8mm Camcorders

8mm Camcorders

ES270

UC4500

  • Japan
  • Americas
  • Europe, Asia, Oceania
  • Outline
  • Specifications
Marketed May 1997
Original Price For export only (no Japanese market price)

Inheriting the basic features of its predecessor, the ES270[A] / UC4500[E] offered outstanding value for money, incorporating the FlexiZone AF/AE for automatic focusing and exposing, as well as digital editing functions. It also featured a 16x optical zoom lens, providing a powerful telephoto range from 37mm to 590mm. The focal range can be further widened by attaching a wide converter or telephoto converter. Another feature is the digital camera-signal processing system, which delivers higher-quality images.

Video recording system 2 rotary heads, helical scanning system
– Luminance signal: FM azimuth recording
– Chrominance signal: Converted subcarrier phase shift recording
Audio recording system Frequency multiplexing with the video signal by rotary head (Hi-Fi monaural)
Television system NTSC system (ES270) , PAL system (UC4500)
Tape format 8 videocassette (ES270 : P6 type , UC4500 : P5 type)
Tape speed
(at SP mode)
ES270 : 1.43cm/s , UC4500 : 20.05mm/s
Maximum recording time ES270 150 min. (with a 150-min. cassette)
UC4500 90 min. (with a 90-min. cassette)
Fast forward/rewind time ES270 6 min. (with a 120-min. cassette)
UC4500 6 min. (with a 90-min. cassette)
Image sensor 1/4″ CCD (charge-coupled device)
ES270 270,000 pixels (250,000 effective pixels)
UC4500 320,000 pixels (290,000 effective pixels)
Viewfinder 0.55″ color LCD viewfinder (approx. 113,000 pixels)
Built-in microphone Electret condenser microphone
Lens 4.0-64mm focal length, f/1.4-2.8, 8 groups 10 lenses with two aspherical lenses, filter diameter: 46mm, P = 0.75, Minimum shooting distance: 1cm (at wide), 100cm (at midrange), 100cm (at tele)
Focusing system TTL autofocus / manual focusing possible
Color temperature switching Auto-homing
Minimum illumination ES270 : Approx. 3 lx , UC4500 : Approx. 2 lx
Recommended illumination More than 100 lx
Illumination range ES270 Approx. 3 lx-100,000 lx
UC4500 Approx. 2 lx-100,000 lx
Aperture Auto iris servo system
Output terminal (level/impedance) Video/audio output terminal RCA-pin jack, input/output switchable (audio/video)
Video output terminal 1Vp-p/75 ohms unbalanced synchronized load
Audio output terminal -10dBv (at 47 kohms load) / less than 3 kohms unbalanced
Output terminal 2.5mm mini jack, 5V DC
External microphone terminal 3.5mm stereo mini jack
Power supply 6V DC
Power consumption
(when recording and auto-focusing)
Approx. 6.3W
Operating temperature range 32-104°F (0-40°c)
Dimensions 107mm x 106mm x 205mm (excluding tiny projection)
Weight Body: Approx. 790g
When recording: Approx. 990g
(including battery, 8mm videocassette, button-type lithium battery and lens cap)