10 Most Important Things To Know About Cameras And Camcorders
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10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 1
225e THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
If you've been in the video field a while, you're used to swimming in a turbulent surf of bells and whistles, more than you could ever ring or blow. And if you're new to the profession, the foam and flotsam of fancy features can leave you treading water, wondering which way is land. As the tide of hype and jargon endeavors to wash us out to sea, let's pause a moment and go back to the buoy of basics. 1. Choose a format. Of the portable formats, Betacam SP and Betacam SX, Sony DVCAM, Panasonic DVCPRO and JVC Digital-S record the best pictures, but the machines cost $6,000+. While all formats are excellent, capable of 4-5 generations of editing, analog Betacam SP is still most popular, making it more compatible with other people's editing gear. DVCAM and DVCPRO are swiftly overtaking Betacam SP and will soon be the most popular formats for professionals. The next step down is Digital8, DV, Hi8 and SVHS, with professional models costing 3 kilobucks. The Digital8 and DV formats are digital, yielding 500 lines of resolution (very sharp picture) and tapes copied digitally are virtual clones of each other, showing no degradation. For the analog formats, Hi8 and SVHS, the first generation pictures look excellent, but the color-under method of recording reduces the color sharpness right from the start. SVHS and Hi8 are good for about 3 generations of editing/duplication, but nothing stops you from shooting in these formats and editing in some better format. VHS and 8mm are out of the question for serious video work (except for documenting speeches, hurricane damage, or other "quickie" one-generation stuff). http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 2
And what about 3/4U? It's a dinasaur. Wear out what you have (SP models are as good as SVHS and Hi8 professional models), then move to another format. 2. Three chips are better than one. Like in a Mexican restaurant, the more chips you get, the better. One-chip cameras sense all the colors on one CCD; fuzzy, but small, light, cheap, and very sensitive in dim light. Two-chip cameras split the light (weakening it, incidentally), sending some to the color-sensing chip and some to the luminance-sensing chip. The colors end up purer (though still fuzzy), and the luminance (the sharpness-carrying black-and-white aspects of the picture) is quite sharp. Best, (and most expensive) are the three-chip cameras. The light splits into three primary colors (yes, reducing its brightness), and one chip is totally dedicated to each color. Here, the colors stay sharp and pure; luminance resolution is excellent. 3. Check for low light sensitivity. Lighting in the field is hard to control. The more sensitive the camera, the better. Microlens technology (microscopic insect-eye lenses bonded to the CCD chip) improves sensitivity by concentrating light on the right parts of the CCDs, wasting little on the connecting wires inbetween. Low noise circuits allow the gain (image brightness and contrast) to be boosted maybe 3-18 dB while adding little grain to the picture. Light sensitivity is measured in lux. The lower the number of lux in the spec, the more sensitive the camera. For example, a 3 lux camera can shoot in less light than a 10 lux camera. Don't trust the specs on consumer and prosumer cameras unless they measure them by the "ANSI" method. Some manufacturers don't adhere to established standards of measurement. Also check that the specs are given with the same amount of gain boost; one camera can shoot in 2 lux with +18 dB gain boost, making a fairly grainy picture, while another does the same thing with only a +6 dB gain boost (a smoother picture). Most professional cameras adhere to more standardized specs, typically 2000 lux at f8. This is a lot of light, but there is no gain boost and the lens can offer a decent depth-of-field. In most cases, the more light you throw onto the subject, the better your picture will look, especially the colors. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 3
4. The higher the resolution the better. Higher resolution means sharper pictures. Prosumer cameras start at about 400 lines of horizontal resolution, professional models reach 700. Even if your recorder can reproduce only 400 lines of resolution (such as SVHS and Hi8), the extra resolution from the camera is not wasted. A 700 line camera will make a better SVHS picture than a 450 line camera. 5. Check for smear. Smear is a vertical stripe you see running through bright lights (ie. headlights at night) in your picture. The better chips (Hyper HAD, for instance) counteract this abberation. 6. Shoot for the highest S/N (signal-to-noise ) ratio. You want a pure, smooth picture with lots of signal and little noise (grain). The S/N ratio is hard to measure yourself (although your eyeball can detect gross differences). Here is where you have to trust the specs. In any case, the more light (is this starting to sound familiar?) you throw into your shot, the smoother the image will look. 7. Look for automatic controls with overrides. The automatic controls get you shooting quickly (while you dive into the ditch as a tornado whirls by) and save you from twiddling knobs while hanging from a parachute or skulking around in the dark. They also allow you to concentrate on your shooting, unfettered with the mechanics of focusing, white balance, etc. They also allow amateurs to get good shots. On the other hand, overrides allow you to take manual control of the focus (you want the shot of the nearby leaf, not the bathing beauty in the background), iris (to brighten up the face in the shadows, to heck with the sky behind), white balance (you want a yellowish tint to the picture), etc. 8. Consider DSP (Digital Signal Processing). DSP cameras aren't much better per se, but DSP allows you to: a) Set up the camera controls (black and white balance, etc.) easily. b) Make all your camera adjustments once for each shooting situation, then store them to be retrieved at the touch of a button. c) Forget about "drifting" circuits and noisy or troublesome potentiometers and switches. Digital means there are almost no moving parts to age or corrode. d) Digitally suppress undesirable artifacts such as dark color noise. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 4
9. Look for multiple-use flexibility. Can this camera be configured for the studio and EFP? What does it cost for the extra parts (viewfinders, lens cable drives, etc.) to do so? Dual-use cameras can serve two masters. Is the camera dockable so that it can be used in the studio or teamed with a VCR in the field? What does the docking adapter cost (usually a pound of flesh). Is the camera upgradable to HDTV? Some cameras can work in today's 3:4 aspect ratio (the shape of a common TV screen) and make NTSC video signals, and then with the flip of a switch, change to 1080i or 720p DTV modes with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
10. Now, for the bells and whistles: a) Time code generator built-in (to keep track of your shots when editing) b) Variable shutter speed (freezes motion, or allows you to have computer screens in the shot without seeing bars running across their CRTs) c) Wide variety of lens options. d) Good camera balance. How does it feel on your shoulder? e) Quick start recording (to catch that tornado). f) Low power consumption (to squeeze a full 40 minutes out of your aging one-hour battery) g) Four audio channels, rather than the usual two. h) EIS --- Electronic Image Stabilization on prosumer cameras reduces the shakes when working sans tripod. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 5
i) Color viewfinder --- skip this. Viewfinders tell you the truth about your focusing; color viewfinders are relatively fuzzy, not truthful. Secondly, color viewfinders are seldom adjusted correctly and LCD types give poor color accuracy, again, not very truthful. About the author
About Today's Video 3rd. ed.
http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
Return home
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
Page 1
225e THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
If you've been in the video field a while, you're used to swimming in a turbulent surf of bells and whistles, more than you could ever ring or blow. And if you're new to the profession, the foam and flotsam of fancy features can leave you treading water, wondering which way is land. As the tide of hype and jargon endeavors to wash us out to sea, let's pause a moment and go back to the buoy of basics. 1. Choose a format. Of the portable formats, Betacam SP and Betacam SX, Sony DVCAM, Panasonic DVCPRO and JVC Digital-S record the best pictures, but the machines cost $6,000+. While all formats are excellent, capable of 4-5 generations of editing, analog Betacam SP is still most popular, making it more compatible with other people's editing gear. DVCAM and DVCPRO are swiftly overtaking Betacam SP and will soon be the most popular formats for professionals. The next step down is Digital8, DV, Hi8 and SVHS, with professional models costing 3 kilobucks. The Digital8 and DV formats are digital, yielding 500 lines of resolution (very sharp picture) and tapes copied digitally are virtual clones of each other, showing no degradation. For the analog formats, Hi8 and SVHS, the first generation pictures look excellent, but the color-under method of recording reduces the color sharpness right from the start. SVHS and Hi8 are good for about 3 generations of editing/duplication, but nothing stops you from shooting in these formats and editing in some better format. VHS and 8mm are out of the question for serious video work (except for documenting speeches, hurricane damage, or other "quickie" one-generation stuff). http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 2
And what about 3/4U? It's a dinasaur. Wear out what you have (SP models are as good as SVHS and Hi8 professional models), then move to another format. 2. Three chips are better than one. Like in a Mexican restaurant, the more chips you get, the better. One-chip cameras sense all the colors on one CCD; fuzzy, but small, light, cheap, and very sensitive in dim light. Two-chip cameras split the light (weakening it, incidentally), sending some to the color-sensing chip and some to the luminance-sensing chip. The colors end up purer (though still fuzzy), and the luminance (the sharpness-carrying black-and-white aspects of the picture) is quite sharp. Best, (and most expensive) are the three-chip cameras. The light splits into three primary colors (yes, reducing its brightness), and one chip is totally dedicated to each color. Here, the colors stay sharp and pure; luminance resolution is excellent. 3. Check for low light sensitivity. Lighting in the field is hard to control. The more sensitive the camera, the better. Microlens technology (microscopic insect-eye lenses bonded to the CCD chip) improves sensitivity by concentrating light on the right parts of the CCDs, wasting little on the connecting wires inbetween. Low noise circuits allow the gain (image brightness and contrast) to be boosted maybe 3-18 dB while adding little grain to the picture. Light sensitivity is measured in lux. The lower the number of lux in the spec, the more sensitive the camera. For example, a 3 lux camera can shoot in less light than a 10 lux camera. Don't trust the specs on consumer and prosumer cameras unless they measure them by the "ANSI" method. Some manufacturers don't adhere to established standards of measurement. Also check that the specs are given with the same amount of gain boost; one camera can shoot in 2 lux with +18 dB gain boost, making a fairly grainy picture, while another does the same thing with only a +6 dB gain boost (a smoother picture). Most professional cameras adhere to more standardized specs, typically 2000 lux at f8. This is a lot of light, but there is no gain boost and the lens can offer a decent depth-of-field. In most cases, the more light you throw onto the subject, the better your picture will look, especially the colors. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 3
4. The higher the resolution the better. Higher resolution means sharper pictures. Prosumer cameras start at about 400 lines of horizontal resolution, professional models reach 700. Even if your recorder can reproduce only 400 lines of resolution (such as SVHS and Hi8), the extra resolution from the camera is not wasted. A 700 line camera will make a better SVHS picture than a 450 line camera. 5. Check for smear. Smear is a vertical stripe you see running through bright lights (ie. headlights at night) in your picture. The better chips (Hyper HAD, for instance) counteract this abberation. 6. Shoot for the highest S/N (signal-to-noise ) ratio. You want a pure, smooth picture with lots of signal and little noise (grain). The S/N ratio is hard to measure yourself (although your eyeball can detect gross differences). Here is where you have to trust the specs. In any case, the more light (is this starting to sound familiar?) you throw into your shot, the smoother the image will look. 7. Look for automatic controls with overrides. The automatic controls get you shooting quickly (while you dive into the ditch as a tornado whirls by) and save you from twiddling knobs while hanging from a parachute or skulking around in the dark. They also allow you to concentrate on your shooting, unfettered with the mechanics of focusing, white balance, etc. They also allow amateurs to get good shots. On the other hand, overrides allow you to take manual control of the focus (you want the shot of the nearby leaf, not the bathing beauty in the background), iris (to brighten up the face in the shadows, to heck with the sky behind), white balance (you want a yellowish tint to the picture), etc. 8. Consider DSP (Digital Signal Processing). DSP cameras aren't much better per se, but DSP allows you to: a) Set up the camera controls (black and white balance, etc.) easily. b) Make all your camera adjustments once for each shooting situation, then store them to be retrieved at the touch of a button. c) Forget about "drifting" circuits and noisy or troublesome potentiometers and switches. Digital means there are almost no moving parts to age or corrode. d) Digitally suppress undesirable artifacts such as dark color noise. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 4
9. Look for multiple-use flexibility. Can this camera be configured for the studio and EFP? What does it cost for the extra parts (viewfinders, lens cable drives, etc.) to do so? Dual-use cameras can serve two masters. Is the camera dockable so that it can be used in the studio or teamed with a VCR in the field? What does the docking adapter cost (usually a pound of flesh). Is the camera upgradable to HDTV? Some cameras can work in today's 3:4 aspect ratio (the shape of a common TV screen) and make NTSC video signals, and then with the flip of a switch, change to 1080i or 720p DTV modes with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
10. Now, for the bells and whistles: a) Time code generator built-in (to keep track of your shots when editing) b) Variable shutter speed (freezes motion, or allows you to have computer screens in the shot without seeing bars running across their CRTs) c) Wide variety of lens options. d) Good camera balance. How does it feel on your shoulder? e) Quick start recording (to catch that tornado). f) Low power consumption (to squeeze a full 40 minutes out of your aging one-hour battery) g) Four audio channels, rather than the usual two. h) EIS --- Electronic Image Stabilization on prosumer cameras reduces the shakes when working sans tripod. http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BUYING CAMERAS/CAMCORDERS
Page 5
i) Color viewfinder --- skip this. Viewfinders tell you the truth about your focusing; color viewfinders are relatively fuzzy, not truthful. Secondly, color viewfinders are seldom adjusted correctly and LCD types give poor color accuracy, again, not very truthful. About the author
About Today's Video 3rd. ed.
http://videoexpert.home.att.net/artic1/225ecamc.htm
Return home
09/11/2004 07:41:59 AM
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