Canon XapShot

by Rex Steyskal
(Warren, Mich)


1992 I purchased a Canon XapShot RC-250, a still video capture camera and I was hooked.

The Canon XapShot RC-250 was before the advent of digital photography, an analog still video cameras made by Canon was capable of storing 50 individually erasable images on 2-inch removable video disks.

Images were viewed by connecting the camera's video output to a television's video input via an AC coupling device.

The Xapshot RC-250 photos could be digitized and imported into a PC by connecting the camera's video output to a video capture device.



The XapShot must be one of the oldest digital cameras featured on these pages. To be honest I'm a little unfamiliar with them but I believe the disks they used were a bit like floppy disks - a concept Sony took further with their Mavicas.

And the design of the camera is a lot like some of the early Nikon digital cameras.

The image you see here I grabbed from digicamhistory.com - so thanks go to them for that one.

Thanks for the post Warren,

Darrell.

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Feb 24, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Converting VF-50 Disks
by: Anonymous

If you need to convert your VF-50 disks, retrofloppy.com is able to read and export them as JPGs.
Nov 05, 2016
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starstarstarstar 		Video Floppy Transfer Service
by: Anonymous

I know this discussion is a tad ancient but I finally found a service in Los Angeles that actually transfers Video Floppy Disks from the Canon XapShot and other cameras to a digital format. So if anyone reads this discussion and is looking, try LPtransfers4U.com.
Oct 24, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Not a digital camera
by: luke in NY

hi, this was not a digital camera. It was an analog Still Video camera. It basically was a video cam that took still images. but it recorded an analog signal on to the floppy disc. It did not convert to a digital file.
Oct 15, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		IS there one for sale or to borrow?
by: Anonymous

I'm looking to purchase one of these as I have some pictures on a floppy from 1991 that I'm trying to retrieve?
cobway@aol.com
Jul 14, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		xap shot
by: Anonymous

We hooked our xap shot up to our analog tv but only get black lines. Is there anything else we can do to get the pictures off disk.
Sep 16, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		anyone have a RV 311?
by: just plain bob

I found my Dad's old RC-250, unfortunately with no peripherals. I have 4 floppy disks, 3 labelled with events and one labelled blank. I would like to see if the disks are still viable and grab some pictures off them if possible. Can anyone help? Contact me at Bob@bobselectricco.com
Jun 15, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		Disk Drive for 2 inch Floppy Disks
by: FireFlyDragoon

The disk drive was a Canon Still Video Player, model RV-311 Highband.
Jan 25, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		Possible fix for problem viewing photos
by: Drew in KC

Hey guys just a thought. Are you connecting your camera to a new digital TV? If so, that may be why you can't read them. You may need a analog to digital converter. The Xapshot outputs an analog signal.

HTH
Drew
Oct 07, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		What is the name of that disk drive ?
by: Anonymous

Can you tell me what the name of the external disk drive is that will read the vf-50 disks? Will it work with any computer? It would help knowing what I'm looking for on Craig's list or eBay.

Thanks for your help.
Oct 07, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		External Disk Drive for Xapshot Disks
by: FireFlyDragoon

An external disk drive that reads Canon Xapshot disks exists...mainly in the resell industry, such as Craigslist and eBay. Originally the disk drives were mainly sold to the medical industry (dental, etc.) I purchased one on eBay, so that I can read my disks on an old Sony Vaio desktop computer.

Some of my most precious pictures were on these disks.
Aug 21, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		how to video capture?
by: Anonymous

How can you video capture if the Zapshot camera is not working?

Is there any piece of equipment I can buy to put my discs in to do the same thing?
Aug 21, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Xapshot video formats
by: Anonymous

I actually had 22 of these. A NTSC version that I used on North American televisions & a PAL version I used in Europe. Sadly, the images were stored in the native format. This meant I could only view on the proper system.

To transfer them, I would video capture them to a PC & email the attached jpg. Then they could be viewed on any PC.
Aug 10, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Also have trouble with RC-250
by: douglasboyd

I dug out my RC-250 also but could not read any of my old images or record new ones. Purchasing a used Sony MVR5300 on eBay did not work since the unit arrived defective. There is a service in Europe that will try to recover your images, and that is probably the best thing to do (google VF-50). I really can not tell if the camera is defective, or if the disks have lost magnetization. In any case I can't get it to work so far.
==Doug
Jun 13, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		help with images
by: Linda

I, too, have an old Xapshot 250 camera. I just took it out of storage and wanted to view the pictures from the 2 inch video floppies I have.

I have connected it to the TV that I used to view the images from and can't see anything but static- like black lines. Do you have a solution on how to view or retrieve my images?

I would hate to purchase another piece of equipment just to find out that my images (of 15 years ago) were just corrupted.
Jan 07, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Digital Camera, O MY
by: Rex Steyskal

I have been interested in photography for some 45 years. My choice of format was 35mm and nature and macro photography. I took 3 college courses on photography and immersed myself in macro photography with a Canon AE-1 and a Canon A1.

Then in 1992 I purchased a Canon XapShot RC-250, a still video capture camera and I was hooked. The Canon XapShot RC-250 was before the advent of digital photography, an analog still video cameras made by Canon was capable of storing 50 individually erasable images on 2-inch removable video disks.

Images were viewed by connecting the camera's video output to a television's video input via an AC coupling device.

The Xapshot RC-250 photos could be digitized and imported into a PC by connecting the camera's video output to a video capture device.

Images, while adequate for some applications, are not nearly of the same quality as those produced by modern digital cameras.

Then in 1996 digital cameras begin to arrive and my ties to film cameras were broken, my first was a Kodak DC40 digital camera, followed 2 months later by a Epson 500, then an Olympus 200, an Olympus 220, an Olympus 450Z an Olympus 500, Olympus 600, a Nikon 950 , a Nikon 990,a Olympus CP2100UZ, a Olympus E-10, Then I saw a Digital Photo taken by a Canon D30 that blew me away, So......from then on a Canon D30 , Canon 10D, and finally a Canon 20D, also a Canon Speedlite 420EX, A Canon 75-300mm IS, a Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens.

To say I became obsessed on digital photography is an understatement! I began winning photo contests and I was hooked on Canon Equipment and Digital Photography.

The digital camera has a big advantage over film cameras, it has instant feedback and if you don't like it you can erase it, while your subject is still in view, experiment with different views, try things like water drops, that price of film and processing kept me from doing.

With Digital Cameras and Digital Darkrooms you can actually see what works and what doesn't work and instantly learn from your mistakes without purchasing film and film processing.

Current Equipment: CAMERA: CANON EOS 20D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
Canon EF-S 18-55 LENS
Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4 - 5.6 Di LD MACRO 1:2
Canon Speedlite 420EX
Sunpack's DSLR67 LED ring light
Tamrac Backpack

You can see my photos at http://rexsteyskalphotography.com
Please sign the GUESTBOOK
Jan 04, 2011
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starstarstarstar 		Informative
by: Butch

I like this posting. It keeps my mind in a historical mode. There are a lot of things I would like to know as to how digital (or its origin) photography started.

I had my first digital camera in 2003 and I thought that was early.


There's more on the history here on this site. Take a look at the history of digital photography for more.

Darrell.

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