VHS was released in 1976. VHS-C was released in 1982. The first VHS camcorder was not VHS-C.
So? The first commercial camcorder came out in late 1982 (Betacam). VHS-C predates the camcorder of any format (the first VHS-C VCR JVC HR-C3 coming out the same time).
> The first VHS camcorder was not VHS-C.
I told you a specific make and model. Do you actually have a reference to any make and model of VHS camcorder commercially available prior to 1982? The NiCd 10kg “portable” JVC HR-4100 shoulder strap VTR came out in 1978, tis not a camcorder.
To be clear I’m (consistently) using “camcorder” with the commonly accepted definition of a camera and video recorder in a self-contained unit. With that definition the earliest commercially available VHS format camcorder was the JVC VHS-C mentioned, with Matsushita coming out with the full size M1 a few months later.
Prior to the GR-C1 there was a neat accessory to shoulder carry the aforementioned VHS-C portable, but not a camcorder (regardless the first VHS on your shoulder was VHS-C).
https://www.totalrewind.org/cameras/C_SFP3.htm
Prior to that your options for portable VHS were the heavy carrying strap separate VTR like the JVC HR-2200 and the HR-4100 (sometimes referred to as “Portapaks” which was a genericization of Sonys open reel systems from the 60s). They were heavy and inferior to the contemporary Betamax and U-Matic S options, pros didn’t really use them and few enthusiasts were up for lugging 20 kilos of shit around. Hitachi made a few units as well.
Prior to 1985 there were just a handful of VHS licensees. JVC/Victor, Matsushita, Hitachi and Sharp with the other names like RCA as rebadges. No camcorders I’m aware of. I think you’re mistaken, but would be very interested in being corrected with specifics.
The thing about hardware/electronic technology history in general is that the difference between 1976 and 1983 is not subtle. While VHS came out in 1976, and video tape in the 1960s, the technology to mass produce the level of integration for a camcorder did not exist (not to mention the power efficiency as we were stuck with NiCds). Anyone that regularly dismantles any kind of electronic equipment from the 1970s to 1980s is aware of the extreme shift in integration that occurred during that time period, LSI ASICs, surface mount, things that were nearly unheard of in a commercial device in 1976, started to take hold in the 80s. It took a great deal of further engineering to make a camcorder possible, the tape format being around wasn't the issue. VHS-C like Betacam was developed in anticipation of this, not the other way around.
> It took forever for VHS-C palmcorders
The first VHS camcorder (a combined camera and recorder unit) was VHS-C. The JVC GR-C1, made famous in Back to the Future.
Full size (VHS) shoulder units actually came a bit later as a lower cost option, and they sold more readily into the 90s. Likely in part because if you were portability and not cost conscious you opted for 8mm (video tape) at that time, 150 minutes and superior audio, better PQ (color).
Prior to that if you wanted to record VHS on location you carried a 10 kg “portable” VTR on your hip with a shoulder strap and a cable to the camera that was another 5 kg. But in those days (late 70s-80s) 1/2” Betamax and 3/4” U-matic(!) were more common for portable use.