Why Do We Love Photography? A Thirty Somethings Photographic Journey. Rapidly Changing Technology. 1987-1999 Part 13

Posted on June 20, 2014

Video cameras in the 90s went from large over-the-shoulder varieties to camcorders you could easily carry with one hand. The Sony Handycam was the first of the smaller video cameras I owned. Instead of using a large VHS tape, it used a Hi8 Cassette that could hold around two hours of film. The Sony Handycam of the late 90s and early 2000s was much larger than the camcorders of 2014 that fit perfectly in a closed palm hand. It also had a ridiculous amount of wires and did not hold a charge near as well as later model camcorders. Nevertheless, it had an amazing 400 plus zoom, could take still pictures, and had a popout viewing screen as well as an eyepiece to record action.
A lot of my college memories as well as my experiences working at my first job were recorded using this device. One of the downsides to owning one was because it used film cassettes, you had to remember where you left off filming and didn’t want to accidently film over or erase previous work. It was a welcomed change from the bulkier cameras of the past and had great picture definition which was perfect for recording sporting activities.