Sony Handycam celebrates 25th birthday, can now film itself renting a car

Remember the Sony Video 8? No? Well, let's recap: it was 1985, and the company releases the CCD-M8 camcorder, capturing life on 8-millimeter cassettes at just under 2.2 pounds. "Back in my day" references notwithstanding, Sony is now celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Handycam line, from that progenitor recorder all the way up to today's SD card-equipped lineup. All the festivities and a pretty detailed trip down memory lane can be found via the source link, or if you're looking for something infinitely more cornball, Sony's produced a "commemorative movie" of sorts in honor of the anniversary -- that's after the break.

[Lord Vader Posted May 25th 2010 6:44PM]

The Cake is a Lie

[electron Posted May 25th 2010 6:55PM]

@Lord Vader
awe, you beat me too it

[Lord Vader Posted May 25th 2010 7:00PM]

@electron. Indeed, It was a Triumph

[lalaluluj Posted May 25th 2010 7:40PM]

@ssgadget
sigh, me too ;) i bought a zi8 today and i feel like i betrayed sony. love sony

[Oliver Taylor Posted May 25th 2010 6:46PM]

I wouldn't call the camcorders of 1985 very "handy". Or lightweight.

[Almo Posted May 25th 2010 6:47PM]

@Oliver Taylor

Maybe not in 2010. Imagine yourself in 1985. (Or ask daddy).

[acn010 Posted May 25th 2010 7:49PM]

@Oliver Taylor
Lol damn size of a rocket launcher xD

[TikiTeko Posted May 25th 2010 6:46PM]

Happy Birthday HandyCam! How time flies! It seems it was only yesterday when I was using a tape to record all those precious memories.

[Ross McLean Posted May 25th 2010 7:07PM]

@TikiTeko

*sigh* It was yesterday I filmed with Mini DV tape. I need a new camera...

[TikiTeko Posted May 25th 2010 6:48PM]

Did you guys have a awful square on the bottom-left area of the video? Is it caused due to the high quality and fast movement?

[kapanak Posted May 25th 2010 6:49PM]

Once upon a time, Sony made THE BEST consumer camcorders in the world...

Today, we are sad...

[Xstream Posted May 25th 2010 6:57PM]

@kapanak
they still do

[kapanak Posted May 25th 2010 7:12PM]

@Xstream

They aren't Number 1 in the consumer market...they used to be.

[Almo Posted May 25th 2010 7:16PM]

@kapanak

Still the best, digital cameras, camcorders and DSLRs.

[RampantNinja Posted May 26th 2010 10:16AM]

@Almo lol wut? Their imaging equipment doesn't compare to Canon or Nikon.

[Toyzer Posted May 25th 2010 6:50PM]

It seems those days of shaky, handheld footages haven't changed a bit in 25 years. And why do they always portray pretty girls going for ugly guys?

[TikiTeko Posted May 25th 2010 6:52PM]

@Toyzer To boost self-esteem of aspiring engineers.

[YearZer0 Posted May 25th 2010 6:54PM]

I bought a HDR-SR12 and love it, but I never use it. I guess I'm not the film everything type.

[Alexpeegs Posted May 25th 2010 6:56PM]

New ability unlocked

[ElCabri Posted May 25th 2010 7:28PM]

You mean you could record TV with a single 2.2 lbs package ?
No wonder the US president was an actor, back then.

[kreg37 Posted May 25th 2010 9:10PM]

Was ANY of that actually shot on a Handycam? Might have been nice if they had actually used the older models to film the "older" footage.

[jpw Posted May 26th 2010 9:17AM]

@kreg37

Yes. Had they shown original NTSC analog footage, that may have been a convincing advertisement. I spent the entire video trying to figure out the "plot"--as though they were recreating the baby videos in HD. Nope.

FAIL.

[Alex Posted May 26th 2010 9:10AM]

I am 22 and rented a car from Hertz under their "no underage fee!" promotion.

When I returned the car, they charged me the underage fee. WTF Hertz.

[ecdysiast Posted May 26th 2010 9:31AM]

Anybody want to buy my CCD-M8? It is one of the first, with manual focus.

[gossi Posted May 26th 2010 11:09AM]

Here's a music video shot with the original Sony CCD-V8 (first video8 camera from 1985).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V4MIGjo-s0
http://vimeo.com/11671623

Looks better than the 1985 footage in the commercial!

[Sony India Posted May 27th 2010 1:39AM]

Hi,

Thanks for putting up this write up. Handycam is a great gadget to record all you beautiful memories instantly. It is portable, light-weight and easy to use. More details can be found at the following link - http://www.sony.co.in/microsite/handycam/?cid=orm:handycam
Regards,
Sony India Team