European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The focus is on camcorders by Lynn Simross los Angeles times thinking about taking some Holiday. Photographs of the rids to Send to grandma in Des Moines then you re probably considering a camcorder the most popular electronic product in the United states today. There s a great pent up demand to take pictures of the  said Jack Wayman of the electronic industries association a Washington based nonprofit Trade association of electronics manufacturers. Quot yuppies and higher tech people insist on taking those memory pictures. So there s a whole new climate for taking movies. Two years ago. There was one camcorder in a neighbourhood. Now there Are 20 in the  Ela statistics show that three years ago. One american family in 30 owned a camcorder today the number is one in 10. This year Wayman said National camcorder sales set an electronics Industry record 1,965.361 sold in the first 40 weeks of 1990. And from sept. 22 to 28. The video audio devices hit an All time Industry figure for any week Selling 135,066. Why because they re less expensive $650 to $1,330 at cafes than they used to be and Are smaller and fully automatic. Quot they re idiot proof. You cannot take a bad  Wayman said. Some Are Small enough to Hoff in your Palm and weigh Only 1 vie pounds a including the Battery pack. And some models Are made for either right or left handed people. A the microchip has changed everything a said Wayman. Quot in the last five years it has made All our electronic products Small. Five years ago you had an old thing on your hip a big camera that weighed 15 pounds. Now you can hold it in your hand. Quot camcorders have bottomed out in size and technology. You should have bought your Var five years ago. You should buy your camcorder now. Unless you re a vide Ophile or video Junkie just get the Basic simplest  according to Irwin Buksbaum of Lee Mac camera Exchange inc. In Pasadena the Small lightweight 8-millimeter camcorders Are gaining in popularity Over the larger vhf models you hold on your shoulder. Quot the Little cassettes take better pictures than the big ones Quot said Buksbaum. Quot people find it hard to believe that. But most people want something simple and lightweight unless they re real  in contrast 10 years ago Consumers had to lug a video camera and portable recorder with a combined weight of 35 to 40 pounds and a Price tag of about $4,500. So in addition to determining the Brand and complexity of the camcorder Consumers have to decide whether to Purchase a vhf or the 8mm. The trend is toward the 8mm, which experts say has better picture Resolution and loses Little Quality when copied. But some like the feeling of stability actual or perceived they get in the larger vhf camcorders. But you should do some Homework before you Purchase your camcorder said Mike Lahman a camcorder specialist at Lee Mac. Quot the vide philes want the ultimate in High tech but i would t recommend High tech to the Normal  when you go shopping for a camcorder investigate the following a camera format. There Are three kinds Standard vhf which uses the same big videocassette As your Var so you can take it out of the camcorder and put it right into your video recorder vhf a the same size tape As a vhf but in a smaller Cartridge that you put into an adapter and play directly in the Var and 8-mm, a cassette tape that you must play through the camcorder into your television and make vhf copies on the Var. Standard vhf and 8-mm have a two hour recording time the vhf a can record for Only 20 minutes at Standard Speed. Quot generally speaking the 8-mm will yield the Best picture Quality Quot Lahman said. Quot but camcorders of any format up one american family in ten owns a camcorder. Produce reasonably Clear  a sound Quaty. The vhf and vhf a camcorders use a linear audio track that s usually Mono and now i a few of the higher priced models Are stereo. The 8-mm have a single audio frequency modulation that produces an 8-mm i i sound which is considered far better than the vhf and vhf a audio. Some More expensive 8-Mms also Are stereo. But whatever kind of camcorder you select be careful of what you say when using it Lahman advised Quot they re Omni directional so they pick up sound in All  reproduction Quality experts say All camcorder recordings will lose some image Quality when copied. However most agree that the 8mm has Superior Quality to begin with and loses about Only 10 percent of image Quality per copy. The vhf can lose up to 30 percent and the vhf closes about 15 percent when it is put into the adapter even before copying. A shutter Speed. Many camcorders automatically set the shutter Speed 1 -60 or 1 -100 of a second Are used for Normal shooting. Some More expensive models offer 14000 or 1 -10,000 of a second. Quot you a need 1-10,000th of a second to capture a Bullet going through a target or an Arrow through a balloon Quot Lahman said. A Lens aperture or of stops. The lower the of Stop the better the Low Light Power. Most camcorders have a capability of f1.6 More expensive models f1.2. A Lux ratings. These describe How sensitive the camcorder is in Low Light conditions. Quot one Lux is equal to one Candle at 10 feet burning in a room Quot Wayman explained. The lower the Lux rating the better the camcorder can tape in Low Light conditions. Quot in your lower Light areas you lose color Sharpness and have some training so the image is not As Well defined Quot said Lahman. Most camcorders have a 5 Lux rating but some of the High end models can have a Lux rating As Low As .5 a zoom lenses. Most camcorders have Auto focus zooms so you Don t have to worry about focusing the average camcorder has a 6-1 or 8-1 zoom ratio meaning it can magnify the image six times or eight times to one More expensive models have a 10-1 or 12-1 ratio expect to pay about $250 or More for the better zoom ratio. A automatic White balance a Standard feature on most camcorders the automatic White balance adjusts the unit so that it maintains accurate color in varying Light  of pixels or images the camcorder sees. Most camcorders have a cd charge coupled device image sensor that determines the image Quality of the unit Manv will list about 270,000 pixels higher end models us to 410,000 pixels. Quot the More pixels the higher Resolution and image Quality Quot Sard Lahman. A editing capabilities most camcorders Ali 8mm and Many of the vhf models have a flying erase head which allows the user smooth transition from shot to shot Many have edit search and review capabilities allowing you to play Back what you be just shot. Higher priced models include More elaborate editing possibilities such As adding an insert into an existing shot or offering split screen techniques. A batteries. Most Are not interchangeable among the different brands so you have to buy the Battery the camera manufacturer makes. The average Battery lasts 45 minutes per charge Lahman said and takes about an hour to recharge. A one hour Battery costs about $45 2-hour, $75. Which Bike by Peter Sikowitz. A new York times after experiencing her share of the aches and pains that afflict dedicated runners new yorker Caryl Hudson discovered the Kinder gentler approach of Cross training on a bicycle. Quot bicycling is certainly easier on the body than running Quot said the 48-year-Oldhudson, a member of the Central Park track club and new York Cycle club. Quot you done to have the constant pounding and its easier to build up endurance. I Don t have the same feeling of tiredness after a 100-mile ride As i did after a 20-mile  but joining americans growing number of cyclists according to the bicycle Institute of America the total number of riders in the United states in 1989 was 90 million is often More difficult than the bicycle beginner anticipates. Cycling is a pastime that revolves around equipment and the number of options can be dizzying. Regardless of fitness level or competitive desire a beginner will probably become More confused after an initial foray into a bicycle shop. While a bicycle like the one Greg Lemond used to win the tour de France costs about $7,800, a Good Bike costs Only a fraction of that figure for most riders. When deciding what bicycle is most appropriate keep in mind that paradoxically most bikes that Are built to scale mountains travel Over log Laden trails or through Yard deep bicycles built for you my is 58,5 go Schu totter amps go Schuetzler Kes Are hot 3.5 million of them were i with their Knobby tires straight across and wide seat they Are designed for a i ride. It s important that a Bike fit the rider. By Mike Mcphee new York times would you spend $500 or $1,000 on a suit or a dress that does t fit so Why would you do that when buying a bicycle. Jack harrier has taken the inexact science of fitting a rider to a bicycle and tried to bring it to Levels of Comfort and efficiency never reached before. Some of his International level racing clients have reduced their race times by As much As 15 percent he svs More important they report better endurance with fewer injuries if he can achieve those results with highly conditioned athletes there is great potential or he average rider we who have always believed that a Good fit ight for you be that kind of action. Likewise most racing ver Cross a Start finish line. The category was invented Only 11 years ago Kes Tbs in bicycle circles make up 3ly half 3.5 million mob units were sold in Ding to the bicycle manufacturers association is sold in the United states. Designed to be id Tbs feature wide Knobby tires 15-to 21 a straight across handlebars for upright Riding. Afes Start at around $250. Ikes Are extremely Light 20 pounds an built for Speed although not necessarily for Ley Are recognizable by their Down turned it and 14 speeds. The gearing provides relatively Ince a out of shape beginners and injured Ware. $250 and up at cafes in turned handlebars and 14 or 21-speeds, Ort touring bikes Are More highly evolved i what used to be known As 10-speeds. Although. Ible racers these bikes have lower gearing Mes and longer More stable wheelbase ers usually feature eyelets in which Racks to carry 3es.of gear can be mounted. $395 and up at due to their wide tires and Large seat tend to be nationally by people who Are looking for a be ride Quot said Jennifer Wise co owner of ten  want to stay on pavement and not sacrifice Speed for Comfort. You can cover More Miles faster than you could on a Mountain Bike. Racing bikes at was among our customers Are typically bought by actual racers including Biath letes and triathletes who use them because they re aerodynamic Light and performance  it Jiwu. Hybrids also known As City bikes commuter bikes hikes or other names depending on the. Manuf Turer generally Combine attributes of Tbs and Road racers. Quot sneaker Quot is to Quot Cross training shoe what Quot trusty 3-Speed&Quot is to hybrid. If Vou re looking for something that can take you from Odra Torpoint b a hybrid is probably it. These bikes can be used on or off Road to a degree As a Compromise they Are not As durable As Tbs or As fast As racers. They can usually be distinguished by their straight across handlebars and tires that Are larger and less Knobby than Tbs but wide Rand so a be do a expect Between 12 and 21-speeds. $225 and up at a Cju i a a to Lessen the confusion if you re a beginning bicyclists Vou should know what kind of biking you la be doing before v into a shoo a said Charles Chessler 28, manager to Socle Sufak City. Quot the second most important thing is to go to a reputable about How to properly tit a Bike to you. That s crucial. At cafes spokesman reports. That me is having both feet barely touching the ground. During the last four years harrier travelled to hundreds of races and measured More than 2,100 bicyclists of every Caliper As Well As their bikes. He noted what fits what does no to what hurts where and Why what gives some riders endurance and not others and Why some can climb Hills better than others. Measuring racers he has never seen before harrier can now predict with 98 percent accuracy which of them Are successful and which Are struggling based on y on How they fit on their bicycles. Quot there a no magic to it now. Harrier said. Quot it s perfectly logical. A Bike fits or it does to based on the measurements of the 2,100 riders harrier wrote a software program called probe refit that develops models of riders. For every shape and size of a rider. Harrier is Able to determine the optimum fit of a bicycle for that rider and his or her style of Riding. At the inter Bike expo in Anaheim calif., in october harrier made the probe refit program available to the Public for the first time. In the first few Days of the show More than 100 Bike shops paid $350 each for the program at his shop in Denver colo., harrier charges $50 for a fit which takes about 30 minutes. He measures inseam foot Arm length full body from Collar Bone to floor shoulder Width hand size and a few other variables Down to the thickness of the sole of whatever shoe you use for Riding. He enters the measurements and How hard you ride based on your average weekly mileage and average Speed. If you have a Bike hell measure it and put it into the program the graphics portion produces a drawing of you on your Bike Complete with measurements of Alt critical angles Tike the Knees extended and Bent elbows Waist neck Etc displayed below the graphics Are columns of the measurements and angles actual and recommended which harrier will give you As a printout. If the rider Hasi a Bike harrier shows where the fit could be improved like the stretch from the seat to the handlebars or the height of the seat or the length of the pedal Cranks. Adjustments of As Little As 5 Millimetres about one Quarter of an Inch can have significant results he said. Most important the adjustments might save a knee or hip or Elbow from wearing badly. If you re shopping for a new Bike harriers database includes the measurements and geometry of More than 1,050 bicycles sold today practically every Bike on the Market and hundreds of components like handlebars Extension bars pedals and a Cranks saddles stems and bicycling shoes. And new product on the Market goes immediately into harrier s program. The program can instantly match your measurements with the database and recommend four or five bikes that will fit you the Best Complete with components. Harrier said customers Are not obligated to patronize his shop hell gladly tear of1 the printout and give it to you to take wherever you chose. A we Are a professional filling service Quot he said. "1 try to fit the Best Bike to the individual whether we have the Bike or not. We sell the fit. Six years ago harrier was a chemical Engineer for Amoco Oil had a $500,000 House and was fat and miserable. He quit working sold the House bought a Bike and Rode off 35 pounds. Then he got a Job Selling bikes for $4 an hour. Quot i did no to know where i was headed but l was Happy Quot he said. Quot and i quickly saw the potential for developing . A he began going to some of the Premier bicycle races working in the pits with elite riders including Alexi grew Ald the 1984 olympic Gold medallist and Kirsten ans in Ames the triathlete who holds the american record in the hawaiian ironman triathlon. Harrier believes he a in the forefront of a trend. Quot in the next 10 years All external sports equipment will be fitted with a system similar to this it gives an objective answer to what works Best Quot he said. Quot people Don t want to rely on the subjectivity of a retail  for More information on probe refit or to find out which a i i a diary liar