LabGuy's World: 1976 Panasonic WV-2200 Hand Held Color Video Camera
New Addition! 03.07.10
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1976 Panasonic WV-2200/KT Two Tube Hand Held Color Video Camera
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        The Panasonic WV-2200/KT is an early portable camera. I call it the Columbo-Cam*. Possibly Panasonic's earliest hand held color camera. It uses a two tube system to pick up full color images. Light passes through the lens into a beam splitter mirror. Part of the light passes straight through the splitter and strikes the face of the color dissector tube. The other part of the light is routed down into the green channel tube. The color dissector process red and blue light through a striped filter. A complex electronic matrix in the Camera Control Unit, or CCU, sorts out the signals from the two tubes into typical color signals. An encoder completes the task and produces full color NTSC output for use with any color VTR or VCR. Since this camera is the intended mate for the NV-3082 and NV-3085 color capable EIAJ format  portapacks, it includes its own built in EIAJ color under encoder. This encoder feeds 767Khz down converted camrea chroma directly to the VTR. This removes many redundant signal processing steps if the video were handle in the normal way and improves the recorded image dramatically. The VTR is color capable in record only when used with this camera. For full color operation, the NV-3085 uses the NV-A610 color adapter.
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Connector Bay, Camera Control Unit and System Specifications
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        In use, the camera is held in the right hand, while the left hand operates the zoom and focus of the lens. Tape start and stop is controlled by the trigger in the hand grip. The rather bulky lens has an electronic iris built in. The operator does not need to adjust exposure. To adjust to various lighting conditions, color correcting filters are attached to the front of the lens as needed. Live or VTR playback picture is viewed in a conventional 1-1/2 inch CRT viewfinder. To view VTR playback, the operator flips a switch on the back of the camera. The CCU is carried on a sling strap on the operator's right side while holding and operating the camera with both hands.
        * Why do I call this the Columbo-Cam? I saw this Panasonic color camera, for the first time, on an episode of the television program, "Columbo", starring Peter Falk way back in 1976! Guest star, William Shatner played a murderer who uses his Sony Umatic VCR to set up his alibi for a murder he commits. On the OLD VTRs discussion group, the question of old video equipment in popular movies came up. At that same time, I discovered an entry about this camera in the NV-3085 VTR Service Manual. This is how I got the exact model number. Moments later, I jumped on the web and found this camera instantly! A couple of emails and fifty bucks later, the camera was in the mail. Talk about your good karma, you gotta love the web! It is the best resource for collectors ever.
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WANTED: Any ideas on how to remove the yellowing of the plastic.
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Last updated: January 06, 2005