1988 Sony Mavica MVC-C1

[Dave A]

I saw a mention of Mavica (MAgnetic VIdeo CAmera) the other day here and I had to dig this kit out hoping you would like to see an early digital...of sorts...Sony consumer still camera that evolved later for many years in a true digital form. Hope it fits this magnetic category. It's analog, it's just still, and not moving. The MVC series had been around since 1981 or so as a pro camera but this was their first consumer camera with a very nice form factor. Like holding a pair of binoculars. $289 or so for the whole kit. 1988 for this one. I picked it up at a camera shop that went out of biz in 1989.

The sensor is 2/3" MOS that outputs in analog to a proprietary 2" disc that records the pix in analog for 50 frames. Optical VF. Flash. Timer recording. You need the playback adaptor connected to the camera to see anything which is also a battery charger. It does have a video out and the same connector is used for the common Sony RF adaptor of the day for tv viewing. Pure NTSC for viewing any way you do it. No digital after the sensor.

The disc loads in an elevator slot. The elevator died after two years or so in my first camera and I took it to Sony for repair. After a few days they called me to not repair it and buy it back from me. ??? They wanted to kill it. I kept it.

A few years later I was in NYC and went in to a camera shop on Fifth Ave. There it was with no accessories. I told the guy I was the only person on earth that would buy it with no parts. He gave in cheap so I had a spare.

The original NP-01 NiCad battery is history but I am trying to get it rebuilt as that is the only way the cam takes pix unless I can do a 6vDC wall-wart AC adaptor. I fired it up tonight on the playback adaptor after 15 years in the case. Came right up but I had no photos on my two discs so nothing to see.

The pix are cell pix and not great. The manual is at;

http://www.derrybryson.com/manuals/S...ica/MVC-C1.pdf