• The Xapshot is best thought of as a video camera which uses small disks instead of video tape.
• Whereas a video camera is typically used to record motion, the Xapshot is used to store still images, much like a 35 mm camera.
• Each disk is capable of storing 50 images.
• Images can be erased individually.
• Each image is a field mode video image -- half the video lines are missing and are filled in by duplicating the lines that are present.
• Xapshot images are viewable on TV. Video printers can provide hard-copy photos.
• Xapshot image quality is limited but does have the advantage of being TV viewable immediately after shooting. No developing time is required, as for film.
• Because Xapshot photos are video images they must be digitized, e.g., by a video capture card.

THE CANON XAPSHOT Before the advent of digital photography, analog still video cameras made by Canon were 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. One of the more popular Canon models was the Xapshot. As with any NTSC video image, Xapshot photos can 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 of the same quality as those produced by modern digital cameras.

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