In 1983, Panasonic presented a bold future of videography, one in which cameras adjusted exposure and focus all by themselves, and we would sling portable VCRs over our arm to film ourselves doing interpretive jazz dance as the sun set over the Pacific. We would have terrific legs and short shorts, and dance with the sheer exuberance auto-focus inspired … until we realized we neglected to move the tripod as the tide came in, and our expensive Panasonic gear floated out to sea.
It’s nice to hear Panasonic’s old slogan “Just Slightly Ahead of Our Time” — an atypically pragmatic marketing slogan. (Like, “Futuristic Looking for At Least a Few Months, We Think.”) Maybe even they knew this whole clunky VCR – docking station wasn’t going to catch on. Yet, I still kinda want that camera.
Via stepheno.net, a Norwegian TV and Media Production student, and TechEBlog.
I almost bought one of those "portable video recorder" cameras on Ebay last year. I think it's a good thing I didn't, I look terrible in a short skirt.
[…] It’s the original, not that crazy Special Edition where all sorts of random details are changed arbitrarily. What if film preservation centers started doing that? “Hi, we’ve restored this 1907 film to a vividness never seen since its release. Um, except 3:04 – 4:17. We thought that was stupid, so we re-shot it with Legos. Dude. It’s a video case. VHS playback in a briefcase. Anyone got a briefcase they’re not using so we can build this thing? We already know portable VHS makes you super-happy so you do jazz dance at sunset on the beach. […]
that is Morgan Freeman, it must be