VHS-C vs 8mm video camera

[Holiday]

Howdy! I am thinking about getting a video camera. Of these two types, which is best? I can't really afford a digital and I like the concept of playing the VHS-C through my VCR. The thing is, I have the opportunity to purchace a nearly new 8mm for a significant discount(nearly a hundred bucks less than the new VHS-C). So, what is best?

[Billybob]

Well, 8mm has a slightly better quality picture but you are stuck playing the tapes back thru your camera. VHS-C can be played back thru your vcr as you mentioned so it's a little more convenient.

It really depends how you plan on maintaining your videos though. Are you planning on just leaving them on the small tapes or do you plan on copying them to another format for keeping them long term? If you plan on just keeping them on the small tapes and you plan on playing them in a vcr then VHS-C makes the most sense. If you plan on connecting the camera to your vcr input and re-recording the small tapes onto regular VHS tapes then you would get better quality with the 8mm.

Keep in mind that vcrs and tapes are going by the wayside. There may come a time when you cant find a vcr. Sony makes what they call a "Digital 8" camera. It's a camera that still uses 8mm tape but records in a digital format. Because it's not the mini  DV format the cameras are cheaper and you can often find good deals on the Digital 8 cameras. If the 8mm camera you are looking at happens to be a Digital 8 then it's a no brainer get that one.

The digital 8 is nice because the cameras not as expensive as the mini DV but you can still input the movies to your pc and then burn them onto cds or dvds. You can still copy the VHS-C tapes to your pc but you would need a separate input card or connection device to make the connection.

I have owned both the VHS-C and the Digital 8 cameras. Both take decent video. If the camera you are looking at is not a digital 8 camera just a standard 8mm then I think it would just come down to how you plan to store and play your videos in the future.

[Holiday]

Thanks for the information! One question, though. If I have a DVD recorder, can't I record from the 8mm camera to the dvd recorder, same as recording to VHS? We are in the process of switching out VHS stuff to DVD. In this case, the 8mm might be the best bet. Again, thanks!

[Billybob]

Holiday, as long as the camera has RCA plug outputs then you should be able to connect to the dvd recorder. I just purchased a dvd/vhs combo recorder myself that has a vcr on one side and a dvd recorder on the other side. I bought it so I can pop my old VHS-C tapes in and copy them to dvds.
I also have some 8mm tapes that I have already copied to dvd. It sounds like you have the right idea as far as copying from tape to dvd. The 8mm will probably give you a better quality recording although the VHS-C tapes aren't bad at all.