Camcorders Zoom Into Video Products Picture
Julia Ramos’ first grandchild isn’t due until September, but the Santa Monica resident isn’t wasting any time. On Friday, she bought a camcorder to videotape the baby’s every move.
“I want to be prepared,” Ramos said. “Not only that, but we’re having a family get-together this week and they’re coming in from north and south.”
New video enthusiasts like Ramos are turning the camcorder, as the compact combination of a video camera and recorder is known, into one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics products, according to the Electronic Industries Assn.
Camcorder sales rose 50% in the first four months of the year, compared to the same period of 1986. In April alone, sales surged 103% from the year before. At the same time, sales of the older video cameras with large, separate recorder packs have dropped sharply.
Prices of camcorders have dropped somewhat, but the average wholesale price hovers around $1,000.
“It’s the hottest video product since VCRs themselves,” said Allan Schlosser, a vice president of the Washington-based industry group. “Nothing comes close to it.”
“They are one of the hottest list items” at Federated Group’s 65 consumer electronics stores, said Martin Jacobs, vice president of purchasing. “We expect to sell a lot for Father’s Day and graduations.”
Many Uses Found
Baby pictures are just the beginning. Salespeople report that customers are buying camcorders to photograph special events, to study their golf swing or to send video postcards to relatives. One Los Angeles man even used his camcorder to document progress in his weight-reduction diet.
“Video cameras are fun, but these things are really fun,” said Mark Kramer, a salesman at the Federated Group store in West Los Angeles. “You can take them on vacation. You can take them with your family--especially with your family. It’s like instant gratification forever.
The ubiquitous 8-millimeter movie camera lugged on family vacations throughout the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s gave way in the late 1970s to the first video cameras.
Those cameras and accompanying recorders allowed consumers to instantly play back the images on a television set rather than waiting for the film to return from the lab. But video cameras are heavy, often weighing eight or 10 pounds.
The compact camcorder, with the recorder actually built into the camera, was introduced in 1984, but sales didn’t take off until the last few months of 1985, Schlosser said. Camcorders weigh only a few pounds, and one model sold by JVC tips the scales at a mere 1.65 pounds.
“It’s definitely a lot more convenient,” said Ron Dassa, video sales manager at Henry Radio in West Los Angeles. “Everybody wants them these days.
Camcorders come in three formats. One type uses a full-size VHS tape that can be popped right into a VCR for immediate playback. Another type, called the C-cam, uses a smaller tape that must be placed in an adapter before it can be viewed in a VCR. The third kind uses 8-mm tape, and a cable must be run from the camera to the VCR for playback.
Although camcorders generally retail for $1,000 or more, discounts can be found. While the average price appears to have edged down since 1985, the slight decline masks a larger actual drop because the Japanese yen has risen 50% in value against the dollar in the same period, Schlosser said.
“What this means is great news for the consumer and slim margins for the manufacturers,” Schlosser said.
More than 90% of camcorders are made by Japanese companies. None are manufactured in the United States.
Ramos was pleased with her purchase of a fixed-focus Sony 8-mm camcorder for $566 at a Federated Group store. In contrast, Sony’s first generation 8-mm camcorder debuted at $1,795 two years ago. “I’ve wanted one of these for a long time,” she said.
