Retro Hardware Review - Sharp VL-AH151 Hi8 Camcorder (ViewCam)

This camera review that also contains acting and short segments of cinematography. If you like a certain scene, or you think something could have been better, comment so I can know what people like to see here.

Pros:
+GAMMA boost can be used during playback of old Hi8 tapes
+Amazing close-up performance: text stays sharp up to about 1/8 in (3.175mm) from the lens, with the lens guard off.
+Automatic EXPOSURE and FOCUS can be turned off.
+Exposure is also responsive but not overly responsive.
+Excellent auto-focus, responsive but not overly responsive: Object must be centered for about 2 seconds, and then is found in about 1s.
+SLIM EFF mode simulates anamorphic lens (2.67 [2 2/3] aspect ratio--in Vegas, set "Video Event Pan and Crop" to: 720x720, Maintain aspect ratio:off, Stretch to fill frame:on.) Result: 720x320 of 720x480 Widescreen is used
+16:9 Letterboxed mode (1.78 HD aspect ratio)
+Very clean cuts when recording over previous footage: usually takes about 1 frame to look normal. The frame has subtle discoloration bar near right side (about 15% of width), or bend at top (about 15% tall).

Cons:
-Only has Composite output (no S-Video)
-Audio recording and playback is Mono
-SVHS artifact takes up about 9 pixels at bottom, and 8 pixels on each side (5 if pillarboxed), so that should be blacked out or cropped off in editing for viewing on computer or flat panel TV. (I recommend a 720x480 matte that leaves 704x310 visible if you've stretched SLIM EFFECT to 2.67 [530x462 if pillarboxed non-stretched])
-SVHS is interlaced so it should be upconverted to 480p for best results on modern progressive scan displays. (see VirtualDub under "Settings Used" below).

Verdict:
GAMMA boost is very helpful. Good for a backup if you are looking for an old used camera that can do widescreen (16:9 Letterboxed, or SLIM EFFECT 2.67 aspect ratio). Great for closeup work. Easy enough for a kid to use and quality is good for home video.

Settings Used:
Digital zoom: off
VirtualDub prefiltering settings:
deinterlace - area-based (Gunnar Thalin)
Recommended aggressive filter set:
VHS 1.0 filter (flaXen)
MSU Deblocking 2.2 (MSU Graphics and Media Lab) (helps repair blockiness caused by compression)
deinterlace - area-based (Gunnar Thalin)
Advanced Warp-Sharpen (flaXen) (helps repair aliasing caused by deinterlacing fast-motion areas)
Compression: x264 ratefactor-based with CRF 1


NOTES:
Extend: 2x (other settings are 4x [makes Extend button toggle between off and 4x digital zoom], all [makes Extend button toggle between off,2x,4x, and 10x digital zoom])
Quick Return: fast forwards or rewinds to the end of the last scene you recorded
Self-Recording Mode (180 degree lens rotation): I accidentally had recorded stuff upside-down when using the rotated lens mode and had to fix it during editing. You have to rotate the camera 180 degrees toward you, then flip the DISPLAY while holding the lens side. In self-recording mode, you are limited to MESSAGE (records audio, only available in Self-recording mode) and REC START.
Lens thread size: 46mm (for addons only, built-in lens not removable)
Optical zoom: 16X
DIS mode: Digital image stabilization (sacrifices resolution to stabilize image)
DUAL / SNAP =
Fade settings (Fade in/out from blank whenever you press REC START): Normal [to white], Holiday [to "HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"], Birthday [to "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"]
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Gamma Settings: off, on, on (displaying sun icon, only available in recording mode--brightens background)
Tape Counter: Reset (sets counter to 0), Memory (causes STOP then REWIND to stop at 0)
Remote control: Rewind, REC START/STOP, Zoom (W, T), Fast Forward, SLOW, PLAY, STOP, VOLUME, PAUSE
TITLE: select from a list of overlay titles, or press RESET to create custom title using on-screen virtual keyboard (numbers, symbols, and capital letters for all included languages)
Date display: DATE, or DATE+TIME, 12hr or 24hr


MUSIC

CarboHydroM - Let The Pain Out
http://www.vgmix.com accessed 2009-02-27

The Pancake Chef - Chrono Trigger SpekkioBeachParty OC ReMix
http://www.ocremix.org accessed 2009-09-22

abg - Finale
http://www.vgmix.com accessed 2009-02-27

bustatunez, The Orichalcon - Rare Square (Countdown)
http://ff7.ocremix.org accessed 2009-09-22

Red Tailed Fox - Suco de Melancia (Costa del Sol)
http://ff7.ocremix.org accessed 2009-09-22

Bryan Garris - Escape Route Gestation
http://www.vgmix.com accessed 2009-02-27


All music used in video is public domain. If there is any permission or further citation needed, contact me directly.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Sharp
• VL-AH151
• Jake
• Gustafson
• review
• camcorder
• hi8
• hi-8
• deinterlacing
• letterbox
• crop
• how-to
• video
• editing
• widescreen
• matte
• viewcam

[rhyskallen]

is this dude high on 0:40

[BesideTheVoid]

@rhyskallen It's all thanks to acting and confusion, no additives needed.

[ThatMellon]

FFIIV tune Costa del sol or whatever it is? nice review

[BesideTheVoid]

@ThatMellon yes VII and see credits for free song sources. Content policy of ocremix.org is on their website

[fastcar4556]

do u know anything about the Sharp VL - E700 U? I just bought it off ebay for 80.00$ and i was wondering if i can transfer to the computer easier than listed below? Was it a good buy? I want to see old hi8 videos is this possible? Does it play both formats 8mm, hi8, video 8 or whatever

[BesideTheVoid]

@fastcar4556 There are three 8mm formats: Video8, Hi8, & Digital8. Most Hi8 cameras play both Hi8 & Video8. The easier way is also listed below (AV to DV converter). DV is big (10GB/hr) so you'll need plenty of space (You can try an mpeg2 capture card to use less space, but you may want Womble MPEG Video Wizard DVD to edit it accurately, since MPEG2 encodes virtual frames & getting an exact frame is kept secret by Womble! You see, most programs like Vegas err within a couple frames at cuts).

[rhyskallen]

@BesideTheVoid lol good stuff though

[NJRoadfan]

Hi-8 cameras from the mid to late 90s tended to be very good and packed with professional features. For a file thats been re-compressed, it looks good. You may want to try the "yadif" type deinterlacing in VirtualDub or Avisynth in the future. Both programs can also easily matte out the head switching noise at the bottom of the frame too.

[Cliffraves]

Great video camera i got mine for 5 quid working excellent i allready had similar make but was only 16x so had to get this one 400x Sharp VL-AH151 i noticed with these camera's the power adapter to run from mains power pack gets bit dodgey needs some bluetac or dry joints soldering sometime. got my cam to see what it's like stargazing viewing night sky's sometime once sort settings on camera hasnt been any clear nights since got my camera couple days ago.

[BesideTheVoid]

@alphax777 The filter was borrowed. Your camera must have threads to allow screwing in a filter and you have to find out the diameter in mm which is usually printed around the edge of the lens on your camera. I suggest eBay. Other than that, it would probably be expensive.