VHS-C
8mm
miniDV
DVD
A camcorder is a portable electronic device (generally a digital camera ) for recording video images and audio onto a storage device . The camcorder contains both cam era and re corder in one unit, hence its portmanteau name. This compares to previous technology where they would be separate.
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VHS-C |
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miniDV |
DVD |
Video cameras were originally designed for broadcasting television images -- see television camera . Cameras found in television broadcast centers were extremely large, mounted on special trolleys, and wired to remote recorders located in separate rooms. As technology advanced, miniaturization eventually enabled the construction of portable video-cameras and portable video-recorders .
Prior to the introduction of the camcorder, portable video-recording required two separate devices: a video-camera and a VCR. Specialized models of both the camera and VCR were used for mobile work. The portable VCR consisted of the cassette player/recorder unit, and a television tuner unit. The cassette unit could be detached and carried with the user for video recording. While the camera itself could be quite compact, the fact that a separate VCR had to be carried made on-location shooting a two-person job.
In 1983 , Sony introduced the first camcorder, followed by Kodak in 1984 . The first camcorders combined the video-camera with an existing full-size VHS / Betamax recorder. These camcorders were large devices that required a sturdy tripod or strong shoulders to stably support the camera's bulk. (Most camcorders were designed for right-handed operation, though a few possessed ambidextrous ergonomics.)
Within a few short years, manufacturers introduced two new tape formats tailored to the application of portable-video: the VHS-C format and the competing 8mm . VHS-C was essentially VHS with a reduced-size cassette. The VHS-C cassette held enough tape to record 30 minutes of VHS video, while a mechanical adapter enabled playback of VHS-C videocassettes in standard (full-size) VHS VCRs. VHS-C allowed manufacturers to reduce the weight and size of VHS-derived camcorders, although at the expense of recording time.
A year later Sony introduced the first HandyCam camcorder. The HandyCam could be held and operated entirely within the palm of the operator's hand, made possible by the 8mm video format. 8mm video used a tape whose width is 33% less than VHS/Betamax tape (~12.7mm), allowing even further miniaturization in the recorder's tape-transport assembly and cassette media. were even smaller than VHS-C cassettes.
8mm video represented a trade-off for the consumer. On the plus side, the 8mm camcorder generally produced higher quality recordings than a VHS/VHS-C camcorder, and the standard 8mm cassette could record up to two hours. On the down side, since the 8mm format was incompatible with VHS, 8mm recordings could not be played in VHS VCRs. In most cases, viewers would connect the camcorder to their home VCR, and copy their recordings on to a VHS tape.
The complete dominance of VHS among TV-timeshifters and rental-audiences guaranteed VHS-C an uneasy coexistence alongside 8mm. Serious amateur-videographers preferred 8mm, simply because it was better suited (than VHS/VHS-C) for the task of video production. But some casual and family users preferred VHS-C because of its shared lineage (and familiarity) with VHS. Equally important, entry-level VHS-C camcorders were priced less than 8mm units. During the 1990s, the UK market saw Video8 and Hi8 eat into VHS-C/S-VHS-C sales as manufacturers such as Sharp Corporation dropped their VHS-C models in favour of 8mm. Eventually the only major manufacturers marketing VHS-C were JVC and Panasonic, so the format fell into obsolescence.
Throughout the 1990s , camcorder sales had the unintended side-effect of hurting the still camera photography market. Among the mass consumer market, camcorders gradually replaced still cameras for vacation and travel use.
In the late 1990s , the camcorder reached the digital era with the introduction of miniDV . Its cassette media was even smaller than 8mm media, allowing another size reduction of the tape transport assembly. The digital nature of miniDV also improved audio and video quality over the best of the analog consumer camcorders (SVHS-C, Hi8 .) Variations on the digital-video camcorder included the Digital8 camcorder, and the DVD camcorder.
The evolution of the camcorder has seen the growth of the camcorder market as price reductions and size reductions make the technology more accessible to a wider audience. When camcorders were first introduced, they were bulky shoulder-operated luggables that cost over US$1500 dollars. As of 2005 , an entry-level MiniDV camcorder fits in the palm of a person's hand, at a price of US$300 dollars.
Camcorders contain 3 major components: lens , imager , and recorder . The lens gathers and focuses light on the imager. The imager (usually a CCD ( charge-coupled device ) or CMOS sensor IC on modern camcorders; earlier examples often used vidicon tubes) converts incident light into an electrical (video) signal. Finally, the recorder encodes the video signal into a storable form. More commonly, the optics and imager are referred to as the camera section.
The optic lens is the first component in the camera-section's "light-path." The camcorder's optics generally have one or more of the following adjustments: aperture (to control the amount of light), zoom (to control the field-of-view), and shutter speed (to capture continuous motion.) In consumer units, these adjustments are automatically controlled by the camcorder's electronics, generally to maintain constant exposure onto the imager. Professional units offer direct user control of all major optical functions (aperture, shutter-speed, focus, etc.)
The imager section is the eye of the camcorder, housing a photosensitive device(s). The imager converts light into an electronic video-signal through an elaborate electronic process. The camera lens projects an image onto the imager surface, exposing the photosensitive array to light. The light exposure is converted into electrical charge. At the end of the timed exposure, the imager converts the accumulated charge into a continuous analog voltage at the imager's output terminals. After scan-out is complete, the photosites are reset to start the exposure-process for the next video frame. In modern camcorders, an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter digitizes the imager (analog) waveform output into a discrete digital-video signal.
The final section, the recorder , is responsible for writing the video-signal onto a recording medium (such as magnetic videotape.) The record function involves many signal-processing steps, and historically, the recording-process introduced some distortion and noise into the stored video, such that playback of the stored-signal may not retain the same characteristics/detail as the live video feed.
Camcorders are often classified by their storage device : VHS, Betamax, Video8 are examples of older, videotape-based camcorders. Older camcorders recorded video in analog form. Newer camcorders include Digital8, miniDV, DVD, and solid-state (flash) semiconductor memory, which all record video in digital form. (Please see the video page for details.) Note, the imager-chip is considered an analog component, so the digital namesake is in reference to the camcorder's processing and recording of the video.
The latest camcorders can also record video on flash memory devices (in MPEG-1 , MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 ) or directly on DVD (either DVD-RAM or DVD-R) in MPEG-2 format. Other digital tape recorders transfer their video content in DV format over a FireWire connection to a computer, where the huge files (approx. 2GB for 5 minutes on PAL DVD resolution) need to be edited and compressed or played back on tape. The transfer speed is currently 1x , which means one hour of footage needs one hour to transfer.
As the mainstream consumer market favors ease of use, portability, and price, consumer camcorder emphasize these features more than raw technical performance. Consumer units offer a plethora of I/O options (IEEE 1394/firewire, USB 2.0, composite and S-Video, A/V), but curiously, many lack basic manual settings for video exposure (perhaps due to the perceived increased complexity of manual settings.) For the beginner, entry-level camcorders offer basic recording and playback capability. For the sophisticated user, high-end units offer improved optical and video performance through multi-CCD components and name-brand optics, manual control of camera exposure, and more.
Before the 21st century, consumer video editing was a difficult task requiring a minimum of two recorders. A contemporary Personal Computer of even modest power can perform digital video editing with low-cost editing software. Many consumer camcorders bundle a light version (with limited features.)
As of 2005 , analog camcorders (Hi8, SVHS-C) are in decline. In terms of sales, Digital8 and miniDV recorders dominate most first-world markets. Camcorders which record directly on DVD media are also on the rise. However, video-capture capability is now available in selected models of cellphones, digicams, and other portable consumer electronic devices. Hence, the traditional (single-purpose) camcorder now faces indirect competition from other consumer electronics. Multifunction cellphones and digicams will likely become the gadget of choice for casual use, with traditional camcorders reserved for special-event coverage.
Beyond the consumer market, the industrial, broadcast, and professional industry are served by equipment built to a higher standard. Both the camera and recorder sections are expected to survive harsh environments under repeated use, and the heavier and larger size of professional-use camcorders reflects more robust construction.
In terms of camera performance, the best broadcast and professional imagers produce more accurate color, capture more detail with less light. Compared to the integrated high-power zooms in consumer camcorders, professional cameras use higher-quality interchangeable lens. The zoom-range on professional optics is limited, but of better sharpness throughout its range.
should be noted that the pace of technology has created a situation where modern consumer devices often outperform professional equipment of older design. For example, a consumer HDV recorder will may higher resolution video than a Betacam/SP recorder, although the latter still costs more. Professional equipment tends to be designed for a specific application, with a standardized environment. Consumer equipment is often "built to marketing standards," covering a target market with overlapping yet constantly evolving standards. One observable effect is the disparity in product-life cycle for each equipment tier: consumer products , semi-professional products and broadcast quality products (see professional video camera ). Product cycles are 6-12 months, 2-4 years and 5+ years respectively.
Camcorders have found use in nearly all corners of electronic media, from electronic news organizations to TV/current-affairs productions. In locations away from a distribution infrastructure, camcorders are invaluable for initial video acquisition. Subsequently, the video is transmitted electronically to a studio/production center for broadcast. Scheduled events such as official press conferences, where a video infrastructure is readily available or can be feasibly deployed in advance, are still covered by studio-type video cameras (tethered to "production trucks.")
For casual use, camcorders often cover weddings, birthdays, graduation ceremonies, and many other personal events .
Home video is usually done with poor filming techniques. That is knowledge of filming techniques is quite poor in most cases, which means not always it is lack of pro equipment. However, even with properly set up white balance it is possible to get sometimes acceptable results, but then another problems pop up. The size of CCD chip is the first one. In most consumer camcorders the size is only 1/6", which seems to be enough for small tv home video, but for more professional use and much better quality of video, 1/3" of CCD is a minimum. Another problem is fact, that CCD can not recognise colours, but only intensities of light. So, special algorithms are applied, which makes result not so excellent as it could be. The fault is overcomed in consumer 3CCD camcorders, where incoming light is split into three separate colours - red, green and blue and analysed by separate CCD chips.
Political protestors have capitalized on the value of media coverage use camcorders to film things they believe to be unjust. Animal rights protestors who break into factory farms and animal testing labs use camcorders to film the conditions the animals are living in. Anti-hunting protestors film fox hunts . Anti-globalization protestors film the police to deter police brutality . If the police do use violence there will be evidence on video. Greenpeace uses camcorders to film their activities. Activist videos often appear on Indymedia .
The police use camcorders to film riots , protests and the crowds at sporting events. The film can be used to spot and pick out troublemakers, who can then be prosecuted in court.
Camcorders are often used in the production of low-budget TV shows, where the production crew does not have access to more professional equipment. There are even examples of Hollywood movies shot entirely on consumer camcorder equipment (see Blair Witch Project .) But on the other hand with equipment on the level 1500-2000 GBP it is possible to produce boradcast quality video. And again - to get it, we have to use camcorder with CCD not less than 1/3, however 1/4" in PDX100 gives some not so bad results.
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Canon XL1 here 1/3" revolution started |
SONY PDX10 1/4" but 16x9 |
SONY PD150 broadcast quality |
PANASONIC AG-DVX100A broadcast quality and 24/25 progressive (!) |
The following list covers consumer equipment only!
(All with videocassette media)
New Formats: