HD DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER MANUAL
HD DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER ARCHIVE

HD DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER MANUAL

The variety of professional features on the Canon XL1S ($4,699) include XLR microphone inputs, manual audio level controls, precision manual focus controls, aperture control, manual shutter speed and interchangeable lenses. The quality is astonishing.Īt this level, manual control is the name of the game.

The choice of wedding and event videographers as well as corporate and commercial producers, some models in this class are used to shoot feature length movies and network news reports. Packed with three imaging chips, one for each color, and other state-of-the-art technology, these incredible devices are fully professional and surprisingly affordable when compared to truly professional gear. Just don’t tell the pros we said so.įinding the Best Digital Video Camera: High End Three-Chippers ($2,500-$5,000)Īt the top of the camcorder pyramid are today’s utterly amazing three-chip digital camcorders. While it’s true that a single-chip camcorder won’t typically produce a picture that can compare to the quality level of it’s more expensive three-chip cousins, camcorder manufacturing technology has advanced to the point where – when you pay attention to proper lighting – even a modestly priced single chip Mini DV camcorder will produce a professional picture. The third reason for slightly higher prices is more advanced manual controls such as white balance, exposure and shutter speed, offered by camcorders like the $1,500 Panasonic PV-DV852. At $1,699, the Canon Optura 200MC is a fine example. An increasingly more important feature may be the ability to take quality megapixel digital still images and save them to a memory card. While digital sound effects and infrared night mode might have their uses (and they sure are fun), not everyone needs them. Second, there are more bells and whistles, some of them useful, some of them less so. When you look at two cameras with similar features at two very different prices, you might find that the more expensive camera weighs in at less than a pound (the lightweight Samsung SC-D590, at $1,299, for instance) while the less expensive camera might be nearly three times as heavy. Mid-level Mini DV models are small in size, but they have a large feature set. Some of them are so small and unobtrusive that it is a snap to toss them in a small bag and tote them along wherever you go. First, the units will typically get smaller and smaller. Yet, in the hands of a serious videographer, they are often fully capable of professional work.Īs you move up the price scale with a single chip Mini DV camcorder you’ll find three causes for the increase. These single-CCD units are incredibly popular for vacation videos, family events and other types of typically non-commercial video production. And since the Mini DV format is all-digital, every camcorder in this category records video and audio in a format that can be edited on a computer without translation.įinding the Best Digital Video Camera: Mid-Level ($1,200-$2,400)Īt the next level of sophistication and price are Mini DV camcorders that start at around $1,200. Even the most basic DV camcorders are capable of quality videography. Entry-level Mini DV units are sure to sport plenty of automatic controls, like auto focus and auto iris, in addition to laying a visually pleasing picture to tape.

HD DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER ARCHIVE

Entry-level Mini DV camcorders are not any more expensive, however, and unless you have an archive of analog Hi8 tapes, you might want to consider Mini DV.

Sony produces cameras in a transition format called Digital8 that use Hi8 tape stock but record a digital video signal, the TRV240 ($600) for example.

Finding the Best Digital Video Camera: Entry-Level ($600-$1,100)ĭigital cameras enter the market at around $600. In order to help you sort things out, let’s take a look at the features and capabilities you can expect to find in basic, intermediate and advanced models with an eye to helping you understand what to look for when you go out to buy your next camcorder. From basic single-chip models, to the latest three-chip rigs, the world of digital camcorders today offers more choices than any other category of video camera. For at least the past decade or so, it could be argued that too much variety is the problem when deciding which is the best digital video camera to select. If, as they say, variety is the spice of life, the choice we have in camcorders today must be a little like a bowl of four-alarm chili.

Hd digital video camera recorder