Camcorder "Standby" feature that stays on?
MATTHEW RAINEY
I'm looking for a new camcorder that allows you to use it as a monitor
(i.e. hooked up to my TV or looking at the little camcorder screen), and
*occasionally* press the record button (on the remote, e.g.) to record a
few minutes.
The problem is, the STANDBY feature turns off automatically in every
camcorder I've seen. E.g., the Sony camcorders turn off the STANDBY
feature after 5 minutes.
QUESTION 1: Is there a camcorder out there where the STANDBY feature can
be left on indefinitely?
QUESTION 2: (If Q.1 = NO), is there a camcorder where you can resume
"standby" using the remote control? (This isn't possible in the Sony 8
mm camcorder I've tested.)
Thanks!
MATTHEW RAINEY
TWaldron
>QUESTION 1: Is there a camcorder out there where the STANDBY feature can
>be left on indefinitely?
>
>QUESTION 2: (If Q.1 = NO), is there a camcorder where you can resume
>"standby" using the remote control? (This isn't possible in the Sony 8
First of all, only post once. Having said that:
ANSWER 1: You don't want to leave the camcorder record head permanently
engaged. You will get head clog from the oxide on the tape coming off and
getting stuck in the head, you will wear down the head unnecessarily, and you
risk burning a "hole" in the tape (or a dead spot). That is precisely why
they put a auto shut off on the camera.
ANSWER 2: Most consumer camcorders have a record button on the remote. Just
try to anticipate the part you want recorded. It only takes a few seconds for
the heads to start spinning and the tape to spool up. Check out more than one
camera.
See ya,
tw
john...@mcs.com
If you simply want to use the camera as a video source and not to
tape, you might be able to put the camera into standby mode with the
tape removed. With my Sony TR70, and I believe other models, this
allows the camera to stay indefinitely in the standby mode.
I played around with this approach in my early video conferencing
applications before I picked up a stand-alone video camera.