A steampunk VHS camcorder
Six years after the introduction of DV video, and three years after the inauguration of digital high definition television, VHS camcorders were still available, combining outdated recording format with decidedly old-fashioned styling.
The JVC GR-SXM240 belongs to a family of models that record to compact VHS cassettes. Besides slight variations in the exterior styling, the differences between the models comprise the inclusion or absence of the flip-out monitor, the size of the screen, the viewfinder type (black-and-white CRT or color LCD), the inclusion or absence of a built-in speaker and light, and, as the major differentiator, the ability to record in Super VHS format.
The same F1.6 lens and 1/4-inch CCD were used across the model range, both for standard VHS as well as for Super VHS models.
Everything you touch is made of plastic, even the shiny parts. Without a layer of paint or clearcoat, the camcorder looks utilitarian, but this helps conceal scratches.
The GR-SXM240 is a Super VHS model (“S”), it has a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD monitor (“M”), which is pitiful both in size and in quality. More expensive models have a 3.5-inch screen. When shooting in broad daylight, the eyepiece is the better option.
On this model the viewfinder houses a half-inch black-and-white vacuum tube. When not in use, it folds down. To use the mode dial and the record button, you need to tilt the viewfinder up. The viewfinder is located on the right side, so to avoid sticking your nose into the battery pack, especially if you use a bigger battery, you need to tilt the eyepiece higher.
The menu scroll wheel is hard to access with a right index finger, so I use my left hand to operate it. The menu consists of two pages: System Menu and Camera Menu.
In System Menu you would choose whether to record in standard VHS or Super VHS mode, and on this model you can record Super VHS video even on standard VHS tape, this is called SVHS-ET — Super VHS Expansion Technology. Still, to get the best results, you need to use true SVHS tape.
The loading mechanism looks fragile, made of relatively long and thin metal pieces. Inserting a tape feels like something is about to get broken. The door flies away when opened. This is not the first JVC VHS-C camcorder that I see, on which the door disconnects from the loading mechanism. To keep the door from falling out I use a rubber band. It also prevents the flip-out monitor from closing completely, which is handy, because the lock barely works and jams in the closed position.
Originally Compact VHS cassettes were 20 minutes long; in the early 1990s 30-minute cassettes became available. 45-minute cassettes with ultra-thin tape have been developed, but they are rare. You can triple the recording time by switching from SP to EP mode, this slightly reduces the quality of the video and significantly decreases the audio quality.
The camcorder records single-channel linear audio. With the tape speed in SP mode being 30% slower compared to audio cassette, the audio quality is not spectacular to begin with. Switching to EP mode slows the tape speed to just 1/4 of audio cassette speed, making it barely usable even for speech. Hi-Fi audio, recorded alongside video across the tape, would help, but few VHS camcorders, even Super VHS ones, had this feature.
There is no option to control aperture, shutter speed and gain manually and independently, but there are several Program Auto Exposure modes, which are controlled with a separate button. In particular, Sports mode engages faster shutter speed, I believe it is 1/500. High Speed Shutter mode engages even faster shutter speed, 1/2000. Twilight mode, conversely, turns on standard 1/60 shutter speed, in this mode automatic gain is turned off.
Digital Effects can be applied to a video being recorded, while Fades and Wipes provide transitions between shots. Both categories were quite superficial during analog video time and are completely useless nowadays, when this functionality is available in your favorite non-linear editing program.
Other features of the camcorder are digital picture stabilizer, not a very strong one; video light; and a cherry on top, Time Base Corrector (TBC). TBC is extremely useful when converting video recordings into a digital form. TBC will keep the picture steady and perfectly rectangular.
To conclude, the GR-SXM240 delivers decent image quality, rather uninspiring sound quality, especially in EP mode, and can be used as a playback deck to digitize old home videos thanks to built-in time base corrector.
Sadly, the audio is not only recorded as linear mono, it is also sent from the camcorder as a single channel.
