How To Buy A Camera

ARTV 1351-Digital Video
Robert Flowers, Instructor

Purchasing a Camera

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU HAVE?

1) Video Cameras store information on: videotape, hard-drive, compact flash, Memory Stick, P2 etc.

2) Go to local stores, check out cameras, order online (not directly from Sony or Canon), save cash.

3) Don’t get suckered by a “Good-Deal”

4) Are you planning on continuing to work w/ video after this class?

5) How important is video to you?

6) Camcorders talking about Megapixel images are referring to still images

7) Camcorder CCD,CMOS size is important, bigger means more sensitive to light, 3-CCD’s are better than one.

8 ) LCD screens worthless in daylight

9) Manual focus

10) Manual exposure

11) Manual shutter speed

12) Mic. Input

13) Headphone output

14) S-Video, RCA audio/video outputs

15) Manual zoom

16) Don’t get suckered by lg. zoom numbers, they are Digital

17) Lg. optical zoom

18) Canon, Sony (Zeiss) lens

19) Lighter cameras are hard to handhold

20) Camera w/ image stabilization

21) Batteries, how much are extras?

22) NightShot?

23) Hot shoe?

24) Sony and Canon are generally the best. Mini-DV (industry standard), Digital-8 ( can play HI-8, 8mm tapes), stay away from DVD cameras,
HDV (Prosumer HD)records in mpeg2 using Mini-DV tapes, AVCHD (Prosumer HD) records to hard-drive or compact flash cards, P2 records
various HD formats to a P2 card.

Companies such as Canon, Nikon, and Olympus have SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras which double as HD video cameras. While sometimes more costly than traditional video-only cameras they have the luxury of interchangeable lens and generally produce higher quality images.

25) DV highest quality 525 H. lines in standard definition

26) Firewire (IEEE 1394) (i.Link) out (4pin to 6pin) a must! buy at Fry’s or Microcenter, Firewire cards-OHCI compliant often come with a cable USB 2.0 not good, better than 1.1
Firewire is 2 standards 400mbs and 800mbs (9pin)

27) Get optical flat (clear) or UV filter to protect the lens

Sony consumer video cameras
Sony professional video
http://www.canon.com
http://jvc.com/
Panasonic consumer video cameras
Panasonic professional video
http://www.newegg.com
http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/
http://www.dvformat.com/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
http://www.centuryoptics.com/
http://www.matrox.com/
Grass Valley
http://www.guygraphics.com
http://www.journeyed.com