Q: I'm intrigued by those camcorders with the TV screen on the back, but have been told you can't use them outdoors. Is that true?
A: Sharp has made quite an impact in the camcorder world with its
innovative Viewcam line - all of which feature a color liquid-crystal display screen in lieu of an electronic viewfinder.
The design allows you to hold the camcorder at arm's length (a boon to the farsighted), down at knee level to shoot a baby or high in the air to capture a parade over the crowd.
It's even possible to flip the LCD screen 180 degrees so it's next to the lens. In this position you can videotape yourself along with others.
Moreover, you can instantly play back what you just shot (or a pre-recorded 8mm movie tape) on the same video screen, and listen to the soundtrack through the camcorder's built-in speaker.
It's unfortunately true that the image on most Viewcam screens washes out in direct sunlight - a current exception being Sharp's top-of-the line Hi8 model (VL-H410U, $2,495) which boasts an improved 99 percent reflective screen.
But soon there'll be other alternatives you'll want to explore, at list prices as low as $1,099. Sony's brand-new series of three Handycam Vision models offer a best of both worlds solution: a color LCD screen plus a conventional black-and-white viewfinder.
Improving on last year's larger and costlier FX-730U, Sony's (and the world's) first double-viewfinder camcorder, the new Visions are smaller and lighter TR travel series shooters, weighing in the 2-pound range (plus battery and tape). And their built-in, side-mounted LCD SwivelScreens are much more flexible - rotating up to 270 degrees for multi-angle shooting. Yes, you can also flip these screens over to the front of the camera - with the image electronically flipping, too - for self-recording when used with a remote control.
For instant playback, fold the screen into the side of the body and use the camcorder's built-in display stand. To protect the delicate display, it also packs screen-side-in against the camcorder body.
The least expensive ($1,099) CCD-TRV30 Handycam Vision has a 3-inch color screen, 12X optical zoom and a very sensitive low-light rating of 1 lux.
