RCA CC6263 VHS-C Analog Camcorder

The RCA CC6263 is kind of a McCamcorder. If you want an inexpensive, easy-to-use camcorder, you should take a look at the 6263, though you can get a better-quality camcorder, from a more reputable manufacturer, such as Sony, for little more money.

Many people will go with the 6263 because it uses VHS-C tapes. The VHS-C (i.e., VHS, Compact) cassettes have tape of the same width (? inch) as the regular VHS tapes which are used in millions of VCR's. The VHS-C tapes, smaller than the standard VHS tapes, can be put into an adaptor (a plastic box identical in outer dimension to a VHS tape) and played in any VHS VCR.

The main competitor to the VHS-C format is 8mm, which has about the same image quality (240 interlaced lines of horizontal resolution) as VHS-C (or VHS) and uses smaller tape cassettes (about the same width and height as an audio cassette and about twice the thickness). The 8mm cassettes will not play back in a VCR. However, all 8mm camcorders have video and analog audio output jacks, sometimes also called "A/V" jacks, and you can easily connect one of these camcorders to any TV or VCR with A/V input jacks. Many newer TV sets have A/V input jacks right on their front panel, making it even easier to connect an auxiliary device such as an 8mm camcorder.

You also have a digital upgrade option with 8mm tapes and Hi8 tapes (the Hi8 tapes use a physically-identical cassette and tape size (1/4 inch) but have the higher resolution level of 400 interlaced horizontal lines). The Digital8 video format, used mainly by Sony (and also by Hitachi), actually uses the Hi8 tapes for its recording medium and a Digital8 camcorder can play back 8mm and Hi8 tapes, converting their analog signal to digital for output via the camcorder's IEEE-1394 jack (a.k.a. Firewire, iLink). It is possible to convert the output from a VHS-C tape to a digital form, but not by playing the tapes in a Digital8 camcorder.

Still, the RCA 6263, with its VHS-C tapes, provides the user with the ultimate in playback simplicity. After recording onto a VHS-C tape, you just pop the tape into one of the adaptor boxes, slip the adaptor box into a VCR, and hit Play. There is one significant limitation, due to the compact size of the VHS-C tapes: in regular mode they're limited to 30 minutes recording time. Generally, the 30-minute time limit won't bother you as most video shooting is done in segments of less than 30 minutes. The VHS-C tapes are widely available and sell for about $2.50 (there are some 40 minute VHS-C tapes available, but they're quite a bit more expensive, on a per-minute basis, than the 30-minute tapes, selling for about $6.00).

The 6263 has an SLP mode which provides longer recording time, but lower image quality. This is similar to the LP mode in your VCR, while the camcorder's standard mode is like the VCR's SP mode. Since VHS-C doesn't have super-high image quality in the first place, you'll want to be cautious about using the SLP mode. On the other hand, you might not even find the standard VHS-C mode to have adequate quality for your tastes. In any case, the SLP mode triples recording time, giving you 120 minutes with a 40-minute tape.

There is one camcorder format which is even less complicated to use than VHS-C: full-size VHS. Regular VHS camcorders, using the same kind of full-size tapes as a VCR, were the most popular type of camcorder several years ago when camcorders first became widely available on the consumer market. As more compact formats, such as VHS-C and 8mm approached almost-total domination of camcorder sales, it looked like the VHS models would disappear. However, these bulkier camcorders, like vinyl LP's, have stubbornly kept their loyal followers. Of course, with a VHS camcorder you don't even have to use a cassette adaptor -- you just pop the tape directly into your VCR. Also, naturally, you'll have the full recording length of the standard VHS tape.

The 6263 has the common shape that's become ubiquitous with camcorders. As you slip your right hand (assuming you're right-handed, that is) into the strap, your fingers can readily operate the record start/stop and zoom wide/tight (closer/farther) buttons. This is a lightweight camcorder, tipping the scales at 1.6 pounds, so it won't be too fatiguing to hold for long periods of time. The light weight is also handy when you're traveling and want to keep your overall luggage weight down.

One major difference between the 6263 and the other RCA VHS-C camcorders is that the 6263 doesn't have a miniature LCD monitor screen. However, this camcorder does have a standard 0.55-inch color viewfinder which will provide you with a perfectly-adequate means of monitoring what you are shooting. Despite their popularity on camcorders, LCD screens are really not a necessity and almost border on being gadgets. You definitely should not consider the 6263's lack of an LCD screen as a shortcoming. In fact, as LCD screens burn quite a bit of juice, you'll get significantly more running time on each battery charge by using a viewfinder only.

The camera section of the 6263 features a 16x optical zoom. A digital zoom feature brings this up to 200x, for those days you want to shoot through you neighbor's kitchen window and be able to read the sodium level on their can of spaghetti sauce. While digital zoom is a popular feature, it increases image shake. The 6263 does have digital image stabilization, but this is no substitute for proper hand-held shooting techniques. The ultimate means of image stabilization is time-tested, rock-solid, and economical -- a tripod. To protect the camcorder's lens, there's a built-in lens cover which pulls back when you go into record mode.

The 6263 has seven AE (auto-exposure) modes which set its shutter speed and aperture for various shooting conditions, including "Sports, Shadow, Haze, Sepia, Hi-Speed, Negative-Positive, and Twilight." Some of these modes would be called special effects on other camcorders, such as the Sepia mode which gives you a tinted, monochromatic image and Negative-Positive which makes the picture look like a photographic negative. For many users of the 6263, the key feature will be the Auto-Shot mode which lets you relax and frame your shots as the camcorder takes care of focus, shutter-speed, white balance and aperture for you.

RCA claims this camcorder will shoot in as little as a 1.0-lux light level. The notion of low-light shooting is an attractive one for camcorder shoppers, thus causing the manufacturers to make claims like this. However, video, especially, is a medium which relies on large levels of light to get good results. While you might get an image in dimmer conditions, you generally should have at least 100 lux lighting to get decent picture quality. This is especially true with VHS-C, which is a rather coarse format. You really don't want to combine insufficient lighting with VHS-C video.

The "Edit Search" mode lets you FF/REW the tape, seeing where you are, without having to switch out of Record/Pause shooting mode (i.e., you can see what's on the tape at your current position without having to switch into Play mode). Speaking of editing, the flying erase head allows clean breaks between different segments on the tape, avoiding video noise where scenes end and begin. To enhance your scene transitions, the camcorder features four digital fader functions: fade-to-black, fade-to-mosaic (screen turns into a grid of colored boxes), door wipe and scroll wipe.

There is no custom titler in this camcorder, but it does allow you, in either English, Spanish, or French, to superimpose the following onto the video image: "Happy Birthday, Happy Holidays, Congratulations, Our Family, Someone Special, Vacation, Super Star, and First." First what?

With the self-timer feature, you can set the camcorder to shoot a scene and, after a few seconds delay, it begins to record. An animation feature stops and starts the camcorder in recording about a quarter of a second of video, allowing you to capture things like flowers blooming. Time and date can be recorded on your video continuously, or you can have it just on the first few seconds of each scene. An on-screen (viewfinder) menu lets you monitor various functions such as exposure, date-time, titler language, and white balance.

Just like an 8mm camcorder, the 6263 features A/V jacks, meaning a video output jack (yellow), plus a set of right/left analog audio output jacks (red/white). As I mentioned before, one of the benefits of the VHS-C format is that it lets you avoid having to use jacks like these, and their accompanying cables, to connect the output from the camcorder to a TV or VCR. However, while you can pop the VHS-C tapes into your VCR with an adaptor, if you want to record the output from your camcorder, to dub onto a tape into your VCR, you'll have to use the A/V jacks. While recording onto a tape will let you edit your video production, you'll get a fairly low-quality image once you dub from VHS-C to VHS. Remember that, with each recording "generation" (i.e., each time you record from one tape to another), the image quality will significantly degrade.

The 6263 comes with a single battery which RCA rates as having one-hour of running time. In real-world use, you'll probably get more like a half-hour from a fully-charged battery. One of the first extras you buy will probably be an extra battery. Other accessories bundled with the camcorder include an A/C adapter /charger, a lithium battery for the camcorder's clock, a shoulder strap, and an adapter to allow you to play the VHS-C tapes in your VHS VCR.

The RCA name today doesn't quite signify what it did back in the Post-WWII glory days of American manufacturing. Oh, we've got Motorola and Texas Instruments, but consumer electronics no longer means metal chassis, well-made vacuum tubes, and carefully-soldered connections. In this age of symbol manipulation, RCA's value is more as a recognizable name than as a maker of tangible goods. It's now just a subsidiary of the European giant Thomson Consumer Electronics and the plastic halves of the 6263 camcorder are fastened together somewhere deep in the wilds of the Pacific Rim. In fact, one of RCA's most notable products is Katie Couric (RCA owns NBC).

Still, the build quality of the 6263 is fairly good. As far as simplicity goes, this camcorder is hard to beat. If you like Panasonic products, they sell a similar product, the PV-D300, for about the same price. A Sony 8mm camcorder, such as the CCD-TR517, would give you somewhat better value for your money, while not really being significantly more difficult to use. For example, if you can handle the connection of the cables from your VCR to your TV, an 8mm camcorder would be within your abilities.

The strong point of the 6263 is its simplicity. This is a camcorder that you can take out of the box, charge the battery, pop in a tape, and you're ready to start recording those precious family memories. While you might get a little more quality with an 8mm camcorder, most 8mm camcorders also cost a bit more. RCA backs up the 6263 with a 90-day warranty on parts and labor. Overall, the 6263 is a decent little camcorder that will tax neither your budget nor your patience.