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A still video camera (SVC) is a type of electronic camera that takes still images and stores them as single frames of video. They peaked in popularity in the late 1980s and can be seen as the predecessor to the digital camera. However, unlike the latter, the image storage in such cameras is based on analog technology, rather than as a digital file.

The most common design has an image sensor and basic processing hardware similar to that of a consumer camcorder designed for analog television using the appropriate regional format (NTSC, PAL, or SECAM). However, instead of storing consecutive interlaced fields on tape to form a moving image, a single field or frame (combined from two fields) is extracted from the output video signal and saved on a rotating magnetic disk, typically a standard Video Floppy. During playback, the disk is spun at the frame rate of the video system with the field or frame being read repeatedly. This produces a conventional analog video signal that can be viewed on a normal television. The resolution is limited by the device's playback system, which is equivalent to pausing a single field or frame from a video recorder. Since the image is stored as a conventional analog video field or frame, the resolution is limited to the regional SDTV format; in addition, since the images are not stored digitally, transferring the images to a computer requires a video capture card.

Canon began developing a still video system as early as 1977 following a secret presentation from Texas Instruments (TI). Processing the image data from a CCD sensor into a digital file would have required a supercomputer at the time, so a strategic decision was made to use analog recording methods, and Canon recruited Sony and other manufacturers to create a standard format, resulting in the Video Floppy. Other members included JVC, Matsushita (Panasonic), Olympus, Philips, and RCA. The first still video camera was a prototype Mavica (a portmanteau of magnetic video camera), which was unveiled by Sony chair Akio Morita on August 24, 1981. The prototype Mavica was equipped with an interchangeable lens and was approximately the size and weight of a conventional 35mm SLR camera at and It offered shutter speeds ranging from 1/60 to 1/2000 sec; the video floppy (branded "Mavipak" by Sony) was capable of storing up to 50 images.

At the time, both Polaroid Corporation and Eastman Kodak were rumored to have developed competing still cameras similarly using image sensors instead of film. Polaroid offered no comment regarding Sony's Mavica, Kodak published its position in an internal employee newsletter: "Technical capability does not necessarily mean mass market capability. For any number of reasons—including costs, convenience, quality, and size among others—electronic systems don't meet the needs and expectations of the amateur still picture taker." and the 1988 1 megapixel monochrome "Electro Optic Camera" for a U. S. Government client. The film companies would go on to release standalone appliances to view, record, and print images stored on video floppies, seeing the technology as a way to replace conventional film processing and slideshows, rather than film cameras. At Photokina '84, Fujifilm displayed its Fujix TV Photo System, which was a Video Floppy player that could be connected to a user's TV; floppies could be created for a nominal fee when consumers dropped off film at a Fuji processing center in Japan. Kodak showed off its initial still video efforts in 1985, including the Color Video Imager, a color printer designed to take any analog video signal, and the Still Video Player/Recorder, which transferred a single still frame from an analog video source to a video floppy. The Color Video Imager displayed the input signal on a cathode ray tube to expose a sheet of instant film; the Still Video Player/Recorder offered interline interpolation to improve the display of a single field; estimated retail price was for the Color Video Imager. Sony would respond with the ProMavica Recorder, announced in May 1986.

The Yomiuri Shimbun approached Canon in September 1983, asking for a SVC to use at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; the resulting system would also require a transmitter, receiver, and printer. TI helped Canon develop the CCD sensor for the prototype D701. and as a more advanced prototype in 1987, carried an estimated price of Kodak demonstrated a prototype SVC in 1987; coverage focused on the handling of the prototype ("held the way binoculars are held" with top mounted controls and rear displays) and weight, at
Canon continued to develop the D701 into the RC 701, which was the first SVC to be marketed commercially in 1986, aimed at professional photographers and news agencies; three interchangeable dedicated lenses were developed for the RC 701, and FD mount lenses could be attached via an adapter. The RC 701 used a 380,000 pixel CCD made by TI, and was priced at for the body alone. It was the cornerstone of Canon's pro oriented Still Video System, which also included a transceiver and printer. The total system cost was approximately The dye sublimation printer that was developed for the system would go on to spawn a separate commercial line which Canon branded SELPHY. designated SB 70(S) and SB 90(S), respectively. The retail price in 1988 was $2915 each. Nikon countered by announcing its competing QV 1000C professional SVC with supporting system hardware, including two dedicated lenses and a transmitter, in August 1988. The first photographs in a United States newspaper taken with the Canon Still Video System were published in USA Today on October 19, 1987, covering the 1987 World Series. However, due to their poor resolution, photojournalists generally were hesitant to adopt SVCs.

By 1988 and 1989, the first SVCs marketed to consumers were announced at Photokina and Consumer Electronics Show (CES), respectively. Casio would be the first to market with its VS 101 in 1988, at an estimated price of At the 1989 CES, Sony's Mavica MVC C1 was priced at , including the required MAP T1 playback unit, and Canon's RC 250, aka Q PIC/Ion/Xapshot, was under ; in addition, the 1989 CES exhibited a prototype from Sanyo. Both the Canon and Sony used the "High Band" recording format, which increased the luminance carrier frequency and bandwidth to improve resolution. The RC 250's CCD sensor was again developed with TI. the Dycam Model 1 of 1990, also marketed as the Logitech FotoMan as the first consumer digital camera; The increased resolution and enhanced capabilities of digital cameras soon eclipsed the features of SVCs; in a 1995 review comparing digital and still video cameras, MacWorld concluded the digital cameras had superior resolution, but cited the large resolution gap between the high end digital cameras (at 1.5MP) and 35mm film (estimated at 20MP). Most SVCs were discontinued by the mid 1990s.