Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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Camcorders offer more features than most of us will ever use. A smaller subset of these is essential to a productive video experience.

3CCD vs. 1CCD

Charged-coupled devices (CCDs) are chips in a DV camcorder used to capture images from the lens. One-CCD camcorders capture images by interpreting RGB colors with one chip. Three-CCD cameras capture image data by assigning one color to each chip, resulting in more accurate color information. Over 90% of the consumer-level DV cameras are of the 1CCD variety. In general they are less expensive than 3CCD DV cams, and rightly so; the image quality doesn't match up. Panasonic offers several 3CCD models under $1000, and the improved quality of the video output is well worth the extra monetary investment.

Lens size

The larger the lens on a DV camera, the more light it lets in, providing better color information to the CCDs and resulting in better performance in low light. Think of this the way the iris of your eye works, in low light situations, your iris gets bigger, letting in more light to your eye and effectively making it easier for you to see. When it's bright, your iris shrinks to keep you from being effectively blinded by too much light. A DV camera lens is like an iris that is fairly fixed in size. Animals with larger irises tend to see better in low light than ones with smaller irises. To maximize the amount of light possible to let in, choose a camera with a bigger lens; this especially helps when choosing a camera with only 1CCD.

FireWire

FireWire is the standard for transferring video footage from a DV camera to a PC. Depending on the manufacturer, it may also be referred to as iLINK or IEEE 1394. I'm not currently aware of a DV camera without FireWire transfer capability, but it's something you shouldn't be without, so double check before you make a purchase.

LCD Viewfinder

LCD viewfinders make framing your shot easier than staring through the little viewfinder. A bigger LCD makes viewing what you record easier.

Analog Connectors

Most DV cameras provide an analog output connection for displaying movies on a TV screen. Many also provide an analog-in path through the same connection for transferring footage from a VCR or Hi8 camcorder to DV tape or passing it through to a PC. If you don't have any old videos, this isn't a necessary, however, the analog connection on a DV camera is one of the most straight forward ways to transfer VHS tapes to a digital format.

Electronic Image Stabilizing

Sony refers to this feature as Steadyshot. EIS keeps the picture from jumping around when recording with the camcorder in your hand. When you tripod mount the camera, or when you are recording television screens or PC monitors, make sure this feature is turned off. It's very useful for keeping the picture steady when using an unsteady base, but can make the picture look worse in some settings too.

Optical Zoom

Most DV cams offer two zoom figures; optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical Zoom is the zoom your camera lens provides to bring distant objects close up. Use optical zoom to adjust the focal length of your lens. Ignore the digital setting; it increases the size of the pixels in the video, which degrades the picture quality as the digital zoom increases.

Remote Control

We may have too many remote controls in our lives already, but a remote for your DV cam comes in handy more frequently than you think. Aside from previewing your movies on the TV at home, having a remote for your DV cam is useful for recording shots where you want to include yourself, mounting a camcorder in a fixed location and maintaining the ability to stop and start recording from a distance, or even just scanning the contents of a DV tape without needing to keep your finger pressed on the fast forward button on the camera body.

Still Camera Mode

Even with higher resolution options, many of the still camera options integrated into DV cameras are second rate at best. If you want great looking digital still shots, use a digital still camera. A newer class of devices has emerged, which builds both a DV camera lens and a still camera lens on the front the DV cam housing. These are slightly more expensive than standard camcorders.

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