’s a great way to keep kids entertained on long drives.
1990s Hitachi VM-E55A video camera (1993)
DON’T MISS: Vintage Kodak movie cameras for film: Brownies, Instamatics, Super 8 & more
One Response
After my daughter was born in the late 80’s, I got a JVC VHS camcorder that weighed several pounds and rested on your shoulder. The battery alone was weighty — think of that next time you record video with your tiny smartphone! Yet I carried that monstrosity everywhere we went, and recoded dozens of hours of videotape. A couple of years ago I got one of the tapes digitized, and was shocked to see how poor the recording quality was. However, it captured the only footage of my daughter as a baby and toddler, as well as numerous friends and relatives who are no longer around.