Folks,

I've been hunting high and low for a used Sony 8mm VCR. Just about any model will do - but it must have manual tracking / slow / still adjust.

The reason is that I've got a whole bunch of 8mm tapes that my old Sony camcorder will play; and a whole bunch that it won't. The problem is that halfway through its life it must have gotten a knock and the tracking / alignment changed. Many tapes later, it went into the shop for a tuneup and came back incapable of playing those tapes (because it has fixed tracking) - although it plays the oldest ones just fine. Hence the need for a deck with adjustable tracking - so that I can dub / play the more recent tapes that were made with the out-of-kilter tracking.

If anyone out there has an old unused Sony 8mm VCR that's been lying around gathering dust and wants to find it a good home, please drop me a line. I'll pay a reasonable amount for it - and shipping and handling charges to my Ottawa home. I'd even consider something that needs repairs to get it working again - so long as the unit is otherwise in good shape.

You can email me at "jeff.mackwood@nrc.ca". Please put "8mm VCR" in the subject line in order to get past my anti-spam settings / filtering.

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.

If I find one I'll post a follow-up.

Jeff Mackwood
Ottawa, Canada

Maybe I am ignorant, but why can't you just buy the cartridge converter that allows you to play the 8mm tapes in regular VCR's? I say this because my wife was using something like this for a camcorder that used those smaller tapes. But then again, knowing Sony, they always do stuff with proprietary connectors and such. Am I off the mark?

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I've never seen such a beast. There are tape caddies that will allow you to put a (smaller) VHS-C tape into a regular VHS deck, but I've never seen one for 8mm. Somehow I suspect that the two formats are incompatible in more ways that just size. But if anyone has heard of an 8mm to VHS caddy I'd love to know about it.

Jeff Mackwood

I seem to recall that the VHS-C format was the only one that could use a caddy to play back in a standard VHS deck -- the two formats were essentially identical except for the fact that VHS-C used a shorter reel of tape to make the cassette smaller. 8mm is a different beast. Unfortunately, I used S-VHS for camcorder work from around '88 on, so can't offer any leads on where to find an 8mm unit.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Ah, VHS C, that's what i was thinking of. Looks like your stuck with Sony gear. Best I can recommend is ebay or audiogon, you can post a wanted ad on audiogon.

Was there ever an 8mm VCR or VCP? I just used to play back using the camcorder as a video player -- I never needed a separate deck. I do have a Kyocerra (sp?) 8mm camcorder/player (12 years old but have not been used for the last 7 years) that you can have for a case of beer (premium) and shipping if you want it.

threers

Thanks for the offer. It's much appreciated. However I'll take a pass on it for now - since it's an actual 8mm vcr that I'm looking for.

Yes they were made - and Sony had probably a dozen or more models over a several year period.

The reason for the pass is that what I really need is something with fully adjustable tracking. As far as I know, most 8mm camcorders (like the Sony that I have) have fixed tracking. Unless yours has manual tracking / slow/pause adjust, it would more than likely not be able to play the misrecorded tapes that I'm looking to dub. Conversely, a good percentage of Sony 8mm VCRs had manual tracking adjustment.

Once again I thank you for the offer.

Jeff

ps. I particularly appreciate the form of requested payment - having been known to dabble in the occasional case of ale (or lager, or pilsner, or...) I'd happily increase the payment to a bottle of fine single malt scotch if anyone out there has a deck that I'm looking for.

To close the chapter on this thread...

I popped into a local pawn shop today and buried deep in the VCR pile was a Sony EVS-2000 Hi8 VCR (circa 1991). Just what the doctor ordered! Price (all taxes in): $25Cdn (~$18.75US). No remote - but an old programmable one that I had lying around had Sony codes that control every function. With it the on-screen menus are accessible - which include a full range of tracking adjustments - which is exactly what I was looking for. (Sony's web site had the full owner's manual available for download - really gotta love it when manufacturers do that, especially for old discontinued models.)

The tape caddy / eject mechanism is not fully-functional so the next stop is to the local repair shop on Monday for an estimate. I figure $50-$75 when all is done.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my initial post - and offer suggestions.

Jeff Mackwood