European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Home front a ass l. Emmett Lewis it. Linda Larson a teacher in Pitburg West Germany holds a Sony video camera at an cafes store on Rhein main a West Germany. The camera among the smallest carried by cafes dwarfs newest models. War overs he Battle among makers of video camera recorders is intensifying. The cameras keep getting smaller and lighter. Product announcements at the Consumers electronics show held in Chicago last month indicate that the v1is-c camcorder the compact version of vhf is gearing up to offer a stronger Challenge to the other mini videotape format 8mm. At the convention a year ago Sony made a big splash with its 8mm Ccd-tr5 Model then the. Worlds smallest camcorder which weighs just under 2 pounds. It was such a big hit a despite criticisms about its Auto focus system and the clarity of its picture a that other companies figured they had to offer pint sized camcorders to stay competitive. These new compact camcorders Are due in the fall for prices ranging Between $ 1,000 and $1,200 a Jevc is Billing the or Aux a vhf a unit As the worlds smallest and tightest vhf a camcorder weighing in at 1.6 pounds. A Panasonic announced three vhf cd a Palm orders a All about 1.7 pounds. A Sony which dominates the 8mm Market variety adds spice to vacation photos Andy Grundberg Quot action photographs whether in the form of slides prints or video do not have to be Boring. Since one presumably is at Leisure during a vacation there should be plenty of time for Honing photographic expertise and in the Best of All possible worlds trying out fresh techniques. Here Are some Basic suggestions for taking better vacation pictures. Be aware that what works Best for still cameras does not always work for video. A dare to be different. Forget what vacation pictures Are supposed to look like. Too often Amateur photographers Are cursed by having a predetermined idea of what makes a Good vacation picture. This prevents them from responding to their own experience while mimicking the generic Glossy sunsets and idyllic Beach scenes used in travel brochures. A done to use the family As props. Showing the Eiffel Tower with aunt Harriet in front of it the leaning Tower with aunt Harriet in front of it and the Spanish Steps with aunt Harriet in front of them creates restless audiences. Look photography for a new perspective on the familiar or include some of the local populace instead. For More interesting pictures of the family on vacation try acting like a photojournalism capturing them in everyday activities. They Wilt not Only look More natural but happier As Well. A try various focal lengths. Most users of single Lens reflexes As Well As a substantial portion of owners of other 35mm cameras Are devoted to zoom tenses which enable you to change the size of the subject in the Frame without changing position. But few zoom users explore All the focal length possibilities in a shot. It is easy enough to rack the Lens Back and Forth to see if a wider or narrower View would enhance the scene. A shoot Early or late. Between lunch and late afternoon the Sun is at its highest and the Light at is dullest but that is just when most vacationers take pictures. To enhance shots use the raking sidelight of Early morning and evening which usually is More Eye catching As Well As less hazy. Early and late sunlight Are also More yellow and less Blu giving pictures a cozy warm glow. A edit edit edit. Sure All the pictures came out but it is unlikely that anyone wants to Wade through All of them. Select a representative sampling culling any with technical faults like overexposure or Lack of focus and arrange the images to match a narrative of the trip. New York times. Announced a new Ccd-tr4 Model which weighs just s. 5 pounds. Full size vhf units which weigh 5 to 6 pounds make up roughly 57 percent of the i Deocam Market 8mm cameras make up about 33 percent and vhf a cameras make up the remaining 10 percent. A two new products arc designed o ease two inconveniences of the smaller vhf a tapes. One is an extended play tape the other a vhf videocassette player that does not require an adapter to play the smaller vhf a cassettes. Vhf a Blank tapes usually offer just 20 minutes of playing time in the up Mode a the fastest Speed which produces the highest Quality picture. A new Jevc tape extends the recording time to 30 minutes in the up Mode and 90 minutes in the up slowest Speed Mode. Reportedly due by the end of the year Blank tapes that extend the up playing Lime to two hours the other aggravation of the vhf a format is having to put the tape into an adapter to play on a Standard vhf videocassette recorder. Jevc is marketing a Var that plays All four vhf formats a vhf. Super vhf vhf a and super vhf a. Its Price though is Steep a $ 1,200. There is one More new product that will be of particular interest to camcorder owners the dual deck Var. Known As vcr-2, the double welled deck that go video has been promising for the last two years is finally going to stores this summer at $995, in addition to Standard Var fun Lions it includes two Wells a one for a Blank tape and another for a recorded tape a making it possible to copy a videotape and edit your Home videos using just this one deck. In the past two decks were needed to copy a tape. Lot Angeii Timas. A Good videos take planning pow that video cameras arc smaller it is easier to take them on vacation. The result is that More travel photos Are taking the shape of videos. While Many of the tips for Good still photos Are also valid for videos there arc other things to keep in mind when shooting with a video camera. Among them a too much zooming is a bad thing. Zooming is Likely to induce quasi Ness in your viewers if done to extremes. Every zoom shot should have a reason and be planned. ,. A steady the camera although the problem is not As great with smaller cameras As it is with older ones unwanted camera movement and on screen jitters in lengthy shots can be eliminated by using a tripod. A learn to edit. Most owners of video cameras Lack the equipment to perform this chore. But they can learn to edit a in camera a making a smooth transition from the end of one scene into the beginning of the next. If a video camera has a built in wipe or fade feature you can use it to smooth the difference Between shots. New York Irrma july 8.1990 sunday c Page 5