Mitsubishi C35 S-VHS-C Movie Camera

krazy

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I want to buy a VHS camcorder, I love the novelty and quality of VHS tapes and the older camcorder sensors. I'm hoping to make movies with a VHS camera and for fun.
I bought a Mitsubishi C35 S-VHS-C Movie Camera (PAL), with battery, charger, carry bag and a tape. It wasn't tested, I bought it hoping, it is still functional. It was cheap and was from a local seller.

Features of this Camcorder:
F1.8 AF Zoom Lens.
Stereo microphone.
Left & right microphone 3.5mm connectors.
RCA left, right audio & analogue video.
S-Video.
DC - RF output.
'Edit' analogue connector.
Shoe mount on top.
Tripod threaded mount.

Auto Focus - also manual.
Zoom auto only.
Left & Right Microphone 3.5mm inputs.
Headphone 3.5mm jack.
Remote connector.

White balance with Lock button.
Shutter Speed.
Fade.
Still Adjustment.

Interchangeable Lenses:
Camera is already equipped with a F1.8, 9-54mm AF Zoom Lens.
Upon trying to find research about this camera, you can buy lenses for it and are interchangeable.....which is fantastic!
I found 2 other sizes on Ebay, and weren't expensive like a lot of camera lens can be. So I bought them.

Other lenses that can be found, for this camcorder:
F1.8, 5.9 - 35.4mm AF Wide Angle Zoom Lens.
F1.8,14.2 - 85mm AF Telephoto Zoom Lens.
All lenses are threaded; a filter can be added.....nice. :)
By my assumption, all lenses have a multicoat.
I don't know, what mount type it is, it is small. Very much like, the common 'insert and twist' type like the modern photography and movie cameras.

This camera is either exactly, or similar, to:
Mitsubishi MV-S60 S-Movie
Sharp VL-C690
There may be other models alike, including from Panasonic, just I don't know yet.

What I don't know about this camcorder:
Is the camera sensor a CCD? I don't know anything but I'm guessing it is.
I have no manual or service manual; manuals are hard to find online for this camcorder, including for other similar models.

The battery appears to be dead. After charging, the 6 Volts, drops fast on the multimeter. But that is expected for this old camera.

Battery model: BY-C351 NiMH 6Volt 1400mAh
Charger: DA-C35B
I can't find direct replacements or similar, especially when judging by the images. Some sites contain the dimensions of the battery but they're either too long or too narrow in size. Upon looking up alternative camcorder batteries, the Amp hours are much better today compare to in the past.


This research might be useful for anyone looking for information about this particular model or similar cameras.
I am determined to get this camera restored and working, I may do a DIY/hack to the battery as a final resolution. Clean the tape head if needed & check all the moving parts. When it is working, I will use a SD card video capture device.
This particular camcorder, is a great find and has a lot of great potential!
I will follow up, post photos and update on this thread topic, on any progress I will make.
Any recommendations, suggestions or comments are welcome to this topic.
Thanks for reading. :)

Little Update:
I found a manual for Sharp VL-C690S .pdf file, on manualslib.com (No Mitsubishi C35 to be found).
It's in German, but I'm use to reading manuals. With the advantages of internet searching, it is quite easy to figure it out.
 
Last edited:
Hello,

For the battery a possible solution is an external battery pack (Power Bank) that plugs in to the camcorder - I did not have this camcorder but I recall this being an option in that era.

In those days I had a Panasonic MS50 (bought in December 1989) and it had a power socket so that it could be run via the mains adapter / charger unit (when not charging the batteries - it could charge two, sequentially).

I suspect that your C35 might feature a 'global shutter'. If so then lucky you - in some ways you will actually benefit from better images than most modern camcorders ... including the HD Panasonic I bought in 2012.

Simon
 
I had the same camera for many years, including several interchangeable lenses. I eventually sold the whole bundle for 99p in 2011!

The batteries rarely last more than 20 mins so I did a lot of indoor filming (birthdays, Xmas etc). I think the battery charger had a lead to power the camera off the mains?

The SVHS image was certainly better than most camcorder images of the time, but its low light performance wasn't great. There was a bit of autofocus hunting too. Transport motor was a little noisy too.

It looked the part, nice and chunky - good luck with it!
 

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