Finding Your Format
It's quite impossible to choose a camera without knowing which format best fits your needs. Below, you'll find many of the most popular formats.
DVCPRO HD Based on the standard definition of DVCPRO format, the DVCPRO HD from Panasonic uses a data rate of 120 MBps and intraframe compression, both of which will provide strong protection from generational loss.
The DVCPRO HD also has supporting cameras and decks that use FireWire I/O, which is a very important feature for keeping an eye on your bottom line. The cost of the equipment is a bit pricey, as it can cost upwards of US$80,000.
HDCAM The HDCAM format from Sony is based on DigiBeta and can record in 24p, 25p, 50i, and even 60i. It uses a high data rate of 140MBps, which produces a great looking picture with few glitches. Because of the very unusual 17:6:6 color sampling scheme, the color detail is half of DVCPRO HD. The picture is top of the line, proving to be among the best available on the market.
HDV There is quite a bit of buzz surrounding HDV as the newcomer to the high definition marketplace. With high compression rates, HDV has enabled high quality shooting and editing with low cost tools, including the convenience of high definition video to Mini DV tape. This has also helped to open up the HD field to a wide variety of videographers and producers who would never have even considered going high definition otherwise.
The biggest drawback to going the HDV route is also the greatest strength - high compression. Both audio and video can suffer dramatically from too much compression. The audio in theory isn't up to CD quality, although some users report that they are perfectly happy with it.
More Articles
Related Products And FREE Videos
More Articles
... holding on to well over 40 percent of the market. Sony is a leader in many other industries as well, with cameras helping to add the icing to the cake. The HDW is the top of the line camcorder from Sony. The HDW 900 is capable of recording and playing back 1080 progressive at 23.98 or 24, 25, 29.97, or ...
... MPEG 4 recording format which will deliver amazing video clarity and detail. With the files being conveniently small, you have the ability to record long, high quality video clips. Start up When you close the LCD screen, the camera will go into standby mode. Open it back up, and you are ready to shoot ...
... professional users, as it really does deliver HD for everyone. Afforable The HVR-A1E really means that high definition is for everyone. Through the HDV format, this camera allows you to capture HD pictures on a standard DV cassette, providing both a cost effective format and full 1080 line resolution. ...
... the camera, you can manually adjust the amount of light that enters the camera. The iris is adjustable from f1 to f11 in 24 easy steps. Picture profile This will allow you to set the manual adjustments for a shoot into any one of the six available presets, so you can call them up at any time at the touch ...
... final decision on the optical zoom. The optical zoom will give you a true indication of the video image, where digital zooms interpolate the available pixels to zoom in on an image. Optical zooms will normally range around the 10X mark, with digital zooms ranging from 100X and above. The auto focusing ...