I see more and more DIGITAL camcorders on the market.  I have a few
questions about their use.  How does the image quality compare to that
of VHS or VHS-C format, if I'm saying it correctly?  Better... worse...
or about the same.

Another thing that confuses me a little is the ZOOM capability.  Most
digital cameras that I've seen have an OPTICAL ZOOM level of maybe 3X
or 4X.  Some of the digital camcorders claim to have an OPTICAL ZOOM of
20X ... 25X or even higher?  Why can they bring in the action so much
more than a digital camera, or is that a fallacy.

Thanks in advance

Leesa  (I)

<Leesa_***@softhome.net> wrote in message
It depends on the digital camcorder.

VHS and VHS-C are capable of about 250-275 lines of resolution.

DV-25 (the format used for miniDV and Digital8) is capable of resolving
about 525 lines.  This is better than broadcase quality.  However,
resolution only tells part of the story.  Video quality is also a function
of lens quality, sensor size and density and internal electronics.

The cheapest miniDV and Digital 8 cameras will produce video roughly
comparable to a good VHS or VHS-C camcorder.  However, a good miniDV machine
will produce video of the highest quality -- miniDV camcorders have been
used to shoot feature films.

There are also digital video camcorders that record to DVDs, memory sticks
or internal hard drives.  These all use either mpeg2 or mpeg4, a lossy
compression format designed as a delivery medium and used for DVDs.  Mpeg2
can be a very efficient compression format and, if you've ever watched a DVD
on a good monitor, you know can produce a very good image (because of the
nature of mpeg2 compression, it doesn't make sense to talk about lines of
resolution).  However, consumer camcorders that record to DVDs, memory
sticks or hard drives are designed for consumers who are looking for
convenience, rather than quality -- the resulting video is difficult to edit
and really intended to just be dumped to a DVD recorder or VCR (or, in the
case of a DVD recorder, just played directly on a DVD player).  The quality
of video produced by these machines is uniformly low.


Digital zoom is a marketing trick and virtually worthless.  It works by
using only a portion of the video sensor and results in low-quality, blocky,
ugly video.

Note, too, that no one can hand hold more than 10x or 12x -- without a
tripod, it would be so shaky as to be unusuable.  However, camcorder
manufacturers are more concerned with marketing hype than video quality, and
think that consumers will believe that a camcorder with 50x digital zoom is
better than a camcorder with 10x optical zoom.


Show quoteHide quote

PTravel wrote:

True, but the OP was asking why digital camcorders have higher optical
zoom than many digital still cameras. I think that with those tiny flat
cameras and short focal length, it is more difficult to get a larger
undistorted zoom. The digital cameras with more zoom seem to be a lot
bigger.

Dave

<davesvi***@aol.com> wrote in message
Show quoteHide quoteIt's because digital zoom is free to the manufacturer -- it's just a
question of writing the code, and requires no additional hardware.  Optical
zoom requires good glass and, for long zooms, a lot of it.

It's a cost thing.

Show quoteHide quote

PTravel wrote:

Yes, but that was never the original subject. The OP had the impression
that digital cameras tend to have less *Optical* zoom than the
*Optical* zoom of digital camcorders. I offered my guess that it had to
do with the small lens and short focal plane. That may be wrong, but
has nothing to do with digital zoom, which is of course useless.

Dave

Hi Leesa,

Here's my checklist for choosing the right camcorder

The camcorder is the foundation of any video project, and if the
camcorder you use doesn't have the needed features, it will be
difficult (in some cases impossible), to get suitable video footage.

Having a camcorder with all the right features can be the difference
between a production that will be accepted by the audience, or one that
is obviously home-made.

MiniDV format - Must be MiniDV format. This refers to the type of tape
the video is recorded on. Do not choose any other format. Do not invest
in a camcorder that records to DVD.

External mic jack - Needed so you can plug in external microphone. A
must have. If the camcorder does not have an exteral microphone jack,
it probably won't have many other features you'll need. Check for the
external mic jack first, if it isn't available, choose another
camcorder.

Headphone jack - Needed so you can wear headphones to check the audio
being recorded. A must have. If the camcorder does not have a headphone
jack, it probably won't have many other features you'll need.

1394 (aka firewire or I.link) connection - Needed so you can send and
receive digital video between camcorder and computer. A must have.

Analog video in/out - Needed so you can convert and record analog video
to minidv format through camcorder. This is very useful if you need to
convert footage from other formats, or need to export miniDV format to
analog. A must have.

S-Video in/out - Needed so you can record input from computer screens.
Must have.

1/4" or larger CCD - The CCD is the element that captures the video,
and in most cases, the larger the CCD the higher resolution the video.
Avoid the 1/6" or smaller CCDs.

10X Optical zoom (minimum) - Optical zoom is needed for closeups -
digital zoom is almost worthless. 10X is the minimum. 12 to 18X is
better.

Remote control - Needed so you can operate the camera while sitting in
front of it. Allows you to start the record, zoom, pause, etc.
Extremely useful.

Manual white balance - Needed so you can get correct colors under any
lighting conditions.

Manual focus - Should have ability to turn off autofocus and rely on
manual focus. This prevents see-saw motion of lens when objects in the
scene move.

Manual exposure control    - The ability to turn off automatic exposure
control and set the exposure manually avoids the problem of unintended
exposure changes due to movement or reflections during presentation.
And manual exposure control allows you to light up a under lighted set.

Ability to turn off AGC    - AGC is audio gain control which automatically
adjusts the sensitivity of the microphone based on audio recording
level. When turned on, AGC will raise mike volume during quiet
segments, causing background noise to be heard. You will want the
ability to turn this off.

Side or top loading tapes - If you will be shooting video on a tripod,
it helps to be able to load video tape without removing the camcorder
from the tripod. This is only possible if the camcorder has top or side
loading tapes.

Steady shot - A system for steadying the image as you shoot. Sensors in
the camcorder send motion feedback information that shifts the image
slightly to reduce small, jerky movements. It doesn't compensate for
bad camerawork, but it can help smooth out a shot when you can't stay
perfectly still.

Size does matter! - Cameras that are too small can be difficult to
hold, difficult to find the control buttons, and generally have smaller
LCDs and optic systems. Look for a medium size camcorder. Avoid the
smallest ones.

IMHO . . .

    * Stick with name brands (Sony, Canon, Panasonic)
    * Look at manufactures 'pro' or 'industrial' line of camcorders
    * Avoid buying a used camcorder
    * Avoid paying for features you'll never use
    * Avoid ultra-compact camcorders
    * Avoid gray market camcorders
    * Purchase from a reputable dealer

In most cases, you will end up with two camcorders. A main one, that
should have the features listed above, and a second unit you'll use to
supplement footage shot with the main camcorder.

A second camcorder can also be used to capture video from the computer
(via svideo connection), and during the editing process to dump video
to the computer (via the firewire connection).

Hope that has been of some help to you,

Pete

http://www.trade-secrets.org/dvdworkshop
10 DVD Library Set revealing everything you need to know to create,
produce, shoot, edit, author, design and market you own How-To &
Instructional DVDs. Presented by Bill Myers.

On 8/29/2006, The DVD Workshop posted this:
[...]

<NITPICK>
AGC = Automatic gain control
</NITPICK>

Sorry, I resisted it on your first post a couple of threads earlier,
but twice was too much for me (a native nitpicker!)

For one thing, it is used in other kinds of circuits as well, such as
video, and especially RF (where it began, AFAIK).
Gino

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