• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

The Sony Handycam CCD-TR610E

FantasyFilmProductions

FantasyFilmProductions

Lets get this out in the open...the camera in the title is a complete dinosaur...

With that said, all I have to film on is this camera.
Its so old that I cannot even find a user manual for it.
Here's what I know.

Manual focus - yes
ability to attach lenses - yes
high def - no
frame rate - unknown
recording device - tape
steady shot feature - yes
zoom - 30x digital zoom
battery - info lithium
External mic port - yes

working condition - yes

The camera itself was bought by a relative of mine around the year 2000 and was used less then 30 times to date. It has been kept dry and clean and safe from knocks, and is still a fully functioning camera in excellent condition.

No scratches, malfunctions, etc.

So given that I have no option but to shoot a feature length film on this thing...( and I admit the challenge of using such an old camera does hold a certain appeal to me ) I need some thoughts and advice on how I can get the utmost out of this camera. I want the best footage that this thing will produce, along with tips and tricks on how to firstly transfer the footage to my computer, and then clean it up to make it work as movie footage.

Any thoughts and advice is appreciated.

Also if anyone can fill in the gaps on my knowledge of the camera ie frame rate etc, I would be appreciative.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Hi8, standard def, no frills. Since this is a PAL camera, it shoots 50i.

It's going to need light, and lots of it, to get a clean image.

Avoid the digital zoom. Zoom only as far as the camera will optically. Digital zoom in the SD world is even worse than in the HD world as it merely enlarges the pixels.

To get it into your computer, you'll need to use a DV bridge, and a miniDV camera can act as a bridge for throughput. Simply connect the camera's analog A/V output to the RCA ins of a DV deck, bridge, etc., and then FireWire from the deck/bridge to your computer.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
AcousticAl said:
Hi8, standard def, no frills. Since this is a PAL camera, it shoots 50i.

It's going to need light, and lots of it, to get a clean image.

Avoid the digital zoom. Zoom only as far as the camera will optically. Digital zoom in the SD world is even worse than in the HD world as it merely enlarges the pixels.

To get it into your computer, you'll need to use a DV bridge, and a miniDV camera can act as a bridge for throughput. Simply connect the camera's analog A/V output to the RCA ins of a DV deck, bridge, etc., and then FireWire from the deck/bridge to your computer.
Click to expand...

So what you are saying, is it IS possible though to shoot a reasonable quality film on this thing?
But it needs a LOT of light to look even halfway near decent?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
FantasyFilmProductions said:
So what you are saying, is it IS possible though to shoot a reasonable quality film on this thing?
But it needs a LOT of light to look even halfway near decent?
Click to expand...

That's pretty much true of any camera, be it SD, HD, 4K, 5K....

Are you sure you can attach lenses? Best I can tell, this camera has NO optical zoom, so zooming full-stop is a no no. You'll probably also find manual controls are limited; focus, aperture, white balance, etc. Your depth of field will probably be pretty deep, so selective focusing of any kind will be limited (if you even do have the ability to manually focus).

These are all tools that are utilised by the current generation of filmmakers, to make their films seem more cinematic, more professional. However, you don't have to have these tools at your disposal, in order to make a good film. What you will need is a great story (and preferably some half-decent actors).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
FantasyFilmProductions said:
So what you are saying, is it IS possible though to shoot a reasonable quality film on this thing?
But it needs a LOT of light to look even halfway near decent?
Click to expand...

"Reasonable quality" is open to debate. Hi8 cameras were all over the map as far as quality, but in many (most) cases were far above VHS. I was merely answering your questions as to making use of the camera.

In the end, the viewer will probably forgive the SD picture quality if the images are well-crafted (lighting, framing, movement) and the sound is good (use a second system with a dedicated sound person). Te story and acting must also be enough to catch the viewer's attention. If s/he is not drawn into the story by the writing and acting, nothing else will be able to compensate.

mad_hatter said:
Are you sure you can attach lenses?
Click to expand...

The lens has a 37mm thread, so filters and accessory lenses with 37mm thread can be used.

mad_hatter said:
Best I can tell, this camera has NO optical zoom, so zooming full-stop is a no no.
Click to expand...

15x optical zoom, 30x digital. Stay within the optical zoom range.

mad_hatter said:
You'll probably also find manual controls are limited; focus, aperture, white balance, etc. Your depth of field will probably be pretty deep, so selective focusing of any kind will be limited (if you even do have the ability to manually focus).
Click to expand...

While the controls may not be as flexible (or accessible) as some cameras, if there is manual control over any aspect of the image, use it.

As for DOF, yes, small image sensors do not collect enough light to achieve shallow focus. If you do need to blur the background, though, the workaround is to increase the distance between the camera and subject (and, if possible, between subject and background) and then zoom all the way in.

EDIT: There's a web-based company that sells PDF scans of outdated electronics' user manuals. They have one for this camera. LINK
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
AcousticAl said:
15x optical zoom, 30x digital. Stay within the optical zoom range.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. I based my assumption on what the OP posted and the fact that the few photo's I could find show that the camera has "x30 digital zoom" next to the lens, with no mention of the optical zoom. I find that bizarre. Was this a time when people didn't care about optical vs. digital?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
mad_hatter said:
Was this a time when people didn't care about optical vs. digital?
Click to expand...

Not at all. Remember that this camera was intended strictly for the consumer market (home videos). Soccer parents that shoot video of Johnny's pee-wee league games every weekend and grandparents who record family get-togethers aren't really the most technologically discerning videographers*, and non-technical people will take just about everything the Best Buy salesperson says with wonder and amazement. They don't know any better, and that's not meant to be demeaning but simply a reference to their bases of knowledge and experience.

"Really? I can zoom all the way into my little Sally on the other end of the volleyball court with this camera? Wow!" No matter that it becomes an indiscernible mass of blurry pixels at that point. They capture the memory, and that's good enough. In the days before HD, home video users only had the SD frame of reference and could only work within that.

The only difference between then and now is that camcorders are HD instead of SD. That means that we're starting with more pixels. The digital zoom, while still understood by you and me to be detrimental to image resolution, doesn't degrade quite as fast and is still seen by the home/consumer user as pretty nifty.

*Back then, espeically. Nowadays, everybody thinks they're a cinematographer regardless of skill or knowledge or experience simply because they have a DSLR. On the other hand, with the plethora of online tutorials out there (good and bad), education that once was rare outside of film schools is now open to John Q. Public and the consumer base is becoming much more technologically conscious.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
sfoster said:
Don't let angel hear you say that :pop:
Click to expand...

Even I recommend not buying a Hi8. Only the first generation image is decent.

I recommend you craiglist it and buy a decent Sony trv8 digital camera. It was pricy camera back in it's day and had a great lense. Also had decent low light capability as well as infared recording. Nice large flip out monitor, too. You'll find a good one for about $75.

Over the years I've had about 5 of them -- good b-roll cameras back in the day and sturdy enough for backpack and glovebox travelling. Sold quite a few rolls of stock footage from that camera.

Hi8 was the hot ticket for a while but the iMac killed it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lets get this out in the open...the camera in the title is a complete dinosaur...
With that said, all I have to film on is this camera.
Click to expand...

April Fool's??

Hey, I'm not trying to sound insensitive to your situation, and you should make a movie with what you can get your hands on, but... it's 2014, the age of being able to practically capture HD footage with any mobile device on the market, and the only camera you have access to is a relic that shoots Video8?

Beat the couch cushions and car seats, save some milk money and take on a few more hours at work, then for $200 you can at least shoot with something that will make editing much easier.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...Pz4sJmuv70CFTMV7AodkRIAUw&Q=&is=REG&A=details

And the image will be easier on the eyes. :eek: Just sayin'.

BTW - this is coming from someone who shot their first few projects with a Canon Video8 camera -- back in the mid 90s! So I'm not unfamiliar with making due with whatcha got.

Heck, I bet with a little more poking around either online or asking friends you can find a rig that's a step up or at least in the right direction.

Hope it all works out for you! :yes:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Googled "cheapest HD cameras"

http://snapsort.com/roundups/cheapest-digital-cameras-1080p

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...Cameras-_-G_Canon_Product Listing Ads-_-25170

http://www.focuscamera.com/vivitar-...ml?green=613D2AE3-1CF2-57EA-A832-F60DF9103326

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...IPEzaexv70CFeJF7AodGFMA3g&is=REG&A=details&Q=

Samsung F90 for $129
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Black...396370518&sr=1-15&keywords=cheap+hd+camcorder

Samsung W190 used starting at $50
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006KDQFLY/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

$20
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vivitar-D...952&bucket_id=irsbucket011&findingMethod=p13n

With a 16GB memory card, you can record approximately 160 minutes of video at 720p 30 fps resolution
$19.99 at Walmart
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Polaroid-...28c&bucket_id=irsbucket011&findingMethod=p13n

Ok, you catch my drift...
:)
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top